View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Science & Tech
  2. Coronavirus
17 April 2020updated 26 Jul 2021 7:29am

More than 150,000 self-employed not covered by government support scheme

By Nicu Calcea

Some 151,000 started self-employment after March 2019, new data has revealed – meaning they are not eligible for help under the government’s Covid-19 support scheme.

UK chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on March 20 that the state would cover 80 per cent of wages – up to a maximum of £2,500 a month – if company employees were put on furlough.

The scheme was then extended to allow self-employed people to claim a taxable grant worth 80 per cent of their monthly profits, with a similar limit of £2,500 a month.

There are several criteria for claiming the grant, however – including that a self-employed person must have submitted a tax return for the 2018-2019 tax year by April 2019. That means those who became self-employed after that date would not be eligible for support, under current rules.

New analysis by the Office for National Statistics estimates the number of self-employed people in the UK to be more than five million, or around 15 per cent of the working population. Out of those, 151,000 started self-employment after March 2019 – meaning they are not eligible for the government grant.

As the estimates are based on data collected from January to December 2019, they don’t include the people who might have become self-employed since the start of this year and would also miss out on the scheme. In addition to having submitted tax forms by April 2019, claimants need to prove that they have been self-employed for the past year and will continue to be in the future, and that the coronavirus pandemic has affected their income.

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU