20 May 2020
The NI Executive has launched a new NI Micro-business Hardship Fund to help Northern Ireland based micro-businesses and social enterprises unable to access other regional and national COVID-19 support measures.
Department for the Economy (DfE) will make £40 million available through a fund, which is being administered by Invest NI on behalf of the Department for the Economy. It will offer emergency funding to businesses facing immediate cash flow difficulties due to the impact of COVID-19.
Summary of the scheme
The funding is available to businesses unable to access the £10,000, £25,000 and Covid-19 Childcare Support grant schemes.
In order to ensure that the £40 million budget is not exceeded, the final amounts awarded will depend on the number of successful applications.
The level of Hardship Fund grant will be up to £10,000 for businesses which pay business rates on premises and up to £5,000 for those that do not pay business rates. Businesses within each category will receive the same amount.
Only one grant will be paid to each eligible business, irrespective of how many properties the business occupies.
Eligibility
Who is eligible
You can apply for the grant if:
- The business must be based in Northern Ireland.
- At 29 February 2020, the business must have employed between one and nine employees paid via PAYE. Businesses, where the sole employee is the business owner or company director, are not eligible for this scheme. The number of employees will be based on headcount.
- Since 1 March 2020, the business must have experienced a reduction in turnover in excess of 40% as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic or associated Government restrictions.
Who cannot apply
The NI Micro-business Hardship Fund is open to all micro-business and social enterprises excluding the following:
- Primary agricultural producers i.e. those primarily concerned with crop or animal production or forestry or logging or fisheries or aquaculture. However, agricultural businesses associated with the processing, marketing and retail of agricultural products can apply to the fund.
- Businesses eligible for the following NI Executive schemes:
- £10,000 Small Business Support Grant Scheme
- £10,000 Small Business Grant for rental properties and Total NAV of £1,590 or below
- £25,000 Retail, Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Grant
- COVID-19 Childcare Support Scheme
- Charities or social enterprises with charitable status.
- Social enterprises that receive less than 60% of revenue from trade in goods and/or services.
Businesses should note that other non-repayable Government grants related to COVID-19 will be taken into account and will be deducted, where applicable, from the final grant awarded.
Check if you’re eligible to apply
You can use the online eligibility checker to find out if you can apply for the NI Micro-business Hardship Fund.
How you can prepare to apply
If you are eligible to apply for the grant scheme, there are some steps that you can take to prepare for completing the online application form.
Gather the correct information
If you are eligible, you will need the following information to complete the online application form:
- Your business name.
- Your contact name and number.
- Your business address and postcode.
- Your employer PAYE reference number, also known as an Employer Reference Number or ERN.
- The number of staff on your PAYE payroll as of 29 February 2020 and evidence to support this.
- Your LPS Ratepayer ID and Occupancy ID if you pay business rates.
- Your VAT number if you are VAT registered.
- Your business bank account number and sort code (only provide bank account details where a BACS payment can be accepted).
- Details of any de minimis funding your company or any company within the Group (if applicable) has received in the current or previous two fiscal (accounting) years.
Prepare the electronic documents you need
You will also need to provide electronically:
- A form of photographic ID as your proof of identity, such as a scanned copy of a valid passport or a current driving licence.
- A scanned copy of a bank statement dated within the last three months for an account used by your business that clearly shows your address.
- A scanned copy of your PAYE Real Time Information (RTI) return for the period ended 29 February 2020.
- The maximum file size of each attached document is 3MB.
The online application process will take approximately one hour to complete. You can save your application and return to it at any time before the closing date.
If you need any assistance with this or any other Covid-19 related funding in Northern Ireland please contact one of our Belfast Partners: Michael Fitch m.fitch@uhy-uk.com and Scott McCullough s.mccullough@uhy-uk.com or call 028 9032 2047.
