COVID-19 Wage Subsidy March 2021
The Wage Subsidy March 2021 was to help businesses pay staff affected by COVID-19 alert level changes. It was available from 1pm on 4 March 2021 to 11:59pm on 21 March 2021.
The information on this page is a summary of the key details about this payment. Detailed information can be found in the declaration at the bottom of this page.
Who could get it
This payment was available to employers or self-employed people. Their business must have had or expected to have had a 40% decline in revenue over 14 consecutive days between 28 February and 21 March, compared to a typical 14-day period between 4 January and 14 February 2021.
Businesses with highly seasonal revenue could compare their decline in revenue to the same period in 2019.
State Sector organisations were generally not eligible to get the Wage Subsidy, however some may have been granted an exception.
Payment rates
The COVID-19 Wage Subsidy March 2021 was paid as a 2-week lump sum of either:
- $585.80 a week for full-time employees (20 hours a week or more)
- $350 a week for part-time employees (less than 20 hours a week).
Paying your staff
The business must have tried their hardest to pay their employees at least 80% of their usual wages while getting the wage subsidy for them. If that wasn't possible, at least the subsidy rate needed to be paid.
Declarations
The declaration contains the full eligibility criteria, obligations and repayment responsibilities for the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy March 2021.