Remove the 50% earnings barrier so all self employed workers to receive support.

Anybody who submits a self assessed tax return should be entitled to government support. Even if this means a graduated level of support. We want the government to reconsider the qualifications for support and offer something even at a reduced rate.

The government has announced support is available for self employed people whose earnings from self employment account for 50% and above of their total income. This means that even if 49% of your income is from self employment you do not quality for any assistance. This is an enormous amount of income to suddenly lose, it is unfair to be penalised because you fall short of the eligibility bracket. The government has stated that nobody will be left behind, let’s see that they aren’t.

As the economy reopens, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) continues to be one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world.

The self-employed are very diverse and have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times, and in some cases with substantial alternative forms of income too. The design of the SEISS, including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who need it the most, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the SEISS. However, individuals receiving more than half their income from other sources may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support provided by the Government. The SEISS is one element of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

HM Treasury