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Did you know there’s support for the newly self-employed? Even at this crazy coronavirus time, there are still many resources of financial and business support you can access.
With so many redundancies lately – and probably more to come – going self-employed is a good option for some. If you’ve found yourself with a sudden drop (or total loss) in your earnings, being self-employed could be the way to go.
So, what help is available for the newly self-employed?
There’s a lot to get through, so let’s get started!
New Enterprise Allowance
A lesser-known benefit, the New Enterprise Allowance is ideal for anyone who wants to start their own business because they’ve been out of work for a while.
It’s a great resource for new business owners, because it includes mentorship from business consultants as well as funding.
To qualify, you’ll need to be receiving Job Seeker’s Allowance (or the equivalent for Universal Credit). At first, you’ll stay on JSA while your business mentor helps your develop your business plan.
When you’re ready to start trading, you’ll switch to NEA.
What you’ll get
The first 13 weeks of NEA is paid at £66 per week. After that, the next 13 weeks is paid at £33 a week.
This money isn’t taxable. That means you’ll need to add it on your tax return but not include it as taxable income.
Ongoing support
You can access support from your business mentor for 12 months after starting the scheme. Your mentor will also know about local grants and startup funding schemes, and can help you apply for them.
You’ll also be eligible for a low-cost startup loan from the Government once you complete your 26 weeks. This loan is for between £500 to £25,000, with a fixed interest rate of 6%. It’s repaid over one to five years, with no early repayment fees.
Remember that you can also continue to claim Universal Credit while your self-employed income is low.
Universal Credit and Self-Employment
Universal Credit is a flexible benefit. You don’t have to be out of work to access it. When you’re self-employed, you’ll submit a monthly assessment of your income and expenses.
When your net profit is below a certain amount (depending on your circumstances), you’ll receive some or all your Universal Credit payment. The months you earn more, you’ll receive less or no Universal Credit.
This means you can continue to be a UC recipient until your business returns a solid income every month. Unlike Job Seeker’s Allowance, which stops as soon as you find work, UC is an ongoing safety net.
Universal Credit Eligibility
There are some limits to accessing UC.
You must:
- Have less than £16,000 in capital or assets
- Not own a second property
- Apply jointly with your partner if you live together.
This means if your partner earns above a certain amount, you won’t be eligible for Universal Credit. You don’t have to be married – if you live with your partner, their income is taken into account.
Help to Save
If you do qualify for Universal Credit, you can plan to open a Help to Save account, too.
Once you earn above £604.56 in one monthly assessment period, you can apply for the account. You don’t need to earn this income every month – just the once. That’s your household income, too – so the £604.56 can be the total earned between you and your partner in one month. You can both open a separate Help to Save account, too.
Help to Save is a useful savings account with a hefty Government bonus. Save between £1 and £50 each month, and the Government pays you a bonus worth 50% of the highest balance you’ve saved.
The account lasts for 4 years, and the bonus is paid to you in year 2 and year 4. The maximum bonus you can receive is £1,200 (£600 in both year 2 and year 4). After the 4th year, it automatically closes and you can’t open another one.
This extra money – and savings habit – is a great way to make sure you’re setting aside some money for your tax bills. Things like Payments on Account can take newly self-employed people by surprise, so an emergency buffer like this helps.
Read our in-depth Help to Save article to find out more.
Access to Work
A little-known resource, Access to Work helps people with disabilities get the right equipment or help to do their job well.
Employers can access the scheme to receive a portion of costs for special equipment. Self-employed people, however, can use the scheme to have most or all of the cost covered.
The grant covers things like desk equipment or speech-to-text software. It can also cover things like assisted travel to and from a workplace, or support worker services. It’s not taxed and doesn’t have to be paid back.
How to apply
To be eligible, you must have a disability (a chronic physical or mental condition that affects your day-to-day tasks). You don’t have to receive disability benefits to qualify. You’ll also need to be in paid work (including self-employment) or due to start paid work imminently.
First, apply online for an Access to Work grant. There’s a slightly different scheme to apply for if you live in Northern Ireland.
You’ll be asked about your health condition, how it affects your ability to work, and what equipment you need to help.
Next, someone will come to assess your needs either at your office or home (if you’re working from home). If, for example, you need a special desk chair, they’ll measure you for this at the same time. At the moment, home visits are currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. You may not require an assessment to receive your grant – or your grant could be delayed until assessments are available again.
They’ll send their report for approval. If your grant is accepted, you’ll receive the report along with information about the equipment and supplier. You can then order that equipment from the supplier – and either pay direct and be reimbursed, or have Access to Work pay the supplier direct.
If you work from home, you may have to pay a portion of the cost (usually around 7%) if the equipment could be used for personal use. For example, if you order a foot rest for your desk, but use your computer outside of work hours, this is personal use.
Business Mentorship
Not strictly a funding opportunity or a benefit, but business mentorship programmes are a great place to start when you set up your business.
Your local Job Centre and your Citizens Advice Bureau will have plenty of advice about accessing local business mentorship schemes.
Getting a local business mentor means you’ll have access to important networking opportunities. They’ll also know where you may be able to access grants and funding on a local level, too.
Some local authorities run a business mentorship programme with lots of free workshops to educate new business owners on everything to marketing to managing taxes. You may also be able to access free (or very cheap) co-working office space, equipment, or storage units for inventory.
