Updated HMRC guidance on Statutory Sick Pay paid to employees due to coronavirus and news from BANES re grant schemes
Jan 19th, 2022 -
HMRC has confirmed that it has reopened the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate (SSPR) service as of today. This means that you could be eligible for support if you employed fewer than 250 employees on 30 November 2021, and have paid Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to your employees for coronavirus-related sickness absences.
- Employers could reclaim up to two weeks' SSP paid to employees, at the relevant standard weekly rate of £96.35, for any eligible periods of coronavirus-related sickness from 21 December 2021.
- You could also claim to cover the costs for up to two weeks of SSP for an employee who takes time off because of coronavirus, regardless of whether employers claimed for that employee under the previous scheme.
For help to claim, get in touch with director Jon Miles on jm@richardsonswift.co.uk or - for existing clients - the director who you normally deal with. Or call on 01225 325580 for more information.
There is further guidance on the scheme on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-back-statutory-sick-pay-paid-to-your-employees-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19
BANES Business Grants update
Omicron Grant (Hospitality and Leisure sectors)
From Monday 24 January new applications for the Omicron Grant (Hospitality and Leisure sectors) will open. These applications will need to be assessed. A new application form will be available on Help for businesses | Bath and North East Somerset Council (bathnes.gov.uk) This will need to be completed by Monday 28 February 2022. Any businesses that had been eligible for and received a this grant in the past should have already been sent an automated email asking them to update their details.
ARG ( Additional Restrictions Grant) Discretionary Grant
Applications will open for this on Tuesday 1 February and run until Monday 28 February. A new application will be required for all businesses applying for this grant, go to Help for businesses | Bath and North East Somerset Council (bathnes.gov.uk) for more info.
Below is a summary of the additional financial support for businesses impacted by the economic effects of Omicron variant, announced in December by the Chancellor.
- Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100 million discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses
- Government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK
- £30 million further funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter
See below for more details and the Chancellor’s full statement. For help on how this might affect your business contact your usual RS on 01225 325580 or email us at hello@richardsonswift.co.uk.
Recognising that the rise of the Omicron variant means some businesses are likely to struggle over the coming weeks, the government is providing one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England.
At what is often their most profitable time of year, many pubs and restaurants have seen cancellations and reduced footfall as people have responded to the rise in cases ahead of Christmas, with Hospitality UK reporting that many businesses have lost 40-60% of their December trade, often their most profitable month.
Around 200,000 businesses will be eligible for the business grants which will be administered by local authorities and will be available in the coming weeks.