Latest Updates for Businesses
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Check out if you are eligible for financial help or if you need advice going back to work or bringing back your employees to work!
| Extension to Funding for Self employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Find out about the extension to the scheme This scheme is being extended. You’ll be able to make a claim for a second and final grant in August 2020. The online service for the second and final grant is not available yet. We will update this guidance to let you know when you can make your claim. If you’re eligible the second and final grant will be a taxable grant worth 70% of your average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering a further 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total. First Scheme: If you’re eligible and want to claim the first grant you must make your claim on or before 13 July 2020. The originalscheme opened on Wednesday 13th May for self-employed individuals or members of partnerships whose business has been adversely affected by coronavirus. They will be able to apply for a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant, worth 80% of their average monthly trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500, paid in a single instalment. Check if you are eligible for the scheme here. Based on their Unique Tax Reference number. HMRC has assigned eligible self-employed individuals a specific date to apply on and this can be checked on HMRC’s online checker at any time. People will not be able to apply before their claim date but can make a claim after that day. The claims process is straightforward, and those eligible will have the money paid into their bank account by 25 May 2020, or within six working days of completing a claim. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme The Chancellor has announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will remain open until the end of October. Furloughed workers across the UK will continue to receive 80% of their current salary, up to £2,500. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is changing: From 1 July, employers can bring back to work employees that have previously been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim CJRS grant for their normal hours not worked. When claiming the CJRS grant for furloughed hours employers will need to report and claim for a minimum period of a week. The scheme will close to new entrants from 30 June. From this point onwards, employers will only be able to furlough employees that they have furloughed for a full 3 week period prior to 30 June. This means that the final date by which an employer can furlough an employee for the first time will be 10 June, in order for the current 3 week furlough period to be completed by 30 June. Employers will have until 31 July to make any claims in respect of the period to 30 June. Further guidance on flexible furloughing and how employers should calculate claims will be published on 12 June. Find out more information on how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is changing. Furloughed workers will be able to return to work part-time with employers being asked to pay a percentage towards the salaries of their furloughed staff. The employer payments will substitute the contribution the government is currently making, ensuring that staff continue to receive 80% of their salary, up to £2,500 a month. The scheme will continue in its current form until the end of July. Changes to allow more flexibility will come in from the start of August. More specific details and information around implementation will be made available by the end of May. Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund The Government has published guidance for Local Authorities on the administration of this fund which is aimed at small businesses who were not eligible for the Small Business Grant or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant. Further details on how to access this fund will be issued by your Council in due course. Business Rates revaluation The Government has announced that a revaluation of business rates will no longer take place in 2021 to help reduce uncertainty for firms affected by the impacts of Coronavirus. Legislation had been introduced to bring the next revaluation forward by one year from 2022 to 2021, but following the recent economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic ministers want to ensure businesses have more certainty during this difficult time. Coronavirus Loan Schemes Extended to Further Education Establishments The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) have been extended to include further education establishments across the UK. More details of how to access these loans can be found on the British Business Bank website. |
Apply for the coronavirus Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund
The Discretionary Grant Fund supports small and micro businesses that are not eligible for other grant schemes.Published 29 May 2020From:Department for Business, Energy & Industrial StrategyApplies to:England
Small and micro businesses with fixed property costs that are not eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund may be eligible for the Discretionary Grants Scheme.
What you get
You can get a grant of £25,000, £10,000 or any amount under £10,000.
Eligibility
You’re potentially eligible if your business:
- is based in England
- has fewer than 50 employees
- has fixed building costs such as rent
- was trading on 11 March 2020
- has been adversely impacted by the coronavirus
We’ve asked local councils to prioritise businesses such as:
- small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces, such as units in industrial parks or incubators
- regular market traders
- bed and breakfasts paying council tax instead of business rates
- charity properties getting charitable business rates relief, which are not eligible for small business rates relief or rural rate relief
Local councils have discretion about how to prioritise this funding. Please check with your council for details of their scheme.
