COVID-19 FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES
COVID-19 SHORT-TERM ABSENCE PAYMENT
A new COVID-19 Short-term Absence Payment is available from 9am on 9 February 2021. It’s to help businesses keep paying eligible workers who:
- cannot work from home and
- need to miss work to stay at home while waiting on a COVID-19 test result (in line with public health guidance).
There’s a one-off payment of $350 for each eligible worker.
It will also be available to self-employed workers.
Parents or caregivers who need to miss work to support their dependents who are staying at home awaiting a test result will also be eligible.
COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment
COVID-19 LEAVE SUPPORT SCHEME
The COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme continues to be available.
The payment rates are:
- $585.80 for people working 20 hours or more per week (full-time rate)
- $350 for people working less than 20 hours per week (part-time rate).
The Leave Support Scheme is for employees and self-employed people who meet certain health criteria (for example workers who are sick with COVID-19 or meet the other eligibility criteria).
COVID-19 WAGE SUBSIDY
The Wage Subsidy Scheme will be in place if there is an escalation to Alert Levels 3 or 4 anywhere in New Zealand, for 7 days or more.
Payment rates will be:
- $585.80 for people working 20 hours or more per week (full-time rate)
- $350.00 for people working less than 20 hours per week (part-time rate).
Support will be provided in two-weekly payments and total support will match the duration at Alert Level 3 or 4 rounded to the nearest fortnight.
As with the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy paid earlier this year, the payment is to support employers (or self-employed people) to pay their employees.
RESURGENCE SUPPORT PAYMENT
A Resurgence Support Payment will also be available from late-February 2021 for eligible businesses throughout New Zealand, if there’s a move to Alert Level 2 or above for 7 or more consecutive days. This one-off payment is to help businesses affected by the Alert Level upgrade with fixed costs.
OTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES
You can find a complete list of all COVID-19 financial support currently available for businesses on the COVID-19 website: