Milestone reports and payments

 

Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) grantees must submit a milestone report for assessment. Your grant agreement will specify:

• when milestone reports are due
• details and evidence you need to provide in your milestone report. 

To help you complete your milestone report, see our EMDG online milestone report example (DOCX 1.03MB).

You must submit a milestone report for the financial year regardless of the amount you have spent. Even if you have not spent any money, you must submit a report. Submit the report through the EMDG online portal.

Record keeping for eligible expenses

You need to document evidence for eligible expenses you incur for your grant agreement. Your grant agreement will specify what evidence you will need to provide with your milestone report. We may ask you for further evidence such as:

• supporting documents
• invoices and payment details for expenses
• invoices for export earnings.

We may contact your overseas representative (in person or by phone) to confirm details of any activities they have conducted on your behalf.

More information is presented in the guide EMDG milestone reports - How to input eligible expenses (DOCX 1.08MB).

Milestone payments

A milestone payment is your grant payment. The timing of your milestone payments is set out in your grant agreement.

We will make milestone payments to the bank account you specified in your agreement. You, as the grantee, must own or manage this bank account.  

You must submit a milestone report to request a grant payment. Do this using the EDMG online portal. 

Online portal open for milestone report submissions

The EMDG online portal, for submission of milestone reports, opened on Monday 25 March 2024.

The online milestone portal will remain open throughout:

• the remainder of the 2023–24 financial year
• the 2024–25 financial year.

This is to assist you to submit milestone reports when you are ready. We expect milestone reports from:

• Rounds 1, 2, 3 grantees for eligible expenditure incurred in the 2023–24 financial year
• Round 3 grantees for eligible expenditure to be incurred in the 2024–25 financial year.

We assess milestone reports and, if eligible, make payments.

We will assess the milestone reports in the order we receive them. The earlier you submit your report, the earlier you are likely to receive your payment. 

Eligibility for milestone payments

You won’t get a milestone payment until we accept and assess your milestone report as being eligible. 

Please keep good records for all eligible expenditure in case an assessor asks you to provide them. We conduct random audits in the program to ensure integrity and an absence of fraud.

We will only make milestone payments if:

• you meet the eligibility requirements
• your expenses are eligible expenses in relation to an eligible product
• you meet your commitments under your grant agreement that relate to the type of grant you are receiving (Tier 1, 2 or 3 or representative body).

To allow us to assess your milestone report, you need to show us that you:

• did your planned activities
• met the goals identified in your plan to market
• can report your export sales and employment so we can determine whether the program was effective.

Matched funding

You must show your spending on eligible expenses for double your grant amount. If you:

• spend more than double, you won’t get more grant money
• spend less than double, you will only get an amount equal to the amount you contributed.

Examples of matched funding

Example 1

ABC Pty Ltd has a Tier 2 grant agreement. The grant is for up to $18,000 per financial year over 2 years. ABC Pty Ltd must spend up to $36,000 per financial year on eligible expenses. This is so the company can get a milestone payment of up to $18,000.

Example 2

XYZ Pty Ltd’s grant agreement states that the company can access $60,000 in a given financial year. They must match that amount to get the full $60,000 in the grant agreement. This means XYZ Pty Ltd must spend at least $120,000 on eligible marketing activities that financial year to get the $60,000 milestone payment.

Note that $60,000 is the maximum milestone payment they will get for that financial year. If the company spends $100,000 on eligible activities in that financial year, they will get a $50,000 milestone payment. If they spend more than $120,000, for example $140,000, they can only get up to the maximum $60,000 grant amount. This is as per the company’s grant agreement.

When to expect grant payments

Each grant agreement determines the timing of your payments. Grant agreements set out a reporting and payment schedule. They describe how you can seek a milestone payment.

The agreement will also include the maximum grant amount that you would be eligible to get. This is provided that you:

• do eligible promotional activities
• incur eligible expenditure.

Nominated bank accounts

The grantee must own or manage the bank account listed in your grant agreement.  Please ensure your bank account details are accurate. We will verify them. Errors will delay payments.

More information

• EMDG guidelines
• Grant amounts
• Grant agreements

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Contact us

• Call: 13 28 78
• Email: EMDG.help@austrade.gov.au.