Level 2 Employer and employee obligations & SBCS

Level 2 Employer and employee obligations

Most of the country heaved a collective sigh of relief at the news that we are moving to Level 2 from 11.59pm tonight.

At Level 2 we would expect that all our practices will be open, perhaps not at their pre-Covid level, but they will be seeing patients and clients.

Businesses need to ensure they have adequate health and safety measures in place to keep their staff safe and WorkSafe NZ, Ministry of Health and Covid-19 website have developed guidelines.  Professional bodies will be releasing guidelines specific to their speciality.

For many practices, life will still not be the same as pre Covid-19 for some time. Depending on the way you need to operate at Level 2 and beyond, together with patient/client demand for services, you may need to agree on changes to roles, rosters and hours of work. You should discuss any changes with all the staff and reach agreement on:

• what health and safety precautions are to be taken to protect them and others from harm?
• any changes to the way they will be required to carry out their roles,
• any proposed changes to hours of work and/or rosters.

If you need help with this you can email us at business@mas.co.nz or phone 0800 800 627.

Small business cash flow loan scheme

The loan scheme for small to medium businesses is available to businesses who have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, and have suffered the same 30% decline in revenue criteria of the government wage subsidy.  It is available to sole-traders and self-employed businesses. Applications were initially accepted between 12 May and 12 June 2020, but this scheme has now been extended until the 31 December 2020. 

For eligible businesses:

1. $10,000 maximum loan plus $1,800 per FTE staff (e.g. 10 staff = $28,000 total loan) with a maximum of $100,000.
2. The loan is interest free if paid back within one year; or
3. Interest rate of 3% with a maximum term of 5 years; and
4. Repayments are not required for the first 2 years
5. You need to be able to continue to operate and have a plan to remain viable and able to pay debts as they fall due within the next 18 months.

If you received the wage subsidy, the number of employees declared in that application will be applied to this loan, however you do not need to accept the full loan amount.

Eligibility tool

https://www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/small-business-cash-flow-loan-scheme-eligibility-tool/

Details and application - IRD

https://www.ird.govt.nz/covid-19/business-and-organisations/small-business-cash-flow-loan

This is a one-off application process and once submitted your application cannot be amended. We would advise that you speak with your accountant or financial adviser before applying for this loan.