The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a new scheme at the end of March to support self-employed people impacted by the coronavirus. It’s about to launch ahead of schedule and we’re writing to you because you might be eligible to claim under the self-employment income support scheme.
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme provides a taxable grant of 80% of average monthly trading profits, paid in a single installment of up to a total of £7,500.
How to Check Whether You Are Eligible or Not
For more information on the income support scheme, click on the following link. UK GOV
To complete this eligibility check, you’ll need to have your:
- National Insurance number – if you don’t know this, go to the HMRC app, or your online tax account, or ask your tax agent (if you have one).
- Self Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number – you can find this on your self-assessment papers or from your agent.
If we confirm you are eligible, you’ll need your government gateway user ID and password – if you don’t have an account or have forgotten your details, follow the instructions on GOV. The UK, by searching for the ‘Self-Employment Income Support Scheme’. Please check your contact details are correct in your Government Gateway account.
You Cannot Access Financial Support Yet
We’ll send you another email soon to tell you when the claim system is available for you to use. We expect this to be between 13 and 18 May.
How to Make a Claim
You’ll need to make a claim yourself, although you can seek advice from an agent if you use one. Once we have contacted you with your claim date, please follow these simple steps to make your claim:
- All you will need are your Government Gateway user ID and password, bank account number, and sort code.
- We will calculate the income support you’re entitled to, based on the information you have submitted in your previous tax returns.
- After we’ve received your claim and verified it, we’ll pay the money directly into your bank account within six working days.
Please only call us if you cannot find the support you need on GOV. The UK or our webchat service – this will leave our lines open for those who need our help most.
A Word About Scams
We are aware of an increase in scam emails, calls, and texts. If someone calls you and says that he is a representative from HMRC and asks you to submit your Bank account details to claim a tax return. Forward such scam emails to [email protected] and texts to 60599.