Government launches new coronavirus business support finder tool
A new ‘support finder’ tool will help businesses and self-employed people across the UK to quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the coronavirus pandemic.
The finder tool on GOV.UK will ask business owners to fill out a simple online questionnaire, which can take minutes to complete, and they will then be directed to a list of all the financial support they may be eligible for.
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 as easy to navigate as possible.”
To support business, workers and the self-employed during the coronavirus outbreak, 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 - representing a £30bn injection into the economy;
introduced £20bn in tax relief and cash grants to help businesses with cash flow;
introduced Business Interruption Loan Schemes for both SMEs and larger businesses to make it easier to access vital financial support;
offered to cover the cost of statutory sick pay;
entirely removing 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 due in July 2020 until 31 January 2021;
allowed companies required to hold AGMs to do so flexibly, which may include postponing them or holding them online;
suspended wrongful trading provisions for company directors to remove the threat of personal liability during the pandemic; and
offered a three-month extension for filing accounts to businesses hit by coronavirus.
