Covid-19 business grants

This grant is for businesses that were required to close for the national lockdown period which began on 5 November.

Eligible businesses include: non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses.

These grants are only available to those businesses rate account holders.

A single grant to cover the lockdown period will be paid to each eligible business. Businesses with more than one qualifying property will be able to receive more than one grant.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
• you must have been trading on 4 November 2020, prior to the start of the national lockdown from 5 November 2020
• you must be a non-essential business that legally had to close from 5 November to 2 December 2020 (you are still eligible if for this grant if, as a result of lockdown measures, you continued to trade through click-and-collect, delivery or takeaway during this period)

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
• your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway

Read the government guidance.

This grant is for certain businesses (nightclubs, discos, dance halls, hostess bars, adult entertainment venues) who were required to close on 23 March 2020 and have been unable to reopen since.

The government has advised that payments will be made per 14-day closure period from the 1 November 2020 and will not be backdated.

During any national lockdown period, this grant will cease temporarily and eligible businesses will be paid from the local restrictions support grant (for closed businesses) grant fund.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
• you must have been trading on 22 March 2020 prior to the first national lockdown on 23 March
• you must be a nightclub, disco, dance hall, hostess bar or adult entertainment venue that was required to close on 23 March and has been legally required to stay closed since this date

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• you have reopened as another type of business (for example, changing a nightclub to a bar)
• you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government

Read the government guidance.

This is a discretionary grant for leisure, hospitality and accommodation businesses that were most affected by the Tier 2 restrictions including preventing households from mixing indoors and the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants.

This grant covers the 19 day period from 17 October to 4 November. The government has advised that this fund should be aimed at hospitality, accommodation, and leisure businesses who are most impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
• you must have been trading on 16 October 2020, prior to the introduction of Tier 2 restrictions on 17 October 2020
• your business must be in the leisure, hospitality or accommodation sectors such as a cinema, restaurant, bar, pub, theatre, music venue, hotel, bed and breakfast, leisure or sports venue, gym, art gallery, museums or cafe

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• your business is a takeaway as it is considered that takeaways will not have been severely impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions
• your business is Airbnb style accommodation

Read the government guidance.

This is a discretionary grant for leisure, hospitality and accommodation businesses that were most affected by the Tier 2 restrictions including preventing households from mixing indoors.

This grant covers the Tier 2 period from 2 December to 19 December. The government has advised that this fund should be aimed at hospitality, accommodation, and leisure businesses who are most impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises and be registered for business rates with Hackney Council
• you must have been trading on 1 December 2020, prior to the introduction of Tier 2 restrictions on 2 December 2020. Please note if your business was closed on 1 December as a result of government Covid-19 restrictions but would otherwise have been open and trading then you will be considered to have been trading on the 1st December
• your business must be in the leisure, hospitality or accommodation sectors such as a cinema, restaurant, bar, pub, theatre, music venue, hotel, bed and breakfast, leisure or sports venue, gym, art gallery, museums or cafe

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• your business is a takeaway as it is considered that takeaways will not have been severely impacted by the Tier 2 restrictions
• your business is Airbnb style accommodation

Read the government guidance.

This grant is for leisure, hospitality and accommodation businesses that were required to close due to Tier 2 or 3 restrictions that were in place from 2 December 2020 until the 19 December 2020.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligible businesses include:

• pubs that could not serve table meals and therefore had to close during Tier 2 restrictions, hospitality, accommodation, conference centres, exhibitions halls, indoor tourism, entertainment and leisure venues that were required to close under Tier 3 restrictions. Read more information on the businesses required to close in Tier 3

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must have been required by the government to close your premises as a result of tier restrictions
• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises and be registered for business rates with Hackney Council
• you must have been trading the day before the relevant tier restrictions came into effect. Where local restrictions are preceded by national lockdown measures, requiring the extended closure of eligible businesses, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
• your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway

Read the government guidance.

