What: Services Australia COVID-19 Disaster Payments
Amount: $325 – $750 a week depending on your region and hours of lost work
Who: Workers in areas classified as a COVID-19 hotspot by the Federal Chief Medical Officer
Eligibility:
- Be an Australian resident or have Australian working rights
- Be 17 or older
- Not be receiving income support such as JobSeeker, Youth Allowance or Parental Leave Pay
- Not be receiving other COVID-19 payments like the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment
- Have lost income of 8 hours or more or a full day’s work
What: Centrelink Boost
Amount: $200 a week on top of regular Centrelink payments
Who: If you receive Centrelink payments like JobSeeker or Youth Allowance and live in areas classified as a COVID-19 hotspot by the Federal Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Eligibility:
- Be an Australian resident
- Need to be working and have lost hours of work due to a lockdown, or other health order restricting your ability to work.
- Be at least 17 years old
- Not receiving the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment
- Be living in a Commonwealth-declared COVID-19 hotspot.
- Have lost at least eight hours of work due to the lockdown.
What: Services Australia Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment
Amount: $1,500 lump sum for each 14 day period you have been told to quarantine.
Who: Those ordered to quarantine by health authority – must have received instruction
Eligibility:
- Be an Australian resident
- Be at least 17 years old
- If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19
- If you are required to care for someone with COVID-19 or someone who is a close contact
- If you are required to quarantine for 14 days as a close contact of a confirmed case
- Are not able to work during the quarantine period and don’t received other income support payments
What: State Isolation Payment
Availability: VIC, SA, ACT, TAS
Amount: $125 – $450 lump sum depending on state
Who: Those waiting for negative COVID-19 test results
Eligibility:
- Be at least 17 years old
- Have exhausted sick or carers’ leave entitlements
- Are not receiving other COVID-19 payments or Centrelink payments
- Victorians claiming $1,500 Pandemic Leave Disaster Payments are still eligible
Disclaimer and Warning
The information above is of a general nature only. It should not be used as a source to make financial decisions. It’s also important to note that the legislation and figures related to this topic tend to change regularly and therefore the information above may not reflect the current status. We recommend that if you are looking for advice on this matter, you should contact us.