Grant to small businesses and the self-employed

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

The amount payable will be a flat sum of £3,000. On Wednesday 15th April, the grant to small businesses and the self-employed has been widened and now includes 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 you must be 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 will be considered on submission of business bank accounts and management accounts. This has recently been extended to businesses with up to 20 employees. Operations that have multiple businesses in different sectors, can now make separate claims for each business that operates in a different economic sector.

Small business book keepers are now also eligible to claim the grant and payroll co-funding scheme if they can:

• 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 will also be considered where the business can demonstrate hardship as a result of the Coronavirus. If required, the scheme may be extended to other sectors.

Small businesses who have been awarded a grant will be able to retain their grant payment, if they are able to start working again from 25 April 2020. Those businesses who are awaiting payment of a grant (who are eligible for support) will also still be able to receive that support.

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.

You can also request deferral or staggered payment of your Social Insurance contributions for both Quarter 1 and Quarter 2. 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.