Category: Updates

Furlough

Furlough scheme extended to 30 September 2021

Posted on | by Jade Donno

The current version of the furlough scheme that started on 1 November 2020 was scheduled to end on 30 April 2021. In order to avoid a “cliff-edge” with resulting widespread redundancies the chancellor has announced a further extension of the scheme and also a phased reduction in support to employers. The CJRS furlough grant for May and June will remain at 80% of the employees’ usual pay for hours not working but it will then be limited to 70% for July and then 60% for August and September.

This phased reduction will operate in a similar way as in September and October 2020 with the employer being required to contribute the remaining 10% and then 20% of an employee’s regular pay so that they continue to receive 80% pay for furloughed hours.

In addition to the 10% and 20% contributions employers will continue to be responsible for paying employers national insurance and pension contributions on the full amount being paid to employees.

maps

The road out of lockdown

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Yesterday the English government formally announced it’s 4 steps out of lockdown and all social distancing restrictions. The welsh and scottish governments will follow a largely similar timescale.

The good news is that there is FINALLY an end in sight to the restrictions on trade and movement. However, COVID-19 is now with us permanently, and the government is preparing its long-term plans for ongoing treatment – just like it does for flu each year. The government has already announced a revaccination programme to run in autumn or winter 2021.

This email goes through the key lifting of restrictions. However economic support for businesses adversely affected by restrictions on trade will not be announced until the budget on 3rd March.

The 4 tests

Before lifting any restrictions, the government will apply 4 tests:

  1. The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully.
  2. Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated.
  3. Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.
  4. Our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern.

The stages out of lockdown

8th March: Step 1A

On the 8th March, schools and colleges will reopen. Up to 30 people will be allowed to attend a funeral and up to 6 for a wedding or a wake. People are allowed to leave their homes for recreation as well as exercise outdoors. But otherwise, the same restrictions are in place to what we have now. Schools are allowed after school sporting activity.

29th March: Step 1B

At the earliest, on the 29th March, 2 households or up to 6 people will be allowed to mix outdoors. Parent and child groups, with up to 15 parents, will also be allowed to meet outside. No household mixing indoors will be allowed. But outdoor sport and leisure facilities will be allowed to open, which also means organised outdoor sport for children and adults will be allowed. At this stage the government is still advising to minimise travel and there is still a ban in place on holidays.

12th April: Step 2

No earlier than the 12th April, we will be allowed to stay overnight outside our own home. But more importantly, non-essential retail, hairdressers/salons/close contact services, outdoor hospitality, plus self-contained holiday accommodation and outdoor attractions will be able to open. At this point, weddings, wakes and receptions can increase to 15 people. Event pilots will begin. There is still a ban on international travel for holidays. Whilst pubs and restaurants will be able to open for outdoor service (no curfew or requirement for a substantial meal to be served with alcohol), patrons will still be expected to order, eat and drink whilst seated.

17th May: Step 3

No earlier than the 17th May, all accommodation can open and international travel is planned to reopen. People can stay away overnight and there is a 30 person limit outdoors, with a rule of 6 or two households indoors. Organised indoor adult sport and indoor entertainment and attractions restart. 30 people can now attend weddings, wakes and funerals. Outdoor large events, with severely limited capacity can now restart.

21st June: Step 4

No earlier than 21st June, the government is hoping to remove all legal restrictions on social contact. So nightclubs can reopen, large events and gatherings can take place.

Economic support available to businesses

At the moment details are at best ‘hazy’. And the government has promised full details of the support available in the budget on 3rd March. However click here to see what we know so far.

A sign in the clouds

Lockdown 3.0 – A covid business update

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Lockdown 3.0 has felt like an eternity. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccinations being rolled out. Hopefully everyone will have some more clarity when the Prime Minister announces his road map to normality on Monday the 22nd of Feb.

