MILLIONS of Brits who work for themselves will be eligible for the Covid support grant, but you only have until tomorrow to apply.
Claims for the up to £7,500 self-employment income support scheme must be made by June 1.
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The grant is designed to cover lost earnings through February, March and April as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but it only applies if you’re self-employed.
The scheme allows you to claim 80% of your business profits up to the £7,500 mark.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed the full details of the scheme’s latest instalment as part of his Budget earlier this year.
You should have been contacted from around mid-April by the government if you are eligible for the support, but it depends on your latest tax return.
Fourth grant applicants have had roughly one month to claim since applications opened late last month.
In comparison, the third grant had a two month window for applications since it opened on November 30 last year and had a deadline of January 29 this year.
A total of 2.7million self-employed people got access to help because of it, and the fourth instalment of the scheme is set to take the total to more than 3.3 million.
How do I apply?
You should have already been contacted by the government either via email, letter or within the online service.
If you’re eligible based on your tax returns, HMRC will have given you a date that you can start making your claim from.
But all claims must be made by June 1, 2021.
To apply for the grant, you’ll need to visit the Gov.uk website and complete the grant application form.
What do I need to apply for the grant?
If you are self-employed then you’ll need the following information to hand if you are trying to claim the grant:
- Your self assessment unique taxpayer reference (UTR) – if you do not have this find out how to get your lost UTR
- National insurance number – if you do not have this find out how to get your lost national insurance number
- Government Gateway user ID and password – if you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you make your claim
- UK bank details (only provide bank account details where a Bacs payment can be accepted)
- You may also be asked questions about your passport, driving licence or information held on your credit file
Coronavirus scams are common so you should check any contact from HMRC is genuine and not give away personal information if the site asking you looks suspicious or you are concerned it’s not the real deal.
The fourth grant will now be available for 600,000 newly self-employed workers as long as they submitted a tax return for the 2019/20 tax year by midnight on March 2, 2021.
It’s the same for the following fifth grant that has been confirmed, with the system opening for those eligible to apply again from July.
The grant will be the final grant available following the pandemic, and it covers lost income for June, July and August.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
