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DETAILS

The helpline allows any business or self-employed individual who is concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus to get practical help and advice.

For those who are unable to pay due to coronavirus, HMRC will discuss your specific circumstances to explore:

• agreeing on an instalment arrangement: gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc/your-payment-isnt-due-yet• suspending debt collection proceedings• cancelling penalties and interest where you have administrative difficulties contacting or paying HMRC immediately

SUMMARY OF ANNOUNCED SCHEMES TO SUPPORT BUSINESS DURING COVID-19

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Anyone who runs a business or is self-employed and is concerned about paying your tax due to coronavirus.

you can call HMRC’s helpline for help and advice on 0800 024 1222.

Opening hoursMonday to Friday: 8:00–20:00Saturday: 8:00–16:00

The helpline will not be available on Bank Holidays.

Webchat advisers are also accessible via the website. Advisers can only talk to you about problems paying your taxes due to coronavirus (COVID-19). This could be:

• Self-Assessment• VAT• employers’ PAYE• Corporation Tax

They will not be able to transfer you to another team.

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

HMRC helpline launched to help businesses concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19)

Website: gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/coronavirus-covid-19-helpline

Up to 2,000 experienced call handlers are available to support businesses and individuals when needed.

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DETAILS

Changes will be made to enable UK companies undergoing a rescue or restructure process to continue trading, giving them breathing space that could help them avoid insolvency.

The changes will also include enabling companies to continue buying much-needed supplies, such as energy, or broadband, while attempting a rescue, and temporarily suspending wrongful trading provisions retrospectively from 1 March 2020 for three months for company directors so they can keep their businesses going without the threat of personal liability.

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Awaiting guidance. The Insolvency enquiry line call centres are closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Contact can be made by using the contact form: insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/ExternalOnlineForms/GeneralEnquiry.aspx

Insolvency and wrongful trading regulations temporarily suspended

Website: gov.uk/government/news/regulations-temporarily-suspended-to-fast-track-supplies-of-ppe-to-nhs-staff-and-protect-companies-hit-by-covid-19

The Government introduced the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill to Parliament on 20 May 2020. This is the legislation that will allow for these changes to be made. The Bill includes provisions to enable the changes to be extended if necessary.

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DETAILS

The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The scheme will provide a taxable grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, paid out in a single instalment covering three months. This is a temporary scheme.

The scheme will be open to those where the majority of their income comes from self-employment and who have profits of less than £50,000.

HMRC will use the average profits from tax returns in 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19 to calculate the size of the grant.

First GrantIndividuals can continue to apply for the first SEISS grant until 13 July. Individuals will be able to claim a taxable grant worth 80 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £7,500 in total.

Second GrantApplications for the second grant will open in August. Individuals will be able to claim a second taxable grant worth 70 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total.

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Self-employed individuals or members of a partnership can claim where:

• A Self-Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018 to 2019 was submitted by 23 April 2020

• Trading occurred in the tax year 2019 to 2020• Trading is continuing at the time of application, or

would be except for coronavirus• The intention is to continue to trade in the tax year

2020 to 2021• Trading profits have been lost due to coronavirus

HMRC will require confirmation that business has been adversely affected by coronavirus. HMRC will use a risk-based approach to compliance.

Trading profits must also be no more than £50,000 and more than half of an individual’s total income for either:

• the tax year 2018 to 2019• the average of the tax years 2016 to 2017, 2017 to

2018, and 2018 to 2019

You can check online to find out if you’re eligible to make a claim. Your tax agent or adviser can also check your eligibility on your behalf. To check you will need your:

• Self-Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number. If you do not have this go to www.gov.uk/find-lost-utr-number

• National Insurance number

If you’re eligible, HMRC will tell you the date you’ll be able to make your claim from, and ask you to add your contact details.

If you can claim straightaway, you will also need your:

• Government Gateway user ID and password (if you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you check your eligibility or make your claim)

• UK bank details (only provide bank account details where a Bacs payment can be accepted) including bank account number, sort code, name on the account and address linked to your bank account

Self-Employment Income Support SchemeWebsite: gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme

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Where payment for work or services in the form of a loan or other form of credit covered by the loan charge has been made, it may be able to claim the grant, however eligibility and average trading profits will be based on either:

• the average of the tax years 2016–17 and 2017–18• the tax year 2017 to 2018 if not self-employed in the

tax year 2016 to 2017

If such cases the 2018 to 2019 Self-Assessment tax return should be filed by 30 September 2020 instead of 23 April 2020.

HMRC will require confirmation that your business has been adversely affected by Coronavirus.

Claims are to be made through the scheme website.

NB. You must make the claim yourself. Your tax agent or adviser must not claim on your behalf as this will trigger a fraud alert, and you will have to contact HMRC. This will cause a significant delay to you receiving your payment.

You should not claim the grant if you’re a limited company or operating a trade through a trust.

An individual does not need to have claimed the first grant to receive the second grant: for example, they may only have been adversely affected by COVID-19 in this later phase.

Any changes made to submitted returns after 26 March 2020 will not be taken into account by HMRC when working out eligibility or amount of grant.

HMRC will check all claims and where eligible pay grants into bank accounts withing 6 working days. They will send an email when the payment is on its way to your account.

The grant will be subject to Income Tax and National Insurance contributions but does not need to be repaid.

Normal self-employment record keeping requirements apply and records must be kept of the amount claimed and the claim reference number.

Evidence of how your business has been adversely affected by coronavirus must also be kept. These include:

• business accounts showing a reduction in turnover• confirmation of any coronavirus-related business loans you have received• dates your business had to close due to lockdown restrictions• dates you or your staff were unable to work due to coronavirus symptoms, shielding or caring responsibilities due to

school closures

Self-employed individuals can make a claim for Universal Credit while waiting for the grant. The grant should be recorded as part of your self-employment income, and it may affect the amount of Universal Credit awarded. This will not affect Universal Credit claims for earlier periods. Go to www.gov.uk/universal-credit for more information.

NEXT STEP

Further guidance on the second grant will be published on Friday 12 June.

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DETAILS

Support for liquidity amongst large firms:

• Up to 12 months support will be available under CCFF which is designed to support liquidity among larger firms, helping them to bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through the purchase of short-term debt.

• The facility will offer financing on terms comparable to those prevailing in markets in the period before the COVID-19 economic shock and will be open to firms that can demonstrate they were in sound financial health prior to the shock.

• CCFF will provide funding to businesses by purchasing commercial paper of up to one-year maturity, issued by firms making a material contribution to the UK economy. It will help businesses across a range of sectors to pay wages and suppliers, even while experiencing severe disruption to cash flows.