This grant is for businesses that were required by the government to close during the Tier 4 period in London. This grant covers the period from the 19 December 2020 until 5 January 2021.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligible businesses include:

• non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses legally required to close by the government during this period. Read more information on the businesses required to close in Tier 4

Eligibility criteria

The above amounts will be paid pro rata if required to reflect the number of of days the restriction was in place.

To be eligible:

• you must have been required by the government to close your premises as a result of tier restrictions
• your business must have been trading the day prior to Tier 4 restrictions being introduced (18 December 2020) if you were required by government to close earlier as a result of these restrictions
• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
• your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway
• you have already received grant payments that equal the maximum levels of State Aid

Read the government guidance.

This is a one-off grant for wet-led pubs and bars for December and is in addition to any other grant awards you may be eligible for under Tier 2, 3 or 4 restrictions.

Pubs and bars that derive less than 50% of sales from food are considered to be wet-led.

Applications for this grant closed 28 February 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All eligible businesses were paid for this grant by 31 March 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• your business must be a pub (the definition of a pub excludes restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, hotels, snack bars, guesthouses, boarding houses, sporting venues, music venues, festival sites, theatres, museums, exhibition halls, cinemas, concert halls and casinos)
• when trading, your business is open to general members of the public
  when trading, your business allows free entry other than when occasional entertainment is provided
• when trading, your business allows drinking without requiring food to be consumed
• your business was trading on the day before the scheme was announced (i.e trading on the 30 November 2020)
• your business receives more than 50% of business income from the sales of drinks, and under 50% of business income from food sales
• you are a Hackney business rates account holder

Please note if your business was closed on the 30 November 2020 as a result of government Covid-19 restrictions, but would otherwise have been open and trading then you will be considered to have been trading on the 30 November.

Read the government guidance.

Important note: If you have already applied for grant 1 for the November lockdown period you do not need to submit an application as you will be automatically assessed for this grant.

This grant is for businesses that were required to close for the national lockdown period which began on 5 January 2021.

This grant is divided into 2 payment periods:

• first cycle: For the period 5 January – 15 February 2021
• second cycle: For the period 16 February – 31 March 2021

Any businesses which submit an application after 31 March 2021 can only be considered for the second cycle.

Eligible businesses include:

• non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses.

Applications for the first payment cycle closed 31 March 2021. For the second payment cycle the application closure date is 31 May 2021 and final payments must be made by 30 June 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
• you must have been trading on 4 January 2021, prior to the start of the national lockdown from 5 January 2021. Where businesses were closed due to restrictions that preceded the national restrictions, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
• you must be a non-essential retail, hospitality or leisure business that legally had to close from 5 January 2021.

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
• your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway

Important note: If you have already applied for Grant 1 for the November lockdown period you do not need to submit an application as you will be automatically assessed for eligibility.

This one-off payment to support non-essential businesses that were required to close for the January lockdown. This payment is in addition to the funding provided by Grant 8. This grant will be paid to businesses at the same time as Grant 8.

Applications for this grant closed 31 March 2021. You can no longer apply for this grant. All payments for this grant will be made by 14 May 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
• you must have been trading on 4 January 2021, prior to the start of the national lockdown from 5 January 2021. Where businesses were closed due to restrictions that preceded the national restrictions, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading
• you must be a non-essential business that legally had to close from 5 January 2021

You cannot receive grant funding if:

• you have chosen to close but have not been legally required to close by the government
• your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway

This one-off payment to support non-essential businesses that are predominantly reliant on delivering in-person services for the general public.

Eligible businesses include:

• non-essential retail: a business that is open to the public and is used mainly or wholly for the purposes of retail sale or hire of goods or services, where the primary purpose of products or services provided are not necessary to the health and well-being of the public
• hospitality: a business whose main function is to provide a venue for the consumption and sale of food and drink
• leisure: a business that provides opportunities, experiences and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, days and nights out, betting and gaming
• accommodation: a business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes
• gym and Sport: a commercial establishment where physical exercise or training is conducted on an individual basis or group basis, using exercise equipment or open floor space with or without instruction, or where individual and group sporting, athletic and physical activities are participated in competitively or recreationally
• personal care: a business which provides a service, treatment or
  activity for the purposes of personal beauty, hair, grooming, body care and aesthetics, and wellbeing

See more information on eligible businesses.

