Self-employed workers can register for new government aid from Monday

The Catalan government has announced that from November 30 at 9am until December 7 at 3pm, self-employed workers will be able to apply for a second round of aid. Unlike the last round, this system will not operate on a first come, first served basis.

However, how much and to whom the amounts will be allocated is yet to be determined.

The executive has put together a special group to work this out, composed of the interim president Pere Aragonès, spokesperson Meritxell Budò, and the departments of digital policy and labor.

The allocation of the first round of payments did not go smoothly, with the official website going down after being inundated with requests.

Past help

On November 9, 10,000 people were allocated help totaling €20 million by the government.

However, this process did not go as expected as the IT system failed. This meant that the €2,000 payments had to be put on hold.

Those who applied for that grant will not be able to apply to this round of financial help.

Requirements for financial aid

As well as those workers, young people in the Juvenile Guarantee scheme, an EU scheme to help young people access the job market, will also be unable to avail of the funds

Freelancers will be able to apply through being registered with self-employment register RETA or a mutual society as an individual.

Individuals with dependent workers can also apply for the scheme but only if they have six workers or less as of mid-2020.

Companies run by self-employed people with up to three members will also be able to take part in the government scheme. They must also have their tax base set up in Catalonia.

Aragonès said on Friday that their aim is for the grant to be delivered this year. "We aim to be agile, the aid allocated in November is already being granted," he added. "In fact half of the payments have already been received."