[G Griffin]

ive just had a look at my earnings for this time last year (to the day)...im roughly £200 down this year which is only a days work.....do i qualify for a grant? ......no i didnt think so.........

remember HMRC will contact YOU if your eligible NOT the other way round.........my business has not been affected at all.......any skipped jobs have been replaced by new regular jobs or  add ons......

They won't know whether you're eligible or not.
How will they know whether you're working or not or how much you've been doing.
They will contact you and ask you to confirm whether you think you qualify or not. You don't have to apply if you've not been adversely affected.

[Slacky]

Exactly.

[Slacky]

I’m 7.3% up on this time last year. I’ll still be claiming it.

[Bungle]

I didnt stop but Ive lost work as a result of Covid.


Maybe theyre now saying they didnt stop because they prefered to keep their heads below the parapet at the time and not run the gauntlet of various characters slagging them off. It was quite vitriolic on here at one time or another.

Window cleaners don't set the mood for a country though. Fortunately.
The government have to take a lot of responsibility for that. They dallied, then panicked and then the country panicked.
I'll bet any money that 77% of window cleaners on here, at least, didn't work in the days after Boris' speech.

Off course they did, I can only think of a few on here that said they weren't working, maybe 10 or so, because of the slagging it just seemed that there were more.

No, you're wrong.
A lot more than a few, or maybe 10, didn't work in the days after Boris' speech. A lot more.

We are talking about guys on here Griff, not nationwide, I cant remember more than 10 or so stating that they had stopped working but if you think there are a lot more then it shouldn't be hard for you to prove, as per usual I wont hold my breath waiting. (roll eyes)

What?
Everything that you've asked me to prove or quote I have done. Then you go silent.
I'll tell you what, I'll bet you £100 for the James Styles fund that I can name 20 people on here that didn't work for the rest of the week after Boris' speech.
Are we on?

Stop being an idiot Griff, I plucked 10 or so out of the air but even 20 wouldn't be classed as a lot and certainly wouldn't lead to an assumption that a lot of people on here have changed their tune and are lying.

Griff isn't being an idiot - he seems to be quite right -  there have been two posters who have put up a poll which shows that 33 didn't work straight after Boris's announcement. I didn't in the days after.

The problem is that the poll on this thread is not very good as it didn't give the option.

Off forum where I work I know by talking to window cleaners around my area that - with one dazmond like, money minded  exception - everyone stopped for at least a couple of days and then started going back towards the end of the week the lockdown announcement was made or the week after.

Can I edit the poll?

[Smudger]

Either way you look at it 1 third of the forum tell porky pies 

Just a third 

[Bungle]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

[TomCrowther]

After Boris's speech on the Monday evening I thought I should not be working. I did however have a few driveway and guttering jobs booked in. I rang those customers and they all wanted the work done and there would be no contact etc. Did those jobs and then on the Friday I started window cleaning again as I figured we had the perfect business in terms of self isolation, working outside and with a few tweaks re payment {no cash} I could work safely.
Only a small number of customers have said no thanks, the rest have been happier than usual to see me. I have chatted from a safe distance with the lonely ones. Delivered some essential items when things were really tricky in the first couple of weeks and feel I have done the best I could in the circumstances.
Now however, I feel a tad fed up. Getting bored with the nightmare that is food shopping with twats ignoring the two meter rule and one way signage.
Missed a few family birthdays. Can't visit family in Yorkshire who all live on their own. Can't ride the motorcycle. Cant's go out for a meal. Getting to be a royal pain in the ass.
No, I will not be claiming anything.

[dazmond]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

im not claiming a penny as its a non issue for me.....this pandemic has had zero affect on my business and earnings......the government is already in deep financial trouble as it is.....i dont think it would be right to claim as ive not been adversely affected...........in fact theres an old boy who is quitting(he s 77 now!) that works near me...ive already picked up a couple of his jobs.......and i think theyll be plenty more over the next year or two......