Many businesses have taken on the Government support schemes throughout the pandemic and some of these are scheduled to end soon. However, there is support to help your business get back to normal and avoid getting into debt.

Did you defer your VAT between 20th March and 30th June 2020? 

If you deferred your VAT payment for any returns between the 20th of March 2020 to 30th of June 2020 the payment deadline is the 31st of March 2021.This additional outgoing can be scary for businesses. However, HMRC will allow you to pay it back interest free over 12 months. To do this you MUST:

  • Register with HMRC between the 23rd of Feb and 21st of June 2021
  • Have access to your own Government gateway.

Unfortunately this is not something we can do for our client, however we can certainly help anyone through the process.

For more information please follow this link – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deferral-of-vat-payments-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19

Bounce Back Loans (BBL) 

If your business needs cash, and you haven’t yet taken a bounce back loan, this is is your opportunity. The government guarantees 100% of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months. After 12 months the interest rate will be 2.5% a year. This scheme is open until the 31st of March.

If you have already taken a bounce back loan the government is now offering a new ‘pay as you grow’ scheme. They are offering flexible terms for up to 10 years to help you repay the bounce back loan.

Take a look at the details by following this link – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-eases-burden-on-more-than-a-million-businesses-through-pay-as-you-grow-flexible-repayment-options

There is also an option to pay back your bounce back loan by taking on a Coronavirus Business Interruption loan. This would then give you another 12 months before having to make a payment. However this should only be an option if your business can afford it!

Job Retention Scheme (JRS) 

The job retention scheme is scheduled to cease in April. Have you considered the effect this might have on your business?

Many businesses have been using the furlough scheme to stabilise their businesses, however with it coming to an end, some big decisions might need to be made.

A cash flow forecast will help your business gain clarity to see where you are at and where you are going.

 


Crying and swearing emoji

Another Lockdown

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Yesterday the Scottish and English governments announced national lockdowns with schools being closed. The net result being all of England and Scotland must stay at home except for a handful of permitted reasons. Wales has already been on a lockdown since mid December.

If you had been looking at the daily cases of COVID-19 it was becoming increasingly obvious that the current restrictions were just not working. This email sets out what you need to know from yesterday’s announcements. To read the English government announcement click here.

The Stay At Home Order

People cannot leave their homes apart from for essential medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work for those who cannot do so from home. If you do leave your home for a permitted reason, you should stay local. They are saying that exercise should only be once per day. Unlike March’s Stay At Home order this seems a little less restrictive as children’s parks can still remain open.

Help for businesses

Help has been announced today for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. This has only been announced today so please click here to find out more.  And the furlough and self-employed grant schemes are still running across Jan to April 2021.

What has to remain closed until February

  • All schools, colleges and university. Learning will move online. But schools will remain open for key workers and vulnerable children.
  • Outdoor sports venues such as tennis, golf and outdoor gyms
  • Non-essential retail – but can still operate a ‘click and collect’ service.
  • Amateur Team Sports
  • Entertainment venues
  • Restaurants, pubs and hotels – but can offer a takeaway service
  • Beauty and hair salons

What about nurseries?

  • In England these can stay open, but in Scotland and Skye they will close.

What is defined as essential retail? Here are a few of the main categories, but the full list can be found here

  • Food shops, supermarkets
  • Banks, building societies, post offices
  • Medical, dental and veterinary services
  • Agricultural supplies
  • Repair services
  • Fuel stations

Any other key changes?

  • Restaurants and pubs can still offer takeaway food but can no longer offer takeaway alcohol.

The government is pinning all its hopes on getting the first dose of the vaccine out to the top 4 priority categories by mid-February. With a view that when this has happened restrictions can be slowly lifted as the most vulnerable in our society will be protected.

What does this mean for you and your business?

  1. Find out whether these lockdown announcements mean you can trade for the next 6-7 weeks
  2. Review your resourcing requirements but also how many of your staff will now have childcare duties
  3. Rethink your business plan, cash flow plan and also revisit your contingency plans

United Kingdom flag

Whats happening with Brexit?

