HMRC issues urgent warning to SEISS grant recipients
Enforcement surrounding Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants is being stepped up. HMRC is now writing to some businesses insisting that they take certain steps within 30 days - or repay the amounts received. What’s going on?
The SEISS was set up to help sole traders and partnerships through the coronavirus pandemic. The first three tranches were paid between March 2020 and January 2021, and must be included as taxable turnover in 2020/21. However, HMRC is currently sending a letter to businesses regarding the 2019/20 returns.
While there are no grant payments to report on the 2019/20 returns, the letter is a reminder that being self-employed in 2019/20 was a prerequisite to claiming under the SEISS. The businesses being contacted are those which have not submitted a return for 2019/20 and those that have but with no self-employment or partnership pages included. It’s perfectly possible that this is just a simple omission. However, it is also possible that a business has misunderstood the eligibility criteria and made a claim in error.
If a business receives a letter it must take action and submit the missing information within 30 days or pay back the SEISS grants received. Of course, if it transpires the business wasn’t eligible for the grants, they will need to be paid back in any case, and a penalty may be charged
Related Topics
-
HMRC’s new compliance check service
HMRC has published a collection of videos and notes to help if you’re picked for a compliance check. Is HMRC’s new service worth a look or is it just official propaganda?
-
Income sharing trouble for separated couple
After a couple separated one spouse received income from letting the property she jointly owned with her estranged spouse. HMRC taxed all the income on her. Was it right to do so or should her spouse have been taxed on half the income?
-
How to handle workers aiming to "Slide Away" to an Oasis Concert
The Oasis Live ’25 UK reunion tour starts in Cardiff on 4 July 2025 and concludes in London on 28 September 2025. With ticketless fans keen on obtaining last-minute tickets and ticketed fans eager to get to the gig for when the gates open, this could have an impact on staff productivity and timekeeping. How can you tackle these issues?
This website uses both its own and third-party cookies to analyze our services and navigation on our website in order to improve its contents (analytical purposes: measure visits and sources of web traffic). The legal basis is the consent of the user, except in the case of basic cookies, which are essential to navigate this website.