University student Lewis Mullins had been working full-time at a Brisbane cinema complex when the coronavirus pandemic set in.

Key points: Some students who are now ineligible for JobKeeper payments were being paid 10 times what they would usually earn

Some students who are now ineligible for JobKeeper payments were being paid 10 times what they would usually earn Brisbane restaurateur Sandro Romano has welcomed changes to the scheme, saying he's "all for it"

Brisbane restaurateur Sandro Romano has welcomed changes to the scheme, saying he's "all for it" The Grattan Institute has called on the Federal Government to broaden the scheme to include migrants and casual workers

Despite being left without a job or an income for weeks, the 18-year-old earnt more than he ever did thanks to the Federal Government's JobKeeper payment scheme.

"It's been good for the bank account, I can't complain about that," Mr Mullins said.

"I'm getting $1,500 a fortnight. After tax it's only $1,300, which is still pretty good. Almost double what I'd make because I'm a full-time student and casual worker," he said.

While Mr Mullins has enjoyed the financial help, the same support is not available to everyone.

Students aged 16 and 17 are now no longer eligible for the Federal Government's wage subsidy program, after it closed a loophole last week.

Business owners had previously been instructed to pay some students as young as 16 years old the full $1,500 a fortnight allowed under JobKeeper — even if they usually earned a tenth of that from an occasional shift.

The Australian Tax Office's (ATO) website has since been updated, advising business owners it will reimburse those who had been paying students that are now deemed ineligible.

Accountant warns against further changes to JobKeeper

Mark Molesworth, a tax specialist and partner at accounting firm BDO, warned the Federal Government against making any further changes to the JobKeeper scheme, saying it would damage confidence in the system.

"Please stop changing the scheme. The current economic times are uncertain enough," he said.

"If the Government keeps tinkering with the scheme, businesses will think that eligibility for the scheme is uncertain and that will prevent them from applying."

The Federal Government has confirmed students who are no longer eligible for JobKeeper payments will not be required to repay them.

Brisbane restaurateur Sandro Romano was told to pay school students thousands of dollars in Job Keeper payments. ( ABC News: George Roberts )

Sandro Romano runs a busy restaurant in the Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove that employs students as young as 16.

Following advice from the ATO and his accountants, Mr Romano was told to pay his staff $1,500 a fortnight, regardless of whether they were working or not.

"They probably [went up] four or five, six times with their wage than they were earning prior to JobKeeper," Mr Romano said.

Under the JobKeeper scheme, employers pay their staff and get reimbursed by the Federal Government later via monthly arrears from the ATO.

"That requires businesses to have a store of working capital or the ability to borrow more working capital," Mr Molesworth said.

For Mr Romano, that meant potentially forking out tens of thousands of dollars in the hope his staff met the "confusing" eligibility criteria.

The restaurateur ended up out of pocket by several hundred dollars after he put two ineligible staff members on extra shifts following the Government's announcement on Friday.

"I did have to cough [up] probably about $700 with the wages for that week … because they didn't qualify for the JobKeeper," Mr Romano said.

The Federal Government announced changes to Job Keeper on Friday. ( ABC News: Chris Gillette )

He said he thought paying all employees $1,500 was problematic in the first place.

"I think it should have been scaled to be in proportion with what they were earning," he said.

Despite his misgivings, Mr Romano praised the Federal Government's management of the crisis and welcomed the changes to the scheme.

"I'm all for it … I think it's better to fix it than to let it ride and spend the extra millions of dollars on something that wasn't … morally right," he said.

"The Government's done a very, very good job with trying to keep the show going — there's no doubt about that."

Casuals, migrants should be included: Grattan Institute

The Grattan Institute, a policy think tank, warned the current JobKeeper scheme left more than just students behind.

"We think it should have been a little bit broader, particularly including the temporary migrants who have been living and working in Australia," senior associate Matt Cowgill said.

"They really have no other option for financial support while they're still here."

He also said some casual workers missed out on the scheme because they had not been employed for long enough.

"The [Federal] Treasurer has said they had to draw the line somewhere. We think maybe that line could have been drawn a little bit more generously," Mr Cowgill said.

"People who had an ongoing connection to their boss or maybe were working regular shifts but hadn't been with the one employer for 12 months — we think they could have been included in the scheme as well."