Self-Employed Income Support Claiming 4th and 5th grants, April and July 2021

Posted on 18th March 2021 by David Rudd

**This is relevant to people who started self employment after 5 April 2019**

HMRC will be contacting people who started self employment after 5 April 2019

If you commenced self-employment after 5 April 2019

If you started your self-employment after 5 April 2019, you were initially denied support under the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the first three quarterly payouts to 31 January 2021.

Thanks to a change in the recent Budget, you may be eligible – for the first time – to grants that will be made available for the quarter end 30 April 2021 and a final period to 30 September 2021.

HMRC are adding a further security check

To counter fraudulent use of the SEISS scheme, HMRC have decided to contact taxpayers who became self-employed during 2019-20, and who submitted a self-assessment return for that period.

What will the letter say?

The letter will tell you to expect a telephone call on the number provided on your tax return. If our contact details (as your accountant) were added to your return, HMRC will ask us to pass on your contact number.

On this occasion we cannot deal directly with HMRC (HMRC will not let us) and they will need to speak with you to obtain proof of identity and evidence of trade in the form of bank statements.

Why a letter and then a phone call?

Here’s what HMRC said:

We are aware of increased scam activity related to HMRC’s coronavirus support schemes. The purpose of the letter is to explain to you that this is a genuine call, and to give customers details on how to recognise it as such.

Worried about HMRC calling you?

HMRC’s reason for this added layer of security seems to be to exclude fraudsters from making claims. But if you have any concerns regarding this process, please call us.

Source material: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-a-list-of-genuine-hmrc-contacts#contact-by-letter-or-phone

We can help

Remember, you can only claim the grant if you have been adversely affected by the pandemic, and grants received under the scheme are taxable and must be considered in working out your profits.  If you are unsure how to proceed please call us. The Steven Burton & Co team are here to help you.  If you need a sounding board, some business advice or a steer in the right direction, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

This material has been prepared for informational guidance purposes only.  Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the contents are accurate, information contained may not be comprehensive.  Furthermore it is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax or accounting advice.  Steven Burton & Co Limited can not accept any liability for any errors or omission or for any person acting on or refraining from acting on the information provided.