Freelancers during this crisis and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

No, it was always the average of 3 years, assuming you had been self-employed for that period.

It's just they would look at the last year first to see if you qualified, for example if over 50% of income was self-employed, but if that appeared to disqualify you because you earnt over £50k, they would ignore that & look further back.

I see. I misunderstood.

Thank christ I have spent the last ten years or so concentrating quite heavily on bringing my mortgage down above almost everything else. If I still had the mortgage I did 10 years ago I would be properly fucked. Before utility bills and food this wouldn't even see me and my family through six months. Unfortunately I doubt most people have been as fortunate as me and I am well aware that this must be a very frightening time for a hell of a lot of people and not nearly enough it is being done to protect them from financial disaster.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

My grant just said: here's your grant and made no mention of a timeframe so I'm referring to the whole sum. Months don't seem to matter much these days!

I've added the word total to the Q.

Mine detailed it (and broke it down with all the sums) as payment for three months.

 

[Petcha]

This is now week 6 without work and looking very unlikely I'll get any.

I trade through a limited company.

Just been told by my accountant I can be furloughed and claim 80% of my PAYE monthly salary so £719 @ 80% = £575.20. My out goings are a great deal larger than that. Anyone know if theres anything else i can do? Other than pray and/or get drunk?

I know I've posted a few links to this site, but it really is useful and is pretty impartial. There's some advice here.

There's also a good forum on there with very knowledgable people replying:

Coronavirus Self-Employed & Small Limited Company Help

If you're worried about work during the coronavirus crisis, this guide looks at your rights if you're self employed, including what help's there for limited company directors.

www.moneysavingexpert.com

 

[Petcha]

This is now week 6 without work and looking very unlikely I'll get any.

I trade through a limited company.

Just been told by my accountant I can be furloughed and claim 80% of my PAYE monthly salary so £719 @ 80% = £575.20. My out goings are a great deal larger than that. Anyone know if theres anything else i can do? Other than pray and/or get drunk?

Oh, and yes, get fucking drunk tonight. And check the weather forecast for next week

I'm gone financially and they're even messing me around on my UC which I hated even having to apply for but screw it. I'm gonna get loaded. All week.

London - BBC Weather

14-day weather forecast for London.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Thora]

How closely are these going to be checked/audited?

I know it says only to claim if your business has been adversely affected - which mine has been - but then I have also received some additional LA funding (well, going to receive - it's been promised but not paid yet) which happens to be a similar amount to what I lost. But I don't want to not claim this grant now as who knows what will happen in the next few months.
Also my income this year should be a lot higher than the year they used to calculate the grant as that was my first year, so how would they judge if your business was adversely affected?

I've only just finished paying off several years of alleged tax credits overpayments so don't want to risk having to pay this back or being fined or something later...

 

[UnderOpenSky]

This is now week 6 without work and looking very unlikely I'll get any.

I trade through a limited company.

Just been told by my accountant I can be furloughed and claim 80% of my PAYE monthly salary so £719 @ 80% = £575.20. My out goings are a great deal larger than that. Anyone know if theres anything else i can do? Other than pray and/or get drunk?

Silly question, but can you drive and look for delivery type jobs? Seems to be what most folk in my industry are doing instead this summer.

I'm doing care work via an agency. Pretty much min wage, but doing a lot of hours every week. Far from ideal, but I'd have totally sunk without it.

 

[editor]

So me and one other have got the booby prizes

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

How closely are these going to be checked/audited?

I know it says only to claim if your business has been adversely affected - which mine has been - but then I have also received some additional LA funding (well, going to receive - it's been promised but not paid yet) which happens to be a similar amount to what I lost. But I don't want to not claim this grant now as who knows what will happen in the next few months.
Also my income this year should be a lot higher than the year they used to calculate the grant as that was my first year, so how would they judge if your business was adversely affected?

I've only just finished paying off several years of alleged tax credits overpayments so don't want to risk having to pay this back or being fined or something later...

at a guess, there will be some automated check on your 2020-21 tax return and if the software thinks you were not adversely affected questions will be asked.

Keep a record of all the business/bookings you had which have been cancelled due to the virus as well as the forecast for unlimited growth you had made earlier this year as proof.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

So me and one other have got the booby prizes

the 1%

 

[cupid_stunt]

WOW - big shout out to Worthing Borough Council who has just called me out of the blue, they are making proactive calls to local residents on the council tax database, asking if people are struggling financially & offering advice as to what benefits & help could be available.

They're re-scheduling my council tax payments to start in July, sending me a form to claim possible help towards council tax payments, and gave me some advice on claiming universal credit, should the self-employed scheme not be extended, I am seriously very fucking impressed, and made that known to the caller, who was just so understanding & generally lovely.

I am struggling to believe they are actually doing that, the best 'cold call' I've ever had, cheered me right up.

Are other councils doing this?

 

[danski]

Anyone actually had the money paid in yet? How long do you think it will take?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Anyone actually had the money paid in yet? How long do you think it will take?

It said within 6 days of claiming.

 

[danski]

It said within 6 days of claiming.

