Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of excluding pension income from the definition of non-trading income for the purposes of the Self-Employment Support Scheme.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) helps those adversely affected by COVID-19 and is one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world. The SEISS, including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income, is designed to be targeted at those who most need it, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.

Individuals receiving more than half of their income from other sources, such as pensions, could still be eligible for other support. The SEISS is part of a comprehensive package of support for self-employed people, including Bounce Back loans, income tax deferrals, rental support,?increases to Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and various business support measures. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.