Wage Subsidy eligibility and how to apply

August 2021 Wage Subsidy Scheme #8

Applications for an eighth round of the Government’s August 2021 Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS #8) are open to eligible businesses and self-employed people for a two week period from 9.00am Friday 26 November 2021 until 11.59pm Thursday 9 December 2021.

Earlier rounds of the August 2021 Wage Subsidy Scheme

Applications for Wage Subsidy August 2021 #7 closed at 11.59pm on 25 November. The previous Wage Subsidy payments have now ended. You can no longer apply for these, but Inland Revenue may still be processing some applications and making payments. Visit here for more on previous Wage Subsidy August 2021 payments.

How the Wage Subsidy Scheme works

Eligible businesses and self-employed people can apply online for the August 2021 WSS via Te Hiranga Tangata (Work and Income) here. Each subsidy pay-out features weekly payment rates as follows:

• $600 for employees that work 20 hours or more per week (full-time rate) 
• $359 for employees that work less than 20 hours per week (part-time rate). 

As an example, an eligible employer that applies for and retains three full time employees along with two part time employees, may receive $5,036. As was the case with previous wage subsidies, this pay-out is non-assessable income for tax purposes (but equally, the employer cannot claim a tax deduction for the wages that it covers).

Eligible businesses and self-employed people who applied for previous Wage Subsidy August 2021 payments can apply for WSS#8 no sooner than two weeks after their previous application. Te Hiranga Tangata (Work and Income) will email these businesses to advise when they can apply for WSS#8. Early applications will not be accepted.

Those who didn’t apply for previous payments can apply for WSS#8 from 9:00am Friday 26 November, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

As always, it’s important that information provided in the application matches that held by Inland Revenue to ensure prompt processing.

Are you eligible?

Before applying, businesses must ensure that their revenue assessments meet the criteria.

Eligibility criteria includes the requirement for businesses to demonstrate they have had, or predict to have, a decline in revenue that can be attributed to the effect of the move to Alert Level 4 on 17 August 2021.

In applying for August 2021 Wage Subsidy Schemes, businesses must demonstrate at least a 40% decline over the revenue test period, compared to a typical 14-day consecutive period of revenue in the six weeks immediately before the move to Alert Level 4 on 17 August 2021 (this is the default comparator period).

The revenue test period for August 2021 WSS#8 is the period between 23 November 2021 and 6 December 2021 inclusive.

Businesses with highly seasonal revenue may compare their revenue over the revenue test period with the same fortnight in either 2020 or 2019 to determine whether they meet the required revenue drop to be eligible. Applicants will need to demonstrate why their revenue is seasonal and why they cannot use the default comparator period.

Employers cannot receive the Wage Subsidy for any employees for whom they are receiving the Leave Support Payment or Short Term Absence Payment. 

However, employers can also apply for the Resurgence Support Payment (see more below).

Important: Making your declaration 

In applying for the Wage Subsidy, businesses must agree to a declaration which clearly states that any non-compliance may result in civil proceedings and/or punishment under the Crimes Act 1961. This means it is vital for applicants to read and understand what they are confirming - and we are here to help you with this important part of the process.

Some of the key points within the declaration are: 

• The applicant is required to prepare and retain evidence to support the revenue decline calculation. Actions taken to mitigate the impacts of the Alert Level changes must also be documented. This might include engaging with their bank and drawing on cash reserves. We are aware that MSD audits of earlier subsidies focussed on this area.
• The applicant must have obtained consent from employees to include them in the application and the sharing of their personal details.
• The applicant agrees to specific conditions regarding retaining and remunerating the employees for whom they have applied for the subsidy.
• Applicants must immediately repay the subsidy if they are no longer entitled to it (e.g. if a predicted decline in revenue did not eventuate).
• A public register will name those that receive the subsidy.

Additional support: Resurgence Support Payment

In addition to the Wage Subsidy Scheme, businesses can also apply for the Resurgence Support Payment (RSP) if eligibility criteria are met. Applications opened 8:00am on 24 August for businesses that have experienced at least a 30% decrease in revenue. The RSP allows businesses to receive up to $1,500, plus an extra $400 per employee up to a maximum of 50 full-time employees.

Need further help?

Please get in touch with your local BDO adviser if you would like to discuss your application including any aspect of the declaration, whether you are eligible, and what payment you might receive under the scheme.