Coronavirus advice for businesses in Scotland
Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies are working in partnership to help you find the support you need if your business has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Find guidance, advice and tools for all sectors across Scotland.
Latest updates
- From Monday 16 November, the Flexible Workforce Development Fund will be available for both levy payers and SMEs, across the private, public and third sectors (13 November)
- Levy-paying employers can access up to £15,000 with wider access through colleges or Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in 2020/21
- SMEs will be able to access up to £5,000 through college and Open University training in 2020/21
- The fund can be used to completely cover training or to partially cover training at a higher cost
- You will need to self isolate if arriving from Denmark, Greece (excluding Rhodes, Cos, Corfu, Crete and Zakynthos (Zante)) and the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, from 4am on Saturday 14 November (13 November 2020)
- Fife, Perth & Kinross and Angus local authority areas will move from Level 2 to Level 3 with the change coming into effect from 6am on Friday 13 November. All other local authority protection levels are unchanged (10 November 2020)
- Find out which COVID protection levels apply to each local authority in Scotland (10 November 2020)
- Apply to the Strategic Framework Business Fund if your business is required to close by law as a result of COVID-19 restrictions (10 November 2020)
- Apply for the Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers which has re-opened to support those in immediate financial hardship in Scotland (10 November 2020)
- The Screen Hardship Fund has reopened to support freelance screen practitioners in Scotland (10 November 2020)
- The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant Extension will open earlier than planned and you will receive 80% of average trading profits for the third grant covering Nov, Dec and Jan. Apply from 30 November (6 November 2020)
- Everyone aged between 16 and 24 will have the opportunity of work, education or training through The Young Person's Guarantee (5 November 2020)
- Apply to the Culture Collective Fund by 18 November if your organisation is based in Scotland and your work involves the arts, screen or creative industries (4 November 2020)
- The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended until March 2021 with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked (5 November 2020)
- The Job Support Scheme, which was scheduled to come in on Sunday 1 November, has been postponed until the furlough scheme ends.
- You might be eligible for Pension Credit or New Style Jobseeker's Allowance if you are self-employed and getting less work or no work because of coronavirus (4 November 2020)
- The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Bounce Back Loan Scheme and the Future Fund application deadlines have been extended to 31 January 2021 (2 November 2020)
- Download the Protect Scotland app from NHS Scotland. It is a free, mobile phone app designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus and avoid further lockdowns (10 September 2020)
Your top questions answered
- From Monday 2 November each area of Scotland will be assigned to a COVID protection level. Find out what you can and cannot do from 2 November based on the local area that you live, work or travel in.
- Measures to protect businesses from insolvency will be extended to give businesses some breathing space during this pandemic (24 September 2020)
- Read the Scottish Government Phase 3 business and physical distancing guidance (31 August 2020)
- Guidance on opening of public and customer toilets (27 June 2020)
- Read this action list for businesses to consider during the current pandemic.
- Guidance to help micro (less than 10 employees) and small (less than 50 employees) companies safely re-open (13 July 2020)
- Read advice and guidance from Public Health Scotland on planning a return to work (26 June)
- Explore this free service for employers looking to fill jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic launched by Skills Development Scotland. This is a free platform to share immediate job opportunities in Scotland.
- Guidance on collection of customer and visitor contact details as part of NHS Scotland's Test and Protect system (14 July 2020)
- The Protect Scotland app from NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect is a free, mobile phone app designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus and avoid further lockdowns (10 September)
- The Strategic Framework Business Fund offers grants to businesses that are required to close by law as a result of COVID-19 restrictions from 2 November (10 November 2020)
- Apply for the Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers which has re-opened to support those in immediate financial hardship in Scotland (10 November 2020)
- Apply for the Screen Hardship Fund if you are a freelance screen practitioner and experiencing immediate financial hardship (10 November 2020)
- The UK Job Retention Scheme (furlough) will pay 80% of wages of workers on leave. This scheme has been extended until the end of March (5 November 2020)
- Support for nightclubs and soft play centres has been announced by the Scottish Government. Local Authorities will contact eligible businesses in their area. (27 October 2020)
- The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme has been extended for another 6 months and will be in the form of 2 grants.
- The Youth Arts Access Fund is now open for applications. The deadline is 12 November (17 September 2020)
- Michelin Development Dundee Fund offers world-class expertise and unsecured loans of up to £50,000 to SMEs operating in any business-to-business sector. Loans can be used for a variety of purposes including capital purchases as long as there is a jobs creation output. Note - this fund is only available to companies operating in Dundee or Angus.
