There are COVID-19 financial support schemes available to businesses, depending on your situation.

On this page:

• Leave Support Scheme
• Small business cash flow loan scheme
• Having an NZBN could make applying for financial support easier

Eligibility for the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme ended on 15 August 2023, when the requirement to self-isolate due to COVID-19 ended.

You can still apply if your employee, or you if you are self-employed, started self-isolating before 13 August 2023.

The scheme is available to employers to help pay employees who have been advised to self-isolate because of COVID-19 and can’t work from home. It’s also available to eligible self-employed workers.

How much

• $600 per week for full-time workers and $359 per week for part-time workers.

How to apply

You can apply on the Work and Income website.

How to apply for the Leave Support Scheme(external link) — Work and Income

Leave Support Scheme(external link) — Work and Income

Under the Small Business Cash Flow Loan Scheme the Government provides loans to small businesses, including sole traders and the self-employed, impacted by COVID-19 to support their cash flow needs.

If you've previously applied for a SBCS and have fully repaid it, you can apply again.

Applications are open until 31 December 2023. You can apply through myIR.

The small business cash flow loan scheme will provide assistance of up to a maximum of $100,000 to businesses employing 50 or fewer full-time employees. This includes sole traders and self-employed businesses.

Details of the loans include:

• $10,000 to be provided to eligible businesses
• an additional $1800 per equivalent full-time employee
• interest free if the loan is paid back within two years
• an interest rate of 3% for a maximum term of five years
• repayments not required for the first two years
• you must show at least a 30% drop in revenue due to Covid-19, measured over a 14-day period in the past six months compared with the same 14-day period a year ago. If your revenue from the same period a year ago was also affected by COVID-19, compare the same 14-day period two years ago.
• maximum amount you can borrow depends on the number of full-time and part-time employees.

Use the small business cash flow loan scheme eligibility tool and find out how to apply.

COVID-19: Small business cash flow loan scheme eligibility tool

myIR Secure Online Services (external link) — Inland Revenue

If your businesses doesn’t have a myIR account, you will need to create one to apply.

Register a myIR account for a business or organisation(external link) — Inland Revenue

Most applicants will receive their loan payment in full from Inland Revenue within five working days. You don’t have to accept the full loan amount you’re offered, and can decide to take a smaller loan.