There are three types of payments accessible to individuals who have lost work because of the pandemic:
You can apply for the COVID-19 Disaster Payment or the top-up income support payment through your MyGov account if you have created and linked a Centrelink account. Generally, once your application has been accepted, you will not need to reapply for the payment while your area remains a hotspot unless your circumstances change.
Apply for the Pandemic Leave Payment by phoning Services Australia on 180 22 66.
The COVID-19 Disaster Payment is a weekly payment available to eligible workers who can’t attend work or who have lost income because of a lockdown and don’t have access to paid pandemic leave entitlements. If you are a couple, both people can separately claim the payment.
Sole traders may apply for COVID-19 Disaster Payment if you are unable to operate your business from home. However, you will not be eligible if you are also receiving a State or Territory business grant.
The disaster payment is tax-free and the ATO has confirmed that it doesn’t need to be included in your tax return.
The disaster payment is generally accessible when the Chief Medical Officer declares a region a hotspot (you can find the listing here). From 2 August 2021, payments will apply from day one of the lockdown and will be paid in arrears once claims open (previously, the hotspot had to last 7 days or more and the payment only applied from day 8 of a lockdown).
In New South Wales, the requirement to be in a Commonwealth declared hotspot was removed for anyone who met the other eligibility criteria from 18 July 2021. In Victoria, the hotspot requirement was removed from 15 July 2021.
AREA DATE OF DECLARATION DISASTER PAYMENT ACCESSIBLE FROM
All of ACT 12 August 2021 20 August 2021*
All of New South Wales - 18 July 2021
All of Victoria 22 July 2021 25 July 2021*
All of Victoria 5 August 2021 13 August 2021*
South Australia - Metropolitan Adelaide 20 July 2021 28 July 2021*
Queensland - City of Brisbane, Moreton Bay Region, 1 August 2021 7 August 2021*
Redland City, Logan City, City of Ipswich, Shire of Noosa,
City of Gold Coast, Lockyer Valley Region, Scenic Rim Region,
Somerset Region and Sunshine Coast Regio
Queensland - Regional Council of Cairns and Shire of Yarrabah 8 August 2021 16 August 2021*
**Payment paid in arrears from date of declaration (day 1 of the lockdown).
The COVID-19 disaster payment amount available depends on how many hours of work you have lost in the week:
Between 8 & 20 (or a full day of work) $450
20 or more $750
*From 2 August 2021
The payment applies to each week of lockdown you are eligible and is taxable (you will need to declare it in your income tax return).
The COVID-19 disaster payment is emergency relief. It is available if you:
And you:
If you are a member of a couple, you can both apply for this payment.
The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is for those who have been advised by their relevant health authority to self-isolate or quarantine because they:
The payment is $1,500 for each 14 day period you are advised to self-isolate or quarantine. If you are a couple, you both can claim this payment if you meet the eligibility criteria.
The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is available if you:
The payment is taxable and you will need to declare it in your income tax return. You will also need to include the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment in your Family Tax Benefits, Child Care Subsidy, or Child Support income assessment.
If you are uncertain of your eligibility, talk to Services Australia.
If you are concerned about the impact of disaster relief payments on you, talk to us.
From 19 July 2021, the Government is enabling childcare services in NSW Local Government Areas subject to stay at home orders to waive gap-fees for parents keeping their children at home due to current COVID-19 restrictions. The gap fee is the difference between the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) the Government pays to a service and the remaining fee paid by the family.
The child-care gap fee waiver is only applicable where the childcare service opts in.
The Local Government Areas were expanded and now cover: City of Sydney, Municipality of Woollahra, City of Randwick, Municipality of Waverley, Bayside Council, Blacktown City Council, Blue Mountains City Council, Municipality of Burwood, Camden Council, Central Coast Council, City of Campbelltown, City of Canada Bay, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland City Council, City of Fairfield, George’s River Council, City of Hawkesbury, Hornsby Shire, Municipality of Hunter’s Hill, Inner West Council, Ku-ring-gai Council, Lane Cove Council, City of Liverpool, Mosman Council, North Sydney Council, Northern Beaches Council, City of Parramatta, City of Penrith, City of Ryde, Shellharbour City Council, Municipality of Strathfield, Sutherland Shire, The Hills Shire, Wollondilly Shire, City of Willoughby, and Wollongong City Council.
The NSW Government has introduced a targeted eviction moratorium to protect residential tenants. The moratorium applies where:
You will need to show evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria for a rent reduction such as bank statements, documentation from your employer demonstrating stand down or reduced hours, evidence of business closure, Centrelink support confirmation, etc.
See Fair Trading NSW for further details.
Tenants who can’t pay their rent in full because they are impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak cannot be evicted between 14 July 2021 and 11 September 2021.
Residential landlords who decrease rent for impacted tenants from 14 July 2021 can apply for a grant of up to $1,500 per tenancy or land tax reductions depending on their circumstances. The land tax relief will be equal to the value of rent reductions provided to financially distressed tenants for up to 100% of the 2021 land tax year liability.
To claim the support, landlords will need a rental bond number or a written tenancy agreement, and a written agreement with the tenant to reduce or waive rent payable (from 14 July 2021).
Where a landlord receives financial support for COVID-19 impacted tenants, they cannot ask tenants to repay the amount of the reduction when lockdown ends.
The material and contents provided in this publication are informative in nature only. It is not intended to be advice and you should not act specifically on the basis of this information. If expert assistance is required, professional advice should be obtained.
Updated 18 August 2021