Job Support Scheme – Expansion

October 10, 2020

The government’s replacement for furlough – Job Support Scheme – has been expanded

The Government announced today (9 October 2020) an expansion to the Job Support Scheme, which was itself only announced two weeks ago.

UPDATE – the Job Support Scheme has been postponed and is NOT available until at least April 2021

The Job Support Scheme, which will commence on 1 November, is open to employers who will be able to claim a grant from HMRC in respect of their employees who are working reduced hours, though a key condition is that the employee works at least 33% of their usual hours.   Following recent announcements in Scotland and parts of England and in anticipation of more businesses being forced to close due to government restrictions, the Chancellor today announced an expansion of the Job Support Scheme specifically for these businesses.   According to the initial information, this Expansion applies only to businesses legally required to close as a result of coronavirus restrictions.

The JSS Expansion will also start from 1 November and run for six months, though a review will take place in January.  This means that those businesses temporarily shutting from this evening will remain eligible only for the Job Retention Scheme (the ‘furlough’ scheme), and of course be bound by the rules specific to that scheme.  Namely, that eligible employees will have to be have been furloughed previously and that the employee had to have been on the payroll on or before 19 March 2020.

With the new JSS and JSS Expansion, eligibility will be based on the employee being on the payroll as at 23 September 2020 and that employee need not have been previously furlioughed.

Under the JSS Expansion – so for those businesses legally forced to close due to coronavirus restrictions –  employees may receive up to 2/3rd of their usual wages up to a maximum of £2,100 per month.    Employers are responsible for paying the employees but can then reclaim this via a grant from HMRC from early December.    There is no obligation on employers to make additional top-up payments, though all employer’s national insurance contributions and employer’s pension contributions must be covered by the employer and will not be reimbursed by HMRC.

There is currently no official Government web page giving specific details of the Expansion but this will be forthcoming in the next few days, but a search for ‘Job Support Scheme’ on HMRC’s website will show updates when they appear.

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Credit Unions – preparing for the 2020 year end

September 30, 2020

Audit in the shadow of covid-19 – how to prepare

This year end is likely to be different from any other due to Covid-19. We therefore thought it would be useful to update last year’s blog on preparing for your year end.

AGMs

The FCA have stated that they do not plan to take actions where AGMs have been postponed as a result of following government guidelines on Covid-19. They do highlight that members would still be able to take action in such circumstances. The FCA also state organisations will want to consider alternative arrangements for AGMs such as video conferencing.

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 allowed registered societies (including Credit Unions) to hold Annual General Meetings electronically and for members to vote electronically. The rule was introduced as most organisation’s rules do not specifically allow meetings to be held electronically. A traditional AGM in the current climate, however, poses a high risk to members, staff and directors. Originally this rule only applied until 30 September but it was extended until 31 December 2020. This date may be reviewed in the future depending on the position with the pandemic.

We would recommend that you do review your rulebook as soon as possible and consider implementing rules to allow member meetings to be held electronically in the future. This legislation will only last for a limited period of time and there is an increased risk of future pandemics and lockdowns.

Arrangements for the Audit

The increased risk of staff illness and potential access issues to Credit Union offices, where there are local lockdowns, offers the potential to cause audit delays. Many audits will be done remotely to help reduce the impact of these risks as well as complying with social distancing measures. Good communication throughout the audit will be even more important to ensure audits go as smoothly as possible.

Auditors should provide you with a list of the information that they require. If you don’t receive one it’s worth speaking to them to ensure you have all the information they require. We would recommend pulling together this information as soon as possible in case of illness or local lockdown restrictions.

Focus of the Audit

A Credit Union prepares financial statements on a going concern basis, when, under the going concern assumption, the Credit Union is viewed as continuing in business for 12 months from the date of signing of the accounts. Going concern is always an audit risk but will have even more focus due to Covid-19. With most Credit Unions facing increasing bad debt costs and rising share balances, their capital ratios will be under pressure.

