Small Business Fees and Charges Rebate

The NSW Government’s $1,500 Small Business Fees and Charges Rebate can help small businesses, sole traders and not-for-profit organisations with the cost of government fees and charges. Eligible businesses can use the rebate to claim back the cost of NSW and local government fees and charges up to $1,500. Businesses only need to apply for the rebate once, but can submit multiple claims until the full value of $1,500 is reached.

Which fees and charges are eligible?

Eligible fees and charges could include food authority, liquor and tradesperson licences, business vehicle registration fees, council rates and more. The rebate can only be used for eligible fees and charges due and paid from 1 March 2021.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible, applicants: 

• must be a small business, sole-trader or not-for-profit organisation
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN) registered in NSW or business premises physically located and operating in NSW
• must be able to report a payroll below the NSW 2020–2021 payroll tax threshold of $1.2 million
• applicants must also be registered for goods and services tax (GST).

Not-for-profit organisations are not subject to the GST requirement but must be able to demonstrate a turnover of more than $75,000 per year.

When is the rebate available?

The Small Business Fees and Charges Rebate is available from 1 April 2021 until 30 June 2022 for eligible fees and charges due and paid from 1 March 2021.

How to apply

To view the full eligibility criteria and apply, visit  Service NSW. You can also call 13 77 88 to speak with a Service NSW Business Concierge, or head to the website to request a call back.

Dine & Discover NSW

The NSW Government is launching Dine & Discover NSW to encourage the community to get out and about, supporting dining, arts and tourism businesses and stimulating spending in the economy. Dine & Discover NSW will be tested with a small number of participants at The Rocks and Broken Hill in early February and then piloted with a larger group in Sydney CBD, Northern Beaches and Bega Valley from late February. The program will be rolled out across the state in March. Every NSW resident aged 18 and over will be eligible for four $25 Dine & Discover NSW vouchers worth $100 in total. Two Dine & Discover NSW vouchers can be used for eating in at restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs, and two vouchers can be used for entertainment and recreation, including cultural institutions, live music, and arts venues. Residents can use their vouchers to dine at businesses from Monday to Thursday, and seven days a week at businesses offering entertainment and recreation. Public holidays are excluded.

Businesses can register online now to participate in the scheme. Vouchers will be distributed to NSW residents from early 2021, with some residents being the first to redeem their vouchers in selected trial locations prior to a state-wide rollout.

To be eligible for Dine & Discover NSW you must adhere to the following and register your business online:

• Be operating in NSW
• Be operating in an eligible industry
• Businesses must be registered as COVID Safe and meet eligibility criteria to participate
• Businesses need to download and install the Service NSW for Business app on their chosen smart device that will be used to scan customer vouchers

We encourage our eligible local businesses to register now for Dine & Discover NSW.

Service NSW Business Concierge and customer service teams are available on 13 77 88 to support businesses with timely information.

Mobile Business Concierge by Service NSW

 The Business Concierge team at Service NSW provides free, personalised support to small business owners as they start, run and grow their businesses, and as they adapt and recover in times of crisis. If you own a small business in the Canterbury Bankstown area, your local Mobile Business Concierge can help you find the support you need. Look out for a representative from the Service NSW Mobile Business Concierge team, who will hit the road in the coming months, offering a range of support in person on all things small business.

Business Concierge can help you navigate government requirements at local, state and federal levels, including applying for grants, licences and permits, understanding government regulations and more.

 

If you miss the Business Concierge representation visiting your area, call Service NSW on 13 77 88 or visit the Service NSW website to request a call-back.

New Business Assistance by NEIS

 Individuals not in employment, education or training who are interested in running their own business may be eligible for new business assistance with NEIS.

New business assistance can help by providing:

• Accredited small business training;
• Personalised mentoring and support from a NEIS provider in the first year of the new business to help the individual put their business idea into practice; and
• NEIS Allowance for up to 39 weeks and NEIS Rental Assistance for up to 26 weeks (if eligible).

You can directly approach a NEIS provider located in your area. You can find your local NEIS provider on the find a provider page on the jobactive website or call the employment services information line on 1800 805 260.​​

Business Connect Advisory Services through the Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) 

Business Connect is a dedicated and personalised NSW Government program that provides trusted advice to help you start or grow your small business. The program provides one-to-one business advice sessions, business advisory services, and training workshops to small businesses and disrupted industries across NSW state wide. The service provides high quality and culturally relevant business advice and training to individuals, start-ups and small business from multicultural communities in NSW. This service includes in-language business advisory services in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese.

The Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) is a trusted provider of Business Connect.

For more information and to find an adviser visit, CMRC.

Small Business Grants for Entrepreneurs​

The Australian Government provides financial assistance to entrepreneurs in a form of small business grants. These grants are offered in order to help businesses grow employment opportunities. The grants process is subject to rigor and the ability of the business to fulfil the respective grant terms and conditions. 

For more information, vist Grant Connet.

The Ideas B​oom​

Did you know innovative businesses are 60% more likely to increase their profits? In fact, innovative businesses are also twice as likely to increase their productivity and employment. The National Innovation and Science Agenda is encouraging businesses to embrace risk, entrepreneurship and be innovators in every field.

For more information on how business operators can embrace this new movement to grow their business, visit the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.