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Victorian Business Costs Assistance Program Round 2
Update 9 June 2021 – Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two Top-up Payment
A further $2,000 top-up payment will be available to businesses in metropolitan Melbourne that are closed due to extended restrictions announced Wednesday 9 June 2021. This takes the total amount available to businesses in eligible sectors to $7,000.
Tourism businesses in regional and metropolitan Melbourne that receive the Tourism Supplement payment announced on Sunday will not receive this top-up payment. Their payments have already reached $7,000.
More information will be available soon.
The Victorian Government has launched a new round of grants for eligible small to medium businesses, including employing and non-employing businesses impacted by the recent restrictions in Victoria.
Program overview
The Victorian Government’s $371 million Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two will assist eligible small to medium businesses most affected by the restrictions announced on Thursday 27 May 2021 and extended beyond Thursday 3 June 2021.
The program offers grants of up to $5,000 to eligible small and medium businesses, including employing and non-employing businesses. The grants will support businesses in eligible sectors directly impacted by restrictions.
Eligible businesses with an annual payroll of up to $10 million can receive grants of $2,500 or $5,000.
Before submitting your application, please read all the information on this page, including the program guidelines and the frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Update 6 June 2021 – Business Support Cost Assistance Program Round Two Tourism Supplement
A new allocation of $11.8 million will support eligible Victorian tourism businesses as they manage the impact of recent restrictions.
Eligible tourism businesses – accommodation, attractions and tourism operators – will receive up to an additional $4,500 so that all tourism businesses receive a total grant of $7,000 as part of the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two.
Eligible ANZSIC classes will be announced soon, and applicable businesses will not need to reapply for this additional payment – it will be processed with their original application once initial Business Costs Assistance Programs Round Two payments are made.
Program guidelines
Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two guidelines (PDF 272.46 KB)
Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two guidelines (DOCX 1553.88 KB)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Read the full list of FAQs.
Applications are open until 11:59pm on 24 June 2021.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, businesses must:
- be located within Victoria
- operate in an eligible sector listed in the list of eligible ANZSIC classes for this program
- have incurred direct costs because of the restrictions and cannot fully operate remotely
- have an annual Victorian payroll of up to $10 million in 2019-20 on an ungrouped basis
- have been registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Thursday 27 May 2021
- hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at Thursday 27 May 2021
- be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator.
Employing businesses must also:
- be registered with WorkSafe Victoria
- attest that the business is supporting its workers to access any paid leave entitlements, or that if a person can work from home, to work from home during the circuit breaker action, and supporting their casual workers, where possible.
Eligible sectors
For a list of eligible sectors please see the list of eligible ANZSIC classes.
Information for other or previous grant recipients
Businesses that receive a grant under the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021 are not eligible for a grant under this program.
Businesses that meet the eligibility criteria and have received assistance through the previous three rounds of the Business Support Fund, payroll tax rebate/waiver, or other COVID-19 business support programs are eligible to apply for a grant under this program.
For more information see frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Grant amount
Eligible businesses will receive a one-off payment of $2,500 or $5,000.
The grant amount payable to an eligible business is determined by:
- the business’ industry sector (see Eligible ANZSIC classes)
2. the business’ location:
- businesses that were subject to restrictions between 28 May 2021 up to and including 3 June 2021 will be eligible for funding of $2,500
- businesses that were subject to restrictions between 28 May 2021 up to and including 3 June 2021 and further restrictions from 4 June 2021 will be eligible for funding of $5,000.
Information you need for your application
When applying for this grant you will need:
- a valid Australian business number (ABN) for your business in one of these eligible business sectors. The ANZSIC class linked to your ABN registration must be one of these eligible sectors
- if you employ people, your WorkCover Employer Number (WEN) or, if this is yet to be issued, a WorkSafe Application Reference Number (WRN)
- a valid proof of identity document (Australian driver licence, Australian Passport, Medicare Card and Australian visa information and foreign passport).
Please make sure your ABN registration information is current, along with ASIC registration, or relevant regulator information where required.
Incomplete or incorrect information may delay your application assessment. Please complete the application correctly and provide all relevant documentation.
Assessing your application
The ATO will process your application and notify you about the outcome within 10 business days. There may be delays if your application:
- does not meet all the eligibility criteria
- does not have correct evidence or documentation
- requires you to make changes
- is a duplicate application for the same business
- has incorrect information, such as ABN, WorkCover Employee Number (WEN) or bank details (for successful applicants)
- does not include current or accurate information registered with relevant regulators or partner agencies, such as the State Revenue Office, Australian Business Register or WorkSafe Victoria.
The ATO consider the following circumstances when assessing your application:
- any adverse findings by a regulator regarding a business
- if your business is placed under external administration
- if there is a petition to wind up or deregister a company or business
- if your business is or becomes deregistered or unregistered (including cancellation or lapse in registration).
Applicants with multiple businesses
You can only apply for one grant per ABN. If you have separate ABNs for your businesses, you must submit separate applications for each ABN. Each business or ABN must satisfy all the eligibility criteria.
Not-for-profit organisations
Not-for-profit organisations that are not registered for GST and have an annual turnover between $75,000 and $150,000 can apply for a grant. To be eligible, your organisation must meet all other eligibility criteria.
How to apply
Applications are open until 11:59pm Thursday 24 June 2021.
Check your details on the Australian Business Register website are correct prior to submitting an application. This includes ensuring the industry classification (ANZSIC class) linked to your ABN registration correctly captures the business’ primary business activity.
Complete all questions in the application form and submit it, so the ATO can assess your application as quickly as possible.
You must certify that your business meets all eligibility criteria.
The Victorian Government or our representatives may audit your application so you will need to produce evidence at the request of the Victorian Government.
If any information in your application is false or misleading, you may be asked to repay the grant.
Please read all the information on this page, the program guidelines, and the frequently asked questions before applying.
If you require assistance, please contact our office on (03) 9848 5933, our team are there to help.
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