Financial support was available to businesses, employers and self-employed workers. The type of support you could get depended on the circumstances.
There is information on the Work and Income website about the dates the payments were available.
Work and Income - Previous COVID-19 payments
The following support payments were available.
COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment (STAP)
The COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment was available through Work and Income to employers for employees, and self-employed workers, who:
- needed to miss work to stay at home while waiting on a COVID-19 test result, and
- could not work from home.
Parents and caregivers who needed to miss work to support their dependents and were awaiting a test result were also eligible.
Work and Income - COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment
Short-Term Absence Payment and taxes
COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme (LSS)
The COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme was available through Work and Income to employers for employees, and self-employed workers, who:
- had been told to self-isolate by a doctor or health official, and
- could not work from home.
Parents and caregivers who needed to miss work to support their dependents and who had been told to self-isolate were also eligible.
Wage subsidy and leave support payments - issues for employers
Wage subsidy and leave support payments - issues for self-employed and other individuals
COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS)
The COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme was available through Work and Income.
The subsidy was available to businesses, employers and self-employed workers who experienced or were reasonably expected to suffer a decline in revenue (based on the criteria stated for the relevant subsidy) due to COVID-19.
2020 COVID-19 Wage Subsidy - Work and Income
Wage subsidy and leave support payments - issues for employers
Wage subsidy and leave support payments - issues for self-employed
Covid-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP)
The COVID-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP) was available through Inland Revenue for impacted businesses where an escalation to Alert Level 2 or higher occurred and the revenue decline requirements were met.
Covid-19 Support Payment (CSP)
The COVID-19 Support Payment was available through Inland Revenue for businesses and self-employed individuals whose income had been directly affected by a move to ‘Red’ under the Covid-19 Protection Framework and the revenue decline requirements were met.
COVID-19 Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund (CSERF)
The COVID-19 Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund was available through the Ministry for Culture & Heritage for self-employed individuals, who:
- work in the arts, culture or heritage industry and whose income was directly affected by a move to ‘Red’ under the Covid-19 Protection Framework
- the fund allowed for a one-off payment of $5,000, and could not be received if they had also received the first payment of Inland Revenue’s Covid-19 Support Payment (CSP)