Posted on | by Jade Donno

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, UK Chief negotiator David Frost and EU negotiator Michel Barnier continue to offer differing messages to the public about Brexit, some are positive, some ambivalent and occasionally negative remarks about the negotiations. It is hard to see through the comments made and whether we can take them at face value as, after all, there is a negotiation going on.

Whatever the outcome there are significant changes ahead for travel and trade.

Travel

If you are traveling to the EU from the UK after the 1 January 2021 then check out the Government website “Visit Europe from 1 January 2021”. This page tells you how to prepare if you’re planning on traveling to Europe from 1 January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.

See: https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-1-january-2021

Trading

.Gov website

If you haven’t made your business preparations, check out the Brexit transition website: https://www.gov.uk/transition

If you trade with the EU and have not yet made preparations then here is a summary of actions to take:

We must all be prepared for changes in the way we travel and trade with Europe. Even if there is a free trade deal the key thing to remember is that there will be a UK border which will mean paperwork and border checks.

Businesses that trade with the EU must get familiar with customs declarations as these will be essential for accounting for VAT.

Depending on what contracts a business has with its customers in Europe, it may have to factor in that goods could take longer to get there, meaning extra costs and administration.

In the short term, there will probably be delays at the border, so it is important businesses map out supply chains and think about how to do things as efficiently as practicable post-transition.

Overall with still no deal on the table, specifics are still very up in the air. We will make sure to keep you updated once we know more information.

Our thoughts on Rishi’s statement yesterday

Posted on | by Jade Donno

The Chancellor’s update to the House of Commons yesterday made pretty grim listening. It’s not going to surprise anyone to hear that due to two national lockdowns and a myriad of local lockdowns, the economy has shrunk in 2020 by 11.3%. The economy is forecast to recover back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

You can look at this two ways. Either let it get you down. Or remember that after the Spanish Flu pandemic finished in 1920, Britain enjoyed the roaring 20s. In other words, better times are coming ahead. And we are here to help you get to those better times and enjoy the fruits of your labours.

Charlston

Apart from gloomy economic figures, the chancellor did announce some changes you need to be aware of:

  • The minimum wage (now rebranded as the National Living Wage) will increase in April to £8.91 an hour for people 23 and over. 16 and 17 year olds will see their pay go up to £4.62 per hour.
  • People with a defined benefit retirement scheme will see their pensions reduced from 2030. This is due to the pension payments, from 2030, which increase with the cost of living using a new cost of living calculation. Currently the cost of living is calculated using various measures, including the Retail Prices Index. Whereas from 2030, the cost of living will be calculated using the CPIH: The catchily titled “consumer prices index plus housing costs”. These changes will not impact the state pension.

Given that the country has its highest borrowing levels outside of war time, it is fairly certain that we will see in the next year or so rising taxation to help the treasury balance the books. We don’t know yet what taxes will be raised and what reliefs will be lowered. But expect – if the media is to be believed all these to be raised; Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, Income tax, and NI contributions for self-employed people.

We are already seeing some of this happening at HMRC. They are toughening up their stance on ‘time to pay’ agreements, as well as investing very heavily in fraud and tax investigations. As with all these things, if you are concerned about your cash flow or any potential irregularities please get in touch with us sooner rather than later. The earlier we find out about any problems the easiest it is for us to help mitigate the impact for you as a business owner.

What are the new business support schemes for covid-19?

Posted on | by Jade Donno

What are the new business support schemes for covid-19?

Yesterday the government announced more support for businesses and the self-employed. This blog takes you through the announcements and what it means for your business.

On the one hand, it is great to see the government making available this help. But this probably means we will see fairly strict lockdown conditions between now and March 2021. We hope we are wrong about this, but in your contingency/scenario planning, particularly in regard to cash, please extend this 4-week lockdown until the end of March. If you need help with your business planning, please get in touch.

