Summary

On 19 February 2022, the Government of South Australia established the Business Hardship Grant – February 2022 to provide additional assistance to those businesses that continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19 related trading restrictions.

This document provides guidance for the Business Hardship Grant – February 2022 (employing business) applicants. Please read these Guidelines before applying.

Eligibility

Businesses that have experienced a reduction in turnover of 50 per cent or more during the month of February 2022 compared to the relevant comparison period (see turnover decline section below) and meet the following general criteria, can apply for a Business Hardship Grant – February 2022.

General eligibility criteria

At the start of the restriction period of 12:01am Monday, 27 December 2021 a business must:

  • Have a valid and active Australian business number (ABN) and have been carrying on the operation of a business in South Australia.
  • Be registered for the GST.
  • Employ people in South Australia.*
  • Have a total Australian grouped payroll of less than $10 million in the 2019-20 or 2020-21 financial year.
  • Not be engaged in illegal activities.

* To be considered an employee, staff must be under the control of the business, receive regular PAYG salary or wages, and have Pay As You Go Withholding amounts as well as superannuation paid by the employer. An owner, partner, or beneficiary of a trust is not considered to be an employee for the purpose of this grant.

Turnover decline

An eligible business that commenced operations before 1 December 2020 must declare and retain evidence of the following:

  • For businesses that commenced trading prior to 2019-20:

    A reduction in turnover of 50 per cent or more as a result of COVID-19 related trading restrictions in the entire month of February 2022 compared to entire month of February 2020.
  • For businesses that commenced trading in 2019-20 or 2020-21 (before 1 December 2020):

    A reduction in turnover of 50 per cent or more as a result of COVID-19 related trading restrictions in the month of February 2022 compared to month of February 2020 or February 2021.

An eligible business that commenced operations on or after 1 December 2020 must declare and retain evidence that it has experienced at least a 50 per cent reduction in turnover due to the restricted trading conditions over the 4 weeks in February 2022 compared to:

  • The average weekly turnover from when the business commenced operations to 30 November 2021, multiplied by 4 (ie average turnover over 4 weeks).

Businesses will be required to declare a reduction in turnover due to restricted trading conditions. They may not be required to provide any supporting information at the time of application but will be required to retain supporting information that could be made available if required such as:

  • Turnover comparison data for the relevant assessment periods;
  • Emails or texts to or from clients or suppliers detailing cancelled orders or appointments;
  • Receipts for refunds provided;
  • Invoices or delivery dockets.

Other criteria

Businesses will not be eligible to receive a COVID-19 Business Hardship Grant  – February 2022 if they have received support under any of the following State Government COVID-19 support packages launched on and after 27 December 2021, including:

  • Major Events Support Grant.

Further eligibility criteria for the additional grant for businesses located in the CBD

To be eligible for the additional/higher grant for businesses located in the Adelaide CBD, in addition to meeting the general and turnover based criteria, at the start of the restriction period of 12:01am Monday 27 December 2021 you must:

  • Operate the relevant business from a commercial premise located in the Adelaide CBD#.

# The Adelaide CBD is defined as postcode 5000. Residential premises and vacant land are not considered commercial premises for the purpose of this grant.

General requirements

Applicants must certify that they meet the eligibility criteria when submitting an online application.

Applicants will be subject to audit by the Government of South Australia or its representatives and will be required to produce evidence at the request of the Government for a period of 2 years after the grant has been approved.

If any information in applications is found to be false or misleading, the grant will be repayable on demand.

Information suspected to be fraudulent may be referred to the South Australian Police for investigation.

Grant Amount

The value of the Business Hardship Grant February 2022 is summarised in the table below:

 

Grant value

Employing business

Annual turnover $2 million or less

Not operating in CBD

$3,000

Operating in CBD

$4,000

Annual turnover greater than $2 million

Not operating in CBD

$10,000

Operating in CBD

$11,000

Grant Use

Grants are provided to support eligible businesses that have been adversely impacted by restrictions enacted by State or Commonwealth government due to COVID-19.  This may include for example:

  • Meeting business costs, including utilities, salaries, rent;
  • Seeking financial, legal or other advice to support business continuity planning;
  • Developing the business through marketing and communications activities; and / or
  • Other supporting activities related to the operation of the business.

How to Apply

Businesses are required to submit an application online via the Application Portal.

