Support for international students
All the information you need to get financial assistance.
Find out morePayment for eligible workers during lockdowns
If you are a worker who is adversely affected by a state public health order, you may be eligible for a COVID-19 Disaster Payment.
The COVID-19 Disaster Payment is a lump sum payment to help workers unable to earn income due to a COVID-19 lockdown, hotspot or period of restricted movement.
Eligibility
You may be eligible if all of the following apply:
- you can’t attend work and lost income on or after day 8 of a COVID-19 restriction of movement event
- you don’t have access to appropriate paid leave entitlements through your employer
- you’re not getting an income support payment, a state or territory pandemic payment, Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment or state small business payment for the same period.
General eligibility rules
You must also meet all of the following general eligibility rules:
- you're an Australian resident or hold an eligible working visa
- you're 17 years or older
- you don’t get an income support payment, the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment, a state or territory pandemic payment or a state small business payment for the same period
- you live or work in a Commonwealth-declared COVID-19 hotspot
- you had paid employment and because of a COVID-19 lockdown, hotspot or period of restricted movement you can’t attend work on or after day 8
- you’ve lost income on or after day 8 and don’t have any appropriate paid leave entitlements
- you have liquid assets of less than $10,000.
NSW eligibility rules
You must also meet the NSW eligibility rules for the recognised event in NSW that affected you.
Recognised events are:
- COVID-19 lockdowns,
- hotspots, or
- periods of restricted movement that last longer than 7 days.
Recognised NSW COVID-19 events include those affecting:
See the table below for the key dates of recognised events.
| Event | Event dates | Claims open | Claims close |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parts of Sydney | 1 July to 7 July 2021 | 1 July 2021 | 29 July 2021 |
| Parts of Sydney | 8 July to 9 July 2021 | 8 July 2021 | 4 August 2021 |
| Greater Sydney | 4 July to 9 July 2021 | 4 July 2021 | 1 August 2021 |
For further information about eligibility, visit the eligibility page.
How much you can get
How much you get depends on your situation.
- If you lost less than 20 hours work, you’ll get $325 for each recognised event, if you're eligible.
- If you lost 20 hours or more of work, you’ll get $500 for each recognised event, if you're eligible.
Your relationship status may affect what payments you can get and your payment rate.
For further information visit the payment information page.
How to claim
Complete the following steps to claim the COVID-19 Disaster Payment.
Australian resident
You will need to claim online. To claim online you need a myGov account linked to a Centrelink online account. If you don’t have a myGov account, you can create one.
Eligible working visa holder
You will need to call Centrelink on 180 22 66 to make your claim.
Further information
You may have to pay income tax on your COVID-19 Disaster Payment. For further information visit the paying tax page.