If you are a small business owner or a not-for-profit located on the Northern Beaches, Sydney, and were impacted by the Public Health (COVID-19 Northern Beaches) Order 2020, you may be eligible for a one-off small business hardship grant of $3000 or $5000.
The Northern Beaches Public Health Order restricted movement, gatherings and the opening of some businesses. This grant supports businesses as they rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Funds may be used for:
unavoidable business operating expenses, such as utilities or rent
financial, legal or other advice to support business continuity planning
marketing and communications activities
other activities to support the operation of the business.
The grant cannot be used to cover expenses for which other government support is available, such as wages for workers who are eligible for JobKeeper.
Applications will be available online.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a grant, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations must:
have an Australian Business Number (ABN) that is registered in the Northern Beaches Local Government Area (LGA), or be able to demonstrate the business is physically located and primarily operating in the Northern Beaches LGA as at 1 December 2020
be non-employing or employ fewer than 20 full-time equivalent workers
have total Australian wages below the NSW Government 2020-21 payroll tax threshold of $1.2 million as at 1 July 2020
have an annual turnover of more than $75,000 as at 1 March 2020
have had unavoidable business costs during the Northern Beaches Public Health Order, for which there is no other government support available.
To be eligible for the $3000 grant, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations must also:
have experienced at least 30% decline in turnover due to the Northern Beaches Public Health Order over a minimum 2-week period from 19 December 2020 to 10 February 2021 compared to the corresponding period a year earlier.
To be eligible for the $5000 grant, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations must also:
have experienced at least 50% decline in turnover due to the Northern Beaches Public Health Order over a minimum 2-week period from 19 December 2020 to 10 February 2021 compared to the corresponding period a year earlier.
Notes:
Eligible businesses may only receive the $3000 or the $5000 grant, not both.
Businesses that have received the COVID-19 small business support grant and/or the small business COVID-19 recovery grant may be eligible to apply for this grant.
If your business was not in operation a year earlier, or if your turnover a year earlier was not representative of your usual or average turnover because your business was affected by drought or bushfires, you may still be eligible for this grant. Contact Service NSW for more information.
For more information, see the Northern Beaches small business hardship grant guidelines.
What you need
a MyServiceNSW Account
your proof of identity
your valid ABN/ACN number
your business banking details for payment
a relevant Business Activity Statement (BAS).
Where a small business does not submit a BAS to the Australian Tax Office and meets all other criteria, the small business should contact Service NSW to discuss further. In these cases, an income tax declaration may be accepted as evidence of an annual turnover of $75,000.
In addition, you will need to provide a declaration that you meet the eligibility criteria, including at least a 30% or 50% decline in turnover from 19 December 2020 to 10 February 2021 compared to the corresponding period a year earlier.
If your business is physically located and operating in the Northern Beaches LGA, but your ABN is registered outside of the area, you will need to provide evidence of eligible business premises and activities, such as rates notices or lease agreements.
Auditing requirements
Service NSW can request a combination of the following documents to support its determination of eligibility:
prior BAS statements
income tax declaration
profit and loss statements
extractions from accounting software
receipts and invoices from purchases.
Successful grant recipients may be audited in the future, so you'll need to keep all documentary evidence relied upon to make an application for a minimum of 5 years. As part of an audit, you may also be required to provide evidence (for example, official receipts) demonstrating that you have used funds in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of this grant.
It is a criminal offence to deliberately provide false or misleading information. The matter may be referred to NSW Police and criminal penalties may apply. Applicants who receive funds for which they are ineligible may be subject to recovery by NSW Government.
Proof of identity
Two proof of identity documents are required. They may include:
Australian driver licence
Medicare card
Australian passport
Australian birth certificate
Australian travel visa
Australian citizenship certificate
Australian certificate of registration by descent
Australian ImmiCard.
How to apply
Applications will be available online end of April.
Disclaimer: The material and contents provided in this article contains general information and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not intended to be advice and you should not act specifically on the basis of this information alone. If expert assistance is required, please contact Peer Wealth on (02) 8014 7608.

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