Covid Related Emergency Support Scheme (CRESS)
The Minister for Social Security has decided to implement a Covid-19 related emergency support scheme (CRESS) to make payments to a person or couple who have lost their full-time employment income as a result of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
This scheme is specifically targeted at a group of residents who normally receive no regular financial support from government and are self-sufficient in income terms. Under current employment conditions, many in this group will lose most or all of their normal employment income. Without any government help, and limited possibilities to repatriate workers to their home country, this group has very little prospect of being able to meet basic living costs. The aim of this scheme is to provide a weekly payment to support basic living costs.
Applicants must have lived and worked in Jersey for either:
CRESS-1 at least 6 months; OR
CRESS-2 less than 6 months
but not long enough to satisfy the residency conditions for Income Support; which require the person to have been in Jersey for five years continuously before claiming, or ten years at any time in the past.
The loss of employment income covered by the scheme includes situations in which the applicant
- Cannot be retained in employment by their employer and the employer will not re-employ them under the Payroll Co-Funding Scheme (PCFS);
- is normally a self-employed worker who is unable to continue with their business and is not covered by the PCFS;
- Has had to leave their job to home-isolate for a prolonged period due to Government health advice and the employer will not support them under the PCFS;
- has had to leave their job to care full-time for children who can no longer attend school or nursery and the employer will not support them under the PCFS; or
- has had to leave their job to care full-time for a member of their immediate household and the employer will not support them under the PCFS:
Individuals or couples can apply to the scheme for weekly payments. There are additional payments available if there are children under school leaving age in the household, or an adult child under 25 who would normally be in full-time education.
The scheme will provide payments from 1st April 2020 and will expire on 30 June 2020. The Minister will review the scheme regularly and will take a view on whether it should be extended beyond 30/6/2020. This will depend on the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
CRESS is a tax funded scheme. it will be administered through the CLS department with funding allocated by the Treasury and Resources Minister.
The Government has also launched a Payroll Co-Funding Scheme (PCFS) to help employers maintain continuity of employment by supporting a proportion of the wages of their existing employees.
Before applying to the CRESS, an applicant must contact their previous employer to check if they can maintain their previous employment income, with the employer being supported under the PCFS.
It is not possible to claim under this scheme and remain in substantial employment or self employment under the PCFS at the same time.
There are two types of assistance available to Jersey residents via this scheme:
CRESS -1:
This assistance provides for people who have lived and worked in Jersey for at least 6 months, have a contribution record for October, November and December 2019, were working full time in Jersey prior to the COVID emergency, but have not lived in Jersey long enough to satisfy the Income Support residency test which requires the person to have been in Jersey for five years continuously before claiming, or ten years at any time in the past..
CRESS-2:
This assistance is for people who do not satisfy the requirements for CRESS-1, but were living and working full time in Jersey prior to the Covid emergency and have not lived in Jersey long enough to satisfy the Income Support residency test which requires the person to have been in Jersey for five years continuously before claiming, or ten years at any time in the past..
A breakdown of the payments that are available is provided in Section 18.
The scheme is designed for people who don’t qualify for other forms of help from Government, such as benefits or other schemes; and have lost their normal full time employment income as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The person must be living in Jersey and be present in Jersey.
- The person must have been working for at least 25 hours per week in Jersey (employed, part-time employed, or self-employed) and paying social security contributions and tax (where applicable) prior to the Covid emergency.
- The person must have lost their normal employment income as a result of the covid emergency.
- A person can’t apply to this scheme if they or their partner satisfies the residency condition for Income Support
- A person can’t apply to this scheme if they continue to receive employment income unless that employment income is based on temporary or ad hoc work and the total income is not more than £70 per week.
- A person can’t apply to this scheme if they are claiming a contributory Social Security benefit - short term incapacity allowance (STIA), home carer’s allowance (HCA), invalidity benefit (INV) or maternity allowance (MA).
- A person can’t apply to this scheme if they are claiming a Covid sickness benefit (7 days or 14 days) as a result of self-isolation.
- A couple living together cannot make two separate applications.
The application process is administered by the CLS department.
Applicants are required to complete an online form to make an application. If a person has good reasons that they cannot apply online they will get assistance from CLS.
Only one application can be made in respect of a couple living together.
There is one form for all types of application.
The online form requires the following information:
- Person details – e.g. name, address, Social Security number
- Telephone number for day time contact
- Details of the household – e.g. the names and dates of birth of any children and age of arrival in Jersey (if not born locally)
- Jersey Bank details – e.g. sort code and account number
- Scan of recent bank statement.
- Name of most recent employer
- Most recent occupation
- Technical / professional qualifications / experience
The online form requires the following declaration:
Declaration
I am applying for CRESS because my normal employment income has stopped due to the covid-19 pandemic.
I confirm that I am unable to maintain my normal employment income using the PCFS (Payroll Co-Funding Scheme) and that I have requested that my employer or previous employer confirm this. I further authorise and consent to my employer or previous employer to provide such confirmation to Customer and Local Services (“CLS”).
