COVID-19 Business Support Grants for Lockdown Impacted Businesses in Queensland

Applications have opened today for businesses who have been impacted by the Queensland lockdowns.  All eligible businesses which apply in time will receive the funding, and there is a time period of 3 months in which to apply.  There is therefore no need to rush for fear of missing out, although businesses which have been required to shut down may be in dire need of the funding as soon as possible.

To be eligible for an initial $5,000 grant from the Queensland government, a business must:

  • Employ staff
  • Have a Queensland headquarters
  • Have an annual turnover of more than $75,000 in the 2019, 2020 or 2021 financial years
  • Be registered for GST
  • Have an annual payroll of under $10 million
  • Show / declare a reduction in turnover of 30% of more for a 1-week period that includes at least 1 full day of the:
    • South East Queensland lockdown which commenced 31 July 2021;
    • Cairns and Yarrabah lockdown which commenced 8 August 2021; or
    • Any other lockdown in Queensland in August 2021.
  • Demonstrate that your business was directly or indirectly impacted by the lockdown. The business needs to show the 30% decrease compared to the same 7-day period in July or August 2019 (or if 2019 does not indicate a typical week then include another comparable period such as July or August 2020).

Applications must be submitted by the QRIDA portal.  A link is attached here

There is a template letter which may be completed by us as your accountant in order to provide some of the evidence required.  If you wish us to provide this letter, please give your accountant a call to discuss this.

FURTHER GRANTS

After receiving the initial $5,000 grant, your business may be eligible for a further grant.  This additional funding is provided by the Queensland government and federal government jointly.  The further funding depends on the level of wages normally paid by the business:

  • $5,000 one-off top-up to a business with a payroll of less than $1.3 million (bringing total funding to $10,000).
  • $10,000 one-off top-up to a business with a payroll between $1.3 million and $10 million (bringing total funding to $15,000); and
  • $25,000 one-off top-up to a tourism and hospitality business with a payroll greater than $10 million (bringing total funding to $30,000).

The information from the initial application is expected to be used to assess eligibility for these further support payments.

There is also support (a $1,000 one-off payment) for non-employing sole traders that has been announced, however this application is not yet available.