Updated 19 July 2021
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
If you’re eligible based on your tax returns, HMRC will contact you in mid-July to give you a date that you can make your claim from. It will be given to you either by email, text message, letter or within the online service.
The online service to claim the fifth grant will be available from late July 2021.
You’ll need to confirm that you meet other eligibility criteria when you make your claim.
You must make your claim on or before 30 September 2021.
Guidance on how to claim the fifth grant will be available on GOV.UK.
Other support
There are two types of support that you may be able to receive through the welfare system:
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You can apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work.
You can also apply for ESA if you cannot work while you are self-isolating or ‘shielding’ because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
More information about eligibility for ESA can be found on the Government pages.
Universal Credit (UC)
This is a payment to help with your living costs. Your Universal Credit payment is made up of a standard allowance and any extra amounts that apply to you, for example, if you:
have children
have a disability or health condition which prevents you from working
need help paying your rent
To complete your online claim, you should have the following information to hand:
Your earnings for the last month – this is all earnings, not just what you have earned delivering with Stuart
Any expenses you have from being self-employed – for example, your fuel costs
Your housing costs (such as your rent or mortgage)
Any savings you have over £6,000
Anyone else that lives in your household. If you live with a partner, they will also need to open a Universal Credit account
Any childcare costs
Any other income you may receive – for example, a pension or a bursary
You can read the Government’s advice on Universal Credit and COVID-19 here.
Normally it can take around five weeks to receive your first payment of Universal Credit. However, during your telephone appointment, you can ask for an advance payment of Universal Credit. You can read more about advances here.
ESA and UC can be claimed separately or at the same time.