Eligibility Criteria

This program is for employing small businesses that are established and have been operating since at least 1 July 2020.

To be eligible for a grant under the Small Business Specialist Advice Pathways Program, a business must meet the following requirements:

• Be a legally structured business registered in Victoria with an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN on and from 1 July 2020
• Be registered with WorkSafe Victoria
• Employ 1-19 full-time equivalent staff.

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and agree to the conditions outlined in the program guidelines to be successful under the program.

Businesses will be ineligible for a grant if any information in their application is found to be deliberately false or misleading.

How does the program and application process work?

1. Read the program guidelines and frequently asked questions (FAQs), then use the ABN Checker to check whether your ABN has been registered since 1 July 2020.
2. Grant funding of $2,000 per ABN is available for eligible expenses on relevant professional advice and services under the program, where the minimum expenditure cost is $2,000 (ex GST)
3. The applicant will receive an upfront payment of $1,000 to engage with their preferred qualified service provider.
4. The applicant will receive the final grant instalment of $1,000 on the satisfactory conclusion of the service activity. Approved businesses will be asked to complete a claim form to confirm that the project has concluded and;
   1. Provide a statutory declaration stating that the activity has been completed and the Qualified Service Provider has been paid. A statutory declaration form is  available here.
   2. Complete the online claim form by 5pm on 31 January 2023.
5. Businesses will be required to respond to a short survey six months after they submit their application. We greatly appreciate feedback from businesses to improve our programs and processes.

Program Guidelines

Specialist Advice Pathways Program Guidelines (PDF 323.11 KB)

Specialist Advice Pathways Program Guidelines (DOCX 1612.44 KB)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Read the full list of FAQs.

Assessing your application

We will endeavour to assess your application and notify you of the outcome in October 2022. There may be delays in notifying you of an outcome if your application:

• Does not meet all the eligibility criteria
• Requires you to provide additional information
• Is a duplicate application for the same business
• Contains incorrect details of the qualified service provider
• Has incorrect information such as ABN or WorkCover Employee Number (WEN)
• Does not include current or accurate information registered with relevant regulators or partner agencies (such as the Australian Business Register or WorkSafe Victoria).

Statutory declaration

Successful businesses will be asked to complete a claim form and provide a statutory declaration to receive their final grant instalment of $1,000, when the service activity has been completed.

You can download the statutory declaration form here:

Specialist Advice Pathways final grant instalment statutory declaration (DOC 121 KB)

More information

We will contact you with updates on your application or to request additional information to process your application. Applicants must meet all eligibility criteria outlined in the program guidelines to be considered for a grant.

You will need to provide one of the following forms of identification in your application:

• Driver licence or learner permit issued by Vic Roads
• Australian Passport
• Medicare Card
• Foreign passport for those issued with an Australian Visa.

If you are having trouble uploading your identification or need help, please refer to our proof of identity verification user guide.

You can check the status of your application by logging into the Business Victoria Grants Portal.

If you have questions about this program, please refer to the Small Business Specialist Advice Pathways Program frequently asked questions (FAQs).

The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions reserves the right to amend the program guidelines and application terms at any time. 

If you have further queries, please call the Business Victoria hotline on 13 22 15 before the closing date. The hotline operates seven days a week.

If you require a translator, please let the operator know and they will call the Translating and Interpreting Service for you.