What is the “Restart Grant”?
As part of a number of response measures, a €250m Restart Grant was introduced to provide additional support for micro and small enterprises.
The grant was available to rateable businesses with a turnover of less than €5 million and employing 50 people or less which were closed or experienced a drop of 25% or more in turnover to help with costs associated with reopening and reemploying workers following COVID-19 closures. The grant was based on an enterprise’s commercial rates bill for 2019 with a minimum payment of €2,000 and a maximum payment of €10,000.
To further support enterprises as the economy reopens and resumes activity, further grant funding of €300m will be provided to businesses through an enhanced Restart Grant.
Enhanced Restart Grant (Restart Grant Plus):
The maximum grant available will rise to €25,000 (up from €10,000) and the minimum payment will be €4,000 (up from €2,000). Firms that accessed the Restart Grant will be eligible to apply for a second top-up payment to a total combined value of the revised minimum and maximum grant levels. The criteria for accessing the scheme will include Enterprises that have:
- 250 employees or less;
- Turnover of less than €100,000 per employee; and
- Reduced turnover by 25% as a result of COVID-19
Under the revised Restart Grant, support will also be provided for enterprises that could not access the original grant scheme. Non-rated B&Bs and rateable sports businesses will be eligible for a grant payment of €4,000.
Further details about the Restart Grant
- The grant will be based on the amount of the rates assessment for the premises for 2019 (excluding arrears) with a new minimum grant of €4,000 and a maximum grant of €25,000 (Increased from €2,000 min and €10,000 max).
- Eligible firms now include medium-sized firms and independent hotels with up to 250 employees, as well as small firms (increased from 50 employees).
- Businesses impacted by a 25% reduction in turnover will be eligible provided they commit to reopening and to hiring and sustaining employment.
- A turnover of up to €25m is now allowable, increased from €5m. There is a cap of €100,000 turnover per employee.
- Commercial sports businesses and trading charity shops in rated premises can now apply for the grant.
- The hospitality sector, restaurants, pubs, activity centres and tourist attractions, e.g., galleries, museums are eligible if they are operating from a rated premise.
- B&Bs in non-rated premises will be eligible to apply for the minimum €4,000 grant from Fáilte Ireland.
- A franchisee which is a financially independent company and is completely separate to the franchisor is eligible to apply.
- Small company chains can apply if they meet the criteria of <250 employees and €25m turnover in totality across the company and all the branches.
- Multinationals are not eligible. Small Irish based subsidiaries with overseas parent companies are not eligible.
- Large chains that are part of a large group company, i.e. one legal entity with a number of branches, such as fast food, group and multiple supermarkets, group hotels, group betting shops and group pharmacies are not eligible.
TO QUALIFY:
To qualify for a grant, the important criteria are:
- A business must be commercial and in the local authority rates system (apart from non-rateable B&Bs who can apply to Fáilte Ireland);
- It must have suffered a 25% loss of expected turnover between 1 April and 30 June 2020;
- It must have less than 250 employees and turnover less than €25m;
- It must declare its intention to re-employ staff in receipt of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme
Applications for the enhanced grant will open in due course through the Local Authorities. Non-rated B&Bs will be eligible to apply to Fáilte Ireland. Further details will be provided shortly.
For more COVID-19 business supports contact Wentworth or call on Wentworth on 021-4217470