A summary of the financial support available to help you, your business and employees through the response to COVID-19.
There are COVID-19 financial support schemes available to businesses, depending on your situation.
On this page:
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.
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:
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.
A New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) is a globally unique identifier for each New Zealand business.
If you’re a registered company, you’ll already have one. If you’re self-employed, a sole-trader, a partnership or a trust, you can apply on the NZBN website.
See if you already have an NZBN or apply for one on the NZBN website(external link) — NZBN