Many people are wondering – what help can you get with Covid-19? The situation in the UK is changing daily and we are still waiting for much of the legislation to be provided that backs up the announcements, but this is where we are right now.
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What Help Can YOU Get with COVID-19?
This post covers the following, it’s really important, so please scroll all the way down
- Coronavirus job retention scheme
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- Deferring VAT and Income Tax payments
- Business Rates
- Small Business Rates Support
- Cash Grants
- Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
- Self Employed
- What Should you do Right Now?
- What to do if Your UK Visa Expires?
1. CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME
What is it?
All businesses are eligible for this scheme. It is designed to enable businesses to keep employees on rather than have to make redundancies. This is arguably one of the most important examples of what help can you get with Covid-19.
How to Claim
- Designate affected employees as furloughed workers and notify them of this change of status (I found several templates available for this via Google, but I would always recommend getting legal advice when getting these drawn up)
- Submit furlough details to HMRC – this is not currently available, I have not seen an expected date, but it WILL NOT be this week – (I will let you know when this is available)
- HMRC will reimburse 80% of the salary, up to £2,500 per month
Points to Note
- The employee can do NO work for you while they are furloughed
- HMRC will pay 80%, you DO NOT have to top up the other 20%, this is going to be up to you to decide
- You can find the Employee’s guide here, in case you want to distribute this https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-guidance-for-employees
2. STATUTORY SICK PAY (SSP)
What is Available?
If you are a small / medium-sized employer (i.e less than 250 employees), then you can claim 2 weeks SSP per eligible employee, who has been off work for COVID-19
How to Claim
- You need to maintain records of time off and payments of SSP (you do not need a GP note). Employees can get an isolation note from NHS 111 online if they have symptoms, or they can get a note from the NHS website if they are self-isolating due to someone else in the household.
Points to Note
- This is not yet in force as HMRC are still working on it ! (I will let you know when this is available)
3. DEFERRING VAT AND INCOME TAX PAYMENTS
VAT
- Applies to payments due between 20/03/2020 and 30/06/2020
- ALL UK businesses are eligible
- Automatic Offer – you will be given automatically until 31/03/2021 to pay outstanding liabilities
- Refunds will be issued by HMRC as normal
Income Tax
This only applies if you are self-employed
- If you have a payment on account due 31 July 2020, this will now be due by 31 January 2021
- No interest or penalties will be charged in the deferral period for late payment
Struggling to pay the income tax owed?
Dedicated helpline: 0800 0159 559
HMRC will help you set up a ‘time to pay arrangement if you are in financial distress due to COVID-19
4. BUSINESS RATES
Eligibility Criteria
- Based in ENGLAND
- Retail, hospitality or leisure sector ONLY – includes shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas, live music venues, hotels, self-catering accommodation
- See also ‘Cash Grants’ further down
How to Claim
- This will be for the tax year 2020/2021 – so the year ended 5 April 2021
- If you are entitled, you will be rebilled ASAP – NO ACTION REQUIRED – your local authority will contact you
5. SMALL BUSINESS RATES SUPPORT
This will provide support for small businesses that pay little or no business rates because of small business rate relief (SBBR), rural rate relief (RRR) or tapered relief. It is a one-off grant of £10,000 to help eligible businesses meet their ongoing costs.
Eligibility Criteria
- Based in ENGLAND
- Small business that already receives SBBR and/or RRR
- You are a business that occupies the property
How to Claim
- NO ACTION NEEDED – your local authority will contact you
6. CASH GRANTS
You may be eligible for a cash grant of up to £25,000 per property
Eligibility Criteria
- Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses
- Based in ENGLAND
- Rateable value < £15,000, will receive £10,000
- Rateable value £15,001 – £51,000, will receive £25,000
How to Claim
- NO ACTION NEEDED – your local authority will write to you
7. CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOAN SCHEME (CBILS)
- Temporary CBILS, delivered by the British Business Bank, will launch THIS WEEK to support small and medium businesses, to access bank lending and overdrafts.
- The government are guaranteeing lenders 80% on each loan – this is to help a ‘no’ become a ‘yes’
- The borrower remains 100% liable for the debt
- The first 12 months will be interest-free (the government will cover this)
Eligibility Criteria
- UK based business
- Turnover below £45 million
- Your business meets the other British Business Bank eligibility criteria https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Business-Bank-CBILS-FAQs-for-SMEs-FINAL.pdf
8. SELF EMPLOYED
Currently, there is no legislation to assist the self-employed. However, there is a proposed bill, so I hope to be able to bring you some good news on this very soon.
9. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO RIGHT NOW?
- Work out your estimated sales (income) and costs (expenditure) over the next 3 months – do a cash flow forecast to calculate your break-even point
- Speak to your team, ask their ideas on cutting costs and retaining revenue
- Be tough – remove products/services that are not profitable, get rid of customers that don’t pay, chase invoices as soon as they become due, ask for extended credit terms with suppliers, keep your clients happy!
- Talk to your bank, if you have loans/overdrafts
- Apply for Government and Bank support (if necessary)
- Speak to me!
10. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR UK VISA HAS EXPIRED?
HMRC have literally just announced that visitors who cannot return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to extend their visa until 31 May.
Details can be found here https://tinyurl.com/qqmny6m
I hope you found this a useful guide to understanding what help can you get with Covid-19. Zebra Accounting is the friendly, personalised, UK online accountancy service to take the numbers off your hands.
Head over to our online accounting services page and let us help you with all your accounting and taxation needs.
Hi, I am Wendy O’Dell Callaway.
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