The application closure date for the restart grant is 30 June 2021 and final payments must be made by 31 July 2021.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible:

• you must be the business rates account holder for the business premises
• you must have been trading on 1 April 2021. Where businesses were closed due to restrictions that preceded the national restrictions, it is accepted that those businesses are still trading

You can’t receive grant funding if:

• your usual (pre-lockdown) primary method of trading is as a takeaway

This grant scheme covers businesses in the hospitality, leisure or accommodation sectors that are Hackney business rate account holders.

The grants are available to eligible, trading hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses (in occupation) as defined in the government guidance and who were liable for business rates as at 30 December 2021 and continue to trade.

Exemptions:

• businesses will only be eligible if their main service falls within the sectors set out above and as set out in the guidance. If a business also provides other services that are not related to the business sectors eligible to receive a grant, then the main service that the business provides will determine whether a business receives grant funding.
• takeaways are not eligible for this grant.
• the grant cannot be used by businesses to pay for staff wages or labour costs. Grants must not be used for this purpose.

The business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney physically operating from a commercial premises which pays business rates
• your business must be actively trading. A business is considered to be trading if it is engaged in business activity including carrying out a trade or profession, or buying and selling goods or services in order to generate turnover
• your business is not in liquidation, administration, dissolved,  insolvent, struck off the Companies House register, or has a striking off notice made against it
• Your business must not have exceeded the permitted subsidy allowance. For more details on the permitted subsidy allowance please read this document.

See the guidance for further information.

Round 1 of the additional restrictions grant relating to the November 2020 lockdown period – closed on 8 January 2021.

If you have any questions about Round 1 of the ARG funding (closed in 2021) please contact: grant.admin@hackney.gov.uk.

Round 1 Information and eligibility criteria

This grant scheme is for micro and small businesses in Hackney that were legally required to close between 5 November and 2 December 2020 (but are not business rate account holders) and for those businesses that were not legally required to close but have been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19.

If your business was legally required to close during the national lockdown period between 5 November and 2 December and you are a business rates account holder you should apply for a Local Restrictions Grant (Open) Addendum grant and not this grant.

Eligible businesses

The additional restrictions grant is a discretionary scheme. In order to qualify for the fund you must meet the following criteria:

• your business was legally required to close during the lockdown period between 5 November – 2 December 2020 but you are not a business rate account holder; or

• your business was not legally required to close between 5 November – 2 December 2020 but has been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19

For those businesses in the second category we encourage and will prioritise applications from businesses who supply the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, businesses in the events sector, market traders (who are registered market traders with the London Borough of Hackney), and Ofsted registered nurseries and childminders.

Who can apply

To apply your business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney operating from a commercial or domestic premises* or a London Borough of Hackney market trading pitch

• *if your business is operating from a domestic premises then you will be asked to confirm in the application form that this was your usual mode of operating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are working from home as a result of Covid-19 but your business would normally operate from a commercial premises, then please provide your commercial premises address in Hackney on your application form

• your business is a micro or small business as defined in the Companies Act 2006 (ie your business must have at least two of the following; not more than 50 employees, a turnover of not more than £10.2 million and a balance sheet total of not more than £5.1m)

• your business must have been trading on the 4 November 2020, the day before the national lockdown came into effect

• your business is not in administration, insolvent or has a striking off notice made against it

• your business was legally required to close between 5 November and 2 December 2020 but you are not a business rate account holder; or your business was not legally required to close between 5 November – 2 December 2020 but has been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. For businesses in the second category you must demonstrate in your application form how your business has been severely impacted as a result of the lockdown restrictions

• your business is not eligible for the local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum grant

• the grant will not result in your business exceeding the maximum levels of State Aid. Grant payments count towards the total de minimis State Aid that you are permitted to receive over a 3-year period which is €200,000. If you have reached that threshold, you may still be eligible for funding under the Covid-19 Temporary Framework. The limit for the Temporary Framework is €800,000

• your business was not an undertaking in difficulty (within the meaning of Article 2 (18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation) on 31 December 2019

The additional restrictions grant cannot be used to support wages or labour costs.

How much funding you will receive

For business rates account holders:

• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under on the date of the commencement of the national restrictions: £1334 per 28-day qualifying restriction period

• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 on the date of the commencement of the national restrictions: £2000 per 28-day qualifying restriction period

• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above on the commencement date of the national restrictions: £3,000 per 28-day qualifying restriction period

For businesses without a business rates account who don’t pay business rates, the amount of grant will be based the size of your business, using the number of full-time equivalent employees, excluding the business owner/owners:

• businesses with 0 employees: up to £1,334 per 28-day qualifying restriction period

• businesses with 1- 4 employees: up to £2,000 per 28-day qualifying restrictions period

• businesses with 5-49 employees: up to £3000 per 28-day qualifying restrictions period

Evidence needed

Before you begin your application form please ensure you have all of the following evidence available as electronic or scanned documents ready to upload.

If you don’t provide these documents then your application is unlikely to be successful.

• 3 months business bank statements from September- November 2020 (inclusive): Please provide your business bank statements from September- November 2020 showing the account holder name and address, bank name, sort code and account number and all transactions. The account details in the bank statements must correspond with the bank account details provided in the application form. If you cannot provide 3 months bank statements you must provide your November 2020 business bank statement

• business rates bill: If applicable you must provide a copy of your latest London Borough of Hackney business rates bill

• business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement or market trading licence: You must provide a copy of your business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement, or London Borough of Hackney market trading licence. If you are unable to provide this you must upload another form of evidence setting out the ongoing fixed costs that your business has to pay (eg utility bills, storage fees)

• confirmation of the amount of employees in your business: For businesses who employ staff you must provide a copy of your most up to date business payroll record showing the number of people (full-time equivalents) employed by your business. If a payroll record is not available please provide another form of evidence which verifies the number of people employed by your business

• photographic ID: Please provide one current form of photo identification such as a current passport or driving licence

• HMRC self-assessment tax return: If you are a sole trader or are self-employed you must provide a copy of your latest HMRC self-assessment tax return

• evidence of the impact of the 5 November- 2 December lockdown on your business: In the application form you will be asked to provide written evidence of the impact of the lockdown on your business. Your answer should set out if you were open or closed during this period, if you were able to trade online, the financial scale of Coronavirus related losses during this period (for example % drop in sales, loss of income in £s), and the ongoing fixed costs your business has to pay (for example utility bills, storage fees)

Round 2 of the additional restrictions grant closed on 12 March 2021.

If you have any questions about Round 2 of the ARG funding (closed in 2021) please contact: grant.admin@hackney.gov.uk.

Round 2 Information and eligibility criteria

This grant scheme is for micro and small businesses physically based in commercial premises or residential premises in Hackney that were either:

• a) legally required to close during the December 2020 tier restrictions and the national lockdown from 5 January 2021 onwards (but are not business rate account holders and therefore not eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant); or
• b) not legally required to close during the December tier restrictions or the current national lockdown but have been severely impacted by the restrictions put in place to control the spread of Covid-19 (either with or without a Hackney business rates account).

For those businesses in the second category (b above) we encourage and will prioritise applications from businesses who supply and/or are related to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, businesses in the events sector, market traders (who are registered market traders with the London Borough of Hackney), and Ofsted registered nurseries and childminders.

If your business was legally required to close during the national lockdown starting in January and you are a Hackney business rates account holder you should apply for the Local Restrictions Support Grants and not this grant.