The directors of a Credit Union have a legal duty to consider whether the Credit Union is a going concern and to apply this basis to the financial statements. When preparing their auditors report the Credit Union’s auditors will consider the appropriateness of the credit unions’ assessment. Both the Credit Union and the Auditors will need to take into account the impact of Covid-19. As part of their audit work, your auditor will normally be looking to review your financial projections and scenarios which consider the impact of Covid-19.

Holiday Pay Accrual

With staff holidays being impacted due to Covid-19 we have received a number of questions about whether there has been any changes to the accounting rules on holiday pay accruals (for HR or legal aspects please contact your HR consultant or lawyer). While many members of staff will have more accrued holidays the accounting rules remain the same. The reason is that staff have earned these holidays and this will be a future cost to the Credit Union when staff do look to take this time off. The only difference is where staff holidays can be used over 12 months then that element technically would be discounted, although for most the difference between discounting and not is unlikely to be material.

 Information for the Auditor

For credit unions carry who do not prepare daily bank reconciliations it is important these are carried out reconciling the year end nominal to the year end statement balance. If you don’t have a reconciliation at the year end it will lead to additional work and possibly cost from your auditor. Year end cash counts are particularly important as well.

It is vital that your transactions on your system are up to date before your year end process. Bad debts to be written off should be done so before the year end and before running year end arrears reports to avoid double counting. It is also useful to chase up suppliers in September to ensure you have invoices for services/goods incurred before the year end.

Certain reports can only be run at the year end. Reports involving interest are the main example of this with reports including the year end accrued interest, delinquency reports and interest earned reports usually not being able to be reproduced if not run at the year end. It is therefore important these reports are produced at the end of day on your year end.

A year end back up is critical for a number of reasons.  If any reports are missed they could be reproduced from the backup. It also means that if there is mispostings or corruption after the year end then you have a set of records that still can be audited.

Systems such as Curtains let you post nominal and member transactions on different days. This can lead to records not matching especially at the year end if the member posting is done in one year and the nominal posting in another. This should be avoided where possible or a record taken of these transactions to aid reconciliation of the year end balances.

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Winter Economy Plan Support for Jobs and Businesses

September 24, 2020

Chancellor announces support for businesses during winter

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced his Winter Economy Plan to support businesses and jobs on 24 September 2020.

UPDATE: THE GOVERNMENT’S ANNOUCEMENTS ON 22 OCTOBER 2020 HAVE MADE CHANGES TO THIS SCHEME. PLEASE SEE OUR LATEST NEWS FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Job Support Scheme

The new Job Support Scheme will begin on 1 November and replace the “furlough” scheme.  To be eligible for the scheme employees must work a minimum of 33% of their hours. The government and the employer will then each pay a 1/3rd of the hours not worked. So an employee working 33% of their hours would receive 77% of their pay with the government contributing 22% of their pay and their employer the remaining 55%.

It should be noted that 22% is the maximum amount that the government will pay and the percentage will depend on the percentage of an employees hours that are worked.  For example if the employee works 50% of their hours then the level of government support is reduced to only 17%.  The level of Government contribution is capped at £697.92 a month.

It should also be noted that the Government contribution will also not cover class 1 employer’s national insurance or employer’s pension contribution but these amounts will continue to be payable by the employer.

Employees will be able to “cycle on and off” the scheme and they do not need to work the same pattern each month. Any short time working arrangement, however, must cover a period of at least 7 days.

The new scheme will run for 6 months but the government have said that they will review in 3 months time the threshold of 33% of hours. The grants like the “furlough” grants will be paid in arrears.

There are a number of criteria to the scheme. To be eligible for the scheme, employers must have a UK bank account and operate a UK PAYE scheme. Larger businesses will also need to meet a financial assessment test. The scheme is designed for viable jobs and therefore employees can not be made redundant or put on redundancy notice during the period within which the employer is claiming the grant for that employee.

Similar to the furlough scheme, employers using this scheme should agree short-time working arrangements with staff, make any contract changes by agreement and notify the employee in writing. HMRC have said that they will carry out checks on claims and agreements with staff will require to be available to HMRC on request.

