Update (18 May): Update on Self Employed Income Support grants. Have received my grant today (Monday) after claiming on Wednesday last week. So, that’s a quicker turnaround than anticipated-5 day/3 working day turnaround.
Original post:
I made my Self Employed Income Support Scheme claim this morning (Wed 13 May). Very straight forward. As always in the modern world, it is mainly about remembering passwords.
It’s definitely not equivalent to three months’ income (or 80% of three months’ income)- they include 2017-18 income which was negligible as I took a job post maternity leave – something they really don’t take into account (and feels a bit sexist not to consider this) but we will survive for now with this and cancellation fees from project partners and funders.
All you need:
– Unique Tax Reference
– National Insurance Number
– Government Gateway ID & password
– Your bank details for payment
– Address that your bank account is registered at
They calculate it for you and you’re expected to receive the grant income within 6 days.
RECAP ON PROCESS UP UNTIL NOW:
– you can check your eligibility for the scheme here: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/…/enter-unique-taxpayer-refe…
They then tell you whether you’re eligible and when (they gave me a date and time) you can make a claim from. The scheme is open now but they’ve been giving folk times between 8am today and whatever time on Friday to try and stagger the traffic to the site so it don’t break down.
You can then start your claim here: https://www.gov.uk/…/claim-a-grant-through-the-self-employm…
I don’t know if they will take MATERNITY LEAVE or years when you were earning PAYE into account – after you log in they produce a statement with your grant calculation. It says underneath:
“If you think this grant amount is wrong, we recommend you complete your claim to guarantee a payment. If you have an accountant or tax adviser, contact them for advice on the grant amount.
“You can ask HMRC to review your grant amount, even after it has been paid.”
I’ll share if I give it a go.
Update: I’ve heard some MPs are lobbying UK Government for support for people who have had a mix of PAYE and Self Employed income over the 2016-2019 period and have fallen through the cracks.