I understand that I must and confirm that I will:
a) Provide details of my skills and/or experience that may assist community or Government schemes.
b) Actively seek paid employment and accept any appropriate offers of employment that are offered
c) Accept any voluntary job or task in any community or Government scheme during the COVID-19 emergency that I am requested to assist with
d) Notify CLS immediately if I or my partner (where applicable) start working again or commence any paid employment
e) Notify CLS immediately of any changes to the composition or circumstances of my household
f) Immediately provide any such further information as CLS may request
g) Immediately confirm my circumstances and those of my partner (where applicable) to CLS upon telephone request
I hereby consent to and understand that:
a) CLS will check the information I have provided against their existing records.
b) CLS can contact my employer or previous employer to verify my employment history and the information I have provided in support of this application.
c) CLS can contact my partner’s employer or previous employer to verify my partner’s employment history and the information I have provided in support of this application.
d) If I receive any monies under this scheme to which I am not entitled, those monies must be repaid forthwith
e) The Government will take action against me to recover any monies that I have received to which I am not entitled
f) If I have provided CLS with any false information in relation to my application to this scheme, the Government can and will take action against me to recover any monies that I have received to which I am not entitled, including, but not limited to criminal prosecution
I declare that:
a) All of the details provided in this application are true, accurate and complete
b) I have read and understood the rules of this scheme
c) I have read and understood this declaration and commit to adhere to the commitments I have made in it
d) If I receive any monies under the scheme to which I am not entitled, I will repay them forthwith
I understand that if I supply information that I know to be false or withhold information for the purpose of obtaining a payment for myself or anyone else (for example, if I do not declare an income), I am committing a criminal offence for which I could be prosecuted, and which may result in a fine and/ or imprisonment.
The Scheme pays on a household basis. It calculates an amount for a single person, couples, and any children. Children includes adult children up to the age of 25 who are living at the same address and are in full-time education.
Where two people live together as a couple and share accommodation, they cannot make individual claims under this Scheme.
In some situations, one partner can make a claim when the other partner does not qualify. In this situation, no additional support is provided for children.
Payments will only be made to Jersey bank accounts.
CLS will use existing contribution records to check the applicant’s contribution record for Oct to Dec 2019. If there is a full contribution record for each month in the quarter the applicant will be considered for CRESS-1.
If there is no record for Oct, Nov, Dec the applicant will be considered for CRESS-2.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant can be considered for CRESS-1 if they have a record missing from one of Oct, Nov or Dec but they have a full record for the rest of 2019 (Jan – Oct).
The Applicant must confirm that they have spoken to the previous employer and it is not possible for the employer to maintain their earnings using the PCFS.
CLS may contact the previous employer to confirm these details.
The scheme provides weekly payments, paid in arrears.
Where an application is received and approved during a payment week it qualifies for a full payment in that week.
Where a claim is ended before the end of the scheme, it qualifies for a full payment in the last week of the claim, regardless of the day on which the claim ended.
Applicants eligible for CRESS-1 will receive:
- £100 a week for a person who qualifies for CRESS-1, but has a partner who does not qualify for CRESS-1
- £150 a week for a single person who does not live with a partner and qualifies for CRESS-1
- £250 a week for a couple who both qualify for CRESS-1
- £50 a week for each child included in the household where all of the adults qualify for CRESS-1. This includes older children who would normally be in full-time education and are under the age of 25
Applicants eligible for CRESS-2 will receive:
- £70 a week per person
- A child living with a CRESS-2 parent will receive separate support. Contact the CLS department for further details
- Support for repatriation costs, if travel can be safely arranged to the home country.
A child can be included on a CRESS-1 claim if the child lives with the person or couple making the claim and is under school leaving age. An older child who is still in full time education (school, college or university) can be included if they live in the household and are aged under 25.
A child can only be included on one CRESS-1 claim only. If childcare is shared between two parents who do not live together, only one parent can make a claim. The parent who looks after the child for most of the time should include the child on their claim.
Children are not included in a CRESS-1 claim if only one adult out of a couple is eligible for CRESS-1.
Special arrangements will be made in the case of a CRESS-2 applicant who has the care of a child.
The CRESS scheme is an emergency and temporary scheme. It does not include specific support for rent or mortgage costs.
Applicants should continue to pay rent if possible as they will still be liable for any rent arrears. Applicants should speak with their landlord urgently if they are struggling to pay rent. Landlords should be sympathetic, especially if the tenant is facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A tenant still has a legal obligation to pay rent, but the landlord may agree to reduce the rent or defer the rent payment until later. The tenant should get any agreement in writing.
Where a former employer who provided accommodation for the applicant is receiving funding from the PCFS scheme in respect of remaining employees, the employer is required to provide accommodation for the applicant, although the employee is no longer employed.
If the landlord has applied to evict the tenant, the tenant should stay in their home.
Evictions take time and the tenant doesn’t have to leave at the end of the notice until an eviction has been ordered by the Court.
Jersey’s Magistrate’s Court has adjourned all eviction cases which are before the Petty Debts Court and no new cases will be considered during the coronavirus outbreak.
