A support finder tool has been introduced to help businesses and self-employed people across the UK to quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The finder tool found on GOV.UK will ask business owners to fill out a questionnaire, which can take minutes to complete, and from there will be directed to a list of financial support they may be eligible.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:
“Businesses of all shapes and sizes play a vital role in our economy, which is why we want to make it as easy as possible for all of them to access our wide-ranging package of financial support during this challenging time.
This online questionnaire takes just minutes to complete and will quickly signpost a business to the loans, grants or other schemes they could be eligible for.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
“We’ve launched an unprecedented package of support to protect jobs, businesses and incomes during these challenging times.
Millions are already benefitting and this new online tool will allow firms and individuals to identify what help they are entitled to in a matter of minutes.
We are doing everything we can to make our support as accessible and as easy to navigate as possible.”
To support business, workers and the self-employed during the coronavirus outbreak, the government has:
- made up to £330 billion of loans and guarantees for businesses
- offered to pay 80 per cent of the wages of furloughed workers, up to £2,500
- deferred the next quarter of VAT payments for firms, until the end of June
- introduced £20 billion in tax relief and cash grants to help businesses with cash flow
- introduced the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes for both SMEs and larger businesses
- offered to cover the cost of statutory sick pay
- entirely removed all eligible properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector from business rates temporarily;
- introduced the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, offering a taxable grant worth 80% of trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 a month
- deferred Self Assessment payments until 31 January 2021
- allowed companies required to hold AGMs to do so flexibly, which may include postponing them or holding them online;
- offered a 3 month extension for filing accounts to businesses hit by coronavirus.