PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Self-employed: Coronavirus (2 October 2020)

The UK continues to have one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is helping those that have been adversely affected by COVID-19, and has already helped 2.6 million people with over £7.6bn of support. Furthermore, as set out in the Winter Economy Plan, the Government is extending the SEISS Grant; an initial taxable grant will be provided to cover three months’ worth of profits for the period from November to the end of January 2021. The second grant will cover a three-month period from the start of February until the end of April. The Government will review the level of the second grant and set this in due course.

The SEISS Grant Extension is a top-up to support self-employed people who are currently actively trading and facing reduced demand due to COVID-19. The Government has broadly aligned the grant with the Government’s contribution to the Job Support Scheme which has been introduced to support employers who may be facing continued reduced demand over this winter as a result of COVID-19. It is also worth noting that unlike under the Job Support Scheme, there is no requirement for the self-employed to reduce their hours by 66% to get the maximum Government contribution. In addition, the Job Support Scheme grant is scalable, and the SEISS Grant Extension is broadly equivalent to the maximum contribution.