Self employed & shielding as instructed by government

trishyfield

Hi everyone 
can I claim SSP ... Im self employed & currently shielding as per email & letter recently received from  the government ...  thank you. 

Cressida

@trishyfield sorry I cannot answer the specific question but as a 'shielder' our local council has a special team who have telephoned to see if I need anything? Maybe your local council has a shielding team who might be able to answer that? I'm sure someone here will have a better knowledge. 

trishyfield

Thank you so much for your kind reply ... I will try my local council ..wishing you a great day .

Tori_Scope

Hello and welcome to the community @trishyfield  

It doesn't look like you can receive SSP if you're self-employed. The Turn2Us website says:

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid by an employer when an employee is unable to work due to sickness. If you are self employed, you cannot get Statutory Sick Pay as you are working for yourself and therefore do not have an employer.

If you are self employed and temporarily unable to work due to illness, you should check if you have made enough national insurance contributions to qualify for New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

You might like to read this page on the gov.uk website on what to do if you're self-employed and getting less work or no work, if you haven't already.

Ross_Scope

Hello and welcome to the community @trishyfield  

trishyfield

Thank you ?

trishyfield

Many thanks for the above information I have just applied for the ‘ new style employment & support allowance’ hopefully I may be able to claim as throughout all my shielding months I have never been eligible to claim anything.. 

Ross_Scope

Hopefully @trishyfield, let us know how you get on  

poppy123456

HI and welcome,

To be eligible for the New style ESA you must have paid the correct amount of NI contributions in tax years April 2017 to March 2019. If you haven't paid the correct amount then you will not be able to claim. You can check your NI contributions online here.

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

If you haven't paid the correct amount of NI contributions then you can look at claiming Universal Credit but claiming this will depend on your circumstances. If you have savings/capital of more than £16,000 you're excluded from claiming. If you live with a partner you need to claim as a couple. A claim for Universal Credit will end any tax credits you may already be claiming. Use a benefits calculator to check entitlement.

If you claim New style ESA and UC at the same time, your NsESA will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

May i also ask if you claimed the Government SEISS grant for self employed? Whether you're eligible will depend on circumstances and you must have submitted your self assessment tax return for 18/19 by 23rd April at the very latest. Information here. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme

trishyfield

Thank you so much for the above information