Freelance /self employed panic thread

Hello. You can change you name.

S'up!

very cool

I have been on a six month career break due to end at the start of April with going back on the same freelance terms. That’s not going to happen.

Worse still, as I’ve not been on any payroll, I won’t be able to claim anything on the basis of my Feb salary.

We’re fortunate in that we can get by on savings etc but it’s all a bit hard to swallow.

On the subject of mortgage holidays - is taking a holiday (if they even let me, the guidance on the Clydesdale website still maintains you need to have overpaid by 3 months before being eligible) going to impact me on any affordability criteria when my current 2-year runs out in August?

I don't know the answer to your question but I do know that the lenders have been instructed not to attach eligibility criteria to the mortgage holidays. Maybe Clydesdale haven't updated their web site?

Government and banks have said it won't show up on credit reports, but I'd confirm when I called up.

ok, I have now read several times I am entitled to £94/week or thereabouts.
I'm self-employed, fairly low income, renting a flat, so I think this is all I get.

has anyone successfully claimed this amount? how do I do it? apologies for the stupid questions. I feel awkward claiming this but I think I need to get over it as I will probably have no income for months

You have to go through Universal Credit, so expect several hours on hold, then 5 weeks for any payment

I'd wait a couple of days though
"spokesman said the government was still urgently working on measures to help the self-employed (who were not protected by the sweeping employment support package announced by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, on Friday)."

thanks!
is the payment backdated?

Yep!
https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-youre-paid

Check your eligibility, may not be able to claim of partner is working still.
https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/AboutYou

Thanks @laner + @Stonehedge

Got through to Clydesdale (trying on phone since Friday) and they said email them. Which was just brilliant.

Similar situation here. Just been trying to get through to sort my first appointment. Two hours on hold then my phone cut out!
Never done this before so it’s pretty overwhelming.

Thanks @laner for the info. Hopefully there will be more news soon.

http://chng.it/nqRmfqqbpb

Probably pointless but can't hurt

Glimmer of hope, put in front of the house today. No idea what that means in terms of likelihood or timing.

I'm here for glimmers, frankly. Really fucking here for them.

From Money Saving Expert on twitter:

*Martin Lewis @MartinSLewis
Self-employed help update:

1. I've confirmation govt is on this right now. It aims to make further help announcement this week, once its watertight. So hold on.
   
2. Apply for Uni credit. Housing pay changes mean it may be bigger than u think, inc some circs £1500+/mth untaxed*
   

Marin Lewis tweeted last night that the bill I linked to is an amendment -

'Final message before I sleep. People keep forwarding a "parliamentary bill about support for self employed" believing this is the govt' new policy.
It isn't. It's an amendment. Without govt support it is unlikely to happen.'

Does anyone know for sure if the Universal Credit claims are means-tested, or dependent on how much money you have saved? I can't find any clear guidance on this.

Not sure if this helps, but during application you get asked if you have a) <£6000 of savings, b) between £6k - £16k, c) >£16k.
If c) then you're not eligible according to https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/eligibility
You also get asked how much rent you pay, but not for utilities statements.

Worth noting also that if you live with a partner you will be assessed on joint income and savings. I.e if your partner has savings and/or a job that pays above a certain amount, you wont get a fucking penny.

Sunak:

"We’re looking at pace at what support can be provided.

The fact is that [the 5m group] that we’re dealing with contains such a wide variety of different people where we don’t have the ability to target support - that’s the challenge that we have in designing something that gets to the people that we want it to help whilst at the same time being affordable, not having to benefit absolutely everybody.

That is proving to be problematic, but we are hard at work on it.

In terms of delivery, it is almost certainly going to be the case that we would have to build another brand new system to deliver any support.

I think it’s right, and I’m sure honourable members on both sides of this house would agree, that in terms of prioritising system design, the scheme we have set up for 90% of the workforce that is employed should be delivered first and quickly, and that is what we have committed to do, ideally by the end of April."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said:

We know many self-employed people are in distress but we are working urgently to address this problem, and I say to the self-employed, we have not forgotten you, help is coming.

But the policy and delivery is complex and we cannot and should not rush to announce a scheme that begs more questions than it answers.

Sir Ed Davey said:

It is not uncommon for the self-employed, when they do their annual self-assessment tax return, to have to pay money back to the Treasury - surely if money is given now so they can deal with the cash flow, capped, in a temporary scheme, then that money can be clawed back the next time they do their self-assessment if it turns out that they didn’t need it.

Mr Barclay replied:

He’s absolutely right, urgency is important, that is why the Chancellor is engaged on this, but it is a complex population that we are seeking to target.

Hot take: we're fucked and will continue to be fucked for some time to come.

Thanks @CYOA , always good to know how fucked you are.

Sunak's logic is flawed - it's the self-employed, freelance or GEWs that are in the most precarious and vulnerable position right now and in the most urgent need.

They need to freeze mortgages and rent unilaterally and relieve some burden off of businesses AND the individual. Also, match the business rates relief with council tax relief.

Relief should be bottom up, not top down.

Plan for self employed to be announced tomorrow

https://mobile.twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1242796195136839687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw