Coronavirus Business Support Scheme

The Department for Enterprise's Coronavirus Business Support Scheme has been established to provide grant assistance of £3,000 to support local businesses in designated sectors that have been financially affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

Fill out an online application form for the scheme via the button below.

Eligible Sectors

Eligible businesses must have less than 100 employees (unless indicated in the table below) and be operating in one of the following sectors in the table below.

For a more detailed breakdown of the sectors, please see the Scheme Guidelines. 

Important Note: the scheme excludes large retailers; any retailer that is liable to pay or will be liable to pay income tax at 10% rate under the large retailers tax for the 2018/2019 income tax year. 

Eligible Criteria 

For all businesses, the following must be declared:

• It has been financially affected by loss of trade caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
• It was operating on 28^thFebruary 2020 and subsequently
• To the best of its knowledge, it is the intention of the business to continue trading through the current difficult conditions into at least the short to mid-term future; and
• The business does not have any overdue payments of more than 3 months relating to Income Tax, National Insurance and VAT.

In the case of Tourist Accommodation, Catering, Entertainment & Leisure, Travel & Tour Operators, Logistics and Retail, the business must declare that:

• For Tourist Accommodation, the premises/site is registered with the Department for Enterprise;
• It has one of more employees (which can be either full-time or part-time permanent employees) which can include the owner/a self-employed person (please see 3d of the guidelines for more eligibility criteria); and
• It has less than 100 employees (with the exception of the hotel sector) or in the case of the retail sector, 26 or fewer full-time equivalent employees.

In case of Construction and Education, the business must declare that:

• It has one employee (self-employed, please see 3d of the guidelines for more eligibility criteria)

Eligible Employees

In order to qualify for the Scheme and financial assistance, a self-employed person must:

• Be a self-employed earner as defined by the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992;
• Have already notified the Treasury under regulation 87 of the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001 of their liability to pay Class 2 National Insurance Contributions;
• Have been in operation, in the capacity specified in the first bullet point, continuously for a period that commenced no later than 28th February 2020;
• As of 28 February 2020, not have reached pensionable age as defined by the Pensions Act 1995;
• Have annual profits or gains wholly or mainly from a relevant sector as set out in these guidance;
• Not have been granted a certificate of Small Earnings Exception or would have been granted such a certificate had an application to Treasury been made; and
• In the event of the person's making an application to the Treasury for the purpose, not have his or her liability to pay Class 2 or Class 4 National Insurance contributions deferred or treated as deferred.

Assessment Criteria

The Department will assess each application based on the following criteria:

• FULL completion of the application form -please ensure you've checked that every section of the form is completed; and
• Eligibility

Key Information

• Only one application and payment per business in each round of funding will be permitted.
• Only one business within a group of companies will be eligible to apply.
• The grant must be used for businesses purposes by the supported business. It is intended that the grant can be used in two broad ways a) to help alleviate cash flow issues and b) to undertake business improvement initiatives.
• The Department will authorise payment to be made. All payments will usually be made into the applicant's business bank account as soon as possible
• Due to the high volume of expected applications, the Department will notify ineligible or rejected applicants via email stating the reasons for the refusal
• The provision of financial assistance is discretionary and the decision to provide assistance is based on the merits of each particular case
• If you apply for this scheme, you cannot apply for the Manx Earnings Replacement Allowance (MERA) Grant

The Scheme is made by the Treasury under the Financial Provisions and Currency Act 2011, a copy of which can be found here

Completed application forms and supporting documentation should be either emailed (preferred option) to enterprisesupport@gov.im or sent to:

Address: Department for Enterprise, 1st Floor, St George's Court, Upper Church Street, Douglas, IM1 1EX.

Important Note: if a paper copy is submitted, the approval process may be slower.

If you're unsure of your eligibility for this scheme we encourage you to complete the online enquiry form.

How to access the Scheme 

Application forms should be either completed via the online form (preferred option) or sent to:

Department for Enterprise
1st Floor
St George's Court
Upper Church Street
Douglas
IM1 1EX 

Important Note: if a paper copy is submitted, the approval process may be slower. 

If you're unsure of your eligibility for this scheme we encourage you to complete the enquiry form.