If you are unsure if your business was legally required to close by the government in December or January please review the documents below:

• December 2020: Tiers 1-4 restrictions and required business closures
• January 2021: National lockdown and required business closures

Exempt businesses: businesses based in virtual offices in Hackney who do not physically operate their business from a commercial or residential premises in the borough cannot receive a grant under this scheme.

The additional restrictions grant cannot be used to support staff wages or labour costs.

Who can apply

To apply your business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney physically operating from a commercial or domestic premises* or a London Borough of Hackney market trading pitch
  (*if your business is operating from a domestic premises then you will be asked to confirm in the application form that this was your usual mode of operating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are now working from home as a result of Covid-19 but your business would normally operate from a commercial premises in Hackney, then please provide your usual commercial premises address in Hackney on your application form)
• your business is a micro or small business as defined in the Companies Act 2006 (ie your business must have at least two of the following; not more than 50 employees, a turnover of not more than £10.2 million and a balance sheet total of not more than £5.1m)
• your business must have been trading on the 1 December 2020, the day before the December tier restrictions came into effect
• your business is still considered to have been trading on the 1 December if it was an active business at this time, even if your business was closed to the public due to Government restrictions
• your business has been severely financially impacted by the December tier restrictions and the current lockdown period
  your business is not in administration, insolvent or has a striking off notice made against it
• your business is not eligible for the local restrictions support grants
  the grant will not result in your business exceeding the maximum levels of State Aid. Grant payments count towards the total de minimis State Aid that you are permitted to receive over a 3-year period which is €200,000. If you have reached that threshold, you may still be eligible for funding under the Covid-19 Temporary Framework. The limit for the Temporary Framework is €800,000
• your business was not an undertaking in difficulty (within the meaning of Article 2 (18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation) on 31 December 2019.

How much funding you will receive

For Hackney business rates account holders:

• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or less: £3,000
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000: £6,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above: £9,000

Where a business has a business rate account and a rateable value but their number of employees would put them in a higher grant category (as set out on this page), the number of employees will then be used to determine the amount of grant payable.

For businesses without a business rates account who don’t pay business rates, the amount of grant will be based the size of your business, using the number of full-time equivalent PAYE employees, excluding the business owner/owners (unless company directors are also PAYE employees and this can be evidenced in your application form).

• businesses with 0 employees (sole traders): up to £3,000 (home based businesses will receive £2,000, businesses who operate from a commercial premises will receive £3,000)
• business with 1-9 employees: up to £6,000 (home based businesses will receive £4,000, businesses who operate from a commercial premises will receive £6,000)
• business with 10 or more employees: up to £9,000 (home based businesses will receive £7,000, businesses who operate from a commercial premises will receive £9,000)

In some cases the level of ongoing fixed commercial business premises costs may also be considered to determine the level of grant.

Market traders/street traders

Market traders/street traders will receive a payment of either £1,000 or £2,000 depending on numbers of days traded in the borough and the anticipated scale of the financial losses as a result of not being able to trade.

Evidence needed

Before you begin your application form please ensure you have all of the following evidence available as electronic or scanned documents ready to upload.

If you don’t provide these documents then your application is unlikely to be successful.

• 3 months business bank statements from November 2020- January 2021 (inclusive): Please provide your business bank statements from November 2020- January 2021 showing the account holder name and address, bank name, sort code and account number and all transactions. The account details in the bank statements must correspond with the bank account details provided in the application form. business rates bill: If applicable you must provide a copy of your latest London Borough of Hackney business rates bill
• business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement or market trading licence: You must provide a copy of your business premises lease, rental agreement, mortgage statement, or market trading licence. If you do not have an up to date business premises lease, rental agreement or licence please provide another up to date form of evidence to demonstrate your business is physically based in Hackney eg a signed and dated letter from your landlord, recent utility bill for your business premises.
• confirmation of the amount of employees in your business: For businesses who employ staff you must provide a copy of your most up to date business payroll record showing the number of people (full-time equivalents) employed and paid via PAYE by your business.
• photographic ID: Please provide one current form of photo identification such as a current passport or driving licence
• HMRC self-assessment tax return: If you are a sole trader or are self-employed you must provide a copy of your latest HMRC self-assessment tax return
• evidence of the financial impact of the December tier restrictions and January onwards national lockdown on your business: In the application form you will be asked to provide written evidence of the impact of the lockdown on your business. Your answer should set out if you were open or closed during this period, if you were able to trade online, the financial scale of Coronavirus related losses during this period (for example % drop in sales, loss of income in £s), and the ongoing fixed costs your business has to pay (for example utility bills, storage fees)

