Covid-19 Measure - Job Retention Scheme

[Davyo]

Covid-19 Measure - Job Retention Scheme

The Chancellor has announced a UK-wide Job Retention Scheme that will compensate businesses for the costs they will incur by keeping workers rather than laying them off.

The Government’s aim is to keep as many workers as possible in employment with their companies through the period of economic disruption. Any employer in the country – small or large, charitable or for profit – will be eligible for the scheme.

Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover most of the wages of people who are not working but are furloughed and kept on payroll. The grant will cover 80% of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month. Employers can top up salaries further if they choose to. This means that workers in any part of the UK can retain their job, even if their employer cannot afford to pay them, and be paid at least 80% of their salary.

This scheme will be available for as long as it is needed and at least for the next 3 months and there will be no limit on the amount of funding available for this scheme. Companies will be able to backdate payments until 1 March once the scheme becomes available.

We have never had a scheme in our country like this before – and we’re having to build our systems from scratch. HMRC are working night and day to get the scheme up and running and we expect the first grants to be paid within weeks – and we’re aiming to get it done before the end of April.

The Chancellor has set out a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19.

This includes a package of measures to support businesses including:

• a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
• deferring VAT and Income Tax payments
• a Statutory Sick Pay relief package for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)
• a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in England
• small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
• grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank
• a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans
• the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme

Support for businesses through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis.

Eligibility

All UK businesses are eligible.

How to access the scheme

You will need to:

• designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
• submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)

HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers

SELF EMPLOYED

Income Tax

For Income Tax Self-Assessment, payments due on the 31 July 2020 will be deferred until the 31 January 2021.

Eligibility

If you are self-employed you are eligible.

How to access the scheme

This is an automatic offer with no applications required. No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged in the deferral period.

Customers who normally pay by direct debit should cancel their direct debit with their bank if they are unable to pay. Please do so in sufficient time so that HMRC do not attempt to automatically collect on receipt of your VAT return.

HMRC have also scaled up their Time to Pay offer to all firms and individuals who are in temporary financial distress as a result of Covid-19 and have outstanding tax liabilities.

I'm currently working from home for 12 weeks due to underlying health issues but getting updates so  please be patient.If any further information comes through i will obviously post providing its fit for public domain, be safe PW.

Edited March 24, 2020 by Davyo

[washerboy]

Thank you 👍

[ilovemyheckler]

Quote

 

Will the higher rate taxpayers still pay the higher rate tax even though they are only getting £2,500 per month which as an annual figure is below the higher rate tax threshold?

I can't believe that HMRC will be able to recalculate individuals tax code in time so I assume you would get an adjustment next tax year?

[oowee]

6 minutes ago, ilovemyheckler said:

Will the higher rate taxpayers still pay the higher rate tax even though they are only getting £2,500 per month which as an annual figure is below the higher rate tax threshold?

I can't believe that HMRC will be able to recalculate individuals tax code in time so I assume you would get an adjustment next tax year?

There will be a year end reckoning but there will also be reinbursements where excess tax has already been paid. Same as a normal year where you get a bill at the end or in some cases you pay as you go or get reimbursements where pay falls below expected. 

[Davyo]

26 minutes ago, ilovemyheckler said:

Will the higher rate taxpayers still pay the higher rate tax even though they are only getting £2,500 per month which as an annual figure is below the higher rate tax threshold?

I can't believe that HMRC will be able to recalculate individuals tax code in time so I assume you would get an adjustment next tax year?

Codes now are adjusted through RTI (real time information) fed to HMRC NPS system on either a weekly or monthly basis depending on how often you are paid.So you will pay the right amount of tax if that helps.Current year shouldn't be affected as it ends 5/04/20.

 I would strongly encourage everyone,regardless of one's work circumstances to register for a PTA (Personal Tax Account). Go to Gov.uk/personal-tax-account.

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2020 by Davyo

[matone]

Would a company that is currently deemed to be outside the restrictions be eligible if it decided to close down to protect it`s workforce?

[Davyo]

25 minutes ago, matone said:

Would a company that is currently deemed to be outside the restrictions be eligible if it decided to close down to protect it`s workforce?

Support for businesses through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis.

Eligibility

All UK businesses are eligible.

I can only direct you to the gov.uk covid 19 website.If I log on later tonight I will post the the helpline numbers for all enquiries.The helplines however will be busy as they have only been set up.Currently maned by the rapid response team SURGE & any tax advisers we have available.

Additional info'

covid-19 helpline  for any business or self employed affected by covid 19 0800 0159 559 Mon-Sat 8am 4pm

There are also helplines for business that need advise on Business Interruption Loans due to covid 19.

