We know that things haven’t been easy for businesses this year, but the recently announced restart grant which has been announced by the government may help. This is a new fund to reconnect small and micro businesses with their customers and employees. Basically, if your business paid rates during 2019, even if you are in arrears, you may be eligible for the grant.
The grant is the equivalent to the rates bill of your business in 2019, with a minimum payment of €2,000 and a maximum payment of €10,000. The grant can be used to help cover ongoing fixed costs, such as utilities, refurbishment, insurance etc. You can find out more information about eligibility and how to apply on this video: https://youtu.be/5htei8MUbfg
Who can apply?
- Businesses that have a turnover of less than €5m and have 50 or less employees
- Businesses which have suffered a projected 25%+ loss in revenue from 1st April 2020 to 30th June 2020
Some key terms of the grant:
- Businesses must commit to remain open or to reopen if it were closed
- Businesses must also declare the intention to retain employees that are benefiting from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS)
- Businesses should retain supporting documentation as spot-checks may be carried out to verify a declaration to this effect.
The application form for the Restart Grant is available on your local authority website (click here to access on Leitrim County Council). If you would like more detail on the grant you can read some frequently asked questions here. The closing date for receipt of applications is 31 August 2020.
Your business doesn’t fit the criteria? If your business doesn’t qualify for this grant it may be eligible for the Enterprise Support Grant for businesses impacted by Covid19. The Enterprise Support Grant will shortly be available to assist eligible self-employed recipients who are closing the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme after 25th June 2020. This will provide business owners with a once-off grant of up to €1,000 to re-start their business which was closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Department is developing the systems to put this grant into effect, and we will update you on how to access the grant over the coming weeks.
This is the first blog post in our Build Back Better Campaign, which will be running over the next 8 weeks. We’ll be keeping you updated with the latest government supports available to you and your business and we’ll be sharing any information that we think you will benefit from. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for more information.
