Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate

With Queensland recently recording new community cases of COVID-19, the Sunshine State is on high alert for a potential lockdown. With new cases comes a renewed list of daily exposure sites that Queensland Health outlines.

Being listed as an exposure site can be stressful for any business. We wanted to remind Queensland businesses of the Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate program available to support during this time.

What happens when a business is listed as an exposure site?

When a contact tracing alert is issued, a venue may have to close for decontamination cleaning, and some staff may need to quarantine, but once that cleaning is complete, they can reopen. If a business then reopens after cleaning, it is considered safe to visit.

Can I get assistance from the Government to cover the expense of a deep clean for my business?

Yes, there is support available for those who are eligible. A Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate is now available to help businesses cover the cost of cleaning after closing a worksite due to a suspected or confirmed coronavirus (COVID 19) case.

Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate

The Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate is available for small and medium-sized businesses, where anyone suspected or confirmed to have coronavirus (COVID-19) has been on the premises or worksite when they may have been infectious.

The rebate aims to help eligible businesses cover the cost of hiring a professional cleaning service to conduct a 'deep clean' or 'decontamination clean' of their premises. This rebate has been set up for the 2021/2022 financial year and helps businesses prevent further coronavirus transmission (COVID-19) and reduce out-of-pocket cleaning expenses.

How much is the cleaning rebate?

The 2021 Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate is available to cover up to 80% of the cleaning cost, up to $10,000 per incident, of having to undertake a deep clean because your business premises has been listed as a COVID exposure site by Queensland Health.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the rebate, a business or not for profit organisation must:

Hold a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
Have an annual payroll in Queensland of less than $10 million
have an exposure venue1 in Queensland listed on the Queensland Health contact tracing (exposure sites) - coronavirus website.
Have paid for a professional cleaning service of the affected exposure venue per the Queensland COVID-19 cleaning, disinfection and waste management guidelines.
Have the deep clean or decontamination clean undertaken in the 2021-22 financial year.

1 Exposure venue includes close contact venues and casual contact venues.

When does the rebate end?

The Queensland COVID-19 Cleaning Rebate will be open for claims until funds are exhausted, or the program closed, whichever is earlier. The 2021 COVID Cleaning Rebate is available to cover up to 80% of the cleaning cost, up to $10,000 per incident, of having to undertake a deep clean because your business premises has been listed as a COVID exposure site.

How to claim

It's an easy process to claim the rebate – you can claim online using the online claim form.

ABN — held on and since 29 June 2021 and is still current. You will need to provide specific details, so have the following information handy so that they can verify your eligibility:
Business payroll records, payroll tax return information or ATO records—this is to show your annual payroll.
Itemised invoice and receipt showing the total amount paid of itemised invoice from professional cleaning service—this is your proof of payment.
Bank account details.

Deep Clean or Decontamination Clean

Eaton Services Group specialises in COVID-19 General or Scheduled Cleaning, Precautionary Cleaning and Decontamination cleaning services to government, commercial and educational facilities. Our services include best practice environmental cleaning and disinfection methods as recommended by the Queensland Government.

Deep cleaning is required when there is a suspected COVID-19 outbreak, and the premises is listed as an exposure site by Queensland Health. The service offers the highest level of disinfection and sanitisation

and is intended to decontaminate your facility from top to bottom, allowing safe reoccupation.

Reminder

If your business is visited by a person infected with COVID-19, you must always follow Queensland Health's advice regarding staff's, closure, and cleaning. Make sure you let your customers know about the actions you've taken to make your business safe and when you are reopening.