Self Employed & Screwed

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

I can't help but feel the self employed are being ignored in this self isolation & sick pay matter. For me, I'm in a situation where

• I'm not eligible for SSP as I'm self employed (not that SSP would cover even my rent, let alone council tax etc)
• I'm in the first year of a start up business, so I don't have significant reserves of cash
• I can't get accident / sickness income protection insurance due to a pre-existing condition that affects every part of my body to a greater or lesser extent
• if I don't leave the house and see the public face to face then nothing gets sold and not a penny comes in.
• most of my income comes from large scale public events, which could shortly be banned, as they have been in France and elsewhere. Organisers may or may not return pitch fees. Most of the rest of my income comes from private parties, which could also be cancelled.
• It's a highly seasonal business, with summer being peak season; it would be one thing if this happened in winter but a week of trading in summer is worth a month in the winter
• I'm renting privately, so if I can't pay the rent due to the above, I'll get evicted and I'll find it impossible to rent a new place when my business has just folded and I have a dog. The dog cannot be rehomed as he has behavioural problems.

What the fuckity fuck am I meant to do if told to self isolate? People like me are genuinely screwed. I honestly think that if I thought I'd come into contact with someone who has coronavirus I'd have to avoid seeking medical advice for fear of being told to self isolate and hence losing my home.

It really does suck and there's a limit to the positives I can offer.

Is there anything you can start doing now to safeguard your business at all?

Do you have or could you have an online selling platform?

If you were told to self Isolate would you have the ability to use that time to build/make more stock for later in the year?

Is it possible to diversify your range/services/products to extend into other seasons?

Unfortunately the products are highly perishable so can't be sold online. I can't use the time to make new stock partly because of the perishability matter and partly because of hygiene issues.

I've done some diversification, but that's really just a side note to the core business. The diversification I've done is irrelevant in the summer (think trying to flog Christmas stuff in July - not going to happen).

I really do need to see customers face to face to be able to sell to them.

Have you tried an Insurance broker to find you insurance cover?

me too

The government has said that nobody will be financially disadvantaged if they have to self isolate and they are relaxing the rules on ssp.

Same here. My DH is self employed and we dont have any savings as just been wiped out with other things. We have one dd still at home and I cant work due to an on going illness. Though if we self isolating that would mean all of us anyway! I'm worried about the mortgage etc. We will try to start squirreling money away again just in case. I do have good family and friends that would help out with food etc. Just hoping it doesn't get so bad that my husbands clients will cancel contracts with him if they are in same situation too. Will just have to prepare as much as can now and hope for the best xx

The government has said that nobody will be financially disadvantaged if they have to self isolate and they are relaxing the rules on ssp.

They are relaxing the rules in SSP for those who qualify. It won't help OP. Bollocks to the government and their 'no financial disadvantage' - like OP I am self employed and I will be fucked if I can't work. It's as simple as that.

@Poppyfr33 I haven't (not sure where to start with that?) but I've read that these accident & illness income protection policies never cover pre-existing conditions. I have a condition that affects everything from the heart to the ankle (though you'd never know it to look at me), so I'm sure they'd find a way of wiggling out of almost any claim. I doubt I'm sufficiently disabled to get PIP either.

@pixxie7 where does it say that no one will be financially disadvantaged? SSP rules are changing so you're eligible from day 1 not day 3, but I'm not eligible for SSP full stop. I can't find anything about confirmed help for the self employed.

I'm self-employed and frankly, I'm fucked if I get ordinary flu or anything else. Hand-washing is nothing new to me, I try to make sure I don't. On the plus side, I'm not working in an office with an air-conditioning system wafting other people's germs at me.

It came up in prime ministers questions and they promised to make sure that the self employed and those on low pay would be relaxing the rules.

It came up in prime ministers questions and they promised to make sure that the self employed and those on low pay would be relaxing the rules.

