Repayment window opens to pay back Covid scheme money
The government have launched a new voluntary repayment scheme for those who need to pay back Covid scheme money that they weren’t entitled to receive. The scheme will run until December this year.
As part of measures to tackle Covid-related fraud, the government have announced the launch of a voluntary repayment scheme. This scheme gives recipients of various Covid support payments a ‘no questions asked’ window to repay any money that they received but were not entitled to.
HM Treasury say this will be the last chance for individuals to come forward before they start imposing tougher sanctions from next year, which could include prosecution.
HM Treasury have not given a specific date that the repayment window will end but have advised that individuals will be given ‘until December 2025’.
The voluntary repayment scheme covers various COVID support payments such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and the Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), which we explain more about below.
SEISS grants
During the Coronavirus pandemic, the government provided support for self-employed individuals in the UK by way of the self-employment income support scheme (SEISS.) The scheme, which ended in September 2021, provided a series of five grant payments to those who met certain eligibility criteria. You can read more about the SEISS scheme and eligibility criteria here.
Various different tests and criteria had to be met for each of the five SEISS grants. It is possible that claims could have been made in error, if, for example, an individual had looked at the wrong criteria or did not fully understand what the rules meant.
Making a repayment under the scheme
If you think you have received Covid support money that you were not entitled to and now wish to use the voluntary repayment scheme, you should visit the government’s dedicated webpage for further information related to each Covid support scheme.
In particular, if the money you need to pay back relates to SEISS grants, this webpage provides a link to further information about repaying these grants, which can also be found here.
To access the online service to repay some or all of your SEISS grants, you should click on the green ‘start now’ button by scrolling to the bottom of the page. You will then be asked a series of questions, which you should answer accordingly, depending on your circumstances.
You will need the following pieces of information to complete the form, so it will be useful to gather this together in advance:
- Your Government Gateway user ID and password.
- Your Self-Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number.
- Your grant claim reference number.
Your UTR can be found on any tax returns you have submitted. It can also be found in your online personal tax account, or in the HMRC app. Our guidance on Online tax accounts may be useful.
The grant claim reference can be found on a copy of your online grant claim you will have received at the time of making a SEISS grant claim.
Once you have completed the online form, HMRC will provide details on how to make the payment and what will happen next. Taxpayers should contact HMRC if they have concerns about being able to make any repayment due.