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Companies—and their finance subsidiaries—that make a material contribution to the UK economy are able to participate in the facility. They must do this via a bank. Firms that meet this requirement would normally be UK incorporated companies, companies with significant employment in the UK and firms with their headquarters in the UK.

The Bank of England will also consider whether the company generates significant revenues in the UK, serves a large number of customers or has a number of operating sites in the UK. 

The facility is open to firms that demonstrate they were in sound financial health prior to the shock. This means companies that had a short or long-term rating of investment grade, as at 1 March 2020, or equivalent.

Business should apply through their banks. The facility will look through temporary impacts on firms’ balance sheets and cash flows by basing eligibility on firms’ credit ratings prior to the COVID-19 shock.

Businesses do not need to have previously issued commercial paper in order to participate. Note that not all banks issue commercial paper. If this is the case with your bank, UK Finance has provided a list of those banks that are able to assist, see their website for more information: ukfinance.org.uk/covid-19/business-support/covid-19-corporate-financing-facilities

COVID Commercial Financing Facility (CCFF) Website: bankofengland.co.uk/news/2020/march/the-covid-corporate-financing-facility

If firms do not have an existing credit rating from a major credit rating agency, one potential route to evidencing credit status is for the firm or bank to get in touch with one of the major credit rating agencies. You can seek an assessment of credit quality in a form that can be shared with the Bank of England and HM Treasury, noting that you are doing so because you wish to use CCFF.

The Bank of England will acknowledge receipt of your application shortly after you submit your application. Email CCFF applications@bankofengland.co.uk if no acknowledgement is received within 24 hours.

Assessment of eligibility will begin as soon as you submit an Issuer Eligibility Form. If deemed eligible, the Bank of England will contact you as soon as that assessment is completed, even if you are still awaiting your CP programme. Similarly if you are deemed ineligible they will let you know as soon as that assessment is made. There are several steps in the eligibility assessment process. If you are concerned about the processing time for your application, contact the Bank of England.

NEXT STEP

No further stages announced to date.

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DETAILS

• Up to £5m facility: the maximum value of a facility provided under the scheme will be £5m, available on repayment terms of up to six years.

• 80 per cent guarantee: the scheme provides the lender with a government-backed, partial guarantee (80 per cent) against the outstanding facility balance, subject to an overall cap per lender.

• No guarantee fee for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to access the scheme: no fee for smaller businesses. Lenders will pay a fee to access the scheme.

• Interest and fees paid by Government for 12 months: the Government will make a Business Interruption Payment to cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied fees, so smaller businesses will benefit from no upfront costs and lower initial repayments.

• Finance terms: finance terms are up to six years for term loans and asset finance facilities. For overdrafts and invoice finance facilities, terms will be up to three years.

• Security: at the discretion of the lender, the scheme may be used for unsecured lending for facilities of £250,000 and under. For facilities above £250,000, the lender must establish a lack or absence of security prior to businesses using CBILS. If the lender can offer finance on normal commercial terms without the need to make use of the scheme, they will do so.

• The borrower always remains 100 per cent liable for the debt. • CBILS supports a wide range of business finance facilities, including term loans, overdrafts, asset finance and

invoice finance.

NB: not every lender can provide every type of finance listed.

Under the scheme, lenders will not take personal guarantees of any form for facilities below £250,000.

For facilities above £250,000, personal guarantees may still be required at a lender’s discretion. However, they exclude the Principal Private Residence (PPR) and recoveries under these are capped at a maximum of 20 per cent of the outstanding balance of the CBILS facility, after the proceeds of business assets have been applied.

NB: This will apply to all customers that have secured a loan under the scheme since its launch on 23 March. Businesses that successfully apply for a Loan under CBILS will not be eligible for a ‘Bounce Back Loan’.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Website: british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

To be eligible for a facility under CBILS, an SME must:

• Be UK-based in its business activity, with annual turnover of no more than £45 million per annum.

• Self-certify that it has been adversely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

In the first instance, any small business interested in CBILS should approach one of over 40 accredited lenders with their borrowing proposal.

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If one lender turns you down, you can still approach other lenders within the scheme.

The Government has confirmed that the amount of funding available under the scheme will be demand-led. Therefore, there is no immediate need to approach a lender if you do not need finance in the short-term.

The CBILS guarantee is to the lender and not the business. As with any other commercial transaction, the borrower is always 100 per cent liable for repayment of the facility supported by CBILS. CBILS decision making is fully delegated to the accredited lenders. Any queries from a business with an active or historic Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG) facility, including guarantee fee collection or alterations to their repayment profile should raise them with their lender, and not with the British Business Bank.

NB: Access to the scheme has now been opened to smaller businesses facing cashflow difficulties who previously would not have been eligible for CBILS because they met the requirements for a standard commercial facility. You may therefore consider re-contacting your lender if you have previously been unsuccessful in securing funding.

NEXT STEP

The lenders providing access to this scheme are listed on british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils/accredited-lenders

The page will be updated as and when new lender accreditations are confirmed. The scheme went live on Monday 23 March and will initially run for six months.

Have a borrowing proposal which (were it not for the current pandemic) would be considered viable by the lender, and for which the lender believes the provision of finance will enable the business to trade out of any short to medium term difficulty. For an SME to be considered viable it must:

• Generate more than 50 per cent of its turnover from trading activity

• Not have been classed as a ‘business in difficulty’ on 31 December 2019, if applying to borrow £30,000 or more

Smaller businesses from any sector can apply for the full amount of the facility. There are a small number of exclusions, but they do not affect letting or estate agents.

The lender has the authority to decide whether to offer you finance. When applying for a business loan, most lenders will ask for the following:

• Details of the loan, including the preferred borrowing amount, what the money is for and the preferred repayment period.

• Supporting Documents to demonstrate the affordability of the proposed loan. This is likely to include management accounts, cash flow forecast, a business plan, historic accounts, and details of assets.

The above requirements will vary from lender to lender. If a business does not have everything listed here, a CBILS loan could still be an option.

Given there is likely to be a big demand for facilities once the scheme goes live, consider:

• Applying via the lender’s website as phone lines will be busy and branches may have limited capacity to handle enquiries due to social distancing.

• The urgency of your need—it’s possible that some businesses may be looking for regular longer-term finance rather than ‘emergency’ finance. There may be other businesses with a more urgent need to speak with a lender.

