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2021 NSW COVID-19 Micro-Business Grant
Dawson & Partners • Aug 09, 2021
The 2021 COVID-19 Micro-Business Grant provides a fortnightly payment of $1,500 to NSW micro businesses (small business, sole traders or not-for-profits organisations with aggregated annual turnover between $30,000 and $75,000) who have been impacted by the recent COVID-19 restrictions.
Applications opened on 26 July 2021 and close at 11:59pm on 18 October 2021.
Eligibility
To be eligible, a business must:
- have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) registered in, or demonstrate your business was primarily operating in, NSW as at 1 June 2021;
- have had aggregated annual turnover between $30,000 and $75,000 for the year ended 30 June 2020;
- have experienced a decline in turnover of 30% or more due to the public health orders over a minimum 2-week period within the Greater Sydney lockdown period (commenced 26 June 2021 and due to end 28 August 2021), compared to the same period in 2019;
- have business costs for which no other government support is available;
- have not applied for either the 2021 COVID-19 Business Grant or the JobSaver payment;
- maintain your employee headcount as at 13 July 2021 while receiving payments from this grant, if you're an employing business;
- have this business as your primary income source, if you're a non-employing business such as a sole trader.
Note: Only one application can be submitted for a single ABN, therefore separate businesses under one ABN will not be eligible separately.
Certain entities, including those primarily earning passive income (such as rents, interest or dividends) or those with an ABN registered after 1 June 2021, are not eligible for this grant.
Evidence to support eligibility
- submit evidence of your business' decline in turnover of 30% or more over a minimum 2-week period within the Greater Sydney lockdown period (commenced 26 June and due to end 28 August 2021) compared to the same period in 2019. This will be in the form of a:
- letter from a qualified accountant, registered tax agent or registered BAS agent, or
- business bank account statement (separate from any personal accounts).
- submit evidence of an aggregated annual turnover between $30,000 and $75,000 for the year ended 30 June 2020. This can be in a form of a:
- letter from a qualified accountant, registered tax agent or registered BAS agent; or
- business activity statement (BAS); or
- business bank account statement (separate from any personal accounts); or
- Australian income tax return (or Notice of Assessment) – businesses can choose to redact their tax file number.
- if you do not have employees, declare that the business is the primary income source for the owner of the business;
- if you do have employees, declare that you will maintain your employee headcount on 13 July 2021 for the period for which the business is receiving grant payments and notify Service NSW if employee headcount declines over the period of the payment due to any actions of the business, and
- lodge other supporting documents, as required, to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Alternative circumstances
If your micro-business does not meet all the eligibility criteria, you may still be able to apply for the grant. See the alternative circumstances outlined in the guidelines.
What you need
- a MyServiceNSW Account
- your proof of identity
- your valid ABN/ACN number
- your business banking details for payment
- a business activity statement (BAS)
- Australian income tax return or Notice of Assessment.
Once deemed eligible, businesses will receive automatic fortnightly payments. Businesses will not need to re-apply, but businesses with employees must notify Service NSW if they are not maintaining the number of employees they had on 13 July 2021. Payments will be made in arrears with the first payment backdated to 26 June 2021.
How to apply
Details of Micro-Business Grant can be accessed here.
The application can be lodged online through Service NSW website. Or if you are not able to apply online, you can call 13 77 88.
If you would like any further information or assistance with Micro-Business Grant please contact us on 1300 885 761 .
Christmas 2022
You may have heard about the new rules which require directors of Australian companies to obtain a Director Identification Number (director ID). It is a unique 15-digit identifier that directors apply for once and keep forever. The following provides some useful further information. As a director of my SMSF’s corporate trustee do I need a director ID? The new requirement to obtain a director ID applies to all directors of corporate trustees of an SMSF. The only exclusion applies to a director who has resigned from all director roles during the period 04 April 2021 to 30 November 2022 and has no intention to ever be appointed as a director or alternate director of an Australian or foreign company. How long do I have before I need to get my director ID? Individuals that were a director of any company prior to 1 November 2021 have until 30 November 2022 to get a director ID. This transitional period also applies to newly appointed directors of corporate trustees of an SMSF, provided they were an existing director, of a company, before 1 November 2021. Otherwise, first time directors are now required to have a director ID before they are appointed as director of any company. What is the fastest way to apply for a director ID? With 30 November 2022 fast approaching, we strongly encourage all directors to apply for their director ID now. The fastest way to apply for your director ID is online at abrs.gov.au/directorID . To access the director ID application online, you will use your myGovID to log in to ABRS (Australian Business Registry Services) online. This director ID demonstration video will show you step by step, how to apply for your director ID online. What to do if you do not have a MyGovID already? A myGovID is different to your myGov account. Your myGov account allows you to link to and access online services provided by the ATO, Centrelink, Medicare and more, while myGovID is an app that enables you to prove who you are and to log in to a range of government online services, including myGov. If you do not already have a myGovID you will need to set this up before you can apply for your director ID online. Refer to mygovid.gov.au/setup for more information on setting up a myGovID. You will need to choose your identity strength, noting that ‘standard’ identity strength is the minimum strength required for a director ID. What if I can’t set up myGovID online? Where you are experiencing difficulties setting up your myGovID, the ATO encourages you to contact them on 13 62 50. To speed up the phone application, please have your TFN ready as well as the information listed below, required to verify your identity. If you cannot apply online or over the phone, the ATO will provide you with a paper form to complete. This is the least preferred option and will require you to provide certified copies of your documents to verify your identity. Can we help you get your director ID? You must apply for your director ID yourself, so that the ATO can verify your identity. To verify your identity against your ATO records, once you have logged into ABRS online using myGovID, you'll need your tax file number, your residential address held by the ATO, and information from two of the following documents: bank account details (where your tax refunds or payments are made and received) an ATO notice of assessment a dividend statement a Centrelink payment summary a PAYG payment summary (this is different to your income statement or your PAYG instalment activity statement). How can we help? If you have any questions or would like further information about director IDs, please feel free to give us a call on 1300 885 761, so we can discuss your requirements in more detail. Although we are unable to apply for a director ID on your behalf, we would be more than happy to guide you through the process and where possible, source documents to help you verify your identity with the ATO. For other information, resources, and timely updates relevant to your SMSF, please refer to the SMSF Association’s trustee education platform, SMSF Connect.
All employers are required to pay and report super guarantee payments electronically to ensure they meet SuperStream requirements. With the introduction of SuperStream it is now easier for the ATO to monitor your payments to ensure they have all been paid on time. Super guarantee payments must be made by employers to their employees' complying funds by quarterly due dates, which are 28 days after the end of each quarter. The due dates for each quarter are as follows: