Quick answer
After a flood, keep people safe and wait for the all-clear, then photograph every room before anything is thrown out, notify your insurer, and check DisasterAssist to see if your council area has been declared. Call the ATO's Emergency Support Infoline on 1800 806 218 before any due date you'll miss. Once you know the insurer's timing and which grants apply, size the funding gap and borrow only for that.
Key points
- Photographs and a written damage list come before the clean-up skip bin.
- Declared-disaster help is organised by local government area, so check yours on DisasterAssist.
- The ATO can pause correspondence or defer payments in major disaster areas — phone before a due date.
- Recovery funding works best sized to the gap between costs and confirmed incoming money.
- Tax help line
- ATO Emergency Support Infoline 1800 806 218
- Find declared areas
- disasterassist.gov.au
- Property-secured funding
- $20,000 to $5,000,000
- Unsecured options
- Typically $5,000 to $500,000
Floodwater does two kinds of damage to a business. The first is obvious: stock, fit-out, machinery, vehicles and paperwork. The second arrives a few weeks later, when the doors are still shut, the insurer is still assessing and the rent, wages and supplier accounts keep landing.
This page is about handling both calmly. It follows the same order as our emergency action checklist: the first day, the first week, who to call, what official help to look for, and how businesses usually cover whatever is left.
The first 24 hours after a flood: what comes first?
Nothing on this list matters more than people. Follow the directions of the SES and emergency services, don’t drive or walk through floodwater, and don’t re-enter the premises until it has been declared safe. Electrical and gas hazards after a flood are real.
Once you can get in safely:
- Photograph and film everything before moving it. Wide shots of each room, close-ups of damaged stock and equipment, the water line on the walls, serial numbers on machinery. A phone video walking through the site is quick and hard to dispute.
- Notify your insurer. Ask for the claim number, whether an assessor is coming, what you may throw out and whether they want samples kept.
- Stop further damage if it’s safe. Open doors to dry out, move salvageable stock up and out, tarp openings. Keep receipts for every cost.
- Start a loss list. A simple spreadsheet or notebook: item, quantity, approximate value, where it was, photo reference.
- Tell staff what’s happening. Even “we’re closed tomorrow, I’ll call you by 4pm” beats silence.
- Check your bank balance and what’s due this week. You’re not solving the whole problem today, just seeing what cash you have.
What needs doing in the first week?
The first week is when a business either gets organised or gets buried. The jobs that pay off most:
- Check whether your area is declared. Search your local government area on DisasterAssist. Business support such as recovery grants and concessional loans is usually tied to declared areas and specific events.
- Call the ATO before a due date passes. The Emergency Support Infoline is 1800 806 218. The ATO says it may automatically pause correspondence or defer payments for businesses in areas hit by major disasters, and it can help replace lost tax records. Our page on ATO disaster support covers the details.
- Talk to your landlord, bank and key suppliers. Ask what hardship options they offer. business.gov.au notes that banks may be able to defer repayments, waive fees or provide extra finance.
- Get quotes. Repairs, replacement stock, equipment and cleaning. You need these for the insurer, for any grant application and for sizing funding.
- Build a simple 13-week cash forecast. Our recovery cash-flow forecast guide shows how to do it in an hour.
Who should you call after a flood?
| Who | Why | How |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency services | Life-threatening danger | 000 |
| Your insurer | Lodge the claim, book the assessor, confirm what you can discard | Number on your policy schedule |
| ATO | Deferrals, lost records, payment plans | Emergency Support Infoline 1800 806 218 |
| business.gov.au | Current business assistance by event | 13 28 46 |
| Small Business Debt Helpline | Free financial counselling, grant and bill-relief help | 1800 413 828 |
| Your bank and landlord | Hardship options, rent relief, repayment pauses | Your relationship manager or property manager |
| Your accountant | Tax treatment of payouts and grants, forecasting | Direct |
What disaster help might be available for flood-hit businesses?
What’s on offer depends on the event and where you are. Under the joint Australian and state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, assistance can include clean-up and recovery grants, concessional loans or interest subsidies for small businesses and primary producers, and freight subsidies for primary producers.
Recent examples listed on business.gov.au include recovery grants of up to $25,000 through Service NSW after the May 2025 East Coast severe weather, low-interest Disaster Assistance Loans through QRIDA in Queensland, and Natural Disaster Relief Loans of up to $130,000 through the NSW Rural Assistance Authority. Programs open and close by event, so check what’s live for yours.
One practical tip from business.gov.au: keep your Australian Business Register details current, with a street address rather than a PO box, so you can show you’re eligible for emergency assistance.
How do flood-hit businesses usually fund the gap?
Insurance is often slower than the bills, grants are capped, and some losses aren’t covered at all — think excess, underinsurance, or flood exclusions. That gap is where recovery funding fits. If you want someone to go through the numbers with you, start a short enquiry here — enquiring won’t trigger a credit check.
| Situation | Common approach |
|---|---|
| Premises closed, you own property | Property-secured loan (first or second mortgage, or a caveat loan), from $20,000 to $5,000,000 |
| Still trading, need to restock | Unsecured or cash-flow funding, typically $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements |
| Waiting on a confirmed claim | Short-term funding repaid from the payout, see waiting on insurance |
| Equipment written off | Equipment replacement finance |
| Stock gone | Restocking after a loss |
For speed, a property-secured amount of $20k to $250k is possible same day, and larger property-secured amounts up to $5m are possible within 24–48 hours, depending on the security and documents. For smaller unsecured sums, same-day funding is possible.
Illustrative example only: a café owner in a flood-affected town has stock and fit-out damage, a claim under assessment and a small recovery grant approved but paid on receipts. She owns her home. A short property-secured facility covers restocking and repairs now, and is cleared when the claim is paid.
What documents should you save after a flood?
- Insurance policy schedule and claim number
- Photos, videos and the loss list
- Quotes and invoices for clean-up, repairs and replacements
- Business bank statements (download the last six to twelve months while access is easy)
- ABN/ACN details and your ABR record
- Recent BAS and your latest tax return or financials
- Any grant or concessional-loan correspondence
Our business emergency grab-bag guide lists what to keep off-site before the next event.
Ready to see what’s possible for your business?
If the water has gone but the gap between costs and incoming money hasn’t, it’s worth a conversation.
Enquiring is free of credit checks; your file is only looked at once you’ve decided to apply. In a crisis you need fewer calls, not more, so your enquiry stays with one team. Someone who understands crisis recovery reads your enquiry and phones you personally.
Be exact about the figure, the reason, your state and any property in the picture; it saves you a second round of questions. Get the conversation started.
Frequently asked questions
Should I clean up before the insurance assessor arrives?
Do what's needed to make the site safe and to stop further damage, but photograph and video everything first, keep samples of damaged stock or materials where practical, and ask your insurer before throwing out high-value items. Keep receipts for every clean-up cost.
How do I know if my area qualifies for flood assistance?
Assistance for small businesses and primary producers is usually tied to a declared event and a list of local government areas. DisasterAssist lets you search declared areas, and business.gov.au keeps a list of current business assistance by event.
Will a flood recovery grant cover all my losses?
Rarely. Recovery grants are generally capped and aimed at clean-up, repairs and reopening, and they often need evidence of costs. Most businesses combine insurance, any grant they qualify for, their own cash and sometimes a loan.
Can I get a business loan if my premises are still closed?
Sometimes. Lenders look at how the loan will be repaid — insurance proceeds, the return of trading income, or a property-secured facility that doesn't rely on this month's turnover. A property-secured loan is often the most realistic route while trading is paused.
Are flood insurance payouts taxable for a business?
It depends on what the payout replaces. The ATO says a payout for lost or damaged trading stock is assessable income, while payouts for depreciating assets and capital assets follow balancing adjustment and CGT rules. Talk to your accountant before lodging.