Guide to requesting the new Generalitat aid for furloughed workers, companies and the self-employed
Companies and employees may apply for benefits from Feb 15; the self-employed, from Feb 19
Almost two weeks after being approved by the Government, the Official Journal of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) has published the conditions to qualify for the direct aid from the Generalitat as part of its €618m plan to help workers affected by furlough (ERTE), small businesses, microenterprises, cooperatives and the self-employed. Here is how and when to apply.
Who can apply?
Three main groups will benefit from the aid. The first is low-income workers on furlough (ERTE) or with a permanent seasonal contract (fijo discontinuo) with the right to extraordinary benefits. The second is micro-enterprises, small companies and cooperatives with workers on furlough. The third is the self-employed most affected by the current health crisis.
What conditions do companies have to meet to qualify for the aid?
First of all, they must have their registered office in Catalonia and their workers must be on furlough since at least 31 January 2021. Small companies with fewer than 50 workers and an annual turnover of up to €10m, microenterprises with fewer than 10 workers and annual turnover of less than €2m, and cooperatives with fewer than 50 employees or members and an annual turnover of up to €10m are eligible. Excluded from this line are self-employed individuals, foundations and companies owned by more than 50% by public capital.
When is the deadline for companies to apply?
The window for applications opens on Monday 15 February at 12:00 noon in person and on Monday 22 February at 12:00 noon online through Canal Empresa. Subsidies will be granted on a first come, first served basis and the assessment criterion will be the fall in turnover in 2020 compared to the previous year. In the event that the company applying for the grants has been created after 1 January 2019, the results of the last months of 2019 will be taken as a reference. To receive these aids, businesses will have to commit to maintaining the same number of workers they had in December 2020 until 31 December 2021.
And what are the requirements for workers on furlough (ERTE) to qualify for the aid?
They have to be domiciled in a municipality in Catalonia, they have to have been on furlough (ERTE) since December 2020 with total or partial suspension of their working day for reasons related to covid-19 and they have to be receiving unemployment benefits from the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) or they have to have pending recognition of benefits by the SEPE.
What aid will these employees receive?
It will be a one-off payment of around €600, which is expected to reach 175,000 people. The application period opens next Monday at 9 a.m. and will end on 25 February at 3 p.m.
And the self-employed, what benefits can they apply for?
The self-employed may request, as they have done on other occasions, a grant of €2,000 that will be compatible with other benefits awarded by the Generalitat. Both in the case of the self-employed and in the case of workers on furlough, the order of registration will not determine preference in the granting of aid. In order to receive the aid, self-employed workers must be registered in the Social Security's Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA). On the other hand, the number of self-employed workers or employees contracted by the beneficiary cannot exceed six. Self-employed workers who are registered with a mutual insurance company as an alternative system to RETA are also eligible for aid.
When is the deadline for the self-employed?
The window for applications opens on Friday 19 February at 9:00 am and will close on Friday 26 February at 3:00 pm.
