New Zealand now has no active cases of COVID-19

As of midnight last night the country has moved down to Alert Level 1.

This means restrictions on gatherings, hospitality, transport and social distancing have now been removed. Border restrictions however remain.

COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Extension

Applications open from tomorrow 10 June 2020 for the Wage Subsidy Extension. An employer must have experienced a revenue loss of at least 40% in a 30-day period in the 40 days immediately before the employer applies for the extension, compared to the closest period last year.

Other matters to note are:

• If you’re applying for an employee for whom you’ve already applied for the Wage Subsidy, you can’t apply for them until their 12 week Wage Subsidy has finished.
• It will cover 8 weeks per employee from the date you submit your application.
• It will be paid to you as a lump sum at the same weekly rate as the Wage Subsidy.
• If you’ve given an employee notice of redundancy before you apply, you can’t apply for those employees unless the redundancy notice is withdrawn.
• You’ll need to agree to certain obligations, such as to:
  • pass the subsidy on to your employees
  • retain your employees for the duration of the subsidy
  • do your best to pay your employees at least 80% of their normal pay
  • take active steps to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on your business.

If you have any questions on the Wage Subsidy Extension then please contact us at Alliotts in Auckland on 09 520 9200.

Alliotts at Alert Level 1

Our office has re-opened with restrictions. Whilst NZ is making steady steps to return to ‘normal’, we are taking a leaf out of the Government’s guidelines with our team returning to our own workplace.

Client meetings can be held in person or via Zoom. Alliotts is adhering to the recommended guidelines to keep our workplace safe, clean and healthy during COVID-19.