Here are the full details from the Government’s announcement.

The Self-Employed Income Scheme

On 30th November you will be able to claim a grant for up to 80% of your profits, to cover you for Nov – Jan 2021. This is capped at £7500. They also declared there will be one more grant which will cover the period Feb – Apr 2021. Details are yet unknown of when this will be paid or for how much.

To receive these grants, you need to have received the previous grants.

The ‘Furlough scheme’

This has now been extended to the end of March. Which in effect means that we are unlikely to see the Job Support Scheme operational… You can Furlough any member of staff, as long as they were on the payroll before Oct 30th 2020. And the government will pay up to 80% of their wages, capped at £2500 per month.

As a result of extending the Furlough scheme the planned Jan 2021 ‘Job retention bonus’ of £1000 for any employee you Furloughed who you still employed has been deferred. Until when? Who knows?

Help with cash flow

If you haven’t taken a Bounce Back Loan or didn’t take the maximum amount available to you, you can now top this up. And you will be able to take out a CBIL or Bounce Back Loan now until the end of Jan 2021.

Mortgage payment holidays for those who haven’t taken a payment holiday will be available for 6 months, without this being noted on their credit files.

Remember that for many businesses the deferred Q2 VAT payments, general tax and self-assessment tax is now becoming due in the next few months. Please get in touch if you haven’t already identified how you will manage your cash to make these payments. We can put you in touch with finance providers or help you organise a time to pay agreement with HMRC.

What support is there for my business in lockdown 2?

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Last night the prime minister addressed the nation and announced a month long lockdown for England. Something we never considered happening in our lifetimes is now happening twice. Businesses all over the country are being forced to shut once again, and people told to stay home and save lives. If you own a business, the question now is ‘what support is available to help my business survive?’.

Firstly, we need to apologise as details are still very sketchy. Indeed, the government’s own website on the job retention schemes have not yet been updated after the Prime Minister’s announcement on Saturday evening. For more details about the support for businesses announced yesterday see the government’s press release here

This is what we are aware of at the moment:

  • The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or ‘Furlough’ as it has come to be known will be extended for another month on more favourable terms.
  • The replacement for Furlough, “The Job Support Scheme” due to start today, starts in early December after the Furlough scheme officially finishes.
  • A grant available to self-employed people affected by COVID-19 has also been doubled to 40% of profits, with a maximum grant of £3750 over a 3-month period.

There are still grants available for businesses with rateable premises who are forced to close due to local or national restrictions.

The good news for small business owners (if there can be a silver lining) is that now the government will put in the full 80% of wage costs, up to a max of £2500 per month, for furloughed employees, with employers only needing to cover the pension and NI contributions. And similar to the scheme rules from July, you can have your furloughed employees working part-time under the scheme.

You will be able to furlough anyone who has been on the payroll by 30th October 2020. And they don’t need to have been furloughed before. And similar to how the scheme has operated, you will make your furlough claims with your payroll submissions.

Businesses required to close in England due to local or national restrictions will still be eligible for the following:

  • For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;
  • For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;
  • For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.

 

If you are based in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you will have money made available to you to replicate a similar grant scheme for closed businesses.

Let’s not forget….

We’ve all been here before. We know that it is a tough time for business owners. And there are no guarantees that this lockdown will stop after the 2nd December. However, we are here for you and have got your back.

 

More ‘forced’ business closures are on their way

Posted on | by Jade Donno

The chancellor, Rishi, on Friday popped up with an announcement of more support for businesses in the next 6 months. Sadly this announcement is a sure indicator, for businesses in areas where they are failing to get COVID-19 under control, that tougher lockdowns are about to hit their ability to trade. The news is also peppered with articles that the PM is going to announce tougher lockdowns for parts of the country on monday.

