What is the aim? To support employers facing heightened levels of sickness absence due to Covid-19. What does the SSPRS do? It will refund small and medium-sized employers Covid 19 related statutory sick pay (SSP) costs up to 2 weeks per employee. What is the eligibility criteria? Aimed at UK based employers. They employed fewer than 250 employees as of 30th November 2021. They had a PAYE payroll system as of 30th November 2021. At the time of the claim, they have already paid their employees Covid -19 related SSP. Employers can claim for Covid 19 sickness absences occurring from 21st December 2021 onwards. The 2 week limit is to be reset, so an employer will be able to claim up to 2 weeks per employee, even if they claimed for that employee under the previous SSPRS. How do you claim? Employers will be able to make the claim, through HMRC, from mid-January onwards using the website below: Claim back Statutory Sick Pay paid to your employees due to coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.g...

HMRC will be contacting those who are potentially eligible for the 5th round of SEISS grants. If you are contacted, it's important that you act on it because we cannot do this on your behalf. If you are contacted and you need assistance with figures then please get in touch and we will gladly help you out. Below is all you need to know about the 5th round of grants. What period does the 5th grant cover? May 2021 to September 2021 inclusive. When can the 5th grant claim be made? If you may be eligible, HMRC should contact you around mid-July 2021 to provide you with a date from which you can make the claim through the Gov.UK online portal. The final deadline for making the claim will be 30th September 2021. What are the eligibility criteria for the 5th grant? You must have been self-employed (S/e) during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 tax years. You must have submitted the 2019/20 Tax Return by 2nd March 2021. You must either be trading but impacted by reduced demand due to the pandemic or...

 Hi all, Just a quick newsletter for you today as I wanted to share the information with you now rather than waiting for the next full newsletter. CJRS – Job Retention Scheme Just a quick reminder that from 1st July, the Government will pay 70% of the wages up to a maximum £2187.50 for the hours the employee is on furlough. Employers must top up employees’ wages to ensure they receive 80% of wages, up to £2,500 in total, for the hours the employee is on furlough. For the months of August and September, the Government will pay 60% up to a maximum of £1,875 , with the employer needing to finding the remaining 20% up to £2,500. Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Transaction Tax Just a quick reminder that in respect of residential property purchases in England and Northern Ireland (Stamp Duty Land Tax) and Wales (Land Transaction Tax) changes come into play from 1st July 2021. From 1st July 2021, as regards SDLT, only the first £250,000 of a property purchase will attract the zero percentag...

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend. The weather was a bit hit and miss but luckily my local has put up a big marquee so Sunday lunch didn’t need to be cancelled! Today’s newsletter looks at the Bounce Back Loan repayments which will begin in June. If your business hasn’t picked back up to pre Covid levels then I understand that this may be a daunting prospect. If you have any questions or would like to discuss what this means for you and your business then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Contact details are at the bottom. Bounce Back Loan Repayment Deadline What is the issue? The first Bounce Back Loan (BBL) of up to £50,000 was provided in May 2020. No repayments needed to be made for the first 12 months from taking out the loan. The first BBL repayments will start on 1st June 2021. What do you need to think about? Did your business take out a BBL? If so, when does the 12 month repayment holiday period come to an end? Is your business in a position to meet these loan repayment...

Following on from our latest newsletter, information about the Recovery Loan Scheme has come to light that we feel it's worth sharing before the next one: The Recovery Loan Scheme  What is the aim of the RLS? To enable UK businesses who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic to access Government backed loans from accredited lenders. When does the RLS open? It opens on 6th April 2021 and will run until 31st December 2021. What type of business is eligible for the RLS? Sole traders, Corporations, Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships. Co-operatives and Community Benefit Societies. Any other legal entity carrying out business activity in the UK through a business bank account. Businesses which have already had a Coronavirus loan, such as through the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) or the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) or the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), can still apply, although in certain circumstances, it mig...

Following on from our previous communication about the HMRC Pre-Verification Check - Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) on 11/03/2021 , it has come to our attention that some of you have dismissed the email from HMRC as a scam. If you have recently had an email from HMRC please keep reading as time is running out. Have you received this email? HM Revenue & Customs sent out this email to self-employed individuals on 26 February 2021. HM Revenue & Customs did not send a copy of your email to us. If so, action is needed by Mon 22 March If you received the email then you will need to respond to HM Revenue & Customs by 22 March 2021. Contact HMRC by email to seisscomplianceteam@hmrc.gov.uk , using your business email address, if you have one. Include in your email; Reference number(s) for SEISS grants SEISS grant claim date periods Evidence trade has continued What evidence is required? HM Revenue & Customs require evidence that trade has continued, but do no...

