Last verified 3 August 2026 against federal and state government sources. Grant rounds open and close with little notice. Confirm current status with the administering department before you commit time to an application.
Key takeaways
- Tasmania’s 26Ten Workplace Grants opened on 3 August 2026 and close on 29 October, offering up to $65,000 for workplace literacy, numeracy and digital skills projects.
- Federal wage subsidies of up to $10,000 and the Employment Assistance Fund both accept applications year-round, with no competitive rounds to wait for.
- Apprenticeship incentives changed on 1 January 2026. Employers now receive $5,000 under the Key Apprenticeship Program and $2,500 for other priority occupations.
- The largest grants, six figures and above, are mostly restricted to industry peak bodies and community organisations rather than individual employers.
Government money for workforce projects exists in reasonable quantity. Finding it is the difficult part. The funding sits across federal and state programs that each run their own portals, rules and calendars. Some accept applications every day of the year. Others open for four weeks and close before most employers have heard of them.
This guide covers what is available as of August 2026, who qualifies, and how much is on the table.
What HR grants in Australia cover
Australian governments rarely fund human resources as a budget line. What they fund is the work HR teams do. Hiring and retention strategy, workforce planning, employee training, psychosocial safety programs, workplace accessibility and foundational skills all attract public money under one heading or another.
Your first job is working out which category your project falls into. A leadership development program might be funded as training. A psychosocial risk audit might be funded as workplace safety. The same project can succeed or fail depending on which door you knock on.
Federal programs
Employment Assistance Fund
The EAF reimburses the cost of workplace modifications, equipment and support services that an employee with disability or a mental health condition needs to do their job. Building changes such as ramps, automatic doors and lighting. Assistive technology, screen readers and hearing loop systems. Auslan interpreting and specialist support services.
Workplace modifications and equipment are capped at $67,339.10 for 2026. Other items are assessed case by case. The employee must be an Australian resident in a role expected to last at least 13 weeks at eight or more hours a week.
Rounds: None. Applications are accepted any time through JobAccess.
Employers already carry a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. The EAF exists to reimburse the cost of meeting that duty, which makes it one of the few programs where the money follows an obligation you already have.
Wage Subsidies
Employers can access up to $10,000 for hiring an eligible jobseeker into an ongoing role. Full-time, part-time, casual, traineeship and apprenticeship positions all qualify, provided the position is ongoing.
You need an active ABN and an account with Workforce Australia Online for Businesses. The subsidy is arranged through a Workforce Australia, ParentsNext or Transition to Work provider rather than applied for directly, so your first call goes to the nearest provider, who then matches a candidate and negotiates the subsidy.
Rounds: None. Apply any time. Enquiries on 1300 488 064 or through business.gov.au.
Australian Apprenticeships incentives
The incentive system was restructured on 1 January 2026 and now runs two streams for employers.
Key Apprenticeship Program. Occupations on the Key Apprenticeship Priority List attract $15,000 in total support per apprenticeship, split as $10,000 to the apprentice and $5,000 to the employer. The employer share is paid in two instalments across the first year. The list is weighted heavily towards housing construction and clean energy. The federal government extended the $5,000 employer incentive to December 2026 after more than 6,600 apprentices commenced under the housing stream and more than 15,400 under new energy pathways.
Priority Apprenticeships. Priority occupations outside the KAP list attract $5,000 in total, split evenly. The employer receives $2,500 through the Priority Hiring Incentive, reduced from $5,000 under the previous settings.
Apprentices must have commenced or recommenced on or after 1 January 2026 in a Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma aligned to a listed occupation. Apprenticeships that started earlier are grandfathered at the old rates.
Three further supports sit alongside these. Disability Australian Apprentice Wage Support pays up to $226.01 per week from 1 July 2026. Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans run to $25,983 for 2025 to 2026 with a 20 per cent discount on completion. The Living Away From Home Allowance pays up to $120 a week in the first year.
Watch this space: Further changes are scheduled for 1 January 2027. Confirm current rates at apprenticeships.gov.au before you build them into a hiring budget.
State and territory programs
Tasmania
26Ten Workplace Grants
Open now. The 2026 round opened on 3 August 2026 and closes on 29 October 2026.
Tasmania runs the most distinctive workplace program in the country. Employers can apply for up to $65,000 to run a project that improves workers’ reading, writing, maths, speaking, listening and basic computer skills. At least half the project activities must deliver training and support directly to workers. Each grant covers one project over twelve months.
Eligible activities include training staff to work with colleagues or clients who have low literacy, developing project resources, plain English communication work, and surveys or research to establish what your workforce actually needs. Digital literacy programs qualify as an enabler, capped at half the project.
Who can apply: Tasmanian businesses and sole traders, private and not-for-profit organisations, industry associations and peak bodies, local councils and council-owned businesses, and eligible government entities including Government Business Enterprises. Registered training organisations and independent schools may apply for their non-teaching workforces only.
There is also a Get Ready grant for organisations that want help scoping a project before applying for the full amount.