- Childcare providers can apply for funding to meet the extra costs of complying with public health guidance (15 October 2020)
- Small businesses can apply for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). They have changed eligibility criteria to make it easier for businesses to access funds. It has been extended until 31 January 2021 (2 November 2020)
- Apply for a coronavirus Bounce Back Loan. Small and medium-sized businesses affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) can apply for a loan of up to £50,000 which will be guaranteed by the UK Government (4 May 2020)
- How to pay all or some of your grant back if you’ve overclaimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (16 September 2020)
- Employers can also claim the Job Retention Bonus, a one-off payment of £1,000 for each employee who they previously claimed for under the furlough scheme, and who remains continuously employed through to 31 January 2021. You cannot claim the Job Retention Bonus until 15 February 2021 (2 October 2020)
- The Renfrewshire Coronavirus Business Support Fund is a £1.3 million Renfrewshire Council package of interest free loans and grants providing immediate help to local businesses affected by the pandemic (17 August 2020)
- Guidance for workers and employers on returning to work safely (31 August 2020)
- Employers need to be aware of the guidance for employees who are shielding so they can return to work safely (3 October 2020)
- Test and Protect - Scottish Government advice for employers (12 October 2020)
- Read the Scottish Government's Phase 3 route map update (13 October 2020)
- Find redundancy support from Skills Development Scotland. Free support for businesses of any size, no matter how many employees are involved.
- Scottish Mediation offers a Covid-19 mediation service to resolve conflicts with employees. The service is free for organisations with up to 5 employees (9 July)
- Usual sick leave and pay entitlements apply if you or an employee has coronavirus.
Latest Scottish Government and industry guidance for sectors getting back to work safely.
Most popular
- Tourism and hospitality (30 October 2020)
- This guidance now includes statutory guidance for the hospitality sector (pubs, restaurants and cafés)
- Retail (30 October 2020)
- how the retail experience is changing (9 October 2020)
- Sport and leisure facilities (30 October 2020)
- General guidance for safer workplaces (1 November 2020)
- Events sector guidance (21 October 2020)
- Food and drink (30 October 2020)
- Close contact services
- includes hairdressers, tattoo artists, spas etc (30 October 2020)
- Creative industries - creative studios and shared workspaces (31 October 2020)
Other sectors
- Call centres and customer contact centre environments (3 August 2020)
- Caravan sites and holiday parks (22 July 2020)
- Childminder services and settings (30 October 2020)
- Cinemas and drive-in cinemas (30 October 2020)
- Construction (15 July 2020)
- Driving and motorcycle lessons (31 October 2020)
- Farmers, landowners and rural (9 October 2020)
- Film and high-end TV production (30 October 2020)
- Financial services (7 August 2020)
- Forestry (16 June 2020)
- Funeral Directors (30 October 2020)
- Horticulture, fruit and vegetables (2 July 2020)
- Housing including moving home (30 October 2020)
- Laboratories and research facilities (30 October 2020)
- Life sciences
- Manufacturing (30 October 2020)
- Museums, galleries and heritage attractions (2 November 2020)
- Performing arts and venues (16 October 2020)
- Public spaces - urban centres and green spaces, including shopping areas, transport hubs, parks, cemeteries and burial grounds (29 June 2020)
- Places of worship (30 October 2020)
- Private landlords and lettings agents (13 October 2020)
- Professional sport - football and rugby (3 September 2020)
- Public libraries (30 October 2020)
- Transport operators (30 October 2020)
- Technology - the development of software or hardware, cyber, data, infrastructure, and software engineering (30 October 2020)
- Telecommunications operators (3 November 2020)
- Waste management (13 July 2020)
- Wedding venues and celebrants (30 October 2020)
Browse advice by topic
Sources of finance
Information for businesses, the third sector and the self-employed.
Support by industry sector
All sectors in Scotland are experiencing the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, some more than others.
Protecting your workforce
Guidance on employment, key workers, furloughed workers, including sick leave and pay entitlements.
Business rates and tax
Support and advice on business tax, rates and accounts.
Business continuity
Checklists and information to help you manage disruption to your business in these challenging times
Webinars and online learning
Webinars, tutorials and online learning events about the impact of the coronavirus and general business development advice.
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