Make a Voluntary Repayment of COVID-19 Funding
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-27)

You can use this page to voluntarily repay funds you received from government COVID-19 support schemes.

This guidance helps individuals and businesses voluntarily repay funds received from government COVID-19 support schemes. The Voluntary Repayment Scheme allows individuals or businesses who received support when they should not have, did not need, or are in default, to voluntarily repay by contacting the issuing department, local authority or lender. Making a voluntary repayment does not prevent, stop or protect you from regulatory investigations or enforcement action, however it may be taken into consideration by enforcement bodies.

The page provides clear instructions and contact details for specific schemes including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self Employed Income Support Scheme, and various grant programmes.

For those unsure which scheme they received or from which organisation, a central Voluntary Repayment Scheme inbox provides responses within 5 working days. The guidance includes fraud prevention advice to help users identify phishing attempts. Please only use official GOV.UK (http://gov.uk/) contact details.

The scheme is open until 31st December 2025.

How to repay

The way you repay depends on the scheme you used:
- Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-grants-back)
- Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tell-hmrc-and-pay-the-self-employment-income-support-scheme-grant-back)
- Eat Out to Help Out Scheme (email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx))
- Cultural Recovery Fund (email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)
- Business support grants (email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx))
- Grants from the Department for Health & Social Care (email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx))
- COVID-19 Business Loan Guarantee Schemes, e.g. Bounce Back Loan (contact your lender directly)
Additional information about the Voluntary Repayment Scheme for Bounce Back Loans (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-repayment-scheme-for-bounce-back-loans-guide)

If you don’t know your scheme, or for any other COVID-19 financial support scheme, email the Voluntary Repayment Scheme (xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)) with:
- Name of the scheme (if known).
- Type/nature of support (eg., loan, grant, benefit).
- Approximate date/period when the monies were received
- Name of the lender or issuing body (if applicable)
Please do not send any other documents or personal information.

You will receive a response in 5 working days to explain how to arrange repayment.

How to spot a phishing email, fake text or fake letter

If you’ve seen or received something that doesn’t feel right, STOP:
- break the contact – don’t reply, respond, click on any links, or make any payments
- check if it’s genuine - contact us or the relevant department using the contact email above or details from a department’s official GOV.UK (http://gov.uk) page only.
Don’t forget that if you contact us via email, we’ll only email you through an official government email address, ending with ‘gov.uk’.

Reporting fraud

Whether you’ve seen something suspicious or been a victim of fraud, you should always report it. Providing details of what happened will help the police crack down on the criminals and could prevent the same thing happening to others.

If you’ve been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime, report it to Action Fraud online (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/) or by calling xx-xxxx-xxxx.

Avoid other websites, emails and phone numbers that imitate government services

Some websites, emails or phone numbers look like they’re part of an official government service when they’re not. Some make you pay for things that would be free or cheaper if you used the official government service.

Search on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/search) to find official government services and phone numbers.

Repayment to other government schemes

To repay a loan, grant or welfare payment that was not part of a COVID-19 financial support scheme, contact the department directly.

For example, if you wish to discuss repayment of Universal Credit, contact the Department for Work and Pensions via their GOV.UK (http://gov.uk) webpage.