Question 1

Leave Support Scheme

Accepted Answer

The Government’s Leave Support Scheme is available for employers to pay their employees for those who can’t work under any of the following circumstances:

When they’re tested positive for COVID-19, and therefore are required to isolate for 7 days (as required by Ministry of Health guidelines).

What payment will I receive?

The Leave Support Scheme will be paid at a flat rate of:

$600.00 for people who were working 20 hours or more per week (full-time rate).
$365.00 for people who were working less than 20 hours per week (part-time rate).

How do I apply?

You can apply through the Work and Income website.

Question 2

Short Term Absence Payment

Accepted Answer

The COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment is available for businesses, including self-employed people, to help pay their employees who cannot work from home while they wait for a COVID-19 test result.

The Short-Term Absence Payment is available from 9 February 2021. It’s to help businesses keep paying eligible employees 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 employee, in any 30-day period (unless a health official or doctor tells the employee to get another test).

It’s also available to self-employed people.

Have a look at the eligibility criteria and apply here.

Question 3

COVID-19 Small Business Cashflow Scheme (SBCS)

Accepted Answer

The Small Business Cashflow Scheme (SBCS) was introduced to support small to medium businesses and organisations struggling with a loss of actual revenue due to COVID-19. Applications are open until 31 December 2023.

The maximum size of the loan your business or organisation is eligible for depends on the number of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) employed. The loan amount is $10,000 per firm, plus $1,800 per FTE.

To find out the number of FTEs employed by your business or organisation, you'll need to know how many full-time and part-time employees you have.

An employee working 20 hours or more per week is considered full-time, and counts as 1 FTE.
An employee working up to 20 hours per week is considered part-time, and counts as 0.6 FTEs.

The sum of your FTEs is rounded up to the nearest whole number and is measured at the time you apply.

Have a look at the eligibility criteria and apply here.

Question 4

Payments No Longer Available as at May 2022

Accepted Answer

Covid Support Payment (CSP) - Last day for application May 5th 2022

Covid Support Payment (CSP) were available for six weeks for businesses that can show a 40 per cent drop in revenue in seven consecutive days in the six weeks from 5th January 2022 to 15th February 2022 or 5th January 2021 to 15th February 2021.

The payment were made at a rate of $4,000 per business plus $400 per employee, up to a maximum of $24,000 (50 FTEs). The first payments started from 1st March 2022, with applications opening from Monday 28th February 2022.

COVID-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP)

The Resurgence Support Payment (RSP) is a payment to help support viable and ongoing businesses or organisations which have experienced a 30% drop in revenue due to a COVID-19 alert level increase to level 2 or higher.

Applications for all rounds of the RSP have now closed.

COVID-19 Wage Subsidy August 2021
The COVID-19 Wage Subsidy August 2021 was available from 9am on 18 August 2021 to 11:59pm on 9 December 2021. It was to help employers and self-employed people keep paying staff and protect jobs impacted by the alert level changes from 17 August 2021. COVID-19 Wage Subsidy August 2021.

COVID-19 Wage Subsidy March 2021
The COVID-19 Wage Subsidy March 2021 was available from 1pm on 4 March 2021 to 11:59pm on 21 March 2021. It was to help employers and self-employed people keep paying staff and protect jobs impacted by the alert level changes on 28 February 2021. COVID-19 Wage Subsidy March 2021.

2020 COVID-19 Wage Subsidy
The 2020 Wage Subsidy was available from 27 March 2020 to 9 June 2020. It was for employers and self-employed people who would otherwise have had to lay off staff or reduce their hours due to COVID-19. 2020 COVID-19 Wage Subsidy.

COVID-19 Resurgence Wage Subsidy
The Resurgence Wage Subsidy was available from 21 August 2020 to 3 September 2020. It was for employers and self-employed people who would otherwise have had to lay off staff or reduce their hours due to COVID-19. COVID-19 Resurgence Wage Subsidy.

COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Extension
The Wage Subsidy Extension was available from 10 June 2020 to 1 September 2020. It was for employers and self-employed people who would otherwise have had to lay off staff or reduce their hours due to COVID-19. COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Extension.

COVID-19 Income Relief Payment
The Income Relief Payment was a temporary, short-term support for people who lost their jobs from 1 March to 30 October 2020 because of COVID-19. It offered up to 12 weeks of payments for people who no longer had work while they looked for other employment. The final day of the Income Relief Payment was 4 February 2021. COVID-19 Income Relief Payment.

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