SEISS extended to April 2021

Payment no 3 in December for SEISS extended to April.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) has been extended to April 2021.  If you are self-employed and were eligible for the first and second SEISS grants you will be able to claim grants for the 6 month period from November 2020 to April 2021.

What do I need to do now?

Make sure you can log in to your Government Gateway account.  This is your online account with HMRC.  If you have never logged in or you have lost your password  / ID, make sure you can access it now!  You can register for the Government Gateway here.  To find your lost UTR number look up your previous tax returns or letters from HMRC.

If you have forgotten your user ID or password, there is a page here to reset your details.

When can I claim my grant?

The online service for the next grant will be available from 30 November 2020.  If you claimed the previous grants, the claim process will be the same as before.

Who gets the extended SEISS grants?

To be eligible for the grant extension self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, must:

• have been previously eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme first and second grant (although you do not have to have claimed the previous grants)
• declare that they intend to continue to trade and either:
  • are currently actively trading but are impacted by reduced demand due to coronavirus
  • were previously trading but are temporarily unable to do so due to coronavirus
• Note that reduction in profits due to increased costs, such as having to buy masks, does not count for the purposes of the grant.

How do I prove the adverse impact of COVID-19?

HMRC have published guidance to help you decide if your business has been adversely affected for the purposes of claiming SEISS phase 2 funding.  Although the guidance has been withdrawn due to the phase 2 being closed, it is expected that the same provisions will apply to the third and fourth grant.

The records you need to keep include:

• Monthly accounts showing the impact of the downturn in business
• Business accounts showing a reduction in turnover
• Details of any COVID-related loans including deferring VAT and income tax payments
• Dates you had to close your business due to lockdown restrictions
• Dates you or your team were unable to work due to sickness, shielding or caring responsibilities

If I claimed earlier SEISS grants do I still need to claim the third grant?

If you made a claim for the first or second SEISS grant, the HMRC system should still have your details.  You shouldn’t need to enter all the details again, but you will still need to make the claim through the HMRC website for subsequent grants.

Can I still claim SEISS phase 1 or phase 2 funding?

Applications for phase 1 grants closed on 13th July 2020.  Applications for phase 2 grants closed on 19th October 2020.  If you didn’t make a claims by these dates you won’t be able to do so now, but you are still eligible for the third payment even if you didn’t make any previous claims.