Updated 26 March 2020 HMRC have issued further guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme  both for the Employer and the Employee here:   https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme   https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Updated – 27 March 2020 The followi ...

Updated 23 March 2020 The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) provides support for businesses to access funding if certain eligibility criteria are met. What is it? The aim of CBILS is to support the continued provision of finance to UK SMEs during the COVID-19 outbreak. This is a temporary measure, by the UK Government. The scheme is designed to provide l ...

Updated 20th March 2020 While the government has made some significant announcements we are waiting on the detail as to how we access the support. Hopefully this will change quickly in the coming days. The basis of any business planning and decisions is what are the known facts and where these are not available what reasonable assumptions can we make (usually based on past exp ...

As some people move to working from home for the foreseeable future, it may be daunting and it usually takes a while to adjust.  Ward Williams have put together some things you can do to try and adapt to the changes: Download: Top tips for working from home ...

Updated 18th March 2020 We recommend someone in your organisation regularly reviews the UK Government’s guidance for employers which is updated daily. This guidance provides details of support available to businesses including : statutory sick pay relief package for SMEs; and the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme to help with tax Other details arising from the Governments announ ...

Updated 18 March 2020 The Government has announced it will delay the roll-out of new IR35 Off-Payroll Tax rules for 12 months. This announced by the chief secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay, in the House of Commons on 17 March 2020. The decision appears to have taken following “significant pressure” from campaigners and contractors. There had been representations to th ...

Updated 18 March 2020 There are a number of practical steps that SMEs can take to mitigate the impact that the spread of the disease could have on market demand: Look for alternative ways to deliver services and/or products: Consider alternative sources of supply, ensuring you don’t put your eggs in one basket, either within one company or one geographic region. Ensure you ha ...

Updated 18 March 2020 The Chancellor confirmed the amendment previously announced by the Prime Minister on 4 March 2020 (www.gov.uk/government/news/sick-pay-from-day-one-for-those-affected-by-coronavirus), that the requirement for three waiting days is to be suspended allowing SSP to be paid from the first day of absence as an emergency measure following the outbreak of corona ...

Updated 18 March 2020 Coronavirus business interruption loan scheme up to £2m per loan. To abolish business rates for retail businesses for this year and extend scheme to leisure businesses not currently covered. Long term review of rates in autumn budget. £3,000 cash grant for small businesses who already get rates' relief. £5bn emergency response fund on top of other plan ...

Updated 18 March 2020 The spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continuing to dominate the news, with major implications for public health and the NHS. It is also causing economic disruption and we want to reassure you we have put in place sensible measures to ensure that Ward Williams is well prepared and well positioned to continue to provide our services. So, we'd like to e ...