What to do if your claim for a Self-employment Income Support Scheme grant is rejected?

The claims service for the Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is live and is expected to help millions of self-employed people whose incomes have been seriously impacted by COVID-19.

As part of this process, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is contacting everyone it thinks may be eligible to make a claim, based on information it already holds.

HMRC has also provided an online eligibility checker to help you confirm whether you are eligible.

If you have used the eligibility checker and been advised you are not eligible to make a claim, the HMRC tool will list possible reasons why this may be the case.

You may not be eligible because:

• your trading profits are over £50,000 per year
• your trading profits are less than your non-trading income
• you did not submit your Self-Assessment tax return for 2018 to 2019 on or before 23rd April 2020

Further details about eligibility may be found here.

SEISS appeal process

HMRC advises that if you have an accountant and still think you are eligible, you should contact them for advice.

You can also contact HMRC directly if you still think you should be able to claim.

HMRC has confirmed that accountants are not able to make SEISS claims on your behalf and if you would like guidance on how to go about making a claim, more information may be found here.

More COVID-19 support available for the self-employed

To find out what other coronavirus support may be available to you  if you are self-employed, visit our dedicated knowledge hub page.

If you are unsure about your eligibility or if you need assistance determining if you may be able to apply for other financial support, please call 0208 213 3100 or use our online enquiry form.

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For our latest COVID-19 news and guidance for your business, visit our dedicated Coronavirus Hub.
We will be updating it regularly as we continue to monitor and digest all the latest information

Date published 7 May 2020 | Last updated 19 Aug 2020

This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.