CRSS Restart week
Thankfully, many businesses will be reopening this week. Businesses already claiming the CRSS will need to determine whether they will still be “significantly restricted” from allowing the public to have access to the business premises. If they are still restricted in this way, they should continue to claim the CRSS in the normal way.
For those businesses who are no longer restricted, the “restart week” provisions will apply. It has just been announced that, with effect from 29 April 2021, a re-opening business may claim a “double restart week”. For example, a hairdresser reopening on 10 May can claim a “restart week” payment, at double the normal rate, for each of the weeks commencing 10 May and 17 May. The amount that may be claimed in respect of each “restart week” is subject to the maximum weekly amount payable under the scheme of €5,000.
To qualify for the double restart week, the following conditions apply –
- “The relevant business must have been subject to restrictions, which required the business to either temporarily close or to significantly reduce its activities, such that the business was eligible to claim [the CRSS], for a continuous period of not less than three weeks;
- The relevant business activity must be recommenced within a reasonable period of the lifting of the restrictions. What is a reasonable period of time will depend on the particular facts and circumstances, but the claim for the restart week should only be made when the business either is about to recommence its activities, or has recommenced those activities.”
It is not necessary to consider the turnover of the business in the restart week. The business will still be eligible for CRSS in the restart week, even where the turnover of the business in that week is higher than 25% of the turnover of the business in 2019 (or in 2020 in the case of a new business).
The ROS portal can accept claims for the double restart week from 12 May.
Claims must be made within the usual 8 week deadline.
If you need any assistance, please call your usual PSC contact.