New Covid support for businesses: are you eligible?

New Covid support for businesses announced

Your business may be eligible for new types of lockdown support from the Government, which was announced recently. If you’re not sure whether you can claim, get in touch and we can help.

New support announced this week:

• Short-term absence payment

A payment of $350 per worker, available to employers to pay workers who stay home waiting for Covid-19 test results. Also available for those who are self-employed. This is a one-off payment; find out more here.

• Resurgence support payment

If your business experiences a decline in revenue of at least 30% over a two-week period during Alert Level 2 or above, you can claim this payment. Anyone who has been in business for at least six months is eligible. Again, a one-off payment. Available from Tuesday, February 23. You can find out more here.

Ongoing support:

• Leave support scheme

If your staff members can’t come into work because they must self-isolate, and they can’t work from home, your business can get help to pay their wages or salary. You can find out more here.

• Wage subsidy scheme

This will apply if we are in Alert Level 3 or higher for at least a week.

• Business finance guarantee scheme

Small or medium-sized businesses may be eligible for loans, supported by the Government, without needing a personal guarantee. You must still repay these loans, but they can with cashflow. Find out more here.

We’re closely watching all the announcements about support packages for businesses. We can work with you to identify any support you or your business are eligible for, and we can apply on your behalf for any of these schemes and payments.