All questions in the application need to be completed to ensure timely assessment and grant payment.

The online application must be completed by an Authorised Officer, being:

  • In the case of a business that is a sole trader that employs, the sole trader.
  • In the case of a business that is a partnership that employs, a partner.
  • In the case of a business that is a body corporate that employs, a director, secretary, public officer or equivalent.

Note: It is permissible for an agent such as an accountant or lawyer to submit the application on behalf of business provided they have been instructed to do so by the above Authorised Officer.

Applicants must meet the requirements of the grant to be eligible.

Grant payments will be provided to successful applicants by the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF). Whether an applicant is successful or not will be determined by DTF in its absolute discretion. To access grant funding, applicants will be required to agree to Terms and Conditions at the time of application stipulating obligations and conditions under which assistance will be given to eligible applicants. DTF will not be legally obliged to pay any grant monies to an applicant.

Potential applicants should note that information received in connection with an application may be used and communicated outside the Government of South Australia for due diligence purposes and may also be provided to the Commonwealth Government and third parties engaged by DTF to assist with the assessment and processing of the applications received, together with program monitoring, reporting, auditing and evaluation purposes.

Closing Date

Applications closed 31 March 2022.

Once an application has been submitted, applicants will receive an application receipt number via their nominated email address.


Further Information

If you require further information to participate in the program please refer to the FAQs or contact businessgrants@sa.gov.au

DTF reserves the right to amend these Guidelines and application terms as required.

Applicants should be aware that DTF is subject to certain legislative and administrative accountability and transparency requirements of the Commonwealth Government and Government of South Australia, including public disclosure in accordance with Premier and Cabinet policy.

DTF will treat all information provided by applicants sensitively. Any information contained in, or relating to, an application, including information identified by an applicant as confidential, may be disclosed by DTF:

  • to its employees, advisers or third-parties in order to assess, process and/or audit an application;
  • within the Government of South Australia or other entities where this serves the legitimate interest of DTF;
  • in response to a request by a House or Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia or South Australia;
  • where information is authorised or permitted by law to be disclosed; and/or
  • where the information is already in the public domain.

Summary

On 19 February 2022, the Government of South Australia established the Business Hardship Grant – February 2022 to provide additional assistance to those businesses that continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19 related trading restrictions.

This document provides guidance for the Business Hardship Grant – February 2022 (non‑employing business) applicants. Please read these Guidelines before applying.

Eligibility

Businesses that have experienced a reduction in turnover of 50 per cent or more during the month of February 2022 compared to the relevant comparison period (see turnover decline section below) and meet the following general criteria, can apply for a Business Hardship Grant – February 2022.

General eligibility criteria

At the start of the restriction period of 12:01am Monday, 27 December 2021 a business must:

  • Have a valid and active Australian business number (ABN) and have been carrying on the operation of a business in South Australia.
  • Be registered for the GST.
  • Not employ people in South Australia.*
  • Have a total Australian grouped payroll of less than $10 million in the 2019-20 or 2020-21 financial year.
  • Not be engaged in illegal activities.

* To be considered an employee, staff must be under the control of the business, receive regular PAYG salary or wages, and have Pay As You Go Withholding amounts as well as superannuation paid by the employer. An owner, partner, or beneficiary of a trust is not considered to be an employee for the purpose of this grant.

Turnover decline

An eligible business that commenced operations before 1 December 2020 must declare and retain evidence of the following:

  • For businesses that commenced trading prior to 2019-20:

    A reduction in turnover of 50 per cent or more as a result of COVID-19 related trading restrictions in the entire month of February 2022 compared to entire month of February 2020.
  • For businesses that commenced trading in 2019-20 or 2020-21 (before 1 December 2020):
    A reduction in turnover of 50 per cent or more as a result of COVID-19 related trading restrictions in the month of February 2022 compared to month of February 2020 or February 2021.

An eligible business that commenced operations on or after 1 December 2020 must declare and retain evidence that it has experienced at least a 50 per cent reduction in turnover due to the restricted trading conditions over the 4 weeks in February 2022 compared to:

  • The average weekly turnover from when the business commenced operations to 30 November 2021, multiplied by 4 (ie average turnover over 4 weeks).

