Following an announcement by the chancellor on 26 March* the government issued the following advice for self-employed people.
NOTE Government advice is continually updated at Coronavirus and claiming benefits.
If you are self-employed and claiming Universal Credit and are required to stay at home or are ill as a result of coronavirus, the Minimum Income Floor (an assumed level of income) will not be applied for the period of time whilst you are affected.
From 6 April the requirements of the Minimum Income Floor will be temporarily relaxed. This change will apply to all Universal Credit claimants and will last for the duration of the outbreak. New claimants will not need to attend the jobcentre to demonstrate gainful self-employment.
The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by coronavirus. The scheme will provide a grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month. Read more about Eligibility for SEISS.
You should not contact HMRC about accessing SEISS now. HMRC will use existing information to check potential eligibility and invite applications once the scheme is operational.
The Self-employment Income Support Scheme will be treated as earnings in Universal Credit. Your Universal Credit payment will adjust in response to changes in your earnings.
If you need financial help whilst waiting for SEISS, check your Eligibility for Universal Credit.
* Chancellor gives support to millions of self-employed individuals, GOV.UK Treasury, 26/03/20