 

Self Employed

To assist the self employed, the Self Employment Income Support Scheme Grant (SEISS) will also be extended for 6 months. A grant will be payable, in arrears, for the period 1 November 2020 to 31 January 2021 for those currently eligible for SEISS and who are continuing to trade but face reduced demand due to Covid-19.

This grant will cover 20% of the average monthly profits of the individual but will be capped at £1,875. There will be a second grant for the period February to April but the level of this grant still has to be announced. As with the previous scheme, the grants will be subject to tax and national insurance.

Self assessed taxpayers will also be given more time to pay, with deferred payments from July 2020 and those due in January 2021, not now being due until January 2022.

Loans

The Chancellor announced that he will be extending applications for the Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan scheme, the Bounce Back Loan scheme and the Future Fund.

Sunak also announced a “pay as you grow” scheme for business which will allow them to extend their bounce back loans from 6 to 10 years. The extension should significantly cut loan repayments and help cashflow. There will also be interest only periods of up to 6 months and payment holiday measures available for these loans.

The Government guarantee on Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans will also be extended to 10 years. There will also be a new successor loan guarantee programme to be announced in January 2021.

VAT

The temporary cut in VAT to 5% for the tourism and hospitality sectors will now remain in place until 31 March 2021. There will also be  a new scheme to allow businesses who deferred their VAT bills until March 2021 to make 11 smaller interest free payments during 2021/22 instead of having to make the full payment in March.

Further Information

More details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-outlines-winter-economy-plan but it should be noted that there are still further details to be announced.

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PRA Letter to Credit Unions 2020

September 11, 2020

The PRA have issued their annual review of the sector letters

The PRA have issued their annual review of the sector letters to category 5 Credit Unions. There are two versions of the letter. One for Credit Unions with less than £15m in assets and fewer than 10,000 members and one for larger category 5 Credit Unions. We would also recommend that category 4 Credit Unions review the letters as a number of the issues will be relevant to them. Some of the key messages with the letters are set out below:

Single Customer View

The importance of Single Customer View was stressed. They reminded Credit Unions of the obligation to inform the regulator when you change the system you use to produce SCV files. It should be noted that the PRA are priortising testing SCV of Credit Unions where they have doubts over the future viability of the Credit Union. Credit Unions can also now test SCV data directly on the FSCS self-verification portal and we would recommend that Credit Unions look to build this into their testing of SCV.

Operational Resilience

Operational Resilience continues to be a key topic with the regulator. Similar to previous letters they have stated the importance of taking a service based approach to operational resilience and setting tolerance levels.

The PRA expect Credit Unions to carry out an operational risk assessment prior to carrying out any new activities or services. They have also stated that Credit Unions should be considering the risks of outsourced activities including the requirements of section 14 of the PRA Credit Union Rulebook

They have highlighted the increasing number of cyber incidents and  the need for Credit Unions to have policies and procedures in place to deal with these risks. You should also notify the regulator where there have been any significant operational or cyber incidents or events that may impact on continuity of the Credit Union’s services.

Credit Risk

The PRA have highlighted the need for scenario planning and monitoring to help identify deterioration in credit quality of loans and so that the Credit Union can take timely action in such cases including where necessary the tightening lending criteria.

Capital

For larger Credit Unions with capital ratios under 10% the PRA have highlighted the distribution rules. This is a topic that has caused much confusion with many Credit Unions and was the topic of our recent blog which can be found by clicking here.

For smaller Credit Unions they again emphasised that there will be increased regulatory monitoring for those with a capital ratio between 3 to 5%

In their letter to smaller category 5 Credit Unions they covered the use of revaluation reserves and subordinated loans. They have encountered a number of cases where subordinated loans do not qualify as capital due to the term of the loan or the conditions attached to the loan. They have have offered the Credit Unions the opportunity to discuss with them where they have any debts over whether reserves or loans qualifying as capital.

Succession Planning

Lastly both letters state the importance of succession planning and bringing on directors with relevant skills. The PRA note this can be challenging especially in the current circumstances and if you cant get sufficient Board members then you need to consider the future of the Credit Union.

See below for links to the letters.

Further Information

PRA Letter to large category 5

PRA Letter to smaller category 5

Article on capital transfer requriements

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Summary of Financial Assistance – June 2020

June 2, 2020

As Scotland enters Phase 1 of easing of lockdown restrictions, we recap on support for business

As we start a new month, a few days into Phase 1 of the easing of lockdown restrictions in Scotland, and with further clarity on the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme by the UK Chancellor at the end of last week,  it’s worth recapping on some of the key measures that have been put in place by the UK Government, Scottish Government, and local authorities since March to assist businesses, employers, and individuals and consider what support is still available in the coming weeks.

Job Retention Scheme

Many organisations will be very familiar with much of the detail of the first stage of this scheme in the past 10 weeks and  have already received grants from HMRC.  The premise of the scheme is for employees to continue to receive at least part of their normal wages during this period of uncertainty and for employers to receive a taxable grant from HMRC effectively reimbursing 80% of the normal wages and some employment costs of employees it had placed on furlough.    This scheme will remain unchanged until 30 June.

The UK Chancellor announced an update to the Job Retention Scheme on Friday 29 May but a further announcement is expected on 12 June with more precise details on how the next stage of the scheme will work.

As of 29 May, the Job Retention Scheme will continue to remain open until 31 October.   Employees enrolled into the scheme will still be entitled to 80% of their usual wages for time they are furloughed until 31 October.  The main changes announced on 29 May are:

  • The scheme will be closed to new entrants from 10 June (the earliest date that makes them eligible for a claim as at 30 June), which means that an employee must be placed on furlough for the first time by this date for an employer to make a claim in respect of that employee.  Note that an employee previously furloughed, and since un-furloughed, can still be re-furloughed at a later date.
  • From 1 July, an employee can work part-time and be paid normal wages for doing so but still be paid 80% for the hours/days they are furloughed.  As an example, an employee contracted to a 40-hour week could be brought back to work 3 days a week for full pay and receive 80% of wages for the two other days.   The current rules are ‘all or nothing’ and do not allow furloughed employees to carry out any work so this new measure gives flexibility to employers who want to operate more in line with the needs of their business.   Details on how this might be calculated for employees on variable hours will be announced by 12 June.
  • From 1 August, there will be a phasing down of the Government’s commitment to furloughed employees.   From August, the employer will not be able to claim back employer’s pension or NI contributions.   From September,  the employer will have to contribute to 10% of usual wages, with the Government’s contribution reducing to 70% up to a maximum of £2,190 per month.    From October, the employer will have to contribute to 20% of usual wages, with the Government’s contribution reducing to 60% up to a maximum of £1,875 per month.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Coronavirus Business Support Fund

There are two main grants available for businesses from local government:

  • Small Business Grant Fund – a £10,000 grant to businesses that are eligible for Small Business Bonus Scheme or Rural Relief.   Some organisations with Charitable Rates Relief and Nursery Relief are also now eligible.  This scheme is for organisations where non-domestic rates would be due but the organisation is eligible for Relief as the rateable value of their business property is under £18,000 for instance.
  • Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Grant Fund – a £25,000 grant to businesses in the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure sector where property has a rateable value between £18,001 and £50,999.

For businesses with two or more premises, there’s a subcategory to this Fund, the Coronavirus Multiple Properties Fund.

This scheme allows additional grants to the value of 75% of the initial grant for a single non-domestic property.  So, if your business ran out of four small properties each of which were eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme, your business could apply for £32,500 in grants (£10,000 + £7,500 + £7,500 + £7,500).

Applications can be done through your business’s local Council’s website.

The closing dates for applications to the Coronavirus Business Support Fund is 31 March 2021.

