Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) – claim now before 29th January deadline

Dear @PAYadvice,

The deadline for claiming the third SEISS grant is fast approaching. If your clients are eligible, they must make their claim on or before 29‌‌‌th January 2021.

As with the first and second SEISS grants, the third grant will be subject to Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance and must also be reported on your clients’ 2020-2021 Self Assessment tax returns (to be submitted by 31‌‌‌st January 2022).

Confirming a significant reduction in trading profits

Before your clients make a claim for the third grant, they must decide if the impact on their business will cause a significant reduction in their trading profits for the tax year they report them in.

HMRC cannot make this decision on behalf of your clients because their individual and wider business circumstances will need to be considered when deciding whether the reduction is significant.

Your clients do not have to consider any other coronavirus scheme support payments they have already received when deciding whether they reasonably believe that they will suffer a significant reduction in trading profits due to reduced activity, capacity, demand or inability to trade due to coronavirus during 1‌‌‌st November 2020 to 29‌‌‌th January 2021 (period covered by the third grant).

Supporting your clients

We recently sent a letter to customers who we have identified as potentially requiring extra support. At the time of writing to them, the customers had yet to claim for the third SEISS grant, and we believe they may be eligible, depending on the circumstances of their business. The letter included details of the deadline for claiming the third SEISS grant, our digital claim service, and the number of a helpline for those requiring additional support.

Details of the extra support we can provide for your clients can also be found at:-

The third SEISS grant and working parents

If your clients are unable to work because they have additional caring responsibilities due to school closures, and they meet all other conditions, they are eligible to claim, provided they reasonably believe that the impact of taking this time off will significantly reduce their trading profits for the year that they report them in. 

Details of the eligibility criteria can be found at:-

Other types of work and the third SEISS grant 

Due to the impacts of coronavirus, we know that some customers who are usually self-employed are also seeking other forms of work.

If your clients receive the grant they can:

1. Continue to work.
2. Start a new trade or take on other work including voluntary work and duties as a military reservist.

Your clients must also declare that they intend to continue to trade.

The fourth SEISS grant

Information about the fourth SEISS grant will be provided on 3‌‌‌rd March.

Where can I get further support?

Thousands of people have joined and benefitted from our live webinars which now offer more support on changes to CJRS and SEISS, and how they affect you or your clients. To book online, or to view updated guidance, go to:-

Our phone lines and webchat remain very busy, so the quickest way to find the support you need is on GOV‌.UK. This will leave our phone lines and webchat service open for those who need them most.

Protect yourself from scams   

Stay vigilant about scams, which may mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic. Search ‘scams’ on GOV‌.UK for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact. You can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.

Access the National Cyber Security Centre’s new guide on how to stay secure online and protect yourself and your business against cyber crime, see:-

PAYadvice.UK 27/1/2021