Types of businesses who can apply

This grant scheme is for micro and small businesses physically based in commercial premises in Hackney or home-based businesses based in residential premises in Hackney that are either:

• hospitality, leisure (including arts and cultural sector businesses) and accommodation businesses that are not Hackney business rate account holders and who don’t pay business rates such as restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, museums, theatres, art galleries, wedding venues, nightclubs, events venues, hotels, bed and breakfasts, serviced apartments, businesses that provide in-person opportunities, experiences and facilities for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events, and days and nights out;
• gyms and sports businesses where physical exercise or training takes place (either with or without a Hackney business rates account) such as gyms, yoga studios, pilates studios, or;
• businesses who supply, or whose income is closely related to the hospitality, leisure (including arts and cultural sector businesses) and accommodation sectors (either with or without a Hackney business rates account) such as travel and tourism businesses, events sector businesses, businesses who work with theatres, museums or galleries

If you are a hospitality, leisure or accommodation sector business and you pay business rates then you should apply for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant instead.

Exemptions: 

• businesses will only be eligible if their main service falls within the sectors set out above and as set out in this guidance. If a business also provides other services that are not related to the business sectors eligible to receive a grant, then the main service that the business provides will determine whether a business receives grant funding.
• takeaways are not eligible for this grant
• businesses based in virtual offices in Hackney who do not physically operate their business from a commercial or residential premises in the borough cannot receive a grant under this scheme.
• the additional restrictions grant cannot be used by businesses to pay for staff wages or labour costs. Grants must not be used for this purpose.

Who can apply

To apply your business must meet all of the following criteria:

• your business is based in the London Borough of Hackney physically operating from a commercial or domestic premises*
  (* If you are now working from home as a result of Covid-19 but your business would normally operate from a commercial premises in Hackney, then please provide your usual commercial premises address in Hackney on your application form. If your business is operating from a domestic premises then you will be asked to confirm in the application form that this was your usual mode of operating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.)
• your business is a micro or small business which is defined for the purposes of this grant scheme as having 49 or less employees
• your business must be actively trading. A business is considered to be trading if it is engaged in business activity including carrying out a trade or profession, or buying and selling goods or services in order to generate turnover
• your business is not in liquidation, administration, dissolved,  insolvent, struck off the Companies House register, or has a striking off notice made against it
• your business is not eligible for the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant
• your business must not have exceeded the permitted subsidy allowance. For more details on the permitted subsidy allowance please read this document.

How much funding you will receive*

• businesses based in commercial premises without a business rates account will receive a grant of £3,000
• businesses based in commercial premises with a business rates account will receive a grant based on their rateable value as follows: 
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or less: £2,667 
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000: £4,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above: £6,000

• home based businesses based in residential premises in Hackney will receive a grant of £2000.

*Please note grant amounts may vary to accommodate demand.

Evidence needed

Before you begin your application form please ensure you have all of the following evidence available as electronic or scanned documents ready to upload.

If you do not provide these documents then your application will be rejected.