England  030045683565

Scotland 03003030660

Wales 03000603000

N Ireland 08001814422

email: enquiries@businesssupporthelpline.org

Edited March 24, 2020 by Davyo

[matone]

Thankyou.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, thankyou for posting Davyo.

[armsid]

Davyo hope all is well after your layoff and everything gets back to normality.      Cannot believe Wetherspoons not paying the workforce their wages and claim if back from the scheme. Seems he sent them home and claimed he coundnt afford to pay them claim yourselves he said  todays Daily Mail    KEEP SAFE EVERYONE     Hope this is in right section mods.

[Davyo]

COVID-19 Coronavirus helpline number change

Some of our customers have been reporting that they are getting a busy tone when dialling the HMRC Coronavirus helpline.  

To help us offer a better level of service we’ve changed our phone provider for that helpline so that more customers can get through to us on their first attempt and made our lines more stable so we can handle more customer calls going forward. Our new helpline number is 0800 024 1222 and is open from 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday. 

We’re in the process of updating guidance and GOV.UK information now, but please refer customers to the new helpline number where possible

COVID-19. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

The government has announced a package of support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and individuals to deal with the costs of absence.

For businesses with fewer than 250 employees, the cost of providing 2 weeks of COVID-19 related statutory sick pay per employee will be refunded by the government in full. This will provide 2 million employers with up to £2 billion to cover the costs of large-scale sick leave.

Individuals who are employed by a Personal Service Company are entitled to SSP on the same terms as any other employee. For those PSCs who are eligible that make payments under SSP as a result of COVID-19, the PSC will be entitled to a rebate where they meet the criteria above.

Individuals who are not entitled to SSP will be able to receive support from the benefits system

• individuals who have paid sufficient NICs contributions, even through multiple jobs, will be entitled to new style Employment and Support Allowance
• individuals who have not made sufficient contributions can apply for Universal Credit.

These individuals will benefit from the Budget announcements to remove the 7 waiting days in new style Employment and Support Allowance and, if they are self-employed, the Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit.

More information about this and regular updates can be found on GOV.UK.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, thankyou Davyo, i am sure all your information has been a good help to PW members

[Davyo]

I will post up any official guidance on the measures that will be put in place for the self employed once its published.It may be published after the chancellor's statement today.If not it will be available on Friday morning.

Only measures currently in place is that 2nd payment on accounts due 31/07/20 have been pushed back to 31/01/21 and any late payment penalties will be cancelled.

I have no idea how any payments for self employed would be calculated. Unlike the PAYE employed  which is easy work out  the 80% as their income can been seen LIVE in the PAYE systems through RTI  (real time information).So we can see how much they get Gross every time they are paid.With the self employed  its not that straight forward as we only have the last years tax return to go off, (they are always a full tax year behind) in this case 18/19. Self employed income varies from 100's of thousands to nil or even losses. You cant give someone 80% of nil? so its a difficult one.

 What i'd like to see is a fixed flat payment to get them over this period or easy/immediate access (allegedly already in place) to the benefit system. The most worrying thing for me is that I've been registering self employed customers from  home all this week.700 to date and 60%of those are telling me that they became se from as early as 2016 to 2018.How are we expected to help them ? they haven't submitted any returns.Unless they have a PAYE history of social security benefits history they are stuffed.

 Anyway once any news come to light i will keep you all posted.Stay safe and please conform to government guidance. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Davyo

[Davyo]

This scheme will allow you to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended if needed.

Who can apply

You can apply if you’re a self-employed individual or a member of a partnership and you:

• have submitted your Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19
• traded in the tax year 2019-20
• are trading when you apply, or would be except for COVID-19
• intend to continue to trade in the tax year 2020-21
• have lost trading/partnership trading profits due to COVID-19

Your self-employed trading profits must also be less than £50,000 and more than half of your income come from self-employment. This is determined by at least one of the following conditions being true:

• having trading profits/partnership trading profits in 2018-19 of less than £50,000 and these profits constitute more than half of your total taxable income
• having average trading profits in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 of less than £50,000 and these profits constitute more than half of your average taxable income in the same period

If you started trading between 2016-19, HMRC will only use those years for which you filed a Self-Assessment tax return.

If you have not submitted your Income Tax Self-Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, you must do this by 23 April 2020.

HMRC will use data on 2018-19 returns already submitted to identify those eligible and will risk assess any late returns filed before the 23 April 2020 deadline in the usual way.