Businesses will be required to declare a reduction in turnover due to restricted trading conditions. They may not be required to provide any supporting information at the time of application but will be required to retain supporting information that could be made available if required such as:

  • Turnover comparison data for the relevant assessment periods;
  • Emails or texts to or from clients or suppliers detailing cancelled orders or appointments;
  • Receipts for refunds provided;
  • Invoices or delivery dockets.

Other criteria

Businesses will not be eligible to receive a COVID-19 Business Hardship Grant  – February 2022 if they have received support under any of the following State Government COVID-19 support packages launched on and after 27 December 2021, including:

  • Major Events Support Grant.

Further eligibility criteria for the additional grant for businesses located in the CBD

To be eligible for the additional/higher grant for businesses located in the Adelaide CBD, in addition to meeting the general and turnover based criteria, at the start of the restriction period of 12:01am Monday 27 December 2021 you must:

  • Operate the relevant business from a commercial premise located in the Adelaide CBD#.

# The Adelaide CBD is defined as postcode 5000. Residential premises and vacant land are not considered commercial premises for the purpose of this grant.

General requirements

Applicants must certify that they meet the eligibility criteria when submitting an online application.

Applicants will be subject to audit by the Government of South Australia or its representatives and will be required to produce evidence at the request of the Government for a period of 2 years after the grant has been approved.

If any information in applications is found to be false or misleading, the grant will be repayable on demand.

Information suspected to be fraudulent may be referred to the South Australian Police for investigation.

Grant Amount

The value of the Business Hardship Grant February 2022 is summarised in the table below:

Grant value

Non-employing business

Not operating in CBD

$1,000

Operating in CBD

$2,000

Where multiple non-employing businesses meeting the eligibility criteria are controlled by one individual, company, partnership, or trustee, funding will be restricted to one grant for all non‑employing businesses controlled by the individual, company, partnership, or trustee.

Grant Use

Grants are provided to support eligible businesses that have been adversely impacted by restrictions enacted by State or Commonwealth government due to COVID-19.  This may include for example:

  • Meeting business costs, including utilities, salaries, rent;
  • Seeking financial, legal or other advice to support business continuity planning;
  • Developing the business through marketing and communications activities; and / or
  • Other supporting activities related to the operation of the business.

How to Apply

Businesses are required to submit an application online via the Application Portal.

All questions in the application need to be completed to ensure timely assessment and grant payment.

The online application must be completed by an Authorised Officer, being:

  • In the case of a business that is a sole trader that employs, the sole trader.
  • In the case of a business that is a partnership that employs, a partner.
  • In the case of a business that is a body corporate that employs, a director, secretary, public officer or equivalent.

Note: It is permissible for an agent such as an accountant or lawyer to submit the application on behalf of business provided they have been instructed to do so by the above Authorised Officer.

Applicants must meet the requirements of the grant to be eligible.

Grant payments will be provided to successful applicants by the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF). Whether an applicant is successful or not will be determined by DTF in its absolute discretion. To access grant funding, applicants will be required to agree to Terms and Conditions at the time of application stipulating obligations and conditions under which assistance will be given to eligible applicants.  DTF will not be legally obliged to pay any grant monies to an applicant.

Potential applicants should note that information received in connection with an application may be used and communicated outside the Government of South Australia for due diligence purposes and may also be provided to the Commonwealth Government and third parties engaged by DTF to assist with the assessment and processing of the applications received, together with program monitoring, reporting, auditing and evaluation purposes.

Closing Date

Applications closed 31 March 2022.

Once an application has been submitted, applicants will receive an application receipt number via their nominated email address.

Further Information

If you require further information to participate in the program please refer to the FAQs or contact businessgrants@sa.gov.au

DTF reserves the right to amend these Guidelines and application terms as required.

Applicants should be aware that DTF is subject to certain legislative and administrative accountability and transparency requirements of the Commonwealth Government and Government of South Australia, including public disclosure in accordance with Premier and Cabinet policy.

DTF will treat all information provided by applicants sensitively. Any information contained in, or relating to, an application, including information identified by an applicant as confidential, may be disclosed by DTF:

  • to its employees, advisers or third-parties in order to assess, process and/or audit an application;
  • within the Government of South Australia or other entities where this serves the legitimate interest of DTF;
  • in response to a request by a House or Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia or South Australia;
  • where information is authorised or permitted by law to be disclosed; and/or
  • where the information is already in the public domain.