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Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS)

DETAILS

The new Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) will provide a government guarantee of 80 per cent to enable banks to make loans and other types of finance of up to £200 million to firms with an annual turnover of between £45 million and £500 million. This will give banks the confidence to lend to more businesses which are impacted by coronavirus but which they would not lend to without CLBILS.

Businesses can apply for:

• loans• revolving credit facilities (including overdrafts)• invoice finance• asset finance

A lender can provide up to 25 per cent of the business’ annual turnover. The maximum amount a business can borrow is £200 million.

CLBILS became available on Monday 20 April 2020 for loans of up to £50 million.

Since 26 May, larger businesses are able to borrow up to a maximum of £200 million. However, the maximum size for invoice finance and asset finance facilities remains at £50 million. Those borrowing more than £50 million through CLBILS will be subject to further restrictions on dividend payments, senior pay and share buy-backs during the period of the loan.

The minimum value of a facility is £50,000. The maximum value of a facility provided under the scheme is £50 million. The previous limit for businesses with a turnover under £250 million was removed on 26 May 2020).

The scheme provides the lender with a Government-backed, partial guarantee (80 per cent) against the outstanding balance of the finance. The borrower remains 100 per cent liable for the debt and loans backed by a guarantee under CLBILS will be offered at commercial rates of interest. Finance terms are from three months to three years.

No personal guarantees are permitted for facilities under £250,000. For facilities of £250,000 and over, claims on personal guarantees cannot exceed 20 per cent of losses after all other recoveries have been applied.

Website: british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-schemes/clbils

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Businesses must:

• Be UK-based in its business activity• Have an annual turnover of more than £45 million• Have a borrowing proposal which the lender would

consider viable, were it not for the current pandemic, and for which the lender believes the provision of finance will enable the business to trade out of any short-term to medium-term difficulty

In the first instance, any small business interested in CLBILS should approach one of over 12 accredited lenders with their borrowing proposal via the lender’s website.

The lender has the authority to decide whether to offer you finance. When applying for a business loan, most lenders will ask for the following:

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If one lender turns down an application, businesses can still approach other lenders within the scheme.

Not every accredited lender can provide every type of finance available under CLBILS, and the amount of finance offered varies between lenders. See the lenders’ websites for more information on the amounts they can offer.

Lender and Borrower are still free to enter into loan agreements outside of CLBILS, e.g. where there is no economic benefit to the borrower of taking out a CLBILS loan over normal commercial lending.

• Self-certify that it has been adversely impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Not have received a facility under the Bank of England’s COVID Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF)

Lenders will need further information to confirm eligibility. All lending decisions remain fully delegated to the accredited lenders.

businesses from any sector can apply for the full amount of the facility. There are a small number of exclusions (e.g. building societies) but they do not affect letting orestate agents.

For groups seeking facilities in aggregate in excess of £50 million (the CLBILS variant announced on 19 May), the scheme’s eligibility requirements include some additional commitments from borrowers reflecting the additional commitment being made by Government. Further details are available on the scheme website.

• Details of the loan, including the preferred borrowing amount, what the money is for and the preferred repayment period

• Supporting Documents to demonstrate the affordability of the proposed loan. This is likely to include management accounts, cash flow forecast, a business plan, historic accounts and details of assets

The above requirements will vary from lender to lender. If a business does not have everything listed here, a CLBILS loan could still be an option

NB: There is high demand for CLBILS facilities. Phone lines are likely to be busy and branches may not be able to handle enquiries in person.

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Coronavirus Bounce Back LoanWebsite: gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-coronavirus-bounce-back-loan

DETAILS

The scheme will help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. The Government will guarantee 100 per cent of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months.

Loan terms will be up to six years. No repayments will be due during the first 12 months. The Government will work with lenders to agree a low rate of interest for the remaining period of the loan.

The scheme is delivered through a network of accredited lenders.

Businesses cannot apply if already claiming funding under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). Where businesses have already received a loan of up to £50,000 under CBILS and would like to transfer it into the Bounce Back Loan scheme, it can be arranged with the relevant CBILS lender until 4 November 2020.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

You can apply for a loan if your business:

• is based in the UK• was established before 1 March 2020• has been negatively affected by coronavirus

You cannot apply if you’re already claiming under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

If your business was classed as a business in difficulty on 31 December 2019, you’ll need to confirm that you’re complying with additional state aid restrictions.

Approach one of the 11 lenders participating in the scheme via their website. This includes many of the main retail banks. Participating lenders can be found on the website.

The lender will ask you to fill in a short online application form and self-declare that you are eligible. They will then decide whether to offer you a loan or another type of finance; you will be responsible for repaying 100 per cent of the amount borrowed.

If one lender turns you down, you can apply to other lenders in the scheme.

Businesses may want to consider using a broker to find the right type of finance for best suited to their needs or undertake their own research using the British Business Bank’s finance guide: thebusinessfinanceguide.co.uk

NEXT STEP

No further stages announced to date.

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Coronavirus Job Retention SchemeWebsite: gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

DETAILS

All UK employers with a PAYE scheme that was created and started on or before 19 March 2020, will be able to access sup- port to continue paying 80 per cent of their employees salary for those employees who have been asked to stop working, but who are being kept on the pay roll as opposed to being laid off, otherwise described as ‘furloughed workers’. Employers can choose to top up wages for furloughed hours beyond the required 80 per cent.

From 1 July 2020, businesses will have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back part time. Businesses will be able decide the hours and shift patterns their employees will work on their return, so that they can decide on the best approach for them - and will be responsible for paying their wages while in work.

From August 2020, the level of government grant provided through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will be slowly tapered to reflect that people will be returning to work. The rates of Government grant for the hours people are furloughed during this period are as follows:

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Month CJRS grant for furlough hours Employer contribution for furloughed hours

June 2020 • 80 per cent of wages up to a cap of £2,500• Employer National Insurance and pension

contributions

Nil

July 2020 • 80 per cent of wages up to a cap of £2,500• Employer National Insurance and pension

contributions

Nil

August 2020 80 per cent of wages up to a cap of £2,500 Employer National Insurance and pension contributions

September 2020 70 per cent of wages up to a cap of £2,187.50 • 10 per cent of wages• Employer National Insurance and

pension contributions

October 2020 60 per cent of wages up to a cap of £1,875 • 20 per cent of wages• Employer National Insurance and

pension contributions

November 2020 Nil • 100 per cent of wages• Employer National Insurance and

pension contributions

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

BusinessesAll UK businesses who started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020 are eligible. Businesses must have enrolled for PAYE online and hold a UK bank account.