How much you’ll get

You’ll get a taxable grant which will be 80% of the average profits from the tax years (where applicable):

• 2016 to 2017
• 2017 to 2018
• 2018 to 2019

To work out the average HMRC will add together the total trading profit for the 3 tax years (where applicable) then divide by 3 (where applicable), and use this to calculate a monthly amount.

It will be up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for 3 months.

We’ll pay the grant directly into your bank account, in one instalment.

How to apply

You cannot apply for this scheme yet.

HMRC will contact you if you are eligible for the scheme and invite you to apply online.

Individuals do not need to contact HMRC now and doing so will only delay the urgent work being undertaken to introduce the scheme.

You will access this scheme only through GOV.UK. If someone texts, calls or emails claiming to be from HMRC, saying that you can claim financial help or are owed a tax refund, and asks you to click on a link or to give information such as your name, credit card or bank details, it is a scam.

After you’ve applied

Once HMRC has received your claim and you are eligible for the grant, we will contact you to tell you how much you will get and the payment details.

If you claim tax credits you’ll need to include the grant in your claim as income.

Other help you can get

The government is also providing the following additional help for the self-employed:

• deferral of Self Assessment income tax payments due in July 2020 and VAT payments due from 20 March 2020 until 30 June 2020
• grants for businesses that pay little or no business rates
• increased amounts of Universal Credit
• Business Interruption Loan Scheme

If you’re a director of your own company and paid through PAYE you may be able to get support using the Job Retention Scheme.

Published 26 March 2020

[Davyo]

COVID-19 Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS)

The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

The SEISS will provide grants to those who are self-employed or members of partnerships worth 80% of their trading profits/partnership trading profits, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

The value of the grant is based on a 3-year average of trading/partnership trading profits, from the tax years 2016-17 to 2018-19. To work out the average HMRC will add together the total trading profit for the 3 tax years (where applicable) then divide by 3 (where applicable), and use this to calculate a monthly amount.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the scheme, they must meet all the criteria below;

• Be self-employed or a member of a partnership
• Have lost trading or partnership trading profits due to Covid 19.
• Have filed a tax return for the 2018-19 tax year - this is to minimise the risk of fraud. Those who have not yet filed for 2018-19 will have an additional 4 weeks from this announcement to do so;
• Have traded in 2019-20; be currently trading at the point of application (or would be £50,000) and these profits constituting more than half of your total taxable income;
• Have trading profits of less than £50,000 and more than half of your total income come from self-employment.

You will qualify on this criterion if at least one of the two following conditions applies:

• Have trading profits/partnership trading profits in 2018-19 of less than £50,000 and these profits constitute more than half of their total taxable income; and/or
• Have average trading profits in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 of less than £50,000 and these profits constitute more than half of their average taxable income in the same period.

If the individual started trading between 2016-19, HMRC will only use those years for which they filed a self assessment tax return.

The grants will be available for three months in the first instance. As with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, this period can be extended if necessary.

The grant will be paid in one instalment every month for 3 months. The equivalent of 3 months grant will be paid in 1 payment, from the start of June.

These grants will be subject to income tax and NICs.

Self-employed individuals who have incorporated will not be eligible for this scheme in respect of income related to that company.

The SEISS is generous by international standards. We are putting the self-employed on the same footing as employees through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Self-employed people pay a lower rate of National Insurance than employees, despite receiving almost the same benefits, including the new State Pension.

Access to this scheme does not prohibit access to other income support schemes; if eligible, individuals can also claim the SEISS, CJRS, and Coronavirus Business interruption Loans.

How to access the scheme

• Once the Scheme is operational, HMRC will use existing information to check potential eligibility and contact those who are eligible and invite them to apply.
• Individuals should not contact HMRC now. HMRC will use existing information to check potential eligibility and invite applications once the scheme is operational.
• The application will require individuals to confirm that they continued their trade throughout 2019-20, remain in that trade and intend to continue it through 2020-21 and that their business has been affected by Coronavirus.
• It will be paid as a one-off lump sum straight into a bank account, which eligible taxpayers will need to confirm on their application form.
• HMRC is urgently working to deliver the scheme; grants are expected to start to be paid out by the beginning of June 2020.
• As these grants will be taxable, they will need to be declared on the SA return for 2020-21.

Other issues

Supporting figures

These figures are all based on 2017-18 data (the latest available) so could differ from those who filed in 2018-19.