Ah, nice one. Lucky someone pays attention

 

[UnderOpenSky]

It's a relief for sure. Boss of where I'm working for a few weeks says I wasn't needed tomorrow. Normally I'd have got stressed about it and maybe even phoned the agency for other work. Instead tomorrow I'm going to wake up, go for a run and Potter on with jobs.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

WOW - big shout out to Worthing Borough Council who has just called me out of the blue, they are making proactive calls to local residents on the council tax database, asking if people are struggling financially & offering advice as to what benefits & help could be available.

They're re-scheduling my council tax payments to start in July, sending me a form to claim possible help towards council tax payments, and gave me some advice on claiming universal credit, should the self-employed scheme not be extended, I am seriously very fucking impressed, and made that known to the caller, who was just so understanding & generally lovely.

I am struggling to believe they are actually doing that, the best 'cold call' I've ever had, cheered me right up.

Are other councils doing this?

did they get your card details?

Spoiler: !...

it is
but I live in lambethh so not expecting a call

 

[William of Walworth]

WOW - big shout out to Worthing Borough Council who has just called me out of the blue, they are making proactive calls to local residents on the council tax database, asking if people are struggling financially & offering advice as to what benefits & help could be available. .....

Are other councils doing this?

festivaldeb works in the benefits advice ('welfare rights') unit for our council here in Swansea, and they're doing something similar.
For now though, they're prioritising those they know of who are in twelve-week self-isolation or household-isolation -- all vulnerable health categories-related.
I'm not sure how it really works! Or how they know who to contact .
But it seems like a positive scheme, as does Worthing's

 

[William of Walworth]

Hope you guys are alright. Must be bloody scary in these uncertain times.

More generally I just want to echo this supportive point.
I hope matters work out as best they can for everyone ploughing through the complications.

I've never been self-employed or on anything except PAYE, ever.
Reading this thread makes me pretty sure that my brain would explode if I was out of standard employment

 

[Celyn]

More generally I just want to echo this supportive point.
I hope matters work out as best they can for everyone ploughing through the complications.

I've never been self-employed or on anything except PAYE, ever.
Reading this thread makes me pretty sure that my brain would explode if I was out of standard employment

Might even explode more at the normal benefit for people out work, which is £74.35 per week, plus Housing Benefit to help with rent. That is, if you are 25 years old or over. If you are under the age of 25, apparently you need less food or something, so you would only get £59.80.
Those figures are a single person. When you're a couple, you might get £116.80 every week.

 

[William of Walworth]

Might even explode more at the normal benefit for people out work, which is £74.35 per week, plus Housing Benefit to help with rent. That is, if you are 25 years old or over. If you are under the age of 25, apparently you need less food or something, so you would only get £59.80.
Those figures are a single person. When you're a couple, you might get £116.80 every week.

Fair reminders.
I'm reasonably well aware of how bad life on benefits is for people -- as I said, festivaldeb's a professional benefits expert (see my post above).
Her work as a welfare rights advisor has taught me a lot that I never used to know.
The exact figures you posted, whenever I'm reminded of them, always make me feel angry on behalf of claimants though.

My previous post was about how complicated and head-spinning the specific ins-and-outs of being self employed must be -- I knew much less about that ..... posts on this thread have taught me a lot

 

[chainsawjob]

My grant just said: here's your grant and made no mention of a timeframe so I'm referring to the whole sum. Months don't seem to matter much these days!

I've added the word total to the Q.

Where's the zero option? Eh? Eh?!?!!! Sorry you're not getting much

I'm not sure how worried to be. We'll be screwed if UC doesn't come through and cover enough of the rent It should come through though... shouldn't it??? I'm not losing sleep over it... yet.

 

[chainsawjob]

Are other councils doing this?

No, but thanks for the reminder, we've been rather forgetful on this while battling with the UC process.

 

[mod]

Silly question, but can you drive and look for delivery type jobs? Seems to be what most folk in my industry are doing instead this summer.

I'm doing care work via an agency. Pretty much min wage, but doing a lot of hours every week. Far from ideal, but I'd have totally sunk without it.

Unfortunately I’m on auto-immune suppressing medications so a driving job would really put me at risk. Normally I wouldn’t have any issue doing this sort of work to get by and have in the past

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

SEISS payment in a day earlier than expected.

 

[existentialist]

SEISS payment in a day earlier than expected.

Same here.

 

[marshall]

Me too

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

Then got a message in the middle of the night sayiong they were processing it, nice to see they put the cart before the horse on this.

 

[editor]

Musicians and artists screwed over SHOCKA!

Masses of artists rejected by UK government’s self-employment support scheme

Many are turning to benefits and emergency grants to plug some of the deficit

www.theartnewspaper.com

 

[cupid_stunt]

Sunak has announced another 3 month payment, but only at 70%, for the self-employed, applications open towards the end of August, with payment soon after.

However, he has said that will be it, no further extension, despite the furlough scheme running until the end of Oct.

Better than I expected, TBH.

 

[danski]

Sunak has announced another 3 month payment, but only at 70%, for the self-employed, applications open towards the end of August, with payment soon after.

However, he has said that will be it, no further extension, despite the furlough scheme running until the end of Oct.

Better than I expected, TBH.

Did he say if there is a cap?

 

[danski]

Did he say if there is a cap?

Ah, just seen. £2190 a month. £6570 total.