EmployeesBusinesses will be able to claim for any regular payments that they are obliged to pay employees. This may include wages, past overtime, fees and compulsory commission payments, however discretionary bonuses and commission payments and non-cash payments cannot be included.

Where an employee’s pay varies you can claim the highest of either the same month’s earning from the previous year or average monthly earnings for the 2019-20 tax year.Where an employee has been made redundant on or after 28 February 2020, they can be reinstated on the payroll and furloughed.

Any employees you place on furlough must be furloughed for a minimum period of three consecutive weeks. When they return to work, they must be taken off furlough. Employees can be furloughed multiple times, but each separate instance must be for a minimum period of three consecutive weeks.

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 three-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 three-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.

Furloughed employees are free to participate in training and this is encouraged if it is not part of work to generate income for the organisation within the furlough period. Furloughed employees must not undertake work for, or on behalf of, the organisation during the hours they are furloughed. Until the flexible furlough starts on 1 July staff who are working reduced hours are not eligible for the scheme.

Businesses will need to designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change. Changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract may be subject to negotiation.

Claims must be submitted via a new online portal (accessed via the scheme’s website) on or after 20 April 2020. Access to the portal will require a Government Gateway (GG) ID and password. If you don’t already have a GG account, you can apply for one online: www.gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services/register

Businesses will need to be enrolled for PAYE online. If you aren’t registered yet, you can do so now by going to the .GOV website: www.gov.uk/paye-online/enrol

You will need to calculate the amount you are claiming. A claim calculator is available on the scheme website. HMRC will retain the right to retrospectively audit all aspects of your claim.

If you have fewer than 100 furloughed staff you will be asked to enter details of each employee you are claiming for directly into the system. This will include their name, National Insurance number, claim period and claim amount and payroll/employee number (optional).

If you have over 100 furloughed staff, you will be asked to upload a file with the information rather than input it directly into the system. The following file types are accepted: .xls .xlsx .csv .ods.

The file should include the following information for each furloughed employee: name, National Insurance number, claim period and claim amount, payroll/employee number (optional). Ensure you submit one line per employee for the whole period.

Ensure the instructions are followed precisely – if more or less information is provided, or the formatting is not as instructed you risk payments being delayed or having to provide the information again.

If you do not finish your claim in one session, you can save a draft. You must complete your claim within seven days of starting it.

Continued...

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This is a temporary scheme running from 1 March 2020 to 31 October 2020, there is no limit on the funding available for this scheme and grants will be made as necessary. Businesses can top up their employee’s salary but do not have to.

From 1 July 2020, employers will be able to agree any working arrangements with previously furloughed employees.

When claiming the CJRS grant for furloughed hours; employers will need to report and claim for a minimum period of a week, for grants to be calculated accurately across working patterns.

If contractually allowed, your employees are permitted to work for another employer whilst you have placed them on furlough.

HMRC cannot provide your employees with details of claims you make on their behalf. Help them by keeping your employees informed and answering any questions that they might have. Ask them not to contact HMRC.

When the Government ends the scheme, you must make a decision (depending on your circumstances) as to whether employees can return to their duties. If not, it may be necessary to consider termination of employment (redundancy).

Where a company is being taken under the management of an administrator, the administrator will be able to access the Job Retention Scheme. However, it is expected an administrator would only access the scheme if there is a reasonable likelihood of rehiring the workers. For instance, this could be as a result of an administration and pursuit of a sale of the business.

NEXT STEP

Further guidance on flexible furloughing and how employers should calculate claims will be published on 12 June.

HMRC will process all claims made before the scheme ends.

Apprentices can be furloughed in the same way as other employees and they can continue to train whist furloughed. However, they must be paid at least the Apprenticeship Minimum Wage/National Living Wage/National Minimum Wage) as appropriate for all the time they spend training.

Foreign nationals are eligible to be furloughed. Grants under the scheme are not counted as ‘access to public funds’, employees on all categories of visa are eligible.

Once you have claimed:

• HMRC will check your claim and, if you’re eligible, pay it to you by BACS to a UK bank account within six working days

• You must pay the employee all the grant you receive for their gross pay in the form of money

• keep a copy of all records for six years, including: the amount claimed and claim period for each employee; the claim reference number for your records; and your calculations in case HMRC need more information about your claim

• Continue to make employer National Insurance and pension contributions on behalf of your furloughed employees, these can be claimed back. However, you cannot claim back any National Insurance or pension contributions that relate to any top up element of the salary

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

The eligibility criteria for the scheme will be as follows:

• Employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible. The size of an employer will be determined by the number of people they employed as of 28 February 2020

• Employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19

Employers must have paid an employees sick pay before it can be claimed back.

Claims should be submitted using the online service provided: gov.uk/guidance/claim-back-statutory-sick-pay-paid-to-your-employees-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19

To complete a claim the following information is needed:

• the number of employees being claimed for• start and end dates of the claim period• the total amount of coronavirus-related Statutory

Sick Pay you have paid to your employees for the claim period, this should not exceed the weekly rate of SSP that is set: www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-back-statutory-sick-pay-paid-to-employees-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19#weekly

• your Government Gateway user ID and password that you got when you registered for PAYE Online

• your employer PAYE reference number• the contact name and phone number of someone

HMRC can contact if they have queries

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) relief package for a small and medium sized enterprise (SME)

DETAILS

The Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme will repay employers the current rate of SSP that they pay to current or former employees for periods of sickness starting on or after 13 March 2020. Employers who pays more than the current rate of SSP can only claim the current rate amount.

The repayment will cover up to two weeks starting from the first day of sickness. Employers can claim from the first qualifying day the employee is off work if the period of sickness started on or after:

• 13 March 2020: if the employee had Coronavirus or the symptoms or is self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms

• 16 April 2020: if the employee was shielding because of coronavirus• 28 May 2020: if the employee has been notified by the NHS or public health bodies that they’ve come into contact

with someone with Coronavirus

The weekly rate was £94.25 before 6 April 2020 and is now £95.85. Employers who pay more than the weekly rate of Statutory Sick Pay can only claim up to the weekly rate paid.

Employees do not have to provide a doctor’s fit note for employers to make a claim. If evidence is required by an employer, those with symptoms of coronavirus can get an isolation note from NHS 111 online and those who live with someone that has symptoms can get a note from the NHS website: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice

Website: gov.uk/guidance/claim-back-statutory-sick-pay-paid-to-employees-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19

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HMRC will check all claims, and if valid, they will be paid into the account you supplied within six working days.

HMRC will check claims and take appropriate action to withhold or recover payments found to be dishonest or inaccurate. Where employers knowingly and deliberately provide false or misleading information to benefit from the claim, HMRC will apply penalties of up to £3000.

Do not contact HMRC unless it has been more than 10 working days since you have made your claim and you have not received it or been contacted by us within that time.

Employers must keep records of all the statutory sick payments that they want to claim from HMRC, including:

• the reason why an employee could not work• details of each period when an employee could not work, including start and end dates• details of the SSP qualifying days when an employee could not work• National Insurance numbers of all employees who you have paid SSP to

Employers will have to keep these records for at least three years following any claim. Also, there is a requirement to print or save your state aid declaration (from your claim summary) and keep this until 31 December 2024.

Employers 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.

Claim amounts should not be above the maximum €800,000 of state aid under the EU Commission temporary framework. This is when combined with other aid received under the framework such as the government grants to support businesses through this period.

• your UK bank or building society account details (only provide account details where a BACS payment can be accepted), including bank or building society account number (and roll number if it has one), sort code, name on the account and the address linked to your bank or building society account

If you are an employer who uses an agent 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.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Any business is theoretically eligible to apply. However, it is critical to ensure supporting facts and documentation are available to evidence cash flow concerns.

HMRC have made it clear that they see themselves as a lender of last resort. Therefore, the taxpayer must demonstrate that all other sources of finance have been pursued and exhausted.

Businesses with a Customer Compliance Manager should first discuss this with them. All others are encouraged to contact HMRC’s helpline on 0800 0159 559.

The process can take less than an hour in a simple situation where the amount to be deferred is less than £750K. Agreement for deferral of larger sums will take longer.

HMRC Coronavirus HelplineTelephone: 0800 015 9559Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pmSaturday, 8am to 4pm

Self employedCall the Self-Assessment helpline if you have missed your payment date or you cannot use the online service. You do not need to contact HMRC if you have set up a payment plan online.

Self-Assessment Payment HelplineTelephone: 0300 200 3822Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm

HMRC Time To Pay (TTP) SchemeWebsite: gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc

DETAILS

TTP has been available to businesses for over a decade. However, HM Treasury has announced a stepping up of resource and a specific COVID-19 helpline for businesses.

TTP allows a business to defer current (as opposed to prospective) tax debts (principally corporation/income tax, payroll taxes and VAT but theoretically any other tax or duty) by converting settlement to instalments over a 3–12 month period.As part of the process, directors are expected to provide written confirmation that the instalment will be made on time.

You must pay interest if you pay late. You may avoid penalties by contacting HMRC as soon as possible.

Self employed: If you cannot pay your Self-Assessment tax bill and owe less than £10,000 you might be able to arrange to pay in instalments online.

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Be prepared for the conversation with HMRC and have the key information to hand:

• description of the business• annual total liability to tax• amounts requesting to be deferred• proposed period of deferral• reasons for requesting deferral (directly linked to COVID-19)• details of discussions with other stakeholders/lenders• details of other actions taken to mitigate cash outflows• a short-term cashflow forecast• authority to confirm directors will ensure all instalment payments will be met

NEXT STEP

We are awaiting further detailed guidance from HMRC as to the level of information they require to support a claim and confirmation as to whether TTP will be extended to prospective (as opposed to just current) tax liabilities.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All UK businesses are eligible.

VAT payments that can be deferred:• 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

This is an automatic offer with no applications required.

Businesses will not need to make a VAT payment during this period.

Taxpayers will be given until the end of the 2020 to 2021 tax year to pay any liabilities that have accumulated during the deferral period.

VAT refunds and reclaims will be paid by the Government as normal.

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

If you are self-employed you are eligible. This is an automatic offer with no applications required.No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged in the deferral period.

Support for businesses through deferring VAT payments

Support for business through deferring Income Tax payments

Website: gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

Website: gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

DETAILS

The Government will be deferring Valued Added Tax (VAT) payments for three months. VAT deferrals will apply from 20 March 2020 until 30 June 2020.

DETAILS

For Income Tax Self-Assessment, payments due on the 31 July 2020 will be deferred until the 31 January 2021.

VAT returns must still be submitted to HMRC on time.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Any agent in England that has closed due to COVID-19. businesses will have to actively register/apply for the funding or payment holiday, although rate bills should be sent out.

Agents can register their property for the relief on the government website: gov.uk/correct-your-business-rates

Business rates exemption Website: gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-estate-agents-lettings-agencies-and-bingo-halls-to-pay-no-business-rates-this-coming-financial-year

DETAILS

Letting and estate agents that are closed due to COVID-19 measures will be eligible for the business rates retail discount, which is increased to 100 per cent for 2020–2021. This means agents who close will be exempt from paying business rates.

Guidance for local authorities on the application of the holiday has been published by MHCLG: www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-retail-discount-guidance

Eligible businesses will be rebilled by their local authority and the new bill will give them the discount of 100 per cent. If businesses have made payments in the meantime, they will be refunded by their local authority.

As the payment of business rates is a legal requirement it would be advisable not to assume agents don’t have to pay if an updated bill is not received.

If an updated bill requiring nil payment is not received, agents should contact the relevant local authority immediately before they receive an automatic penalty notice. If any business has a query regarding their bill, they should get in touch with their local authority.

NEXT STEP

Government are working with local authorities to ensure new bills are issued as soon as possible.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All eligible businesses in England in receipt of either Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) or Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000.

Businesses with a property that on the 11 March 2020 were eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) Scheme (including those with a Rateable Value between £12,000 and £15,000 which receive tapered relief).

Businesses which on 11 March 2020 were eligible for relief under the Rural Rate Relief Scheme are also eligible for this scheme.

Eligible recipients will receive one grant per property.

Businesses which as of the 11 March were in liquidation or were dissolved will not be eligible.

You do not need to do anything. Your Local Authority will write to you if you are eligible for this grant.

Website: gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-small-business-grant-fund

DETAILS

Businesses eligible for small business rates relief will receive a cash grant of £10,000.

Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, the reliefs and grants should be directed to the relevant Local Authority.

Grant income received by a business is taxable therefore the Small Business Grants will be subject to tax. Only businesses which make an overall profit once grant income is included will be subject to tax.

NEXT STEP

Local Authorities will write to all eligible businesses with information on how to claim this grant.

Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF)

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Properties which on the 11 March 2020 had a rateable value of less than £51,000 and would have been eligible for a discount under the business rates Expanded Retail Discount Scheme had that scheme been in force are eligible for the grant (this means it does apply to agents).

Businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 or over and those which are not ratepayers in the business rates system are not eligible for this scheme. Businesses which as of the 11 March were in liquidation or were dissolved will also not be eligible.

You do not need to do anything. Your Local Authority will write to you if you are eligible for this grant.

Website: gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-grant-fund

DETAILS

Under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant (RHLG) eligible businesses in England in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure including letting and estate agents) with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for a cash grant.

Central Government will provide funding to Local Authorities that are responsible for business rate billing. Those Local Authorities will contact eligible businesses to arrange payment of the grants.

Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000 per eligible property. Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000 per eligible property.

Eligible recipients will receive one grant per eligible property.

NB: Recipients cannot receive both SBGF and RHLG on the same property.

Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLG)

Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, the reliefs and grants should be directed to the relevant Local Authority.

No changes made to the business’s rateable value or rating assessment after 11 March 2020 will be accepted for the purposes of determining eligibility.

In cases where there are clear errors on the rating list on 11 March 2020, Local Authorities may (at their discretion) withhold the grant and/or award the grant based on their view of which businesses would have been entitled.

Grant income received by a business is taxable, therefore the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants will be subject to tax. Only businesses which make an overall profit once grant income is included will be subject to tax.

NEXT STEP

Local Authorities will write to all eligible businesses with information on how to claim this grant.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

You’re 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

You cannot apply if your business:

• pays business rates• is in administration, insolvent or has received a

striking-off notice

You cannot apply if you’re already claiming under another government grant scheme, such as:

• Small Business Grant Fund• Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant

Local council webpages provide details of how to apply.

Website: gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-grant-fund

DETAILS

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.

You can get a grant of £25,000, £10,000 or any amount under £10,000.

Coronavirus Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund

Businesses that apply for the Discretionary Grant Scheme can still apply for coronavirus-related loans if they’re eligible.

Grants do not have to be paid back but they are taxable. Only businesses which make an overall profit once grant income is included will be subject to tax.

NEXT STEP

Local councils will run an application process and decide whether to offer businesses a grant.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All domestic rate paying businesses in Scotland. You do not need to apply for this relief, and it will be applied to your bill by your local council.

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses in Scotland.

NB: Even though agents are not specifically listed as being in these sectors, the Government suggest the list is not exhaustive.

If you think you may be eligible for this relief, contact your local council.

Scottish Budget 2020/2021: non-domestic rates changes

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses

Website: mygov.scot/non-domestic-rates-coronavirus

Website: mygov.scot/non-domestic-rates-coronavirus

DETAILS

To help owners of non-domestic properties (including businesses) deal with the impact of COVID-19, the Scottish Government has made changes to non-domestic rates (business rates) for 2020–2021. All non-domestic properties in Scotland will get a 1.6 per cent rates relief. This relief effectively reverses the change in poundage for 2020–2021.

DETAILS

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will get 100 per cent rates relief. To get this relief, a property must be occupied. Properties that have closed temporarily due to the Government’s Coronavirus advice will be treated as occupied.

The Scottish Government is working with Scotland’s 32 Councils to make sure this relief is administered in the most effective way. If you’re struggling to pay your non-domestic rates bill, you should contact your local council and ask them about your payment options.

The Scottish Government is working with Scotland’s 32 Councils to make sure this relief is administered in the most effective way. If you’re struggling to pay your non-domestic rates bill, you should contact your local council and ask them about your payment options.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses (including sales offices) with a rateable value between £18,000 and up to and including £51,000 will be able to apply for a one-off grant of £25,000.

A one-off grant of £10,000 will also be available to small businesses who get Small Business Bonus Scheme relief or Rural Relief.

Business that are not eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme but have multiple properties, you may still be eligible for a Small Business Support Grant.

Businesses might still be eligible for this grant, for any retail, hospitality, or leisure properties with a rateable value under £18,000 each.

All the business properties must have a combined rateable value of between £35,001 and £51,000.

Applications can be made from 24 March 2020 until 31 March 2021.

To apply, you’ll need to complete an application form. You can find this form on your local council website.

Councils will aim to make payment within ten working days of receiving a grant application form.

Business Support FundWebsite: www.mygov.scot/non-domestic-rates-coronavirus/grants-to-help-businesses-during-coronavirus

DETAILS

The Scottish Government is making a series of grants available to businesses dependent on their rateable value and classification for Business Rates purposes.

From 5 May 2020, businesses with more than one property may be able to apply for a grant for each eligible property.This means businesses may be able to get a £10,000 or £25,000 grant on the first property; then each additional property may be eligible for a:

• Small Business Support Grant of £7,500• Retail, Hospitality, Leisure Support Grant of £18,500

You can only apply for one grant—even if you own multiple properties.

NEXT STEP

The Scottish Government is working with Scotland’s 32 Councils and other stakeholders to agree a common approach to the application process. This should help make sure there’s an effective and timely processing of grants as soon as possible.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

To be eligible for this fund you must meet all the following criteria:

• you became self-employed on/after 6 April 2019 (did not submit a tax return including income from self-employment for 2018-19)

• over 50 per cent of your individual income is from self-employment

• your trading profits were below £50,000 in financial year 2019-20

• you have lost business due to coronavirus and are suffering financial hardship as a result

• you are ineligible for other COVID-19 related business support (including the Business Interruption Loan Schemes, Corporate Finance Fund, Job Retention Schemes, Future Fund, R&D Focussed SMEs Fund, HMRC Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, Non-Domestic Rates relief, Small Business Grant or other business support)

• you do not receive working age benefit payments (Universal Credit, Statutory Sick Pay, Employment and Support Allowance, Job Seekers’ Allowance, Income Support) or have applied for but not yet started receiving Universal Credit

• you trade as self-employed, not as a limited company or partnership

• you have taken steps to limit costs and expenditure (including through schemes such as VAT deferral and seeking a mortgage payment holiday)

• you do not have access to sufficient savings or other sources of income to meet basic needs

You need to apply in your Local Authority area via their website. You may only apply to this fund once.

You will be asked to provide documentary evidence of your status and eligibility for the grant. Local authorities will then determine whether you meet the criteria, which has been set by the Scottish Government.

You will need to provide:

• documentation to show you had an active business prior to COVID-19, such as your VAT registration, bank account statements showing revenue and outgoings linked to self-employment, marketing materials, etc. A full list is provided with the application form.

• self-declaration that you are currently experiencing hardship

• evidence of being resident in the local authority area of application

Successful applicants will receive a one-off payment of £2,000.

Newley Self-Employed Hardship FundWebsite: findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/coronavirus/newly-self-employed-hardship-fund

DETAILS

If you became self-employed on or after 6 April 2019 making you ineligible for the UK Government Self-Employment Income Support Scheme you can apply for hardship funding of £2,000 from the Scottish Government.

It will take up toten working days from application to appraisal and funds being released for approved applications. If you receive the grant, you can continue to work or take on other employment including voluntary work.

NEXT STEP

No further stages announced to date.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All Wales-based small and medium sized enterprises who have been trading two years or longer, including sole traders, partnerships, limited companies as well as social enterprises.

• Sole traders, partnerships and others are eligible to apply for loans between £5,000–£25,000

• Limited companies are eligible to apply for loans between £5,000–£25,000

• All businesses may apply for loans between £25,000–£250,000

To ensure that as many businesses can access the fund as possible, the amount an individual business can apply will be restricted. The maximum loan you can apply for will be the higher of:

• £10,000 per full-time equivalent employee (a full-time equivalent is calculated at 37 hours per week)

• 25 per cent of your last year’s turnover

To apply you must use the online application form and get your documents ready as outlined below.

For loans between £5,000–£25,000Statement of Assets and Liabilities and previous three months bank statements.

For loans between £5,000–£25,000Previous three months bank statements.

For loans between £25,000–£100,000 Previous three months bank statements.

COVID-19 Wales Business Loan SchemeWebsite: developmentbank.wales/covid-19-wales-business-loan-scheme

DETAILS

The Welsh Government and the Development Bank of Wales will provide a £100m COVID-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme to support businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Scheme will be available from the Development Bank of Wales for a limited period. It is intended to provide support to businesses who are experiencing cash flow difficulties as a result of the pandemic.

The loan scheme will work alongside the UK wide Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, other Welsh Government and UK Government support offers, providing more vital options for Welsh businesses.

Key features:

• loans between £5,000 to £250,000, maximum loan levels apply• 12-month capital and interest repayment holiday• no arrangement or monitoring fees• two per cent interest fixed for six years (includes the 12-month holiday)• partially secured lending depending on the size of the loan

Due to the unprecedented volume of applications, the COVID-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme is now fully subscribed. Businesses seeking a loan should consider the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme available for SMEs through over 40 accredited UK lenders. Visit Business Wales for more information: businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice

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It is recommended that businesses exhaust all other avenues of support before applying for a loan as some of the other measures may be more suitable for in certain circumstances.

The fund has been created to give welsh SMEs the liquidity they need to trade through this period of business interruption, therefore the loan should not be used to repay existing borrowing.

A businesses ability to service the loan will also be considered. This will involve looking at historic profitability to test the loan is affordable, when business returns to normal after the outbreak.

For loans over £100,000 up to £250,000:

• Previous three months bank statements• Historic accounts (two years)• Completed cash flow forecast template:

developmentbank.wales/cash-flow-template• Up-to-date management information (inc. P&L,

Balance Sheet)

All supporting documents are mandatory and applications without the correct documentation will not be progressed.

On receipt of a completed application, an estimated timescale for a decision will be provided and businesses will be kept updated through the process.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Scheme 1: grants of £10,000 for micro-businesses employing up to nine people. This includes sole traders employing staff.

Scheme 2: grants of up to £100,000 for small and medium- sized firms with between 10 and 249 employees.

Qualifying businesses will be able to apply by mid-April.

Economic Resilience Fund - has been pausedWebsite: businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/support/financial-support-and-grants

DETAILS

A £400 million emergency pot providing varying degrees of grants.

NEXT STEP

Details of the application process and eligibility are being finalised and will be published shortly.

In its first week the second phase of the Economic Resilience Fund received almost 9,000 requests for support. Due to the scale of demand, Welsh Government increased the amount of funding for this phase to £300 million. The Fund is now paused following the very large number of applications to give Welsh Government an opportunity to consider what further support businesses, charities and social enterprises need.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All letting and estate agents (as eligible hereditaments under the retail rates relief scheme) with rateable values of £500,000 or less.

You do not need to do anything. This will be administered through the business rates system. You do not need to contact your local authority. They will contact you.

Business rate reliefWebsite: businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/support/business-rates-relief

DETAILS

Retail, leisure and hospitality businesses with a rateable value of £500,000 or less will get a one-year business rates holiday in the financial year 2020 to 2021. This means that eligible businesses will not have to pay any business rates during this time.

Further information and support can be found here: businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice

NEXT STEP

Your local authority will contact you in due course.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Eligibility for the SBRR is based on the Net Annual Value (NAV) of your business property. There are three levels:

• Business properties with a NAV of £2,000 or less will receive a reduction of 50 per cent rate relief.

• Business properties with a NAV of more than £2,000 but not more than £5,000 will receive 25 per cent rate relief.

• Business properties with a NAV of more than £5,000 but not more than £15,000 will receive a 20 per cent rate relief.

There is no application procedure for the SBRR. Instead, relief will be applied automatically to your business rates bill by LPS if you qualify.

This will ensure that if you are eligible you will receive the benefit of the rate relief immediately.

Emergency Rates Package: Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR)

Website: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/small-business-rate-relief

DETAILS

The SBRR scheme will be continued in 2020–2021. The rates of relief and thresholds for eligibility have not changed.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Grants are available to businesses that are registered to pay rates on their premises on 20 March 2020.

Grant 1: shops, leisure and hospitality businesses with a rateable value of £12,001 and £51,000 will get a grant of £25,000.

Grant 2: shops, leisure and hospitality businesses with a rateable value of £12,000 or less will get a grant of £10,000.

NB: the multiple property restriction which applies to Small Business Rates Relief also applies to this grant. Therefore, the same ratepayer may only receive the grant for a maximum of two properties in each local authority area.

You do not need to do anything to apply for these grants. This will be administered through the business rates system.

You do not need to contact your local authority; they will contact you.

To find out more about how qualifying businesses can access a grant, you should visit the relevant local authority’s web page. You can find your local authority by entering your postcode here: gov.uk/find-local-council

Non-domestic rates grantWebsite: gov.wales/coronavirus-covid-19-support-businesses

DETAILS

Shops, leisure and hospitality businesses registered to pay non-domestic rates on their premises on 20 March 2020 will be able to apply for small grants based on the rateable value of their business.

The COVID-19 non-domestic rates (NDR) grant schemes will be closing to new applications at 5pm on 30 June 2020. If you are eligible and you have not already applied, please ensure that you apply via your local authority before this date. Any applications received after 5pm on 30 June 2020 will not be considered.

Further information and support can be found here: businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice

NEXT STEP

Your local authority will contact you in due course.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All businesses subject to non-domestic rates. This will happen automatically. Ratepayers do not need to request to have their rate bill deferred until July 2020.

ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

All businesses subject to non-domestic rates. There is no application procedure for the rates holiday. Instead, relief will be applied automatically to your business rates bill by LPS if you qualify.

This will ensure that if you are eligible you will receive the benefit of the rate relief immediately.

Emergency Rates Package: Delay in Rate Bills

Emergency Rates Package: Rates Holiday for Businesses

Website: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/covid-19-emergency-rates-package-businesses

Website: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/covid-19-emergency-rates-package-businesses

DETAILS

To avoid placing financial pressure on ratepayers affected by COVID-19, rate bills will not be issued until July 2020.

DETAILS

There will be a four-month rates holiday for all business ratepayers, excluding public sector and utilities. This means that no rates will be charged for April, May, June, and July 2020. This amount does not need to be paid back.

A number of businesses may have been issued a rate bill in error. Land and Property Services are contacting those affected and advising them to ignore this bill. A revised bill taking account of the rates holiday reduction and any other reliefs will be issued in due course.

NEXT STEP

When rate bills are issued in July 2020, ratepayers can still choose to pay their bill in monthly instalments between July 2020 and March 2021. Monthly Direct Debit payment plans will be automatically updated to collect payments between July 2020 and March 2021. reliefs will be issued in due course.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Most non-domestic properties, including those owned or used by voluntary organisations, will be eligible for Hardship Rate Relief if they meet certain conditions.

Land and Property Services have an application form for businesses that feel they are eligible to apply for Hardship Rate Relief: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/downloads/lps-application-form-and-notes-hardship-relief.pdf

Emergency Rates Package: Hardship Rate Relief Website: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/hardship-rate-relief

DETAILS

The Hardship Rate Relief scheme is available for non-domestic ratepayers who have been affected by exceptional circumstances.

You can contact LPS by email: applicationbased.raterelief@finance-ni.gov.uk

Following government measures announced on 23 March to limit the spread of COVID-19, Land and Property Services offices and phone lines have been closed since Tuesday 24 March. Helplines for rating and valuation, housing benefit and rates relief reopened on 18 May 2020. The land registration helpline will reopen on 26 May 2020. The closure will be kept under regular review and the dates will change in line with further Government announcements.

Further information on service updates will be published on their website as they become available: www.finance-ni.gov.uk/land-property-services-lps

Hardship Rate Relief for a non-domestic property is intended to assist a business recover from a temporary crisis, financial or otherwise, as a result of exceptional circumstances, and therefore some form of recovery plan will generally be required before an application can be considered

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You should continue to pay your rates while LPS consider your application. This will help you to avoid paying a large amount in one go if your application is unsuccessful. If your application is successful, LPS will refund any rates you have paid for the period the Hardship Rate Relief is granted for.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

Businesses must be classified as hospitality, tourism or retail and have a rateable value from £15,000 up to £51,000.

Businesses with multiple premises meeting the rateable value criteria outlined above will only be eligible for one grant of £25,000.

Businesses who have already received a £10,000 grant under the Small Business Grant Scheme, and who have an additional property which falls within the £15,001 to £51,000 rateable value and meets the other eligibility criteria for the £25,000 Business Grant Scheme, are eligible to apply.

Businesses can complete a pre-application check, apply for the scheme and provide their bank details by completing an online application form accessed via the scheme website.

The online application form has been designed to only allow businesses with an eligible Ratepayer ID and Occupancy ID to complete their details.

Businesses can check whether they meet the pre-application criteria for this grant by entering the Ratepayer ID and Occupancy ID from their business rate bill. If you don’t have your Ratepayer ID and Occupancy ID, contact the helpline on 0300 200 7809.

Applications will be assessed, and payments made as soon as possible where clear eligibility is demonstrated. In cases where eligibility is less clear further verification checks will be undertaken. Businesses will be contacted where further information is required; therefore applicants should regularly check the email account (and the junk mail).

The grant payment will be sent directly to the applicant’s bank account and email confirmation that the grant payment has been issued will be sent.

Retail, Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure Sectors Grant Scheme

Website: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/coronavirus-%C2%A325000-retail-hospitality-tourism-and-leisure-grant

DETAILS

A grant of £25,000 is to be provided to companies in the retail, hospitality, tourism, and leisure sectors with a rateable value from £15,000 up to £51,000. The scheme opened for applications on 20 April 2020.

Registration for the scheme closed at 23.59 on Wednesday 20 May 2020.

Officials are currently processing the data to ensure that the support reaches the right people.

Estate and Letting agents are not specifically listed as eligible for the grant. However, they are not explicitly excluded either. if you think your business should be eligible and it meets the rateable value criteria, you should contact the helpline on 0300 200 7809.

NB: property agents are included under ‘retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure’ in England and Wales.

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ELIGIBILITY HOW TO APPLY

SBRR is automatically applied to business properties with a rateable value below £15,000, though some exclusions to SBRR apply. More information: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/small-business-rate-relief

Vacant properties are not eligible for this grant.

Businesses with three or less premises will only be eligible for one grant of £10,000 in total.

Businesses with more than three properties are not eligible for the SBRR scheme and therefore are not eligible for the grant.

Automatic payments will be made to those eligible businesses whose bank account details are held for the purposes of paying rates by Direct Debit.

Eligible businesses that do not currently pay business rates by Direct Debit can register for the scheme and provide their bank details by completing the following online registration form: covid-19smallbusinessgrants.economy-ni.gov.uk

You will be asked to confirm your:

• ratepayer ID (shown on your rate bill)• occupancy ID (shown on your rate bill)• sort code• bank or building society account number• e-mail address

If you need any assistance in completing this form contact NI Direct on 0300 200 7809.

The £10,000 grant payment will be issued as soon as possible after completion of the online form. Payments may take three days to clear the banking process.

COVID Small Business GrantWebsite: nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/coronavirus-business-support-grant-schemes

DETAILS

A grant of £10,000 is to be made available to small businesses who are eligible for the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme (SBRR).

The first payment in the Small Business Support Grant Scheme were made to these businesses on 27 March.

This is not a normal rating year because the new non-domestic Valuation List is coming into effect on 1 April 2020, following the non-domestic Revaluation (Reval2020).

Ministers want to be as inclusive and supportive of business as possible to ensure that no individual business is disadvantaged by the change, so each business affected by the Reval2020 will get the grant on the basis of whichever valuation list would benefit them the most, i.e. the seventh list which applies until 31 March 2020 or the eighth list which applies from 1 April 2020.

LPS will undertake a special exercise to identify these cases.