Breaking rules to pay the bills...

[wheresmymojo]

We've stuck to the rules all the way through however we're going to have to break the rules in this lockdown because the alternative is that we can't pay our mortgage/bills/for food.

Just wondering if anyone else is in the same position?

I would focus on finding an outdoor area he can train on. Trainers are using empty car parks round here? If business/pubs are closed.
Or recreation grounds? There’s no outdoor sport at the moment.
There must be somewhere.
I’d be tempted to use the park. I don’t think the council will check and you are allowed to exercise outside with one other person..

I’d relook at Zoom too. I know you said he uses equipment but could he do a HIIT/ stretch session without equipment? These are so popular at the moment (I’m a PT). I’ve also got a few online corporate classes. Businesses are desperate to look after employees mental health and physical wellbeing at the mo.

So approach some companies and offer a no equipment exercise/stretch session?

I’ve had to be very creative as I normally use equipment. I’ve had people using bottled water/cans for weights! Or see if clients will invest in hand weights at home? Mine were happy to..

@wheresmymojo
I've just seen something on the news about payment holidays for credit cards, personal loans and car finance. Worth investigating. It specifically mentioned being able to apply for a second deferral even if you had one already.

This seems to be a real problem with outdoor exercise. Our local council wouldn't allow our sports centre to do outdoor classes. But there's two non socially distanced bootcamp classes who do have permission.

One to one training in a park is pretty safe. And I'm speaking as someone who hasn't risked a restaurant or cafe this year. If it rains they won't melt.

I'll be breaking them.

I'm extremely clinically vulnerable and had to shield last time. I did five months on ESA which caused financial difficulty even though I had a mortgage holiday.

It's been advised if you're extremely clinically vulnerable that you stay off work if you can't work from home.

I cannot afford to live on ESA and pay the mortgage, so I'll have to ignore the advice and go to work.

@zoemum2006

The ignorance in this thread about how businesses are run is depressing.

When you’re a limited company you pay corporation tax on all your profits. You also pay dividend tax on the money you take from your company (except for the tax free allowance via PAYE).

I also pay VAT.

There is no tax benefit and a lot of risk (no holiday pay, no sick pay).

But finances are arranged like this for flexibility. To absorb the ups and downs of business life (sometimes clients don’t pay on time etc. So you’d be mad to commit to a high monthly salary... much better to take dividends when finances allow for it).

Hmmm talking about ignorance, unless you aren’t VAT registered you don’t pay VAT, you just act as a collector on behalf of the government. It is not a cost to you.

Also for those who think owner managed Ltd company = self employed, get your facts straight, there is a huge difference

I just switched on TV and they talking about more help for self employed and furlough extension.

The op & her husband are not self employed, they are employees of their LTD company so not eligible for the self employment grants. They can (and she’s said have) claim furlough but that is only 80% of what they put through as PAYE & doesn’t include money from dividends.
I think the main lifeline here is getting on to HMRC & finding out about delaying payment of corporation tax.

It's shit. But your situation as awful as it is, does not justify breaking the lockdown.

It does, they could end up homeless

There is no justification for breaking the lockdown.

There is. If I stood to lose everything too right I'd break lockdown as I'm sure you would in real life.

Op - there appears to be something called “time to pay” for corporation tax. www.gov.uk/difficulties-paying-hmrc

It seems to me that you are effectively solvent as a “going concern” - it is just that you need time for the world to come out of lockdown. So I’d hope that you would qualify as you seem to be exactly the sort of people that time to pay is aimed at.

How long do you have left on your car finance? Are either of them near the end?

Is your business also effected by Covid? (Sorry - I wasn’t quite sure.) Is there any of it that your husband can help you with? I assume that it is quite specialised as you are a high earner but even if it is just some of the admin then that could mean that you are not working yourself into the ground whilst he is stressing himself into the ground through not being able to work.

How about offering online/facebook live stretch classes ? Kettlercise/ kettle bell training ? Food & nutrition advice ? Motivation classes ? That way he can reach a much wider audience and either do it as a pay per session or as a monthly fee which gets you as many drop in sessions as you like. With fb live ‘members’ can replay whenever they like which goes down really well.

@Rainyday26

How about offering online/facebook live stretch classes ? Kettlercise/ kettle bell training ? Food & nutrition advice ? Motivation classes ? That way he can reach a much wider audience and either do it as a pay per session or as a monthly fee which gets you as many drop in sessions as you like. With fb live ‘members’ can replay whenever they like which goes down really well.

Jesus