Frequently asked questions

To be eligible, you will need to declare that your business is not operated or owned by an excluded entity (i.e. a public company, foreign company, a managed investment scheme or a superannuation entity other than self-managed superannuation fund).

QRIDA may request more information about your business structure to determine your eligibility.

The rebate amount will be 15% off the amount of your bill which you have paid in relation to your water allocations and usage for a period in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.

You will be required to provide at least two types of evidence to show your business irrigates. This evidence can include:

• management accounts showing income received from, or sale dockets from, sale of irrigated crops
• invoices for purchase of goods or materials required to irrigate crops such as seeds, fertiliser, irrigation infrastructure, and equipment
• Commonwealth Government Horticulture/Field Crops Levy statement obtainable from Levies Online
• current farm plan/map, or aerial, satellite or drone photography outlining the irrigated crops area
• current photographic evidence (e.g. with mobile phone) of irrigated crops area
• the Department of Primary Industry’s (DPI) Farm Business Resilience Plan (FBRP) that mentions the need to irrigate
• a business plan or other documents demonstrating your intent to start growing irrigated crops for commercial purposes.

To demonstrate that at least one owner or beneficiary of your business, or your business, declares primary production income for tax purposes, your evidence can be:

• income tax returns; or
• a letter from a qualified accountant.

Alternatively, you can make a statutory declaration. 

Instead of documents to demonstrate your business irrigates and that you declare primary production income, you can also make a statutory declaration, stating that:

• your business irrigates from time-to-time; and
• at least one owner or beneficiary of your business, or your business, declares primary production income for income tax purposes from the business.

A statutory declaration template is available on the Scheme website. For more information about statutory declarations, please visit the Queensland Government – Statutory Declaration website.

QRIDA may request revisions to your statutory declaration if it does not meet the requirements under the Scheme. You are encouraged to use the template provided on the Scheme website.

Please note that you can sign your declaration in front of the witness in person or online. For more information, please visit this website. Additionally, please visit this website to see the list of Justice of the Peace or Commissioner for Declarations who can witness your statutory declaration online.

Yes, you are eligible as your irrigation activities contribute toward primary production income (e.g. sale of cattle), providing your application satisfies all other eligibility requirements.

Providing consent for your business name and customer reference number to be shared will allow Sunwater or Seqwater to continue to charge eligible customers the subsidised irrigation prices set by the Queensland Government.

No, you do not need to apply for the rebate. These entities can apply for the rebate and pass the rebate on to you.

Yes, you may be eligible for assistance under the Scheme if you pay for water allocation(s) that is not owned by your business. As a part of your application, you will need to provide the name of the entity that holds the water allocation(s), and declare your relationship to that entity (which can be family or other types, including leasing arrangements).

QRIDA may request more information about the arrangement to determine your eligibility.

On approval of an application, QRIDA will deposit funding into the bank account nominated in your application.

The Disaster Assistance Loan (DAL) offers up to $250,000 for small businesses and $100,000 for non-profits that have experienced direct physical damage as a result of a disaster, covering repairs costs and essential operating expenses they are unable to meet.

The Essential Working Capital (EWC) Loan offers up to $100,000 for businesses and non-profits that did not suffer direct damage but are experiencing a severe negative impact on their normal cash flow – such as significant loss of income – rendering them unable to meet their essential operating expenses.

Only the portion of the amount paid in relation to the supply of water for a period in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years is eligible for the rebate. Charges for usage before 1 July 2025 or after 30 June 2027 are not eligible, even if they are paid for during the rebate period.

If you have already applied for assistance from QRIDA please provide your QRIDA Client ID Number on your application form, as well as the documents outlined below. Please remember not to mail original documents as QRIDA is unable to return them.

Financial statements and tax returns

• Financial statements including Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet

The latest available Income Tax Return/s will be satisfactory, this is downloadable from your ATO portal.

Rates Notice / Lease Agreement

To show that your enterprise is located within a defined disaster area, please provide: 

• If you own the property - a copy of your most recent Local Government rates notice for the property impacted by the disaster event.
• If you lease the property - a copy of your current lease agreement (lease agreement must confirm that you are responsible for meeting the costs being claimed).

Photographs of damage

• 5 - 10 photographs evidencing direct damage caused by the disaster event.

Evidence of payment

For grant applications up to $10,000 (i.e. for immediate resumption of business directly following the disaster event):

• Copies of tax invoices, quotes,or estimates
  OR

For grant applications over $10,000 or subsequent applications up to $65,000:

• Copies of tax invoices AND evidence that these invoices have been paid (e.g. bank statements, electronic bank transfer confirmations or official supplier receipts).

Details of insurance

If insured, you will need to provide full details and a copy of your insurance policy and/or claim. 

If you are eligible to claim under your insurance policy, you must do so, and have that claim finalised before lodging an application for grant assistance. Please be aware QRIDA is unable to finalise your Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant application until the outcome of your insurance claim is determined and formal advice of the claim outcome is provided. 

A Disaster Assistance Loan of up to $2,000,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have experienced direct damage as a result of the North Queensland Monsoon Trough, Associated Tropical Cyclone Koji, 24 December 2025 – 11 February 2026. This loan can be utilised to fund repair and reinstatement costs for your business, and to meet normal operating expenses that the business is unable to meet due to the impact of the disaster event (e.g. lease payments, property rates, creditors).

An Essential Working Capital (EWC) Loan of up to $100,000 is available to assist primary production businesses who have not experienced direct damage as a result of the disaster event but have experienced a negative impact on their normal business cashflow and are consequently unable to meet normal operating expenses (e.g. lease payments, property rates, wages, creditors). For example, a primary production business may be eligible for an EWC Loan if their farms were not physically impacted by the disaster event however the business suffered a significant loss of income throughout the disaster period. The business may not be able to meet normal operating expenses within its existing credit limits. These requirements over and above your existing credit limits can be met by the EWC loan.