A beautician from Kettering says she is disappointed and frustrated by the lack of support for her small business.
Laura Jane 23, who works at the Aura beauty clinic in Market Harborough, feels she has been disregarded in the Coronavirus Self-employment Income Support Scheme.
The Government claimed she was ineligible for a grant because her partner is a primary school teacher on full pay.
‘‘It’s not fair that because my partner is still earning I have been unable to receive my grant. I am a hard working therapist and will not be in work for a long time so I feel like we have been left behind,’’ said Laura.
‘‘My outgoings each month are around £1,600 so this decision has left me with no choice but to pause my loan payments and also my mortgage’’.
Lockdown restrictions mean some workers have had 80% of their wages subsidised by the Government and many self-employed people feel like they have been neglected.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) more than 5 million people in the UK are self-employed earning an average of £780 per month.
Who is eligible?
Taxable grants will be available to self-employed people who have had a loss in income and will be capped at £2,500 per month.
- Those that have suffered a loss in income
- Those that have submitted their tax return for the last financial year
- Those that have a trading profit of less than £50,000 in 2018-19, or an average trading profit of less than £50,000 from 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19
If eligible, employees can initially receive a one-off payment for three months starting in June.
The Government
The Chancellor Rishi Sunak said some small, or medium-sized, businesses may be entitled to reclaim the costs of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for employee absence due to COVID-19.
More information on the government support for self employed people available here.