How to apply: Through SmartyGrants via Skills Tasmania. The program is now managed by Building Tasmania in partnership with 26Ten Tasmania, funded under the National Skills Agreement 2024 to 2028. Enquiries on 03 6165 4817.
Western Australia
Mentally Healthy Workplaces Grant Program
The most substantial psychosocial safety funding in the country. WorkSafe WA has $1 million available each year to 2028 and 2029, with individual grants of up to $200,000 a year and projects running up to two years.
Funding supports work that improves understanding of psychosocial hazards, helps workplaces identify and assess psychosocial risk, and builds capability to manage it. Practical guidance and toolkits, training and capability programs, industry-specific resources and risk assessment tools all qualify.
The program runs in two stages. Stage One covers awareness and understanding of psychosocial hazards and duties. Stage Two will focus on practical tools, strategies and evaluation, with details to be released later.
Who can apply: Companies incorporated in Australia, incorporated and unincorporated associations, registered charities and not-for-profits, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, and partnerships with a lead organisation. Applicants need an ABN or ACN, GST registration, an Australian bank account and appropriate insurance.
Rounds: The most recent round ran from 10 April to 12 May 2026. Watch WorkSafe WA for the next opening, or email WHSGrants@lgirs.wa.gov.au. Enquiries on 1300 136 237.
Queensland
HR Support Grants for Small Business
Status check required. The Commonwealth grants directory at business.gov.au currently lists this program as open with applications accepted at any time. Several Queensland advisory firms report that applications closed on 30 June 2025 or when the $1 million pool was exhausted. Call the Department of Trade, Employment and Training on 1300 369 935 before you invest time in an application.
When running, this is the most directly HR-specific grant in the country. Queensland small businesses can access up to $5,000 to engage HR specialists for advice and coaching, develop specialised recruitment strategies for underutilised cohorts, or implement new workforce systems and tools.
Eligibility: An active ABN, GST registration, principal place of business in Queensland, fewer than 20 employees by headcount, annual turnover under $10 million, and at least half of income generated directly from the business. Owners and directors must not be insolvent or undischarged bankrupt. Applicants also need to have engaged an Industry Workforce Advisor and developed a workforce plan identifying an immediate HR need, and to supply at least two quotes from separate HR providers.
Where to start: A Queensland Industry Workforce Advisor is the gateway to this grant, and the conversation is worth having regardless of the grant’s status.
Growing Workforce Participation Fund
Grants of $20,000 to $200,000 for Queensland industry organisations running evidence-based projects that address employment shortages and improve workforce retention. Round timing is published at dtet.qld.gov.au.
Workforce Connect Fund
This fund provided up to $1 million per project to industry peak bodies and community peak organisations for large-scale workforce projects. The department now describes the program in the past tense and lists no upcoming round. Successful projects from the 2022 to 2023, 2023 to 2024 and 2025 to 2026 rounds remain published as case studies, which are useful reading if you are building a case for sector-wide funding elsewhere.
New South Wales
NSW runs no direct employer HR grant. What it does offer is cost relief through two mechanisms.
Smart and Skilled subsidises accredited training for eligible employees, covering most or all course fees. No competitive application is involved. Your employee enrols with an approved provider and the subsidy applies.
Payroll tax rebate for apprentices and new entrant trainees. The rebate equals the difference between your payroll tax with and without those wages included in your taxable wages, and can be claimed monthly or at annual reconciliation. The trainee must have been continuously employed by you for no more than three months full-time, or twelve months casual or part-time, immediately before starting as a trainee. Details at Revenue NSW.
Victoria
Skills First subsidises around 450 accredited courses and more than 60 skill sets delivered through registered training organisations, alongside Free TAFE. Places are allocated against critical workforce needs, currently weighted to housing construction and renewable energy. Employers do not apply. Employees enrol through an eligible RTO and the subsidy attaches to the enrollment. Course lists and eligibility are at the Victorian Skills Gateway.
South Australia
Skill Shortage Solutions Grants draw on an $8.8 million commitment over four years to develop responses to South Australian skill shortages. Applications are open to community-based organisations, organisations working in partnership with one, and non-government RTOs holding a current Skills SA funding agreement.
South Australia’s Subsidised Training List reduces the cost of Certificate and Diploma qualifications substantially for eligible new and existing employees on an approved training contract. Current opportunities are published through Skills SA.
Northern Territory
The Territory Workforce Program funds industry-driven workforce projects between $5,000 and $100,000 depending on scope, across three streams: apprenticeships, traineeships and pre-apprenticeships; workforce development projects leading to jobs or upskilling; and collaborative industry projects that build workforce strategies for a sector.
Applications are accepted year-round until funds are exhausted, which makes this one of the more accessible programs in the country. Industry associations, businesses and organisations can all apply. Co-contributions in cash or in kind are encouraged without being mandatory.
The Territory also runs the Skills NT grant for VET delivery and support, plus Fee-Free TAFE for residents. Details at business.gov.au.
