How to submit your third Self-employment Income Support Scheme claim

In this guide we have covered each of the steps for submitting your third Self-employment Income Support Scheme grant (SEISS) claim.

Due to expected high demand for SEISS claims, HMRC staged applications from 30th November 2020, therefore the portal to do so will be available on different days for different taxpayers. The claim window will close on 29th January 2021.

It is not yet known how much will be available to claim for the three-month period from 1st February 2021. The Government is waiting until the Budget on 3rd March 2021 before announcing further details.

HMRC has advised that you must make this claim yourself, although you can ask a friend, family member, accountant or tax agent to help you. Please don’t pass on any of your information to people who offer to make a claim on your behalf.  That may lead to delays in your payment.

To make your claim, you will need your: 

• Self-Assessment UTR
• National Insurance number  
• Bank account number and sort code you want HMRC to pay your grant into (only provide bank account details where a BACS payment can be accepted). For a building society account, please include the roll number if you have one.
• Government Gateway user ID and password. These will be the same as those used to make earlier SEISS claims. If you don’t have an account, or have forgotten your details, follow the instructions on GOV.UK by searching for the ‘self-employment income support scheme’. Please check your contact details are correct in your Government Gateway account.

1. How to claim

The claim can be made via the following webpage:
Claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme

Navigate to the ‘How to claim’ section and click ‘start now’

 

2. Enter your Unique Tax pay reference

 

3. Enter your National Insurance Number

 

4. Sign into your Government Gateway account

Enter your Government Gateway user ID and password to sign in and start your claim.

 

5. Confirm your business has been impacted

You will see any claims that you have already made for the first and second SEISS grants.

Select ‘Start your third claim’, and you will be asked to confirm that your business has been impacted by coronavirus.

You must read and confirm the conditions set out by HMRC

 

6. Evidence

HMRC remind businesses that they must keep evidence of the impact of coronavirus on their business.

You must read and confirm the requirement to keep records, as set out by HMRC.

 

7. Read and agree the following

You must read and agree to the conditions set out by HMRC

 

8. Confirmation of your grant

You will see how much you will receive for your third Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant.

If you would like more details on how the grant was calculated by HMRC, there is a link you can follow. We’d encourage you to do this and keep a copy for your records.

 

9. Confirm bank details

Confirm whether you wish for the third grant to be paid into the same bank account used for the earlier grants.

If you wish to use a new account, then you will be prompted to enter the name on the account, the sort code and account number. You will then also be asked to confirm the address associated with this bank account.

 

10. Confirm details

You need to check all details you have entered are correct before proceeding.

 

11. Declaring of your claim

Read the declaration and if you are happy, click ‘Accept and submit’. You must confirm your business has been impacted by coronavirus, and that your business will suffer a significant reduction in trading profits during the period 1st November 2020 to 29th January 2021.

As the person who knows your business best, HMRC expect you to make an honest assessment about whether it has been impacted by coronavirus. You will need to keep a record of evidence of how your business has been impacted.

 

12. Claim submitted confirmation page

That’s it! You have successfully made your claim for the third Self -employment Income Support Scheme grant.

Remember to take a copy of these details.

 

What happens next

If your claim is approved, HMRC aims to pay your grant directly into your bank account.

If you don’t receive the grant within 10 working days of completing your claim, you should contact HMRC.

Records you must keep

You must keep a copy of all records, including the amount claimed, the claim period and the grant claim reference.

You also need to keep evidence to show that your business is experiencing reduced demand, or is temporarily unable to trade due to the coronavirus pandemic.

If you claimed an SEISS grant that you were not eligible for, or received more money than you are entitled to, you must notify HMRC within 90 days of receive your grant.

If you don’t notify HMRC by the above deadline, they can impose a penalty.

Don’t forget that you must report your SEISS grant on your self-assessment tax return as taxable income. You may also need to update you Universal Credit or Tax Credit claims.

Date published 14 May 2020 | Last updated 26 Jan 2021

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.