Friday 15 May 2020
From today, businesses applying for payroll support through the Business Support Scheme will be able to submit their claims through a new web portal. This revised arrangement will make use of a new IT processing system which will enable faster processing and payment of applications.
The web portal will provide a user-friendly means of submitting payroll support claims.
All claims for payroll funding for the period from 4th May 2020 should be submitted through the new web portal. This can be accessed here: https://covid19.gov.gg/guidance/business
If businesses have already submitted a payroll claim for any period from 4th May, there is no need to re-submit an application.
Deputy Lyndon Trott, Vice-President of the Policy & Resources Committee, who is leading the economic support measures on behalf of the Committee, said:
"So far we have supported over 1,000 local businesses with their payroll funding requirements during this crisis. Over 3,000 payroll payments have been made to a value of over £7m, with a further £5.3m paid by way of grants to small businesses supporting a further 1,000 businesses. We know that there will be an on-going need to deliver payroll support for the coming weeks and that some businesses will require financial support for longer periods than others, possibly beyond the current scheme expiry date of 30th June.
While we agreed these support measures should be provided very early on in this crisis, getting a new system up and running to practically get this help to businesses has been an enormous challenge, and some businesses have had to wait as a result. I understand their frustration and that is why, while we've continued to process the growing number of claims manually, we've also been working on this digital solution so we can quickly speed the whole process up."
Further revisions to the support measures have also taken place which will widen eligibility for funding for certain businesses. In particular, small businesses employing up to 20 people will now be entitled to claim a small business grant. This follows valuable representation from certain business sectors and a review of the number of businesses that were narrowly failing to meet eligibility criteria. Details of the amended criteria are set out in the notes section below.
Deputy Trott said
"It's important that the support measures are applied fairly and we have identified certain circumstances where some businesses might have failed to meet eligibility criteria but still merit support. Whilst these cases are always reviewed, extending the criteria means we can widen vital support to those businesses in need.
We have listened, continue listening and we will not stop listening to those in need. By 'we' I don't just mean my political colleagues and I, but also our dedicated and hardworking civil service team to whom I also extend my gratitude."
Businesses who consider they are now eligible to claim under these new revised criteria and who have previously not first completed and submitted the Business Support Set Up form, will need to complete this form. This form can be accessed here: https://covid19.gov.gg/guidance/business. Businesses will only need to complete this form once and for subsequent applications for payroll funding, they will be able to use the new web portal.
