Businesses and not-for-profit organisations impacted by the Public Health Order will be eligible if:
Maintain their employee headcount means the employer will not take active steps to end the employment relationship with their employees. Employees who have been stood down under the Fair Work Act 2009 or take leave without pay are considered employees for the purpose of headcount. Businesses will remain eligible if their employee headcount declines for reasons outside the control of the employer, for example if employees voluntarily resign.
The Grant will be available to micro-businesses in New South Wales impacted by the Public Health Order that meet the eligibility criteria outlined.
Non-employing businesses are not eligible to apply if persons associated with the business, and who derive income from it, received a Commonwealth COVID-19 Disaster Payment.
Employees can receive Commonwealth COVID-19 Disaster Payments if their employer is receiving the Grant.
Certain entities, such as those primarily earning passive income (rents, interest, or dividends) or those with an ABN registered after 1 June 2021 are not eligible for this Grant.
Eligible businesses (including non-employing businesses such as non-employing sole traders) and not-for-profit organisations can apply for a fortnightly payment of $1,500 to cover business expenses for the duration of the Greater Sydney lockdown.
The Grant will help eligible micro-businesses with costs incurred from 1 June 2021. These costs may include, but are not limited to, the following expenses:
The Grant must only be used for expenses for which no other government support is available. For example, the Grant cannot be used to pay Government fees and charges that would be covered by the $1,500 Small Business Fees and Charges Rebate.
Applications will open on 26 July 2021 and close at 11:59pm on 18 October 2021. Applications are made via Service NSW Website.
Once deemed eligible, businesses will receive automatic fortnightly payments. Businesses will not need to re-apply, but businesses with employees must notify Service NSW if they are not maintaining the number of employees they had on 13 July 2021.
Payments will be made in arrears with the first payment backdated to 26 June 2021.
Only one application can be submitted for a single ABN. Only one application is permitted where there are multiple businesses under a single ABN.
Eligible business applying for the Grant are required to:
There are several alternative circumstances that result in a business not meeting the eligibility criteria and supporting evidence. Service NSW currently outlines the below information on their website and advises businesses to contact Service NSW to discuss alternative circumstances.
Micro-businesses primarily operating in New South Wales with their ABN registered elsewhere should contact Service NSW. They may be able to apply if they can provide evidence their business was primarily operating in New South Wales on 1 June 2021. Evidence to demonstrate this includes commercial rates notices or lease agreements. Where a rates notice or lease agreement is not available, Service NSW may accept a combination of the following:
Businesses in these circumstances should contact Service NSW to determine if an alternate comparison period, or alternative supporting evidence, can be applied.
Where a business operates through a trust structure, the applicant will be required to provide additional information to demonstrate a national aggregated annual turnover of more than $30,000 and less than $75,000 is derived through the trust. The entity operating the business is eligible for the Grant, not other entities that are receiving passive income from the business.
The above information is based on the information available on Service NSW website as at 25 July 2021. We will continue to update the above for any changes, however do recommend you check your eligibility criteria against the guidelines provided to ensure your business is eligible at the time of your application.
For details on all the business support packages announced by both the Federal & State Governments read our article here.
If you require assistance in determining your eligibility, assistance with the application process or an Accountant’s Letter, our team at BLG Business Advisers are Wollongong Accountants and are here to help so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
We wish you and your business every success!