Self-Employed HMRC update

[Snorkelface]

HMRC has added a few updates for the self employed grant scheme.

www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme

While HMRC will be contacting eligible claimants directly over the next couple of weeks with more specific details you can now see if you're eligible to claim and what date you'll be able to lodge your claim by using their on-line tool (about half way down their web page).

You'll need your UTR and NI number to do this and it will also give you the opportunity to set up your Gateway account if you don't already have one and to update your contact details. It's a good idea to set this up now as the website is likely to get very busy when it goes live on 13th May.

You can find both your UTR and NI number on your tax return. If you're setting up your Gateway at the same time you'll need to provide email/mobile details and you'll need to set up additional security measures to identify you using either security questions or drivers license details or your passport. The system can time out so it's a good idea to have all the details to hand.

Ed Davey just asked a question in PMQs about self-employed people getting further help like the employed, but I couldn't make head nor tail of Boris's response I think he said self-employed people would get up to £7000 for three months, but it sounded like he was talking about the existing help, not anything extended/new? Clear as mud!

Yes, exactly what I was expecting (annoyingly - as I've doubled my business every year since starting 3 years ago - but of course this years tax return isn't counted so I've got not very much!)

@MarshmallowsOnToast im getting the exact same mesg sat here waiting 10mins for the timeout to end!

I managed at about quarter past. Was very simple and quick, but it did crash several times. I assume the midday slot has been overloaded but I did get through it eventually and it seemed very simple other than the website seeming to struggle.

Now I've got to wait 10 mins.

@Chilli18

Hope I've not cocked it up as OH wont be happy.

It's his account & he said just to leave it for a bit. But I'm more stubborn than that 😊

@MarshmallowsOnToast
Im doing the same thing for my OH he's not computer literate 😂 im panicking abit now too.

Got in after the 10min wait. All ok & sorted now 👍🏻👍🏻

@ChrissieKeller61
Yes, exactly what I was expecting.

Still trying...after waiting 10 mins I get this.

I've got an issue with a client who cant be verify his identity, he hold a spanish passport and does not drive, I'm unsure why the multiple choice questions are not getting him through. Strange how they happily took £3k in tax off him without wanting verification. He's called HMRC but no joy, he's going around in circles.

My allotted time Friday morning. Hope it's working then!

Oh Isabelle that doesn't sound promising does it :( I am really wary they might be, but if that was it then at least they can have the decency to tell us.

@ScarfLadysBag DH filed his accounts in October last year.

I might check again for him and see. It's just so frustrating. It has to be wrong as he meets all of the criteria - profits not over £50,000 in fact not even close to that sum, filed his 18/19 accounts in time and all his earnings were from self employment.

He does do some CIS work and he did in 18/19 so was stopped tax. I think HMRC are wrongly taking this as PAYE.

That is the only thing I can think of which, if that is the case, means he will be eligible and they are wrong

So after 1hr 30mins lots of cursing when the site kept crashing and locking me out ive managed to make a claim once through to the site whole process actually was very simple and easy to do and your payable amount and reference shows at the top of the screen (which ive photographed). You may just need to be a little patient, which im not 😂

My slot is 8am Saturday. I don't know if I'll be awake then and I don't really want to set an alarm to do it!

Those of you who have already done it... Is there any way to add in extenuating circumstances or request the calculation is based only on 2018-19? I've been self-employed for a decade but was on maternity leave within the past three years which is going to massively decrease my average. That one year isn't representative of a typical year at all.

I did see some wording that suggested you could disagree with the figure but the facility to do that isn’t online at the time of submitting your claim.

I've just done mine. I earned approx £18,000 in the 18-19 tax year, and earned substantially more in the 19-20 tax year. In hospitality, so massively massively affected. My grant is under £250. In total.
They take into account 3 tax years, the final one being 18-19. This means that if you've been trading for only 1 year out of the 3 (plus the last tax year, which isn't counted), the other 2 years count as zero, which massively affects your average of course. Before the Covid crisis I was making on average over £2,000 a month. I get compensation of £82 x 3.
Can't get my head around this fully, so may need to ask accountant. There is a way to dispute the figure online, but I didn't feel equipped to do so.
Being self-employed really is a mug's game. The government despise us.

@AuntLouisa That's ridiculous! They should be basing it purely on your 18-19 return.

@Classiccar thanks. That's what I feared.

That doesn't seem right. If you only have one year of eligible accounts, they take the amount from that. The three years is to cover people who have been building businesses up or had a slow year or mat leave. Unless you were somehow registered as SE in the previous years and just didn't report any profit?

@Monstamio No, that's why they have the three-year average in the first place. Unfortunately those of us who were on mat leave etc just need to suck it up.

I don't get it. For the first year they have put me down as £0. The second year they have me as a loss. And the figure for the 3rd year makes no sense. But maybe the accountant will understand it.
They should base it on the most recent tax year, unless maternity leave or something.

It sounds like they have tax returns from you as SE for the previous years and don't think your self-employment just started in 18-19. Did you file any tax returns prior to 18-19?

But bear in mind that if the 3 years includes your first trading period, could just be one month, that will be taken into account as a full year.