We have received a few queries regarding employees paid national minimum wage who are now being furloughed. Are they furloughed on the old rate or the new rate? And what about if their salary changed in March 2020 or was due to change as of April 2020? Here is what the government guidelines state: National…

We are trying to keep up to date with all the COVID-19 support available. There has been some criticism about how the banks seem to be making it very difficult for people to access the CBILS. If you are going to approach the bank to access CBILS, you will need to have the following ready…

In our post on 21st March 2020 we outlined some of the support available from the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have premises and are eligible for small business rate relief, you may be eligible for a grant. If your business is in Northumberland, you can apply for that grant now on…

There has been a huge raft of measures announced by the government over the last few days and weeks, in response to the COVID-19 virus. You could be forgiven for getting totally confused, clicking on links which lead to other pages and not being able to find your way round the online information available. There…

The Chancellor this afternoon anounced support for the self-employed through the Self-employment Income Support Scheme. The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) who have lost income due to coronavirus (COVID-19). This scheme will allow you to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your trading profits up to…

We mentioned in our post on 21st March 2020 that the government has introduced a new scheme to help businesses retain staff during the coronavirus outbreak. We are receiving lots of queries from clients about this scheme and whether it relates to them and whether they can apply. So we will try to explain in…

Businesses will be given an additional 3 months to file accounts with Companies House to help companies avoid penalties as they deal with the impact of COVID-19. Hopefully this will avoid companies incurring an automatic £150 late filing fee at least for three months. However, we are still working as normal and are able to…

We are getting lots of queries from clients asking about how the self employed will be helped. As yet we have no firm information to pass on to clients, except the fact that tax that would normally have to be paid in July 2020 can now be deferred. The government is currently working on a…

The temporary Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will support SMEs with access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance of up to £5 million and for up to 6 years. The government will also make a Business Interruption Payment to cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied fees, so smaller…

As part of a number of measures to support the country during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Working Tax Credits payments will be increased by £20 per week from 6 April 2020 until 5 April 2021. The amount a claimant or household will benefit from will depend on their circumstances, including their level of household income. But the…