Registration is open for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced the Eat Out to Help Out scheme during his Summer Economic Statement on 8 July. The scheme is intended to help food businesses by incentivising customers to eat at their restaurant or other “eat in” establishments by providing a discount which can then be claimed back from the government.

Eligible businesses must register

Registered businesses will be able to offer a 50% discount, up to a maximum of £10 per person, to diners for any food or non-alcoholic drink purchases to eat or drink in their premises during Monday – Wednesday in August.

To make use of the scheme, eligible businesses must register their establishment. You are eligible to register for the scheme, if you meet the following criteria:

• You sell food for immediate consumption on the premises
• You have your own dining area or share one with another establishment for eat-in meals
• You were registered as a food business with the relevant local authority on or before 7 July

Takeaways and catering services for private functions are not eligible to make use of the scheme.

Registration is now open

You can use this link to register your business.

HMRC guidance states that the registration deadline is 31 August 2020 but we recommend that all intending applicants should register before 31 July in order to claim their reimbursement when the facility opens for claims on 7 August.

Once registered, you will receive a registration reference number – make sure you keep this as you’ll need it when you claim the reimbursement.

All registered establishments will be made available to the public in due course. You can download promotional materials to let your customers know you are taking part in the scheme.

Keeping records

It is important you keep records for each day you are using the scheme. You need to keep:

• Total number of people who have used the scheme in your establishment
• Total value of transactions under the scheme
• Total amount of discounts you’ve given

Making a claim

The service for claiming your reimbursement from HMRC will be available on the 7 August. You must wait 7 days after registering to make your first claim.

You will be able to submit claims on a weekly basis and HMRC will pay eligible claims within 5 working days. The service will close on 30 September.

Please note that you will still need to pay VAT (at the temporarily reduced rate of 5%) based on the full amount of your customers’ bills and any money received through the scheme will be treated as taxable income.

More guidance will be provided on how to make a claim when the service becomes available.

If you would like to discuss this or any other matter, please contact our EQ Leisure team via leisure@eqaccountants.co.uk or call one of our offices.