It has come to our attention that you will need a Personal Tax Account to be able to access the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

Please find here instructions on how to set up a Personal Tax Account, if you don’t already have one. If you do, you will have a 12 digit Gateway code and your password.

If you do require any assistance, then please don’t hesitate to contact the office on 020 8529 2600.

You can download these instructions as a PDF file
Check if you can claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (PDF)

Checking to see if you are eligible for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme

You will need:

• Self-Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) (this information will be on your computation report or documents that you have received from HMRC
• Your National Insurance number.( you can get this information from your Personal Tax Account or computation report.)
• Your Government Gateway User ID

Please note that online service may be slow during busy times, so just keep trying.

If you are eligible

HMRC will tell you the date you will be able to make a claim from and ask you to add your contact details. They will use these to remind you when the online service will be available.

If you are not eligible

If HMRC have told you that you’re not eligible to make a claim, you can ask HMRC to review this after you’ve used the online tool. If you want to do this at a later time, you’ll be able to use the online tool more than once

Step 1

Go to www.tax.service.gov.uk/self-employment-support/enter-unique-taxpayer-reference

Step 2

Enter your 10-digit UTR/Tax reference number (this information will be on your computation report or documents that you have received from HMRC), now click on the green continue button.

Step 3

Enter your National insurance number (you can get this information from your Personal Tax Account or computation report.) and then press continue

Step 4

If you are eligible you will see this screen, which will show the date that you will be able to claim from.

Unfortunately, if you are not eligible, you will see this screen, but may have other support available.

Step 5

If you were eligible, then press continue (green button)

Step 6

This is now the screen, that you need to enter your Government Gateway user ID and password. (You should have set up this from our guide, that has been previously sent to you.) Click on the blue writing (sign in and add your contact details.)

You now need to sign in with your 12-digit ID and your password, then press sign in (green button)

Step 7

You will now see the screen regarding security preferences, press continue (green button)

Step 8

You should have now received a code to the mobile number you entered when you set up your Personal Tax account and Government Gateway ID. Please bear in mind that you only have 15 minutes to enter code

Step 9

If you do not receive a code, then check that the last four digits match your mobile number, if you have received the code, then enter the code in the Access Code box and press continue (green button)

Step 10

Now type in your email address and UK mobile number, make sure that you type these details carefully, as these will be the details that HMRC use to contact you, to tell you when you can make your claim and they will use these details to update the HMRC contact record that they hold for you, Once you have entered your details, press continue (green button)

Step 11

You will now have one more chance to check that you have entered the correct contact details, if correct, press submit (green button)

Step 12

The screen will now confirm that the contact details have been submitted and confirm that you will be able to claim from a certain time and date.

HMRC Guidance

To date the HMRC have not confirmed if they will contact you by telephone or by email.

The only guidance that has been given is below: –

You will only need your:

• Self-Assessment UTR – if you do not have this find out how to get your lost UTR
• National Insurance number – if you do not have this find out how to get your lost National Insurance number
• Government Gateway user ID and password – if you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you check your eligibility online
• bank account number and sort code, you want us to pay the grant into (only provide bank account details where a Bacs payment can be accepted)

You will have to confirm to HMRC that your business has been adversely affected by coronavirus.

If you claim the grant HMRC will treat this as confirmation you are below the state aid limits.
HMRC will check claims and take appropriate action to withhold or recover payments found to be dishonest or inaccurate.

Just to also make you aware that guidance for when after you have claimed is:

Once you have submitted your claim, you will be told straight away if your grant is approved. We will pay the grant into your bank account within 6 working days.

You must keep a copy of all records in line with normal self-employment
record keeping requirements, including:

• the amount claimed
• the claim reference number for your records
• evidence that your business has been adversely affected by
  coronavirus

You will need to report the grant:

• on your Self-Assessment tax return
• as self-employed income for any Universal Credit claims
• s self-employed income and that you are working 16 hours a week for any tax credits claims

If you wish to read the full guidance from HMRC in relation to the Self employment income support scheme, then please click the link below: www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme