3rd SEISS Grant

Extended SEISS Grant 25/11/2020 updated 30/11/2020

To check if you are eligible and can claim follow the link : [button link=”https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-self-employment-income-support-scheme”] CLAIM 3rd SEISS Grant[/button]

Please make sure that you check if you are eligible and can confirm the declaration.

Full details of the third SEISS grant to support self-employed people affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) have been published on GOV‌‌.UK.

The rules on who is eligible to claim have changed. However, you will still need to have submitted a Self-Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018 to 2019 showing self-employment income in order to claim (unless one of the existing exceptions applies).

The third grant, which offers 80% of three months’ average trading profits, paid out in a single taxable instalment capped at £7,500, will be available covering the period from 1 November 2020 to 29‌ ‌January 2021. Self-employed people who are eligible and in need of support will be able to claim the third grant at any time from 30‌ ‌November 2020 to 29‌ ‌January 2021.

• As before Tax Agents are unable to claim the SEISS Grant on behalf of clients.

Who is eligible

To be able to claim the third grant, claimants must meet a number of conditions, and make an honest assessment about whether they reasonably believe their trading profits will be significantly reduced due to coronavirus.

As previously, the third grant will also be subject to Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance and must also be reported on 2020 to 2021 Self-Assessment tax returns. The grant is outside the scope for VAT.

As before, to make a claim for the third grant, you must:

• be a self-employed individual or a member of a partnership. They cannot claim the grant if they trade through a limited company or a trust
• have traded in both the tax years 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020.

For the third SEISS grant claimants must also:

• either be currently trading but are impacted by reduced activity, capacity or demand, or have been previously trading but are temporarily unable to do so due to coronavirus
• declare that there is an intention to continue to trade, and that you reasonably believe that the impact on your business will cause a significant reduction in 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 count for this purpose.

When deciding whether the reduction is significant, you will need to consider your wider business circumstances.

HMRC hopes that claimants will make an honest assessment about whether they reasonably believe their trading profits will be significantly reduced compared to what they would otherwise expect to achieve during this period.

The business must have been impacted on or after 1 November 2020. You must keep evidence to show the impact and reduction in your business activity across the qualifying period.

More information

For more information and examples to help you check eligibility to claim, go to GOV‌‌.UK and search for ‘Self Employment Income Support Scheme’.

HMRC will be contacting all self-employed people in the UK that may be eligible to let them know about the third grant.

There will also be a fourth grant (covering the three-month period from Feb‌‌ruary 2021 to April 20‌‌21).