• In 2017-18, there were 5.75 million people who declared self-employment income to HMRC, which includes those receiving income from a partnership. 1.73 million of these (30%) would be excluded from the scheme by having less than 50% of their income from self-employment. The mean total income of these excluded individuals is around £37.000, but the mean income from self-employment is only £4,000.
• Limiting eligibility to those with trading income of less than £50k would exclude a further 0.22 million individuals (4% of the 5.75 million). For all those with self-employment income of at least £50k (this is more than the 0.22m above as some of these are already excluded by having <50% of their income from self-assessment), the mean self-employment income is £186,000 and the mean total income is £217,000.
• The average gain per month for this group would be around £940.
• 95% of people who receive over half their income from self-employment would be eligible for this scheme.

Examples of how SEISS will work can be found here.

xample 1

Nicole is a self-employed London taxi driver. She had average trading profits of £30,000 in the 3 years from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

Nicole is eligible for the scheme because:

• Nicole had positive trading profits in 2018-19
• Nicole’s trading profits constitute more than 50% of her total income
• Her trading income is less than £50,000.

Nicole will be eligible for a grant equal to the lower of:

• 80% of her average trading profits = 80% x (£30,000 / 12) = £2,000
• £2,500

Nicole will therefore be eligible for a grant of £2,000 per month.

 

Example 2

Ben is a full-time self-employed florist. He had average trading profits of £18,000 in the 3 years from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

Ben is eligible for the scheme because:

• Ben had positive trading profits in 2018-19
• Ben’s trading profits constitute more than 50% of his total income
• His trading income is less than £50,000.

Ben will be eligible for a grant equal to the lower of:

• 80% of his average trading profits = 80% x (£18,000 / 12) = £1,200
• £2,500

Ben will therefore be eligible for a grant of £1,200 per month.

Edited March 27, 2020 by Davyo

[Diver One]

I think I fall between two banks here

i own  and run a limited company ( specialised electrical,services )

i am the only person in the company and the only shareholder

I draw a wage from the company as and when there are sufficient funds available

i am voluntarily registered for VAT (as my turnover is always below the threshold ) 

90% of my clients are commercial and Vat registered

i pay corporation tax yearly

never yet declared a dividend

 

does it look like any grants will be available to me?........work,has dried completely now

 

 

just wondering

[simonm]

On 27/03/2020 at 11:45, Diver One said:

I think I fall between two banks here

i own  and run a limited company ( specialised electrical,services )

i am the only person in the company and the only shareholder

I draw a wage from the company as and when there are sufficient funds available

i am voluntarily registered for VAT (as my turnover is always below the threshold ) 

90% of my clients are commercial and Vat registered

i pay corporation tax yearly

never yet declared a dividend

 

does it look like any grants will be available to me?........work,has dried completely now

 

 

just wondering

I used to operate my own Ltd company but not any more.

You are an employee as you receive a salary (as well as being a director) so in theory you could furlough yourself? 
Do you have an accountant? 

[Diver One]

Yep he is looking into it...not panicking yet but am getting closer to thinking about it

[AVB]

HMRC have confirmed that company directors can be furloughed which will be of interest to those of use who run limited companies. Obviously only helps if the Director receives a salary and not only dividends. 

Company Directors

As office holders, salaried company directors are eligible to be furloughed and receive support through this scheme. Company directors owe duties to their company which are set out in the Companies Act 2006. Where a company (acting through its board of directors) considers that it is in compliance with the statutory duties of one or more of its individual salaried directors, the board can decide that such directors should be furloughed. Where one or more individual directors’ furlough is so decided by the board, this should be formally adopted as a decision of the company, noted in the company records and communicated in writing to the director(s) concerned.

Where furloughed directors need to carry out particular duties to fulfil the statutory obligations they owe to their company, they may do so provided they do no more than would reasonably be judged necessary for that purpose, for instance, they should not do work of a kind they would carry out in normal circumstances to generate commercial revenue or provides services to or on behalf of their company.

This also applies to salaried individuals who are directors of their own personal service company (PSC).

[AVB]

And HMRC intend to launch the CJRS Portal to enable businesses to make ‘furlough reclaims’ on Monday 20th April. 

I bet it crashes! 

[Shufti]

Thank you for posting, much appreciated.

[enfieldspares]

And if, like me, you worked in tourism in France and for the last three tax years because of terrorism and the total mishandling by Theresa May of Brexit (clients weren't booking because of uncertainties over requirements post the forever being postponed Brexit date) you've shown a loss after expenses then what? 

Or the individual who's mother or father was in the final years of a terminal illness so that individual was working not five days a week but two? So their income was severely reduced because their short working kept Mum or Dad at home and not a burden on the taxpayer by going into palliative care? Then what?

[AVB]

I received the payment into my business account yesterday for the first month of furlough payment. Not sure when it was submitted as the accountant did it.