COVID-19 Support for employees and the self-employed

So today’s announcements from the Government were so huge, they deserve their own page!

Check out our main COVID-10 page for other updates.

Let’s dive straight in:

 

Pubs, Restaurants, Gyms, Clubs will close tonight

  • Anywhere where you gather socially will be closed.
  • Don’t go out you are not invincible!
  • Shops will stay open.
  • You can still exercise outside.
  • This will be reviewed monthly.

Taxes deferred

  • No VAT will be payable until December 2020
  • Payments on account due 31 July 2020 will be deferred until January 2021

Paying employees

  • 80% of PAYE employees wages will be covered by the Government, if your employees would otherwise be laid off.
  • This includes zero hours contracts.
  • And will be backdated to 1 March 2020.
  • This is a grant, and you need to apply to HMRC.
  • If we manage your payroll we will help with this.
  • There are no limits, they need to save people’s jobs.

Support if you’re self-employed

  • Self-Employed Income Support Scheme announced 26 March 2020 (see our new blog)
  • Minimum income floor for working tax credit suspended.
  • This means anyone can apply for working tax credit or universal credit.
  • You will be eligible for the full Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rate of £94.25.
  • Apply for Universal Credit here.

Help with housing

  • 3 month mortgage payment holiday already announced.
  • This won’t affect your credit rating.
  • If you’re renting you will be able to access housing benefit.
  • Landlords are not able to apply to court to have you evicted for at least 3 months.

We’re here for you

If we can do anything at all to support you, just give me a shout.

1. Weekly COVID19 Check In Zoom Meetings.

These will include updates on support and guidance, and give you a safe place to ask questions and chat about your issues.

Register here for the weekly zoom meetings.

2. Private Facebook Group

We’ve created a private Facebook Group for small business owners to chat in a safe place, so no employees are invited!

We’re updating this as soon as we receive updates, sometimes typing as the announcements are being made.

Join the FB Group here.

3. COVID-19 Small Business Action Plan

We’ve created an action plan to help you to identify the issues you are experiencing, then home in on the most critical challenges that you can control.

We then encourage you to come up with specific action points including what needs doing, who is doing it, and by when.

If you need our support with this, we’re here for you.

We’re offering a basic worst case scenario with our friends at Float, and weekly check-ins until 30 April 2020.

There is no charge for this specific service, and we’ll review with you what you need from us from the end of April onwards.

Book a zoom call with me  if you’d like to take us up on this action plan, even if you don’t need a cashflow.

The aim is to give you focus, clarity and confidence.

4. Sign up to our Newsletter for regular updates

We’re sending this out as soon as we have news. On Tuesday we sent out 2 updates, due to all the announcements.

Sign up here to our newsletter.

Sharon