Relevant page from the Scottish Government website:

https://www.mygov.scot/non-domestic-rates-coronavirus/grants-to-help-non-domestic-businesses-during-coronavirus/

Relevant pages from City of Edinburgh Council and Glasgow City Council website:

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/coronavirus-4/businesses-employers/4?documentId=12924&categoryId=20297

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/coronavirusbusinessfund

Non-Domestic Rates relief

This should be an automatic relief and should have been applied in your annual bill issued by your local council.  For those in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sector there is a 100% rates relief for the year from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.  For other businesses, the relief is 1.6%;  effectively freezing the rates at 2019/20 levels.

https://www.mygov.scot/non-domestic-rates-coronavirus/non-domestic-rates-relief-to-help-during-coronavirus/

VAT

The main measure offered by the Government in respect of VAT was allowing businesses to defer until 31 March 2021 any VAT payments that fell due between 20 March and 30 June 2020.    For those businesses filing monthly and quarterly VAT returns then this covers VAT returns up to 30 April 2020 (as the 31 May 2020 return is due for payment by 7 July 2020).   For any businesses that opted for this it is essential that these VAT deferrals are held as a liability in the bookkeeping records so as not to risk spending these funds which will need to be paid by spring 2021.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/deferral-of-vat-payments-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19

Another amendment concerning VAT is the temporary zero-rating of Personal Protective Equipment from 1 May to 31 July and will include the supplies of disposable gloves, aprons, and masks, which many businesses are now purchasing in order to protect their staff and premises.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-zero-rating-for-personal-protective-equipment/vat-zero-rating-for-personal-protective-equipment

Income Tax

For any individual due to make a Payment on Account to HMRC by 31 July 2020 this can be deferred with payment instead due by 31 January 2021.   No application need be made and no interest will be charged on such deferrals.   Typically, this will primarily affect self-employed individuals but anyone due to have made a payment, including landlords for instance, can defer income tax until January 2021.

Time to Pay

HMRC have a dedicated helpline on 0800 024 1222 for businesses and self-employed individuals struggling to pay HMRC bills, including outstanding tax liabilities.  The scheme existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but HMRC has drawn more attention to the availability of this service.

Self-Employed Income Support Scheme

This  scheme was set up to act as an equivalent to the Job Retention Scheme and originally covered the 3 month period March to May.   The scheme is up and running and individuals that are self-employed or in partnership have been able to apply to the scheme since 13 May.   Applications for the first phase of the scheme remain open until 13 July (not a typo, the deadline is the thirteenth of July which is two months after it opened).

The UK Chancellor announced on 29 May that a second grant will be available to cover the 3 month period June to August.   From August, applications will be open for the second grant.

 

To be eligible, a taxpayer must have at least filed their 2018/19 Tax Return and have taxable profits of £50,000 or less on average.   HMRC intended to contact everyone who was eligible but may not have done so if an email address was not registered with them, for instance.  In which case, it is possible to check your eligibility for the Scheme through the following link (you will need your UTR and National Insurance number):

https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/self-employment-support/enter-unique-taxpayer-reference

HMRC will have calculated your total self-employed taxable profits from the tax years 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 to produce an annual average (the total divided by tax return periods).  From this they pro-rate 3 months and award a taxable grant of 80% of that figure, capped at £7,500.   The second grant, available from August, will award a taxable grant for the equivalent of 70% of 3 months earnings, capped at £6,570.

The Government’s webpage for the SEISS is on:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme

Coronavirus Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund

The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (see above) is eligible only for those self-employed individuals who started prior to 5 April 2019 and have filed at least one tax return with HMRC.  For those individuals newly self-employed, the Scottish Government has made available a one-off £2,000 grant.  You can apply online through the local authority where you are resident.

Relevant pages from City of Edinburgh Council and Glasgow City Council website:

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/coronavirus-4/businesses-employers/3?documentId=12924&categoryId=20297

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/selfemployedhardshipfund

Business Loans

There are four main business loans established by the UK Government in its response to the pandemic:

  • Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS)

For companies with a turnover of over £45,000,000 with loans available up to £200,000,000.  The maximum term of the loan is three years.

https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-schemes/clbils/

  • Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

For companies with turnover up to £45milllion, a loan of up to £5,000,000 is available.   Personal guarantees may be requested by the banks – over 50 of which are involved are in the scheme – for loans over £250,000.  The maximum term of the loan is six years and is interest-free in the first year.

https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2/

  • Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS)

The scheme went live in early May with around 20 banks signing up to the scheme.  A business can apply for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme  for a loan of between £2,000 and the lower of 25% of the business’s annual turnover and £50,000.  There are no repayments in the first 12 months, with interest are set at 2.5%.  The loan is 100% guaranteed by UK Government with no personal guarantees required.  The maximum term of the loan is six years and early repayments can be made without any penalty.   This scheme is useful for any business with short-term cashflow concerns where a small cash injection for items such as computer equipment and investing in home-working may help the business get up and running.

https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-schemes/bounce-back-loans/

  • Future Fund

This scheme was introduced to provide match-funding to support start-up or innovative companies where investors would apply to the Future Fund and the company receive 100% match funding from £125,000 to £5,000,000 in the form of a convertible loan.  There is strict eligibility criteria and conditions attached to the funding which has a term period of 36 months and no early repayment provision.  Applications are available only until 30 September 2020.

https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-schemes/future-fund/

Charities

Some of the support for business offered by the UK and Scottish Government is also available to charities and many have already applied for such reliefs and grants.  There has been additional support from funds made available by the Scottish Government which has been through three main Funds:

  • The Third Sector Resilience Fund –  this is a Fund set up for those third sector organisations that require help to stabilise and manage cash flows during this period.   Costs are intended to cover overheads and essential staff and the award can be in the form of a grant, a loan, or a mix.

https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/third-sector-resilience-fund

  • The Wellbeing Fund – this Fund was for those charities working with at-risk groups and providing support on areas such as mental health, personal finances, housing.   This fund has now closed.
  • Supporting Communities Fund – this is a Fund to support community ‘anchor’ organisations that support local responses to the current crisis and will be community-based charities.

https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/supporting-communities-fund

A number of grant-funding bodies have continued to be highly supportive of charities they fund but these Scottish Government-backed Funds are available to offer some charities additional support if required.

The following page on the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) website is a useful summary of the support available for charities:

https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government

IR35

The introduction of the Off-Payroll Working rules to the private sector was due to take place on 1 April 2020 but these have been postponed until 1 April 2021.

Administration

Companies House have extended the deadline for filing company accounts by three months for companies that are able to cite COVID-19 as a reason for requiring the extension.  To avoid a late filing penalty, an application must be made to Companies House before the end of the existing reporting deadline.   The application need not be done through the normal WebFiling service on Companies House website but can be done through the following webpage:

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/extensions

This is not an exhaustive list of all the measures adopted by the Government to keep the economy moving but covers the support available for a majority of organisations during this uncertain period.   As can be seen above, a number of the measures are still ‘live’, but some are being wound up or have a set time limit for organisations to apply for a grant, loan or deferral.

 

Alexander Sloan

 

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Data Security Threats during Lockdown

April 7, 2020

Lockdown is creating opportunities for fraudsters – make sure you are alert to such threats

At the current time everyone is struggling to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.  There are limited goods, greater anxiety, restrictions on movement and an increase in home working.  Unfortunately, these conditions also present opportunities to criminals and there has been an increase in cyber attacks and frauds.

Cyber Attacks

Many organisations have had to move to home working very quickly and that means there will be instances where usual security protocols may not have been followed. In addition, with more remote working, there are opportunities for more phishing attacks. Common schemes include receiving bogus emails claiming to include important links to more information on Coronavirus. The National Cyber Security Centre has reported an increase in the number of websites registered relating to the Coronavirus suggesting that criminals are likely to be taking advantage of the pandemic.

There are a number of resources available which are worth considering to help against cyber attacks which include:

The National Cyber Security Centre guide to home working can be found by clicking here

The Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure has produced high level guidance on security practices during pandemics which can be found by clicking here.

The National Cyber Security Centre have a guide on spotting and dealing with phishing emails which can be found by clicking here.

Frauds

There are a large number of frauds taking place which are taking advantage of the current schemes. One example is that Europol are currently investigating a €6.6 million transfer to a company in Singapore in order to purchase alcohol gels and face masks where the goods were never received. There have been a number of cases where criminals have been impersonating government officials, police or medical/health professionals to gain access to properties.