You cannot apply if your business is in administration, insolvent or has received a striking-off notice.
If you’re already claiming funding
You cannot apply if you’re already claiming under another government grant scheme, such as:
- Small Business Grant Fund
- Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant
- Fisheries Response Fund
- Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme
- Zoos Support Fund
- Dairy Hardship Fund
You’re still eligible if you’ve applied for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.
Businesses that apply for the discretionary grants scheme can still apply for coronavirus-related loans if they’re eligible.
If you already get state aid
The discretionary grants fund counts towards state aid.
Payments of £10,000 or less count towards the total de minimis state aid you’re allowed to get over a 3 year period – €200,000. If you have reached that threshold, you may still be eligible for funding under the COVID-19 Temporary Framework.
Payments of £25,000 count as state aid under the COVID-19 Temporary Framework. The limit for the framework is €800,000.
Your local council will ask you to complete a declaration confirming that:
- you will not exceed the relevant state aid threshold
- you were not an ‘undertaking in difficulty’ on 31 December 2019. This applies only to the COVID-19 Temporary Framework
How to apply
Visit your local council’s website to find out how to apply:
Find the website for your local council.
Check if you can claim back Statutory Sick Pay paid to employees due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
Last updated 28 May 2020 — see all updates
From:
The online service to claim back Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is now available.
The Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme will repay employers the Statutory Sick Pay paid to current or former employees.
Who can use the scheme
You can use the scheme as an employer if:
- you’re claiming for an employee who’s eligible for sick pay due to coronavirus
- you have a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February 2020
- you had fewer than 250 employees on 28 February 2020 across all your PAYE payroll schemes
Employees do not have to give you a doctor’s fit note for you to make a claim. But you can ask them to give you either:
- an isolation note from NHS 111 – if they are self-isolating and cannot work because of coronavirus (COVID-19)
- the NHS or GP letter telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks because they’re at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus
The scheme covers all types of employment contracts, including:
- full-time employees
- part-time employees
- employees on agency contracts
- employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts
- fixed term contracts (until the date their contract ends)
We will let you know when the scheme will end.
If you’re claiming for wage costs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
You can claim back from both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme for the same employee but not for the same period of time.
State aid limits
Your claim amount should not take you above the state aid limits under the EU Commission temporary framework. This is when combined with other aid received under the framework. The maximum level of state aid that a business may receive is €800,000. There is a lower maximum for agriculture at €100,000 and aquaculture and fisheries at €120,000.
Connected companies and charities
Connected companies and charities can also use the scheme if their total combined number of PAYE employees was fewer than 250 on the 28 February 2020.
Using an agent to do PAYE online
If you use an agent who is authorised to do PAYE online for you, they will be able to claim on your behalf. You should speak to your agent about whether they are providing this service.
If you would like to use an agent, but do not have one authorised to do PAYE online for you, you can do that by accessing your HMRC online services and selecting ‘Manage Account’.
You must be enrolled in PAYE online for employers to do this and will need to ask your agent for their agent ID. Your agent can get this from their HMRC online service for agents by selecting ‘authorise client.’
You can also use this service to remove authorisation from your agent if you do not want it to continue after they have submitted your claim(s).
If an agent makes a claim on your behalf, you will need to tell them which bank account you would like the grant to be paid into. You must only provide bank details where a BACS payment can be accepted.
What you can claim
The repayment will cover up to 2 weeks Statutory Sick Pay starting from the first qualifying day of sickness, if an employee is unable to work because they:
- have coronavirus symptoms
- are self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms
- are self-isolating because they’ve been notified by the NHS or public health bodies that they’ve come into contact with someone with coronavirus
- are shielding and have a letter from the NHS or a GP telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks
You can claim from the first qualifying day your employee is off work if the period of sickness started on or after:
- 13 March 2020 – if your employee had coronavirus or the symptoms or is self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms
- 16 April 2020 – if your employee was shielding because of coronavirus
- 28 May 2020 – if your employee has been notified by the NHS or public health bodies that they’ve come into contact with someone with coronavirus
A ‘qualifying day’ is a day an employee usually works on.The weekly rate was £94.25 before 6 April 2020 and is now £95.85. If you’re an employer who pays more than the weekly rate of Statutory Sick Pay you can only claim up to the weekly rate paid.
