Wage Subsidy Extension and Resurgence Wage Subsidy

The wage subsidy extension is available to employers, self-employed and sole traders. The subsidy will be assessed as follows:

• Full time employees (20 plus hours a week) will receive $585 per week for 8 weeks.  A lump sum of $4,680 per employee
• Part time employees (less than 20 hours per week) will receive $350 per week for 8 weeks.  A lump sum of $2,800 per employee.

The subsidy will be paid direct to the business and applications are open from 10 June 2020 until 1 September 2020. To qualify, businesses must undertake the following declarations:

• That they will have at least a 40% decline in revenue due to COVID-19 for a continuous 30 day period.  The 30 day period must be:
  • in the 40 days before you apply (but no earlier than 10 May 2020)
  • Compared to the closest period last year.
• The employer must try their hardest to pay staff at least 80% of their usual wages;
  • if that isn’t possible, pay at least the rate of the Wage Subsidy Extension that applies to that employee.
• If the employee’s usual wages are lower than the rate of the Wage Subsidy Extension, continue paying that amount for the duration of the subsidy.

This subsidy is being administered under a high trust model.  The information provided to MSD will not require verification initially.  However, MSD will check applications and verify information at a later date and if false or misleading information has been submitted, the business could be subject to a fraud investigation. Resurgence Wage Subsidy 

• Covers the period 12 August to 10 September.
• Must have experienced a 40% decrease in revenue over any 14 day period during the above dates.
• The subsidies are the same as previously used – $585.80 fulltime and $350 part time.
• Wage subsidy extension applies to all businesses throughout the country.
• Applications open on Friday 21 August 2020, via the MSD website.

Mortgage Deferral Scheme Date extended to from 27 September 2020 to 31 March 2021.