SEISS third grant - Alterledger can guide you through the claim

SEISS third grant open for claims.

The rules on who is eligible to claim are different to those for the previous SEISS grants. The third grant will be based on 80% of three months’ average trading profits, paid out in a single taxable instalment capped at £7,500, and will cover the period from 1 November to 29‌‌ Jan‌‌uary 20‌‌21. Self-employed people who are eligible will be able to claim the third grant at any time from 30‌‌ November 2020 to 29‌‌ January 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 third grant can be claimed any time from 30 November 2020 to 29 January 2021. If you claimed the previous grants, the claim process will be the same as before.

Who gets the SEISS third grant?

To be eligible for the third grant payment 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)
have traded in both the tax years 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020

For this third SEISS grant applicants must also now:

either be currently trading but are impacted by reduced business activity, capacity or demand, or have been previously trading but are temporarily unable to do so due to coronavirus
declare that they intend to continue to trade, or restart trading, and that they reasonably believe that the impact on their business will cause a significant reduction in their trading profits
only claim if the reduction in profits is caused by reduced business activity, capacity or demand, or inability to trade due to coronavirus – reduction in profits due to increased costs (such as having to buy masks) does not make a business eligible for the third SEISS grant.

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

HMRC have published guidance based on reasonable belief that you will suffer a significant reduction in trading profits. You must keep evidence that shows how your business has been impacted by coronavirus resulting in less business activity than otherwise expected.

The records you can keep to support your claim include:

Monthly accounts showing the impact of the downturn in business
Business accounts showing a reduction in turnover
Cancelled contracts or appointments
Fewer sales invoices
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 for the third SEISS grant through the HMRC website.