Since moving to Alert Level 4 on 17 August 2021, there are four types of financial supports for businesses.
1. Wage Subsidy August 2021
Application time: Applications are open from 9:00am on 20 August 2021 for two weeks and will close at 11.59pm on Thursday 2 September 2021.
Payment rates: Due to the increasing minimum wage, the payment rates at this time are:
$600 a week for each full-time employee (20 hours a week or more);
$359 a week for each part-time employee (less than 20 hours a week).
Application criteria: During the period of moving to Alert Level 4 (2021.8.17-2021.8.30), your business has at least a 40% decline in revenue compared to a typical 14-day consecutive period of revenue in the six weeks immediately before 17 August 2021.
Application path: Work and Income
2. Covid-19 Resurgence Support Payment
Application time: 28 days from 8:00 am on 24 August 2021
Payment rates: The lesser of:
$1,500 plus $400 per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee, up to a maximum of 50 FTEs;
four times (4x) the actual revenue decline experienced by the applicant.
Application criteria: Your business must have experienced at least a 30% drop in revenue or a 30% decline in capital-raising ability over a 7-day period, due to moving to Alert Level 2 or above.
Application path: Inland Revenue
3. Covid-19 Short-Term Absence Payment
It’s to help businesses keep paying eligible workers who cannot work from home, and need to miss work to stay home while waiting for a COVID-19 test result (in line with public health guidance).
There’s a one-off payment of $359 for each eligible worker. You can only apply for it once, for each eligible worker, in any 30-day period (unless a health official or doctor tells the worker to get another test).
It’s also available to self-employed workers.
4. Covid-19 Leave Support Scheme
It’s to help pay the employees who can’t come into work because they are in one of the affected groups and have been told to self-isolate, and can’t work from home.
It is paid as a 2-week lump sum per eligible employee.
It is paid at a flat rate of:
$600.00 a week for full-time workers who were working 20 hours or more a week;
$359 a week for part-time workers who were working less than 20 hours a week.
Employers, including self-employed people, and their employees can apply for it.
If you have any questions about these financial supports, or you’re not sure whether you meet the criteria or not, please contact us: 09 303 2868
*Source from Work and Income, Inland Revenue.