Use the SSP calculator to work out the actual amount.
Records you must keep
You must keep records of Statutory Sick Pay that you’ve paid and want to claim back from HMRC.
You must keep the following records for 3 years after the date you receive the payment for your claim:
- the dates the employee was off sick
- which of those dates were qualifying days
- the reason they said they were off work – if they had symptoms, someone they lived with had symptoms or they were shielding
- the employee’s National Insurance number
You can choose how you keep records of your employees’ sickness absence. HMRC may need to see these records if there’s a dispute over payment of SSP.
You’ll need to print or save your state aid declaration (from your claim summary) and keep this until 31 December 2024.
How to claim
You must have paid your employees’ sick pay before you claim it back.
You can claim back coranvirus-related Statutory Sick Pay using the online service.
If you use an agent who is authorised to do PAYE online for you, they will be able to claim on your behalf.
Employers who are unable to claim online should have received a letter on an alternative way to claim. Contact HMRC if you have not received a letter and are unable to make any eligible claims online.
| Recovery Strategy Following the PMs announcement on 10 May, the Government has announced further details of the recovery strategy In addition, the following guidance has been published to support the above strategy: • Updated social distancing guidelines • Guidance on making and wearing face coverings • How to carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment • Cleaning your workplace safely • Travelling safely • Phased opening of schools, colleges and nurseries Working safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19) The Government, in consultation with industry, has produced the following guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible: • Construction and other outdoor work • Factories, plants and warehouses • Labs and research facilities • Offices and contact centres • Other people’s homes • Restaurants offering takeaway and delivery • Shops and branches • Vehicles Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance on insurance The FCA has set up the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) – an independent body to provide arbitration for insurance claims of smaller businesses (with turnover of less than £6.5 million and fewer than 50 employees). Further details can be found on their website Trade Credit Insurance The Government has announced it will support businesses through Trade Credit insurance guarantee. The Government will temporarily guarantee business-to-business transactions currently supported by Trade Credit Insurance, ensuring the majority of insurance coverage will be maintained across the market. This will support supply chains and help businesses to trade with confidence as they can trust that they will be protected if a customer defaults on payment. |
| Employment DWP have launched new jobhelp and employerhelp websites to help jobseekers find work in new areas and employers access new labour markets. Jobseekers can find information on working in key sectors e.g. IT, Care, Agriculture and Logistics; information on working for employment agencies / businesses; tips for successful jobsearch; identification of transferrable skills; and how to get the best from LinkedIn. There is also a link to Find a Job, the DWP’s own jobsearch website. For employers there’s information on government financial support for businesses including loans, tax relief and cash grants and Jobcentre services related to advertising vacancies and providing advice and support around redundancies. |
| Key Information Business Support Helpline The Government has set up a business support helpline on 0300 456 3565. This is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm Up to date information and advice from the government can be found here Up to date information and advice from the NHS can be found here |
VAT payments you can defer
You can only defer:
- quarterly and monthly VAT returns’ payments for the periods ending in February, March and April
- payments on account due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020
- annual accounting advance payments due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020
The deferral does not cover payments for VAT MOSS or import VAT.
VAT repayments and returns
HMRC will continue to process VAT reclaims and refunds as normal and most repayments are paid within 5 working days.
Repayments will not be offset against any deferred VAT, but they will be offset against existing debts.
You can apply online to move to monthly returns to improve your cashflow if you’re in a repayment position.
How deferring VAT affects payments on account
If you defer a payment on account between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020 but the balancing payment is outside of these dates, the amount you must pay is the balancing payment less any deferred payments. Deferring payments will not create a repayment.