• UK bank statement: Please provide your December 2021 business bank statement (or your most recent bank statement if December 2021 is not available) showing the account holder name and address, bank name, sort code and account number and all transactions. The account details in the bank statements must correspond with the bank account details provided in the application form. 
• business rates bill: If applicable you must provide a copy of your latest London Borough of Hackney business rates bill
• business premises lease or rental agreement. You must provide a copy of your business premises lease, rental agreement, or mortgage statement.  If you do not have any of these documents you must provide another up to date form of evidence to demonstrate your business is physically based in Hackney e.g. a recent utility bill in your name for your business premises.
• confirmation of the amount of PAYE employees in your business: For businesses who employ staff you must provide a copy of your most up to date business payroll record showing the number of people (full-time equivalents) employed and paid via PAYE by your business.
• photographic ID: Please provide one current form of photo identification such as a current passport or driving licence
• HMRC self-assessment tax return: If you are a sole trader or are self-employed you must provide a copy of your latest HMRC self-assessment tax return
• evidence of the financial impact of the Covid-19 omicron variant on your business: In the application form you will be asked to provide written evidence of the Covid-19 omicron variant on your business. Your answer should set the financial scale of Coronavirus related losses during this period (for example % drop in sales, loss of income in £s), and the ongoing fixed costs your business has to pay (for example utility bills, storage fees).

How to contact us

Please do not contact us regarding information that can be found on this webpage.

If you have any other queries regarding the Omicron Additional Restrictions Grant Fund please contact grant.admin@hackney.gov.uk

For all other enquiries please contact bsp@hackney.gov.uk. 

Please do not email us for any information that’s already given on this page.

Grant 1: local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum – November lockdown

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £1,334 for the 5 November- 2 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £2,000 for the 5 November- 2 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 and above will receive £3,000 for the 5 November- 2 December period

Grant 2: Local restrictions support grant (sector) – for businesses closed since March 2020

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £1,049 for the 1-4 November 2020 and the 2-19 December 2020 periods
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000  will receive £1,572 for the 1-4 November 2020 and the 2-19 December 2020 periods
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £2,358 for the 1-4 November 2020 and the 2-19 December 2020 periods

Grant 3: Local restrictions support grant (open) – for businesses affected by tier restrictions from 17 October to 4 November

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £634 for the 17 October- 4 November period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £950 for the 17 October- 4 November period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 will receive £1,425 for the 17 October- 4 November period

Grant 4: Local restrictions support grant (open) – for businesses affected by tier 2 restrictions from 2 December to 19 December

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £467 for the 2- 15 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £700 for the 2- 15 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 will receive £1050 for the 2- 15 December period

Grant 5: Local restrictions support grant (closed) – for businesses required to close for tier 2 or 3 in December

Businesses closed in the December Tier 2 period (wet led pubs)

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £667 for the 2-15 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £1,000 for the 2-15 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £1,500 for the 2-15 December period

Businesses closed in the December Tier 3 period (including hospitality, accommodation, indoor tourism, entertainment and leisure venues)

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £191 for the 16-19 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £286 for the 16-19 December period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £429 for the 16-19 December period

Grant 6: Local restrictions support grant (closed) (addendum Tier 4) – for businesses required to close during tier 4

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £763 for the 20 December-4 January period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000  will receive £1,143 for the 20 December-4 January period
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £1,715 for the 20 December-4 January period

Grant 7: Christmas support payment for wet-led pubs

• eligible businesses will receive a £1,000 one-off payment

Grant 8: Local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum

First payment cycle: 5 January – 15 February 2021

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £2,001
• eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £3,000
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £4,500

Second payment cycle: 16 February to 31 March 2021

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £2,096
• eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £3,143
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £4,714

Grant 9: Closed business lockdown payment – one-off payment for businesses required to close for January lockdown

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive £4,000
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive £6,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive £9,000

Grant 10: Restart Grant – one-off payment for businesses required to close for January lockdown

Non-essential retail businesses

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive a payment of £2,667
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a payment of £4,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive a payment of £6,000

Hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care, and gym businesses

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or under will receive a payment of £8,000
• businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a payment of £12,000
• businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above will receive a payment of £18,000

Grant 11: Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant

Businesses will receive a grant based on their rateable value as follows:

• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £15,000 or less: £2,667
• eligible businesses with a rateable value over £15,000 and less than £51,000: £4,000
• eligible businesses with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 or above: £6,000