Australian Capital Territory
Skills Canberra runs VET Completions Grants of up to $250,000 excluding GST for projects that improve vocational training completion rates. The 2026 round closed on 4 June, with funded projects running from August 2026 to December 2027. Priority groups include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners, women, people with disability, young people, the long-term unemployed, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and mature age workers. Watch act.gov.au/skills for the next round.
HR grants at a glance
| Program | Where | Maximum | Status | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Assistance Fund | Federal | $67,339.10 for modifications | Open always | Disability and mental health workplace adjustments |
| Wage Subsidies | Federal | $10,000 | Open always | Hiring into ongoing roles via a provider |
| Key Apprenticeship Program | Federal | $5,000 to employer | To Dec 2026 | Housing construction and clean energy apprentices |
| Priority Hiring Incentive | Federal | $2,500 to employer | Current | Apprentices in other priority occupations |
| 26Ten Workplace Grants | TAS | $65,000 | Open to 29 Oct 2026 | Literacy, numeracy and digital skills at work |
| Mentally Healthy Workplaces | WA | $200,000 a year | Between rounds | Psychosocial safety tools and manager training |
| HR Support Grants | QLD | $5,000 | Verify first | Small business HR consulting and systems |
| Growing Workforce Participation Fund | QLD | $200,000 | Between rounds | Industry bodies addressing shortages |
| Territory Workforce Program | NT | $100,000 | Open year-round | Industry workforce development projects |
| VET Completions Grants | ACT | $250,000 | Closed June 2026 | Improving VET completion rates |
| Skill Shortage Solutions | SA | Varies | Check portal | Community organisations and RTOs |
| Smart and Skilled | NSW | Course subsidy | Ongoing | Upskilling employees through RTOs |
| Skills First and Free TAFE | VIC | Course subsidy | Ongoing | Employee training through approved providers |
Before you apply
Grant money funds activity, not membership. Almost every program requires spending on consulting, training delivery, systems or tools. Registration fees, software licences, award entries and certification costs are routinely excluded.
Industry bodies unlock the serious money. Grants above six figures are almost always restricted to peak bodies, industry associations and community organisations. If your industry association is not already active in workforce funding, that is a conversation worth starting, because they can apply for amounts no individual employer can access.
WGEA compliance gates federal money. Employers with 100 or more Australian employees must meet their Workplace Gender Equality Act reporting obligations to remain eligible for Commonwealth grants and financial assistance. The same applies to government procurement contracts at or above $125,000, or $7.5 million for construction services, where tenderers need a letter of compliance from WGEA. Non-compliance can disqualify an application before anyone reads it.
Quotes take longer than you think. Several programs require two or more quotes from separate providers before you submit. Providers take weeks to respond. Start that process before the round opens rather than after.
Subscribe to GrantConnect. Every Commonwealth grant is published at grants.gov.au. State rounds open and close with minimal promotion, so bookmark your state’s business portal and set a calendar reminder to check quarterly.
Frequently asked questions about HR grants in Australia
What can HR grants in Australia be used for?
Most fund specific activities: engaging HR consultants, delivering employee training, running psychosocial safety programs, improving workplace literacy, or implementing workforce systems. They cover the cost of doing the work. Software licences, certification fees and award entries are generally excluded.
Which HR grants are open right now?
As of August 2026, Tasmania’s 26Ten Workplace Grants are open until 29 October. The federal Employment Assistance Fund and Wage Subsidies accept applications year-round with no rounds. The Northern Territory’s Territory Workforce Program accepts applications until funds are exhausted. Everything else runs in competitive rounds.
Can I use a government grant to fund an employee survey or workplace certification?
Not directly. No current Australian grant lists employee survey platforms or workplace certification programs as eligible expenses. Where grants become useful is in the work surrounding a survey: the HR consulting, culture workshops, leadership training and psychosocial safety initiatives that shift your results. A Queensland HR Support Grant, if the program is running when you apply, could cover a preliminary HR consulting engagement, provided the application centres on workforce retention outcomes rather than the survey itself.
Do I need to be a small business to access HR grants?
Not always, though size shapes your options. Small businesses have the most direct access to HR-specific funding, with Queensland’s under-20-employee threshold being the clearest example. Larger organisations are usually better served working through an industry association or peak body, which can apply for far larger amounts on behalf of a whole sector.
When do HR grants open in Australia?
Most state programs run annual competitive rounds, commonly opening between February and June, though Tasmania’s August opening shows the pattern is far from reliable. Federal programs including the Employment Assistance Fund and Wage Subsidies accept applications continuously. GrantConnect at grants.gov.au publishes every Commonwealth opportunity, and each state runs its own business portal.
How much can an employer realistically expect to receive?
For an individual employer, the practical range runs from $2,500 for an apprenticeship incentive to $65,000 for a Tasmanian literacy project. Amounts above $200,000 are almost entirely reserved for industry peak bodies and community organisations running sector-wide projects.
Funding amounts, eligibility rules and round dates change frequently and without notice. This guide reflects information published by federal, state and territory governments as at 3 August 2026. Always confirm current details with the administering department before applying.