Government advice during the coronavirus outbreak is to stay put in your home unless staying where you are creates an immediate risk to your health and/or safety, or you do not have currently have somewhere safe to say.
Anyone concerned about their rent, mortgage or living arrangements should contact the emergency housing team – emergencyhousing@gov.je
If one partner in a household receives income support, neither partner can make a claim under this scheme.
If an individual or either partner in a couple satisfy the residency condition for income support, neither partner can make a claim under this scheme.
An individual cannot apply for a payment under this scheme if they are receiving any of the following Jersey benefits:
- Income Support
- Short Term Incapacity Allowance
- Maternity Allowance
- Home Carer’s Allowance
- Invalidity benefit
- Covid sickness benefit
If an individual has a partner who is disqualified from the scheme because they are still receiving employment income or they are receiving one of the benefits listed above, the individual can still make a claim. If approved the CRESS-1 claim is paid at the rate of £100 a week. It is not possible to claim for children in this situation.
For the purposes of the CRESS scheme, the applicant is considered to have lost their normal employment income due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic if the applicant:
- Prior to the Covid emergency, was working in Jersey for at least 25 hours per week;
- AND due to Covid emergency, one or more of the following apply to the applicant:
a) Cannot be retained in employment by their employer and the employer will not re-employ them under the Payroll Co-Funding Scheme (PCFS);
b) Was previously employed by a business that is now insolvent
c) Was previously employed on a zero hours contract and the employer will not provide them with any hours under the PCFS;
d) is normally a self-employed worker who is unable to continue with their business and is not covered by the PCFS;
e) Has had to leave their job to home-isolate for a prolonged period due to Government health advice and the employer will not support them under the PCFS;
f) has had to leave their job to care full-time for children who can no longer attend school or nursery and the employer will not support them under the PCFS; or
g) has had to leave their job to care full-time for a member of their immediate household and the employer will not support them under the PCFS:
- AND: Has ongoing earnings during the Covid emergency from temporary employment of no more than £70 a week.
- An applicant who is employed and chooses to stop working without a good reason, is not eligible under this scheme.
- An applicant who is employed and loses employment due to their own actions is not eligible under this scheme.
A condition of the support available under the CRESS scheme is that applicants agree to support government and community actions during the covid emergency as well as undertaking relevant job-seeking activities and taking up employment that is available.
Jersey is in an unprecedented situation. Many normal employment opportunities are not available at present. The CRESS scheme is available to people who have lost their normal employment income but may be able to help in other areas. Applicants will be expected to undertake any suitable work. This could be work that is different to their normal work. It might be voluntary work. Applicants will be expected to adhere to all current health advice.
Applicants are required to provide contact details and be available at short notice to undertake paid or voluntary work. They must promptly provide details of skills, experience or qualifications on demand. Applicants will only be matched to work that is suitable to them and reasonable to their skills, experience, health, age and physical abilities.
If an applicant is offered suitable work and does not take it, they will become ineligible for the CRESS scheme and payments will cease.
The applicant is required to advise the CLS department of any change to their circumstance that would affect the value or eligibility of their claim.
Changes include:
- A partner moving in or out of the household
- A child joining or leaving the household
- The applicant taking up new or additional work
- The applicant leaving Jersey
Changes must be advised to CLS using the appropriate online form and within 2 working days of the changes.
The applicant will become ineligible for the CRESS scheme if they fail to accurately and fully advise CLS of any changes in their circumstances.
The applicant will become ineligible for the CRESS scheme if they fail to respond promptly to any request for information from CLS to confirm their circumstances.
Payments made under the CRESS scheme are made on the basis of information supplied by the applicant.
The applicant must sign a declaration confirming the information provided is complete and correct and that they will abide by the terms of the scheme.
Information will be checked against information held by the CLS department.
It will be checked with other departments as necessary.
The applicant’s employer or former employer may be asked to confirm details.
In the event that any information is incorrect or incomplete, the applicant will be required to repay any payments made that were not correctly due under the scheme.
In the event that an applicant deliberately supplies false information, the matter will be passed to the police and the applicant may be subject to prosecution.
CRESS is a non-statutory scheme. As such the terms of CRESS can be amended or withdrawn without notice at the discretion of the Minister for Social Security.
As a non-statutory scheme the decision of the Minister for Social Security is final.
In order to be considered for a payment an application must be submitted.
The Application Form is available here:
- By email: insert address here
- By phone/post: +44 (0) 1534 444444
TABLE 1 - AMOUNT PAYMENT TO ELIGIBLE PERSON – CRESS-1
CATEGORY | Payment (£) |
Person with an employed partner | 100 |
Person with partner who does not qualify for CRESS-1 | 100 |
Single person | 150 |
Couple | 250 |
Child (under school leaving age) | 50 (per child in the household) |
Young person in full time education aged under 25 | 50 (per person) |
TABLE 2 – WEEKLY AMOUNT PAYABLE TO ELIGIBLE PERSON – CRESS-2
CATEGORY | Payment (£) |
Adult | 70 |
Child | Contact CLS for further details |
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