The COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment

The Short-Term Absence payment is for businesses (including self-employed) to help pay for workers who can't work from home or attend work while they wait for the results of a Covid-19 test. To be eligible, workers need to be unable to work from home and need to miss work while waiting for their test results.

There’s a one-off payment of $359 for each eligible worker. Employers or the self-employed can apply for any worker once in any 30-day period, unless a health official or doctor tells the worker to get another test.

To apply, businesses must not be getting any of the following payments at the same time for the same worker to cover any situation that is also covered by Short-Term Absence Payment.

• any other COVID-19 Wage Subsidy, or
• Leave Support Scheme payments.

You cannot get more than one COVID-19 payment for the same employee at the same time.

Find out more about the Short-Term Absence Payment on the Work and Income Website. (link valid at 14 February)