Prince of Wales Trust
The Prince of Wales Trust offers business mentorship and funding support to entrepreneurs aged 18 – 30 (inclusive – so if you’re already 30 you can apply).
The Trust has an excellent reputation for helping young people launch their careers. They offer mentorship and support, from business planning through to funding applications and beyond. You can also access the Development Awards for some training grants, too.
Take a look around the website to see if they can help.
Startup Funding
If you can start your business without borrowing, that’s a great position to be in. However, most new business owners will need to borrow some capital to get their business off the ground.
Startup loans offer a low-cost way to fund your new business plans. You don’t need the same established business requirements of a typical business loan, either. For example, you don’t have to have several years’ accounts to be approved for a loan.
Shop around for your startup loan. Like any other loan, some deals are better than others. Borrow only what you need – not the maximum amount available. This helps keeps costs down in the long-term without impacting your short-term cash flow.
Try the Startup Loans Company or Funding Circle as a first stop.
Peer-to-Peer Lending and Angel Investors
An Angel Investor is like a dragon from the Dragon’s Den. They’ll fund part of your business venture in return for a percentage of the profits. You’ll often receive business mentorship as part of the deal, too.
There are lots of angel investor platforms available. Try to meet with (or, these days, video call) potential investors before signing anything. Always read the small print and make sure you speak to several possible investors before choosing your partner.
Peer-to-peer lending is a bit more anonymous. You don’t get the business mentorship but you can access a larger fund.
Investors pay into a P2P fund in return for a percentage on their money. The P2P platform takes a percentage, too. Think of it like a loan – but without the need to satisfy high lending requirements of a high street bank.
Crowdfunding
We’ve all seen the success of Kickstarter and Crowdfunder. But how do they work?
You create an online pitch for anyone to see. This includes details about the products you want to develop, what it does, and what the crowdfunded money pays for. You can entice investors by giving them something in return for their cash. For example, they can buy the product early and at a reduced price, or you can offer them a listing on a sponsors page – anything you think will entice investors.
You have to set a target. If you fail to reach the funding target, you won’t get any of the money.
If you reach your funding target, you’ll get your money. However, it doesn’t stop there. You’ll be held accountable for the cash and will have to prove you’ve done what you said you’d do with the cash!
Local Authority Funding
Check your local council’s business pages. You might be surprised!
Many local authorities offer funding or mentorship programmes for new business owners. These schemes are often more prevalent in deprived areas, to encourage new companies to set up in that region.
Regionally, Wales and Scotland tend to have more local funding options for new businesses than England and Northern Ireland.
The funding available could be anything from a one-off grant to ongoing business support in the form of a rent-free office or shop space. Many grants need to be matched – so if you need £1000, you’ll need to put £500 up yourself and ask for a further £500 in the grant.
In a post-COVID-19 world, you may also find new grants and schemes popping up as local authorities try to stimulate the economy and reduce regional unemployment. So, if you have no luck right now, keep an eye on it!
Social Enterprise Funding
If you want your new business to be a social enterprise, this opens you up to many more startup and ongoing funding opportunities.
A social enterprise puts surplus profits back into the business to aid the community. You can still earn a profit and wage, but your overall work needs to have a social or environmental mission that benefits your local community and surrounding areas.
Running a business like this is similar to any business model. However, instead of sharing profits in the form of dividends to shareholders, you put that money back into your business efforts to maximise your impact on the community.
Social enterprises qualify for all sorts of grants, including those offered by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Loans are available as a funding option, often with a percentage grant. This means you won’t have to pay back everything that’s borrowed, only the loan element. For example, the First Steps Enterprise Fund offers loans up to £30,000 – with 90% of that as a loan and 10% a grant.
Try The Grants Hub to find social enterprise grants and loans for your business type.
Training Grants
If you need to achieve a qualification before you can open your business, you may receive training funding to help.
For example, people on Universal Credit may apply to have some or all course fees paid for, for short professional development courses. The course needs to be an essential item – for example, your Gas Safe certification if you want to start a boiler engineer business. It could also include things like health and safety training for mobile beauty therapists, licence courses for security staff, or a PTTLS adult teaching qualification for tutors and workshop leaders.
The National Careers Service has some funding opportunities for courses, too.
If you’re on a low income, it’s also worth looking at your local adult education centres and courses. They’ll often offer free or discounted places to people on benefits or who can prove a low income.
Apprenticeship Funding
Do you want to set up a business with staff? If you’re not planning to go it solo as a freelancer or contractor, staffing costs will make up a huge overhead as you set up your company.
Apprenticeships offer a way to staff your company while training the new generation. New businesses have to fund 5% of apprenticeship costs, with the rest covered by a Government scheme.
You’ll need to follow the rules about working hours, time off for study and exams, and assist with mentoring your apprentice.
Your apprentices could become full-time staff once they pass their course a few years down the line, too!
Talk to self-employed magpies
The MoneyMagpie Messageboard has a special forum for self-employed Magpies! Join us in conversation and post your burning questions to get involved and meet other new freelancers or business owners.
Share your experiences, ask questions, and get stuck in – the best post each week wins a £25 Amazon voucher! View all our messageboard forums here.
More Business Ideas and Tips
Feeling inspired now you know you’ve got lots of ways to fund your business idea? Check out these other business and freelance tips, too!