The announcements by Rishi have been designed for any business which is LEGALLY forced to close their premises as a result of any lockdown restrictions. If you can still trade but choose to not trade, this package of measures will, sadly, not apply to you. However, if you are a pub or restaurant who is forced to stop serving meals to diners sitting in, you can still claim on this scheme if you are able to offer a food delivery service or takeaway.

What is available?

For any employee who can not work because the employers’ premises are closed for a minimum of 7 consecutive days, the government will pay 2/3rds of their normal wage up to a max of £2100 per month. As with all of these grants, the payments are taxable and you, the employer, would be expected to cover employer NICS and automatic enrolment pension contributions. Similar to the Furlough scheme the wages can be claimed monthly in arrears. This scheme is open to employers from 1st November for 6 months.

Unlike the winter economy plan, this new extension to the government job support scheme seems to have been rushed through very quickly. Here are more details of the scheme Note the lack of branding for a key communications document! And the fact it is light on ‘how’ to actually claim…

In addition to the extension to the Job Support Scheme the government will increase the grants it pays to businesses in England legally forced to shut in local lockdowns. The grants are:

  • Small businesses with a rateable value of or below £15,000: £1300 per month
  • Medium-sized businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000: £2000 per month
  • Large businesses can claim £3000 per month.

If you are concerned about the impact of lockdowns to your business, please get in touch. We can help you make sure your business survives this winter.

What does the update from Rishi mean for my business?

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Yesterday the chancellor delivered his Winter Economy Plan to the nation. And whatever the colour of your politics this was good news for small business owners. And many an accountant will be having a cheeky drink or 2 to celebrate the end of ‘Furlough’.

In this blog you will find the key headlines and how they impact your business:

If you want to read the full government documents:

Support for your cash flow

With the deferred VAT and tax payments shortly becoming due, the government has thrown businesses many lifelines. Or as we like to call it, cash flow support.

  • If you deferred your VAT which was due in March – June 2020, you can now choose to repay this in 11 equal instalments over the 2021/22 financial year.
  • The 2 loan schemes, CBILs and Bounce Back Loans now have the option to pay them back over a 10-year period. If you took out a Bounce Back Loan, this could reduce your payments by almost a half.
  • Businesses who took out a Bounce Back Loan also – once they have made 6 payments – have the option of pressing pause on their payments for up to 6 months. This can only be taken once.
  • If you haven’t taken out a CBIL or Bounce Back Loan these schemes have now been extended and will close to new entrants on 30th November 2020.

Extension of the temporary reduced VAT rate for hospitality and tourism businesses

This will now remain at 5% until 31st March 2021.

Help to retain jobs:

The Job Retention Scheme affectionately known as ‘Furloughing’ will still close in October. In its place on the 1st November comes The Job Support Scheme. This scheme will initially run for 6 months. It is very similar to long running schemes in Germany and France.

To qualify for the Job Support Scheme, your employee:

  • Must not be on a redundancy notice
  • Working at least 1/3rd of their normal working hours

And you as their employer must have a UK PAYE scheme in place, a UK bank account and is limited to SMEs or big businesses which can evidence they have been adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Here is how the scheme works… For every normal working hour, the employee doesn’t work, the government pays 1/3rd of their pay, and you the employer must also pay 1/3rd of their pay. The government contribution is capped at £697.92 per month. The employer will be reimbursed by the government in arrears. When we know how to apply to the scheme and submit your claims we will be in touch with further details.

More details of the scheme are here

Help for the self-employed

The self-employed grant scheme will be extended for another 6 months but limited to people already on the scheme. As the saying ‘every little helps’, but the pay outs have been vastly reduced for the extension. There will be 2 more grants. The 1st will be cover November to end of Jan and will cover 20% of average monthly profits. Up to a max. of £1875. We are assuming this will be paid out in Feb 2021. The second grant will cover the period from Feb to the end of April. Amount to be paid up is still to be determined by the government.

More details are here