Following on from the government announcements we thought we would reach out about what support is available so far, as we go into the national lockdown on Thursday:
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
- CJRS (furlough) scheme extended to December paying 80% of employees wages up to £2,500.
- Employers will be required to cover national insurance and pension contributions.
- Full time and flexible furlough will continue to be available.
- Neither the employer nor the employee needs to have previously accessed the Furlough scheme.
- All employees on the employer’s PAYE payroll by 23:59 30 October 2020 will be eligible.
Mortgage payment holidays extended
Borrowers who have been impacted by coronavirus and have not yet had a mortgage payment holiday will be entitled to a six month holiday, and those that have already started a mortgage payment holiday will be able to top up to six months without this being recorded on their credit file.
Business grants available
Businesses required to close in England due to local or national restrictions will be eligible for the following through their local authority:
– For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;
– For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;
– For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.
Self Employed Income Support Scheme
- Claims window being brought forward from 14 December to 30 November which will cover the period November to January
- For November it is worth 80% of average trading profits and for December it is worth 40% of average trading profits meaning the total level of the third grant is 55 per cent of trading profits. The maximum grant will increase to £5,160.
- Claims must be done by individuals, accountants cannot do these
To be eligible for the Grant Extension self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, must:
- have been previously eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme first and second grant (although they do not have to have claimed the previous grants)
- declare that they intend to continue to trade and either:
- are currently actively trading but are impacted by reduced demand due to coronavirus
- were previously trading but are temporarily unable to do so due to coronavirus
Bounceback Loans & CBILS
- Bounceback Loans – Deadline extended for applications to 31/01/21. For more info please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-coronavirus-bounce-back-loan
- CBILS are available until 30/11/20 please see info here: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2/
Self Assessment Tax Deferrals
The July 2020 payment on account that was deferred to 31 January 2021 and amounts due by 31 January 2021 can be payable over a further 12 month period under a time to pay arrangement. This can be set up online by individuals here: https://www.gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc
VAT Deferrals
Businesses that deferred their VAT during the period 20 March to 30 June 2020 to 31 March 2021 can now make smaller payments interest free up to 31 March 2022. You have to opt into this, you will find more info here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deferral-of-vat-payments-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19
We hope that you find this round up useful. Things are changing daily so please always check the up to date guidance.