Revenue have confirmed that eligible businesses will be able to make a claim for payment under the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) from tomorrow, Tuesday, November 17th.
A business has to be impacted by Covid-19 restrictions to qualify for the payement.
Eligibility
A qualifying person who carries on a business activity from a premises located in a region that is subject to Covid-19 related restrictions can make a claim for payment under the CRSS if:
- The business is required to prohibit or considerably restrict customers from accessing its premises under the Covid restrictions.
- The weekly turnover from the relevant business activity in the claim period will be no more than 25 per cent of the average weekly turnover in 2019 (or in the case of a business activity which commenced on or after December 26th, 2019, the average weekly turnover of the business in 2020).
- The eligible business has tax clearance for the relevant claim period and intends to resume trading after the Covid restrictions are lifted.
While not required to be submitted with a claim, supporting documentation to demonstrate eligibility should be retained as Revenue may request such information to substantiate CRSS entitlement at a later date.
Making a claim
From tomorrow, eligible businesses will be able to make a claim for the current Covid-19 restrictive period up to December 1st, 2020 The date from which a claim can be made will be determined by the level of restrictions in place in the specific geographical location(s) during October.
Therefore, the maximum claim period for the current restrictive period runs from October 13th, the date the scheme was announced, to December 1st.
One payment will be made in respect of the current restrictive period, Revenue said this would generally be made within three days of a qualifying claim.
This means, for example, that if an eligible business was affected by Level 3 restrictions announced by the Government in early October 2020, it can make a claim for a payment for an 8-week period from October 13th to December 1st.
If the business was due a weekly payment of €2,500 based on average weekly turnover for 2019, it will receive a payment of €20,000 (i.e. €2,500 x 8).
For any future restricted periods, a business will be required to reassess its eligibility for the scheme.
There are currently over 9,500 businesses with an active CRSS registration. Detailed guidance on the CRSS, including how to register for, and make a claim under, the scheme can be found here.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: “The CRSS has been designed specifically with the needs of businesses that have been most directly impacted by public health restrictions at its heart and is simple and straightforward to apply for.
"This Government will continue to support such businesses while they cannot trade normally, and put them in a position to ensure viability so that they are in a stronger position as the public health situation improves and the economy recovers."
