by David Watkinson www.watkinsonblack.co.uk
SELF-employed people who have claimed self-employed income support (SEISS) grants need to respond to an email from HMRC asking if they have ceased trading or face having claims for additional support denied and blocked.
The following does not apply to anyone trading as a limited company. If you trade through a company then you can stop reading now.
Approximately 24,000 self-employed traders who have claimed either or both of the first and/or second self-employed income support (SEISS) grants have been sent emails from HMRC in October asking whether they were still trading. The recipients represent less than 1% of the 2,657,000 traders who had claimed either or both of the first or second SEISS grants by 30 September. HMRC only sent emails to people who it believed have ceased trading, based on information it holds. This data could be a cessation date for the business reported on the 2019/20 tax return, an application to deregister for VAT, or information from another source.
Agents have not received copies of emails sent to their clients.
The email contained a form that must be completed and returned to HMRC. The form requested confirmation of whether or not you are still trading. If you were sent one of these emails then you must respond by today Friday November 20, if you wish to claim the third or fourth SEISS grant, otherwise your claim for this additional support will be denied and blocked.
If you think that you may have received this email then, unless you have already responded to HMRC, please double check your emails, including spam and junk folders, to ensure that you have not received this contact from HMRC.
