Flood Assistance Payments for Households and Sole Traders

Individual Support – Disaster Recovery Payment
Sole Trader Support – Disaster Recovery Allowance

Individual Support – Disaster Recovery Payment

The Disaster Recovery Payment is a lump sum payment. If you’re eligible, you will get:

$1,000 per adult
$400 for each child younger than 16

To be eligible, you must be an Australian resident or hold an eligible Visa, reside in an eligible Local Government Area and are claiming this payment for the July 2022 floods for the first time.

You must have been seriously affected by the July 2022 floods, such as be seriously injured, are the immediate family member of someone who died or is missing, or the flood caused major damage to your home or a major asset at your home.

The Government has provided more information on what they consider major damage, such as the property being destroyed, serious damage to the interior or if sewage has entered your home.

The easiest way to claim the payment is through your MyGov account. You will then need to link your account to Centrelink, if it hasn’t already been linked. You can then make the claim.

If you’re part of a couple, you can both claim this payment. Find out more details about the Disaster Recovery Payment here.

Sole Trader Support – Disaster Recovery Allowance

If you lost income as a direct result of NSW floods in July 2022, you may also be eligible for Disaster Recovery Allowance.

The allowance is the maximum equivalent rate of the JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on your personal circumstances.

The allowance is available for a maximum of 13 weeks. The Government will pay the allowance from the date you started losing income as a direct result from the floods starting on 27 June 2022.

The be eligible, you must be 16 years or older, an Australian resident or hold an eligible Visa, are in an eligible Local Government Area, lost income as a direct result of the floods and earn less than the average Australian weekly income in the weeks after you had this income loss.

Per the ABS, on 9 August 2021, the average Australian weekly income was $1,737.10.
If you already receive an income support payment, pension or other various Government payments, you may not be eligible for the Disaster Recovery Allowance.

The easiest way to claim the payment is through your MyGov account. You will then need to link your account to Centrelink, if it hasn’t already been linked. You can then make the claim.

If you’re part of a couple, you can both claim this payment. Find out more about the Disaster Recovery Allowance here.

Claims can be made from Thursday 7^th July 2022.

LGA’s the above assistance is available to: Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Canterbury Bankstown, Campbelltown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kiama, Lithgow, Liverpool, Northern Beaches, Penrith, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, The Hills, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.

For assistance with the above details or other circumstances, our team is available so please talk with us today.