[TomCrowther]

My accountant who I think is right on top of his game has suggested that no checks will be made in the short term as the Government departments just don't have the time, although applying could get more complex. Medium term, within the next 12-24 months he reckons that things could well be re-examined and it's wiser to be on the safe side if considering a claim.
I have been negatively affected. Lost all my commercial contracts for example but I have still been able to work and I am healthy so in the grand scheme, I feel lucky.

[AuRavelling79]

No I don't think it is possible to edit a poll once set. (for you or a mod) You could put up a new one.

[tlwcs]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

I’m fairly sure you only pay 40% on the figure over the normal allowance of 50k not your whole income for the year.

[James Styles]

I’ve decided I’m going back start of May as I think things are slowly calming & also for my own sanity 

[deeege]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

I’m fairly sure you only pay 40% on the figure over the normal allowance of 50k not your whole income for the year.

Yep you beat me to it. The higher tax bracket only kicks in at £50k and effects earnings over that £50k.

[KS Cleaning]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

I’m fairly sure you only pay 40% on the figure over the normal allowance of 50k not your whole income for the year.

Yep you beat me to it. The higher tax bracket only kicks in at £50k and effects earnings over that £50k.

I think Bungle is aware of that, what he’s saying is that it could tip you into the higher tax rate, meaning you could end up paying some or all of the grant back at 40% tax + 9% NI. In Scotland we pay 41% higher rate tax and the threshold is lower at £43 430, so more chance of paying higher rate tax on the grant up here.

[deeege]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

I’m fairly sure you only pay 40% on the figure over the normal allowance of 50k not your whole income for the year.

Yep you beat me to it. The higher tax bracket only kicks in at £50k and effects earnings over that £50k.

I think Bungle is aware of that, what he’s saying is that it could tip you into the higher tax rate, meaning you could end up paying some or all of the grant back at 40% tax + 9% NI. In Scotland we pay 41% higher rate tax and the threshold is lower at £43 430, so more chance of paying higher rate tax on the grant up here.

It’s a grant, you won’t  pay it back.

60% of £7500 is a lot more than 0% of £7500, which is what you’ll get if you don’t apply/reply when your contacted.

[G Griffin]

There's no grant anyway if your profits average over 50k.

[deeege]

There's no grant anyway if your profits average over 50k.

But if your profits average £49k, you’ll qualify for the grant and likely be taken over the £50k tax bracket for this tax year (Assuming this years figures are the same as your average)

[G Griffin]

There's no grant anyway if your profits average over 50k.

But if your profits average £49k, you’ll qualify for the grant and likely be taken over the £50k tax bracket for this tax year (Assuming this years figures are the same as your average)

True.
It's a balancing act that I wouldn't mind.

[Chris M Large]

Only working 1 hour a week as only have 6 jobs left out of 90plus a week normally. Would work more if I could. All my work are shops.

[KS Cleaning]

So let me get this right. Some of you have been working all the way through (nothing wrong with that) but are still going to claim (no problem with that). Do you think this extra income may take you over the 40% threshold, would it be worth claiming if it did now take you over the 40% threshold, would it not mean that for the time you’ve worked and put in a claim you’ve actually worked for peanuts? Or are the ones who are saying they will claim and have still worked are not earning very much anyway?

I’m fairly sure you only pay 40% on the figure over the normal allowance of 50k not your whole income for the year.

Yep you beat me to it. The higher tax bracket only kicks in at £50k and effects earnings over that £50k.

I think Bungle is aware of that, what he’s saying is that it could tip you into the higher tax rate, meaning you could end up paying some or all of the grant back at 40% tax + 9% NI. In Scotland we pay 41% higher rate tax and the threshold is lower at £43 430, so more chance of paying higher rate tax on the grant up here.

It’s a grant, you won’t  pay it back.

60% of £7500 is a lot more than 0% of £7500, which is what you’ll get if you don’t apply/reply when your contacted.

I didn’t say you pay the grant back deeege, what I said was you could end up paying 40% tax on some or all of it, so as an example you get £7500 and that makes your taxable profit for 20/21 55k you would pay £5000 @ 40% and £2500 @ 20% tax. If your taxable profit is over £57 500 you would be taxed at @ 40% for the whole grant. You also pay NI class 4 on the whole of the grant.