$5000 Grant available for Locked Down Businesses that employ staff

We are very pleased to report that the Victorian Government have expanded the Government Stimulus Grant to support more Victorian Businesses with a one off grant of $5,000.

Many businesses have been hit hard by the recent return of Stage 3 restrictions.  This has meant thousands of restaurants, cafes, pubs, gyms, sporting venues, cinemas, and many other businesses have had to restrict their operations or close entirely again.

This one off payment is available to eligible businesses now with applications closing on the 19th of August.

Businesses can apply when they meet all of the following criteria

The business must:

• be located in the metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire. Click here to review if your business is in the stage 3 restriction shires
• be enrolled in the JobKeeper program
• employ Staff
• be registered with Worksafe on 30 June 2020
• have an Annual Payroll of less than $3 million in 2019-2020 on an ungrouped basis
• be registered for GST as at 30 June 2020
• hold an up to date ABN registration  as at 30 June 2020

Important Notes

Businesses who have already received funding from the Victorian Government’s Economic Survival package are still eligible to apply for this additional funding.

Applicants must provide a copy of:

• the business’s operating address by a utility bill (gas, electricity, telecommunications, water), lease agreement or council rates notice
• Latest ATO JobKeeper Declaration
• Workcover employer number

Sole Traders MUST employ persons other than themselves to be eligible.

Examples of what the grant could be used for are:

• 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
• Other supporting activities related to the operation of the business

How do I apply?

1. Easy Way – complete this Form and Suntax will apply for the grant on your behalf. The cost to prepare this application is $495 including GST, which is fully refundable if your grant application is not successful.

OR

1. Complete the application form yourself via Business Support Fund

If completing the application yourself, you will need to supply the latest copy of your ATO JobKeeper Declaration with the Receipt ID. If Suntax have processed the JobKeeper for you, this will be attached to the monthly JobKeeper confirmation email from us. This will need to be uploaded into your application along with proof of your business operating address.

All applicants may be subject to audit by the Victorian Government and may be required to produce evidence used in supporting the Application and evidence as to the allocation and use of the grant for a period of four years after the grant has been approved. If any information in the application is found to be false or misleading the grant will be repayable to the Victorian Government.

When do applications open and close?

Applications are open right now and will close on Wednesday the 19th of  August

Going back into lockdown is frustrating for all, especially the business owners who have invested their life and sometimes their life savings into building their business. You also carry the burden of not only providing the essentials to your family, but your employees and suppliers families too. So in this lockdown, please support each other, shop locally and support your local businesses where you can. And don’t forget, the team at Suntax are working additional hours and additional days to be available to you all during this time.

Should you be feeling overwhelmed, please contact us and we will do everything we can to support you.

Together we will get through this.

The Suntax Team