Grant to small businesses and the self-employed

This grant was available for smaller businesses and the self-employed as a means to help their businesses and be utilised in whichever way you deem appropriate, and was intended to last three months.

A flat sum of £3,000 was paid to successful applications. The grant to small businesses and the self-employed was available to those in the following sectors:

• Hospitality and tourism;
• Passenger transport and travel;
• Rental and leasing of cars and recreational goods;
• Recreation and entertainment;
• Event management and event services;
• Personal service activities such as hairdressers, beauticians and animal boarding;
• Commercial fishing;
• Private extra-curricular education such as dance and riding schools;
• Non-food and non-pharmacy retail;
• Advertising and marketing;
• Construction;
• Manufacturing;
• Cleaning services;
• Window cleaning;
• Gardening;
• Pet care services;
• Waste services (particularly those focused on commercial and building work);
• Estate Agents;
• Architects and building design services;
• Facilities management and office management;
• Security and cash transfer activities;
• Freight and goods transfer (excluding food); 
• Dental and dental hygienists and other non-essential personal health and hygiene roles;
• Personnel recruitment services, and;
• Small business book keepers.

To be eligible for support, your business must have been trading since 1st September 2019 and applicants must have been able to clearly demonstrate that you are firmly established and financially viable. Claims for businesses that commenced trading between 1st September and 1st December 2019 were considered on submission of business bank accounts and management accounts. This scheme was extended to businesses with up to 20 employees. Operations that have multiple businesses in different sectors, could make separate claims for each business that operates in a different economic sector.

Small business book keepers were also eligible to claim the grant and payroll co-funding scheme if they could:

• Demonstrate a significant impact on business turnover
• Show that at least 75% of their business is in relation to local residents and/or domestic businesses outside the finance sector
• They employ 5 people or fewer

If self-employed, they are not affiliated with a business employing more than 5 people.

Requests from businesses in other sectors of the economy were also considered where the business can demonstrate hardship as a result of the Coronavirus. 

Small businesses who have been awarded a grant were able to retain their grant payment, if they could start working again from 25 April 2020. 

If a self-employed person claims Income Support, the value of the grant may be taken into account. This will depend upon when the grant was paid and when Income Support becomes payable. For Income Support purposes only, the grant will be valued at £230 per week for a maximum period of 13 weeks.

Requests to defer or stagger payment of your Social Insurance contributions for both Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 could be made. If you have already paid your Social Insurance contributions for Quarter 1 you can request a refund. If you have a tax debt, you can contact us to agree a payment plan. You can email financial.support@gov.gg with the subject ‘refund’ or ‘deferral’ and someone will contact you as soon as possible.

Further information is available in the guidance document below. This includes, on States-owned land, mooring fees for commercial fisherman, TRP and Social Insurance Employer Contributions.