The government’s voluntary furloughing scheme for employers opened for business on Monday 20 April. Within a day the government reported 140,000 employers had logged on to reclaim money for furloughed staff. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on gov.uk > Any employer can apply to furlough employees, and that includes freelancers who run a company and take
READ MORE >Posted on 23 April 2020
If you’re worried about your finances and wondering what support may be available to you, this page suggests a number of steps to take. 1 – How long have you been a sole trader? If you are registered as a sole trader, the government calls you ‘self-employed’.
READ MORE >Posted on 14 April 2020
If you’re running a VAT registered business of any type, you’ll be aware that the government is allowing you to defer paying any VAT payment that was due between 20 March and 30 June 2020. Here is a link to the scheme description on gov.uk: Coronavirus VAT deferral scheme > I have a couple of
READ MORE >Posted on 28 March 2020
On 26 March 2020 the Chancellor announced his new scheme to help people who are self-employed and have no work or reduced income. On 29 May he announced a second grant, available from 17 August, modelled on the first, but at a lower rate. On 2 November 2020 he announced that a third grant would
READ MORE >Posted on 26 March 2020
Sole trader Sarah Carless has been freelancing for 25 years. She’s a floor manager, so nothing daunts her! Listen to her experience of applying for Universal Credit when her work dried up because of coronavirus. (See also the important note below the video.) Recorded Wednesday 25 March 2020
READ MORE >Posted on 25 March 2020
[Update: Wednesday 25 March 2020 There is an amendment to the Coronavirus Bill, proposed by the Lib Dems, which would create “statutory self-employment pay” at an average of the last three years’ net profit, OR £2917 per month, whichever is lower. The government didn’t adopt the amendment, but it shows the kind of thinking that’s
READ MORE >Posted on 23 March 2020
Online media training sessions for our charity clients now include preparation for being interviewed from home using meeting software such as Zoom, Skype or MS Teams. We’ve moved all our freelance business skills training online and are putting a particular focus on helping people move through redundancy into self-employment for the first time. Here are
READ MORE >Posted on 13 March 2020
You may have heard that the government is changing the way that organisations determine the status of people they might hire to work for them – people like freelancers and contractors. This is commonly called the IR35 or ‘intermediaries’ legislation.
READ MORE >Posted on 13 January 2020
[Updated on 16 December 2019, after the election results.] This blog was put together to look at the implications of the main UK-wide party manifestos for freelancers, small companies and other tax payers. The video explainer below shows aspects of the three manifestos. I thought I’d leave it there, even though we now know it’s
READ MORE >Posted on 01 December 2019
You could be forgiven for thinking the government is only interested in Brexit and leadership contests at the moment. But there are other things going on behind the scenes.
READ MORE >Posted on 17 July 2019
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