As part of the Spring 2021 budget the Chancellor announced the good news that the newly self-employed will be able to apply for the fourth and fifth Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant. If you have missed our blog, you can read it here.

HMRC have announced that they will contact the newly self-employed who may be eligible to counteract any potential fraud. HMRC will be writing to approximately 100,000 self-employed, asking them to complete some pre-verification checks. So if you are a locum Optometrist or locum Dispensing Optician and started locuming post April 2019, this could be you. 

 

What is included within this check?

These checks will be to confirm your identity and provide evidence of trade (or rather the lack of). We further understand that you will be given a link to a secure Dropbox, within which you will be required to upload a proof of your identity and three months worth of bank statements to demonstrate your trading level. Note this link will expire in 48 hours, so you must be prompt.

Not all the newly self-employed will be contacted – if that is you, then you are advised to just wait for the opening of the application (sometime around mid-April).

How will they contact me?

Letters of contacts are expected to arrive from 8 March until mid-April with follow up calls within 10 working days.  The calls and letters will be carried out per the data you have provided HMRC on your last tax return. HMRC has informed us that it will make three attempts to phone. If HMRC is unsuccessful in reaching the taxpayer, they will write a further letter. Taxpayers who receive the letter but do not complete the checks will be unable to claim a grant. If you have changed numbers or address since then, please let HMRC know by calling 0800 024 1222.

An HMRC spokesperson said: “We have moved quickly to ensure that we have the information we need from customers before applications are open- this is part of HMRC’s overall efforts to help customers get support they are entitled to, whilst protecting the schemes from fraud. We have begun writing to customers explaining we will call them to ask for proof of identity and evidence of trade. We will be calling customers on the telephone number provided on their tax return.”

 

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