Unfortunately, it is even more important to stay vigilant in an already testing time.

Stay safe

Alexander Sloan

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Summary of Government Support in March 2020

March 21, 2020

Summary of Government Support so far as restrictions are imposed

In these unprecedented times, when you may be facing significant operational, staffing and financial challenges resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak and the Government’s efforts to combat it, we acknowledge that you will be finding it hard to keep track of news and details that could be vital in keeping your organisation afloat and that support your staff.

On Friday 20 March 2020 the Chancellor announced the UK Government’s latest measures to financially support businesses and employers affected by economic turmoil resulting from its efforts to combat the Covid-19 outbreak.

The announcement on 20 March follows previous statements in the UK Budget on 11 March, and a further statement on the Government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak on 17 March.   There have also been announcements by the Scottish Government from the Finance Secretary and Economy Secretary that are specific to Scottish businesses.

This is a fast moving situation and further details will emerge in the coming days but the key points from the Government’s announcements currently are:

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

The Government has introduced a scheme that will allow employers to retain employees that would otherwise be laid off or not working.  The UK Government will reimburse up to 80% of gross wages per employee – up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee per month – of ‘furloughed workers’ initially for a period of three months backdated to 1 March.   Furloughed workers are not able to work during their period of furlough and would include those already laid off.

This will operate through submitting particular information online to HMRC with specific details not yet available but is expected to be announced by HMRC soon.

All employers, large and small, charitable or profit-making, are eligible to apply.  It is considered unlikely that the first payments to businesses will be before the end of April and banks are being encouraged to assist in the meantime to support businesses with immediate cashflow concerns.  See also below regarding the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme.

Deferral of Tax and VAT payments

This has been introduced automatically with no requirement to apply.  VAT Liabilities that are due to be paid between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020 will be deferred until the end of the 2020-21 tax year (5 April 2021).   VAT refunds will still continue to be paid.

Self-Assessment payments on accounts due by 31 July 2020 will be deferred until January 2021.

Support for Sick Pay payments

Refunds will be available for organisations with 250 employees or fewer who have paid Statutory Sick Pay as a result of Covid-19.

Business Rates (Non-Domestic Rates)

Non-domestic rates is a devolved matter so Scottish businesses should refer to the Scottish Government announcement.   There are a few measures and these relate to the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.

Businesses in the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality sectors will receive a 100% non-domestic rates relief.  Grants of £25,000 will be available to businesses in those sectors if the Rateable Value of their property is between £18,000 and £51,000.

Grants of £10,000 will be available to all businesses that are eligible for non-domestic reliefs through the Small Business Bonus Scheme or Rural Relief.

This will be administered through the appropriate Local Authorities and further detail will be on your local Council website or will be coming very soon.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Further detail should be available from Monday 23 March from the British Business Bank on government-backed loans.  Eligibility is based on certain criteria and Turnover of the applying organisation must be under £45 million per year.  The loan will be interest  free for the first 12 months.

The following link should prove useful:

https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils/

Time to Pay service

The government’s Time To Pay service is available to businesses and the self-employed with tax liabilities that are struggling to pay tax bills can apply to defer payments.  This will be considered by HMRC case-by-case.  HMRC’s helpline for this service is 0800 0159 559.

Links

The following is a link to the Government’s website and their Guidance to Employers and Businesses About Covid-19 and Guidance for Employees.  Please note that the section on Business Rates relates to England only.  There is also a link below to the Scottish Government website regarding non-domestic rates support for Scottish businesses. This is correct as at 20 March 2020, the situation of course may change.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-guidance-for-employees

https://www.mygov.scot/non-domestic-rates-coronavirus/

 

Many businesses and organisations are facing uncertainty of a kind unseen before and in the coming days there will be further clarity on some of these Government initiatives that should alleviate some of that uncertainty. We hope you find the summary and links above helpful.

Stay safe.

 

Alexander Sloan

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