The Customs Grant Scheme has been set up to help businesses cover the costs of training in order that they might be better prepared.
HMRC has made over £80 million available through this grant scheme. Provided you meet certain eligibility criteria, HMRC can provide funding towards the costs of a new training project, investing in your IT, training your staff, and the costs associated with recruitment to improve your organisation’s capacity and efficiency. Check Eligibility >
Please note that the Grant Scheme is nearing full allocation of funds. If your application cannot be fulfilled due to funding, it will be placed on a waiting list to have funds allocated if and when funds are returned. All applications are considered on a first come first served basis.
What is the Customs Grant Scheme?
The Customs Grant Scheme has been set up to help businesses prepare for new customs arrangements from 1 January 2021.
This includes supporting businesses who trade with the EU to undertake training to improve their understanding of customs requirements and working with customs intermediaries.
It also helps customs intermediaries increase their capacity to complete customs declarations and accelerate growth of the sector in order to meet the increased demand.
What grants are available?
There are three different types of grant available through the Customs Grant Scheme:
- Grants for Trader Training: up to £1,000.
To be eligible you need to be an importer or exporter who will be new to customs as a result of the UK leaving the EU and do not plan to complete your own declarations.
- Grants for IT, Training and Recruitment: up to 200,000 Euros.To be eligible you need to be a trader or customs intermediary (such as a customs broker, fast parcel operator or freight forwarder) who completes or intends to complete customs declarations for your own goods or on behalf of others.Organisations which recruit, train and place apprentices into customs intermediaries or other organisations which undertake customs declarations activity are also eligible to apply.
- Grants for a Co-Funded Training Project: up to 2 million Euros.To be eligible you need to be a trader or customs intermediary (such as a customs broker, fast parcel operator or freight forwarder) who completes or intends to complete customs declarations for your own goods or on behalf of others.Organisations which recruit, train and place apprentices into customs intermediaries or other organisations which undertake customs declarations activity are also eligible to apply.
Visit grants available to find out more about each grant, or use the grant checker to find out which grants you can apply for.