** Please note that the scheme has since been postponed owing to the extension of furlough until end of March 2021. Find out more.**

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has today updated his package of support for businesses. The changes come days after many entered regional lockdowns and just a week before the Chancellor's Job Support Scheme was due to go live. 

The improvements to the previously announced Job Support Scheme (JSS) mean that employers now only need to contribute 5% of workers' wages (down from 33% originally) and employees only need to work a minimum of one day a week (down from 33% originally). This means that employees will now take home at least 73% of pay for working a new minimum 20% of hours.

A second focus of the Chancellor's announcements were based around the self-employed grant scheme. The scheme is meant to help contractors and freelancers and it has been expanded by more than £3.1 billion. Profits covered by the scheme have doubled to 40% and the maximum grant for November 20 to January 21 is now worth £3,570, up from £1,875.

The final announcement will have little impact on ACE members, but will make the newspaper headlines with additional cash grants for struggling firms that have been forced to close because they operate in Tiers two or three. This will mainly be relevant to the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sector.

We will update our COVID-19 guidance as and when additional details of today's announcements are shared on the Government's website.

** Please note that the scheme has since been postponed owing to the extension of furlough until end of March 2021. Find out more.**