Allow PAYE freelancers to receive the UK government's COVID-19 self employed grant

Allow PAYE freelancers to receive the UK government's COVID-19 self employed grant

Started
26 March 2020
Petition to
Rishi Sunak (UK Chancellor) and 2 others
Signatures: 12,058Next Goal: 15,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Jodie McCallum

UK Parliament - please do the right thing and protect and support PAYE freelancers whose work has been affected by COVID-19 by allowing them to qualify for the coronavirus self employed grant. 

Rishi Sunak has announced that self employed people will receive 80% of their average monthly income/profits up to £2500 - but ONLY for those who have registered and filed their own self assessments. 

He’s left behind the massive workforce of PAYE freelancers (a lot of whom make up the creative industries) whose tax & N.I. deductions are processed automatically for them (usually because they have no choice in this) via employers and HMRC. Many are/have been on fixed term contracts and cannot be furloughed, therefore won’t be able to go down the job retention scheme route - as you can imagine many employers are understandably unsure on whether they can furlough and some are understandably having to refuse to furlough freelancers at the moment as they feel they’re not in a position to. It’s not their fault. 

And even if freelancers were to be furloughed, many work for several different companies at a time, so if only one company agreed to furlough they’d still potentially be losing out on getting the full 80% amount of their monthly wage. PAYE freelancers should receive the same benefits as those who file self-assessments. 

HMRC has details of most freelancer’s average monthly & yearly earnings and could therefore easily work out what they’d be eligible for per month! This would all be SO much easier if PAYE freelancers were made eligible for the self employed grant. 

For the majority of people Universal Credit is simply not enough. Especially when compared to what they’d receive if given the self-employed grant. Also, many freelancers would like to continue to pick up bits of work where possible - the only way this would be ‘uncapped’ whilst receiving government support is if they were given the self employed grant. They pay tax & N.I. like everybody else - they should not be left behind or fall through the cracks.

Please sign this petition to ensure PAYE freelancers are protected and supported through the self employed grant.

No-one deserves to be left behind.

Please sign and share! Thank you. 

 

 

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Signatures: 12,058Next Goal: 15,000
Support now
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