Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS)
Payments for employers of reservists
Weekly payments while your Defence reservist employee (or you, if self-employed) is away on service.
Who can apply
Businesses that employ an Australian Defence Force reservist, and self-employed reservists, for eligible periods of service.
- Program
- Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS)
- Provider
- Australian Government
- Level
- Australian Government
- Type
- Grant or funding
- Amount
- Weekly payments equal to average adult earnings.
- Closing date
- Closing date not stated
- Region
- Australia-wide
- Industries
- Any industry
- Last checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Read the official page Apply (official portal)
We can apply for this for you
Tell us about your business and we'll check it against every criterion for Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS). If it's a fit, we write the application, build the budget, prepare the attachments and lodge it with your written authority where the funder allows. You approve it and sign the declarations. Nothing to pay unless you win.
Eligibility quick-check
- Business structure: the listed criteria don't require a company. You'll usually need an active ABN, and often GST registration.
- Staff: you need employees, or to be hiring, to qualify.
- Location: open Australia-wide, including Victoria.
- Industry: aimed at reservists.
A quick guide from our reading of the official criteria, not a decision. The funder's guidelines are what count.
Check if I qualifyHow to apply for Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS)
- Check every eligibility criterion in the official guidelines, not just the summary. One missed criterion usually means rejection.
- Confirm your ABN details (legal name, entity type, GST status) match the ABN Register exactly. Mismatches are a common reason applications fail.
- Gather evidence: quotes for the project, recent financials, and proof of any co-contribution or lease, depending on what the guidelines ask for.
- Write the answers to each assessment criterion with specific numbers (costs, jobs, sales, timelines), and build the budget in the funder's format.
- Lodge it through the official portal while the round is open. Keep a copy of the submitted application and the receipt.
- If you're successful, read the funding agreement before signing, keep every receipt, and diarise the report and acquittal dates.
Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS): common questions
Who can apply for Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS)?
Businesses that employ an Australian Defence Force reservist, and self-employed reservists, for eligible periods of service.
How much is Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS) worth?
Weekly payments equal to average adult earnings.
When does Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS) close?
Closing date not stated. Check the official page for the current round.
Can sole traders apply for Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS)?
The listed criteria don't require a company, so sole traders may be eligible if they meet everything else (for example ABN, location, trading history and industry). Check the guidelines.
Can someone apply for Employer Support Payment Scheme (ESPS) on my behalf?
Often, yes. Many funders let an authorised contact or adviser prepare and lodge an application for a business, but the business is the applicant and must sign the declarations. We prepare the whole application and lodge it with your written authority where the funder allows. Where it doesn't, you submit the finished application yourself.
How much does it cost to get help applying?
Freelance grant writers in Australia typically charge by the hour or a fixed fee per application, whether you win or not. With Vic Grants Weekly, there's nothing to pay unless you win: a success fee as a percentage of the grant, or a flat win-only fee (founding price from A$99) where the grant's rules don't allow percentage fees.