A summary of the financial support available to help you, your business and employees through the response to COVID-19.
There are various COVID-19 financial support schemes available to businesses, depending on your situation. Learn more about each type of support and where you can find more information.
On this page:
The COVID-19 Leave Support 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.
The Events Transition Support Payment scheme is a government-backed scheme that covers non-recoverable costs incurred by event organisers for COVID-19-related cancellation of major events. See more information, including eligibility criteria and how to apply.
Events Transition Support Payment scheme(external link) – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Applications for the COVID-19 Support Payment (CSP) have closed.
See information about the CSP on the Inland Revenue website.
COVID-19 Support Payment(external link) — Inland Revenue
Applications for the Short-Term Absence Payment have closed.
See information about the Short-Term Absence Payment on the Inland Revenue website.
Short-Term Absence Payment(external link) — Inland Revenue
Applications for the Transition Payment have closed.
See information about the Transition Payment on the Inland Revenue website.
Applications for the Resurgence Support Payment (RSP) have closed.
See information about the Resurgence Support Payment on the Inland Revenue website.
COVID-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP)(external link) — Inland Revenue
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
Applications for the Wage Subsidy Scheme have closed.
Applications for Business debt hibernation have closed. Businesses with existing business debt hibernation arrangements may continue with the process.
If you want help figuring out what financial help you might be able to apply for, try the financial support tool on the Unite against Covid website.
The tool will take you through a series of questions about to find out more about your personal situation including:
COVID-19 Financial support tool(external link) — covid19.govt.nz