The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has partnered with Tide to launch a Coronavirus Government Support Eligibility Checker to help SMEs get access to the financial aid they need during this time of crisis.
The Eligibility Checker is available for free on the FSB’s website; it is also available on the Tide website. It will help SMEs to cut through the noise and identify the financial help available to them, as well as pointing them in the right direction to access that support.
Tide’s research has revealed that three quarters (75%) of the UK’s SMEs had already been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis bythe endof March 2020, with a quarter (24%) stating that their revenue has dropped by 100% since the government lockdown came into force. Rapid access to funding is therefore crucial to these businesses' survival.
Oliver Prill, Tide CEO said:“The COVID-19 crisis will have a severe and potentially long-term impact on the UK’s SME community and so it is crucial that we do all we can to help as many small businesses weather this storm as possible.
“The UK government has announced a very generous package of measures to give financial support to SMEs, however the distribution of these funds is unclear and is not happening quickly enough.
“Tide is dedicated to serving the SME sector and so we hope the COVID-19 Business Support Finder will help business owners to get the helpthey need.”
Tide has submitted an Expression of Interest to become accredited as a provider of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to deliver cash directly to members and is still waiting to be invited to make an application.
