Some of the schemes have been relaunched and the number of businesses that can apply have been extended. See the details at this link.

Covid Restrictions Support Scheme

• Turnover: €no limit
• Criteria: closed due to Covid-19
• Grant: €5,000 maximum per week business is closed + restart week
•  Apply to: Revenue

Revenue operates the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) and it is available to businesses who were closed or mostly closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Payments will be made of up to 10% of average weekly turnover up to €20,000 and 5% of turnover over €20,000 to a maximum of €5,000 a week. CRSS is described by Revenue as an “Advance Credit for Trading Expenses”.  The scheme ceases for a business when the Government restrictions applying to their business is lifted and they are entitled to reopen; although a business can claim for one additional week after reopening: the restart week.

Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid

• Turnover: €50,000 or greater
• Criteria: down by 75% in turnover
• Grant: €4,000 per phase (2 phases so far)
• Apply to: local authority

Phase 1 of the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) closed on 21 April 2021 and phase 2 is due to open shortly. Phase one provided a grant of €4,000. SBASC gives grants to businesses who are not eligible for the Government’s COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), the Fáilte Ireland Business Continuity grant or other direct sectoral grant schemes. This scheme aims to help businesses with their fixed costs, for example, accounting costs, rent, utility bills and security.

To qualify for the scheme a business must have fewer than 250 employees, a turnover of more than €50,000 and that turnover must have reduced by 75% from the turnover prior to Covid. Phase one was only available to businesses in receipt of a rates bill and phase 2 will also open to those not in receipt of a rates bill and the grant is paid by the local authority. Those that claimed under phase 1 can claim again under phase 2. The closing date for Phase 2 applications will be 21 July 2021 although at the time of writing the “go live” date for applications had not been announced.

Micro-Enterprise Assistance Scheme

• Turnover: €50,000 or less
• Criteria: down by 75% in turnover
• Grant: up to €1,000
• Apply to: LEOs

This scheme has been relaunched through the Local Enterprise Offices and pays grants of between €500 and €1,000 in respect of vouched expenditure and is available to eligible businesses. The grants are for fixed costs for a business with a turnover of less than €50,000.

Multiple scheme applications

Members have reported that their SME clients had been contacted by local councils to encourage them to apply for the SBASC even when they already commenced a CRSS claim.  In several cases, SMEs were advised by their local council to repay the CRSS and apply instead for the SBASC. It has been confirmed that SBASC is only available to businesses that do not qualify for CRSS and it is not possible to repay the CRSS to claim the SBASC.

The full range of Covid 19 supports are at https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports/