Business Restart & SBASC COVID-19 Grants Scheme 2020/2021

The Business Restart & The SBASC COVID-19 Grant schemes for businesses in Ireland were designed and developed by Ascendas in 2020.

The software was delivered to 29 local authorities.

The Business Restart Grant was announced by the government in May 2020. The grant was intended to alleviate the costs for small and micro businesses of reopening and reemploying workers after COVID-19 closures. The grant was available to businesses with a turnover of less than €5 million and 50 or less employees, who experienced closures or a 25% reduction in turnover.

Interested businesses applied through their local authority and had to be within the authority’s commercial rates system to be eligible. The grant was calculated to be equivalent to commercial rates businesses paid in 2019, with a minimum of €2,000 and maximum of €10,000 available7.

In August 2020, the government announced the Restart Grant Plus scheme. Restart Grant Plus was available to medium and large businesses, with up to 250 employees and a turnover of up to €25 million, who experienced a 25% reduction in turnover.

The grant was a minimum of €4,000 and maximum of €25,000. Like the original grant, interested businesses applied through their local authority and had to be within the authority’s commercial rates system to be eligible8.

Between both grants, local authorities accepted 108,487 applications out of a total of the 122,185 that were made. Payment for both grants amounted to €632,266,393 paid to local businesses.

Small Business Grants 2021

The Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID (SBASC) was launched by the government in March 2021. The scheme provided a grant of €4,000 for Q1 of 2021, intended to assist businesses with their fixed costs during the economic disruption imposed by COVID-19 public health measures. It was available to businesses with less than 250 employees and annual turnovers between €50,000 and €25 million, who had experienced a reduction in turnover of 75% or more. Businesses who continued to meet the criteria could receive a second instalment of €4,000 for Q2 2021.

In June, the government launched a Phase 2 of the scheme with expanded eligibility criteria. Businesses working from non-rateable premises could apply for the €4,000 grant. Phase 2 also launched SBASC+, a smaller €1,000 grant, available to micro businesses with a turnover between €20,000 and €49,999 if they met other eligibility criteria.