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Freelancers during this crisis and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme

How much was your total government grant?

  • £1-£99

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • £100-£199

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • £200-£299

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • £300-£499

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • £500-£799

    Votes: 3 13.0%
  • £800-£999

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • £1,000-£2,499

    Votes: 8 34.8%
  • £2,500-£4,999

    Votes: 3 13.0%
  • £5,000-£9,999

    Votes: 7 30.4%
  • Over ten grand - reeeeesult *champagne corks pop

    Votes: 1 4.3%

  • Total voters
    23
Just wondering if anyone has received a text/email yet confirming eligibility for second payment, or do we simply start applying from Monday, 17th August?

Do they need to let us know we're eligible again, if we already received first payment?
I think you can just log in to find out. That’s what I did.
 
Just wondering if anyone has received a text/email yet confirming eligibility for second payment, or do we simply start applying from Monday, 17th August?

Do they need to let us know we're eligible again, if we already received first payment?
Yes, I received an email from them this morning. I have to admit I haven't read it yet! :oops:
 
Just wondering if anyone has received a text/email yet confirming eligibility for second payment, or do we simply start applying from Monday, 17th August?

Do they need to let us know we're eligible again, if we already received first payment?
I just received an email from them telling me to apply from 17/8
 
Done mine. And was reminded that there's going to be a bit of a tax bill at the end of it...better not forget that!

And should we be updating our votes on the poll to reflect any additional grant?
 
Just wondering if anyone has received a text/email yet confirming eligibility for second payment, or do we simply start applying from Monday, 17th August?

Do they need to let us know we're eligible again, if we already received first payment?
I never got an email or anything about the last one or this one (like they promised ). I would have no idea it existed if a work friend hadn't told me. Millions was unclaimed apparently despite the fact that they could have automatically paid everyone eligible.
 
I never got an email or anything about the last one or this one (like they promised ). I would have no idea it existed if a work friend hadn't told me. Millions was unclaimed apparently despite the fact that they could have automatically paid everyone eligible.
I think we have become so used to the crappy, gameplaying zeitgeist of recent governments that this no longer seems exceptionable or unusual. Which is pretty shit, really. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't get told by HMRC about it - like you, I heard it elsewhere and went looking. Sleazy.
 
I never got an email or anything about the last one or this one (like they promised ). I would have no idea it existed if a work friend hadn't told me. Millions was unclaimed apparently despite the fact that they could have automatically paid everyone eligible.
They couldn't know whether the "your business has been affected by COVID-19" eligibility criteria had been met, hence the application process.

Gonna defer applying till early september or it will play havoc with my UC
 
Got to be honest, they've been pretty above board with me, got a txt telling me I might be eligible for first one, followed by an email. And they sent me an email for this second one, so...
 
They couldn't know whether the "your business has been affected by COVID-19" eligibility criteria had been met, hence the application process.

Gonna defer applying till early september or it will play havoc with my UC
I suppose so, but you are also eligible even if you are working so it would just come down to a case of 'I don't need it'. My biggest problem with it though is that not everyone has been informed that it exists. It only takes an email.
 
Got to be honest, they've been pretty above board with me, got a txt telling me I might be eligible for first one, followed by an email. And they sent me an email for this second one, so...
I got nothing despite being eligible for the full amount, and I assume many more also were not informed.
 
I suppose so, but you are also eligible even if you are working so it would just come down to a case of 'I don't need it'. My biggest problem with it though is that not everyone has been informed that it exists. It only takes an email.
True, but it's like any large governement scheme; it never quite gets it right.
I was actively waiting for the announcement until it came then I stopped watching the daily briefings.
I am working but have massively lost jobs due to the entertainement industry still being fucked for the foreseeable.
 
Still torn about what to do with it. My business has been affected as I'm doing my first days freelance work this year tomorrow, but I've now taken full time work, even if it's not what I'd rather be doing. At the moment I'm leaning towards taking it and sticking it in a separate account in case they come knocking.
 
Still torn about what to do with it. My business has been affected as I'm doing my first days freelance work this year tomorrow, but I've now taken full time work, even if it's not what I'd rather be doing. At the moment I'm leaning towards taking it and sticking it in a separate account in case they come knocking.

You have to declare that 'your business has been adversely affected on or after 14 July 2020', and IIRC you started the f/t work before that, which they will know from the PAYE records, so I think you would be dodgy grounds making a claim, and could end-up with a penalty, which could be up to 100% of the grant amount, in addition to having to re-pay the grant.

HMRC will check claims and take appropriate action to withhold or recover payments found to be dishonest or inaccurate. If you know you’ve been overpaid or are not eligible for the grant and do not tell us you may have to pay a penalty .

Have a dig around here:
 
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Well I have mine now. . . . but what is the exactly deal with the 14th of July thing. I mean I have had zero work come in but even though I probably would have had something I can't prove that. There was one job that had booked on a continuous roll but they refuse to put in writing that the covid stopped them employing me because . . . well I don't think it did, they just gave my job to someone else because it was more convenient for them.

Do you think just not having any work during this period is enough to show that I am affected, or will I actually have to show that I specifically lost a contract?
 
Well I have mine now. . . . but what is the exactly deal with the 14th of July thing. I mean I have had zero work come in but even though I probably would have had something I can't prove that. There was one job that had booked on a continuous roll but they refuse to put in writing that the covid stopped them employing me because . . . well I don't think it did, they just gave my job to someone else because it was more convenient for them.

Do you think just not having any work during this period is enough to show that I am affected, or will I actually have to show that I specifically lost a contract?
My guess on this is that they simply won't have the resources to investigate every claim, so there will be fairly superficial screening on the basis of the data they do have to flag up any obviously dubious cases for further investigation
 
My guess on this is that they simply won't have the resources to investigate every claim, so there will be fairly superficial screening on the basis of the data they do have to flag up any obviously dubious cases for further investigation
I hope so, I do think I could argue my case from the usual amount of work I normally have. I simply can't prove 100% that covid 19 was the reason that nobody has been ringing me up. . . . on top of that I can't take work that I can't do at home. I'm not officially on the government danger list but in reality I am, it's just they didn't include medical cases like mine (neutropenia -low to no immune system).

Well, just fingers crossed that zero invoices for the rest of this year (probably) will be enough. (I did get the full amount both times, so worried that would make me a target).
 
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