Relaxing what rules? Self employed people don't get SSP, the rules don't apply to them, relaxed or otherwise. Are the government proposing to pay me £250 a week cash? Because that's my loss if I am off.

Not sure but you will be entitled to claim universal credit. Why not contact you local mp they should be able to advise you further.

Look into Universal Credit immediately

Not sure but you will be entitled to claim universal credit.

I won't get Universal Credit.

Why not contact you local mp they should be able to advise you further.

I don't need to. I was asking you about your post. I don't need benefit advice.

OP depending on your skills

I wonder if temping might be an option. If lots of places have staff off sick or needing to self isolate, they might turn to temp agencies to cover?

Can you get a short-term job, even if badly paid? Eg taking a job left by one of the many EU workers to leave the UK recently?
It's harsh, but if the shit continues to hit the fan the way it is at the moment, you may need to de-prioritise the dog.

Have you tried looking for a job?
My business has gone down the pan due to the coronovirus, and I'm doing minimum wage work to keep the wolf from the door.

I wouldn't be eligible for Universal Credit.

I can't very well get a temping job if I get told to self isolate. Plus, due to the seasonal nature of the business, while I second job would be theoretically possible in the winter, in the summer months I just won't have the time to start faffing about with minimum wage work. The summer months are meant to sustain me though the winter.

you may need to de-prioritise the dog.

Right, so as explained the (privately rescued) dog can't be rehomed because he has issues - a friend who is ex RSPCA staff said he'd get put down there. I'm not having my (relatively young) dog killed for the sake of convenience.

Would you tell someone with a DC with additional needs to "deprioritise" them because of coronavirus? No? Then don't tell me to do the same to DDog.

I'm self employed and my work has been cancelled. I'm planning to live off savings and hope this blows over soon but if it carries on too long I'll have to get a job, any job. Hopefully I'll get my business back eventually.

I agree OP, it sucks. I've put away money to cover a rainy day such as being unwell, but I could never have anticipated this.

Same here.

Most self-employed people in my circle won't be eligible for Universal Credit because the DWP counts money invested in one's business, even start-up loans, as 'savings' which affect the claim. Also, you have to be available to work or job search 35 hours a week.

Some people work self-employed part-time because they have health issues or disabilities. One friend has bladder cancer and has a serious bi-polar mental illness. Refused PIP. Can't get SSP. Was on ESA plus some cosmetic sales commissions. Now has to navigate UC (probably won't get it) and no sales income. People in government haven't got a clue.

Same situation here OP. It sucks. Dh esrns decent money (builder). We have some reserves, enough to get by for a month probably but not much longer plus it will mean eating into savings.

The only thing I can do is keep us as well and healthy as possible for as long as possible and be frugal now. So we were going to start decorating but that's been out on hold until all this passes.

If they start doing what they have done in Italy we will be absolutely fucked. And the more I think about it the more angry I get for various reasons. Which I won't post as they are controversial and selfish and not kind and I don't like myself thinking them. But I do.

And I am sure many others do too, it's just not spoken about.

Just do what you can. If you can't work, claim anything you can (universal credit) and contact who you can and ask for time to pay. Prioritise those bills that will cost the most if you miss them. Council tax will add costs, keep paying rent even if it's only half etc.

Same here
I have savings, we were going to use for flights to San Fran in July, but we won’t book them yet as we may need that money to cover bills if we have to self isolate.
Really hoping it doesn’t come to that.
I work with vulnerable people so if I was displaying any symptoms I would have to stop working immediately

My dh is self employed and my work, if we need to self isolate and they dont get money in, will likely go bust.

If it comes to it, I am planning on cancelling all direct debits except mortgage, we wont need much money as we cant go anywhere so just food, gas and electricity. We have a couple of credit cards and I just applied and was accepted for an overdraft which I wont use unless it's absolutely needed.

I thought the whole point of your post is that your work is going down the pan. In which case, have you got time for a short term job?