Today’s newsletter looks at the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Enquiries and 4th Grant Claim. What period does the 4th grant cover? February 2021 to April 2021 inclusive. When can the 4th grant claim be made? If you are eligible, HMRC should contact you around mid-April 2021 to provide you with a date from which you can make the claim through the Gov.UK online portal. The final deadline for making the claim will be 31st May 2021. What is the eligibility criteria for the 4th grant? You must have been self-employed during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 tax years. You must have submitted your 2019/20 Tax Return by 2nd March 2021. If you commenced trading during the 2019/20 tax year, you must have provided the information requested by HMRC when they carried out a pre-verification check on you sometime between 8th March and mid-April 2021. You must either be trading but impacted by reduced demand due to the pandemic or Have been trading but are temporarily unable to do so due to the p...

With the 4th SEISS Grant announced in the budget, HMRC have announced that they will be doing pre-verification checks. Here we look at what that means.   What is the background to this check? If you commenced self-employment during the 2019/20 tax year you may be eligible for the 4th SEISS grant. If you fully fit the eligibility criteria, the grant would cover up to 80% of your average trading profits (maximum £7,500) in a 3 month period. If eligible and the pre-verification check has been completed to HMRC’s satisfaction, you will be able to make a SEISS claim between the end of April and 31st May 2021. Who is the check aimed at? Those who commenced self-employment during the 2019/20 tax year. What is the purpose of the check? To check the individual’s identity. To provide evidence of a trade. How will HMRC approach the individual concerned? By letter between 8th March and mid-April 2021. What will the letter say? To expect a phone call from HMRC within the next 10 wor...

Today’s newsletter is to update you on few things including the VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme and an interesting tale of two Uber drivers who went to the Supreme Court over worker rights and what the outcome could mean for businesses going forward. I should image after BoJo’s announcement later today and the fast-approaching budget, we’ll have another newsletter out soon. The National Debt Support Fund The Government have now set up a facility for individuals and presumably businesses to make voluntary donations to help pay down the National Debt or to be used for public expenditure. If that is of interest to either you or anyone within your client base please see the link below: Voluntary payments / donations to government - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme Who is it aimed at? Businesses who deferred their VAT payments due between 20th March 2020 and 30th June 2020 and have yet to pay it over to HMRC. What 3 options are presently open to these businesses?...

As the announcements keep coming and our plans keep having to change, I thought it best to provide you with new information now, rather than waiting until after the Christmas break.  England Local Restrictions Support Grant With parts of England going into Tier 4, the Government have revised the Local Restrictions Support Grant.  What is the Objective? To support businesses, based in Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas, forced to close as a result of a Government decision. What is the level of support? Premises with a rateable value of £15,000 or less may be eligible for a cash grant of £667 for every 14 day period of lockdown. Premises with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 may be eligible for a cash grant of £1,000 for every 14 day period of lockdown. Premises with a rateable value of over £51,000 or above, may be eligible for a cash grant of £1,500 for every 14 day period of lockdown. Each business can obtain a grant for each non-domestic property in the re...

I hope you are all looking forward to Christmas and the well earned break that I know many of you need. I put my Christmas tree up way too early and it’s looking very sorry for itself. We may be huddling around a needleless tree skeleton on Christmas day! There have been a few Government announcements today which you may or may not be aware of: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Extension (CJRS) It was due to come to an end on 31st March 2021. It has now been extended to the end of April 2021. The Government will continue to meet 80% of the ‘deemed’ salary for the furlough period. Budget Day The UK Budget day will now be on Wednesday, 3rd March 2021. Further Covid-19 support measures will be released then. As a reminder Scotland’s Budget will be announced on Thursday, 28th January 2021. No date has yet been made for the Welsh Budget. Government Backed Loan Schemes Extension Access to the Bounce Back Loans, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Schemes was due to come to an end on ...

Hello and a happy new tier! I know I have clients in both tier 2 and 3 so whatever tier you are moving into, I wish you the best for you and your business. I have seen so many of you adapt your businesses to ensure you can keep trading. Your resilience is commendable. What ever the next few months has in store for you, hang in there, you’ve got this! This newsletter has quite a lot to cover following various announcements. Self Employed Income Support Scheme Grant No.3 What period does the grant cover? November to January 2021 inclusive. How is the grant calculated? It is 80% of your average monthly trading profits for the three tax years ended 5th April 2019, covering a 3 month period. The maximum claim is restricted to £7,500. What is the eligibility criteria for the 3rd Grant? You must have been eligible for the first and second SEISS claims. You can still be eligible even if you did not make a claim. You must have traded in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 tax years. You must now be tradi...