The government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme opened for applications in January 2022. Find out whether you could claim a 50% discount on a range of approved business software.

Eligible businesses could claim 50% off software under the Help to Grow: Digital scheme

The Help to Grow: Digital initiative will run for three years, and aims to encourage businesses to adopt digital technologies. Discounts currently include specific digital accounting and customer relations management (CRM) software. Offers on other types of software, such as e-Commerce software, are expected in due course. The 50% discount is capped at £5,000 per product and applies to the total product price, excluding VAT. Check the Help to Grow: Digital terms and conditions carefully to ensure your purchase is eligible.

Help to Grow: Digital – what you need to know

Business structure matters: this is an offer for small and medium-sized companies only. Sole traders and partnerships cannot apply.

To be eligible, businesses must:

• have a registered office in the UK
• be registered at the relevant Companies House
• have been actively trading for over 12 months prior to the date of application
• have an incorporation date of at least 365 days prior to the application date
• have a total of between 5 and 249 employees
• be purchasing the approved software for the first time (Note: the scheme does cover certain clearly defined upgrades).

How to apply

Eligible businesses can apply via the Help to Grow website, where you will also find a list of eligible software products.

Fraud and verification checks will be carried out as part of the application process. Following any purchase, businesses must keep relevant records for at least six years. Purchase records will need to be made available to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy if requested.

The discount counts towards the total threshold for small amounts of financial assistance or de minimis state aid that a business can receive in a three-year period.

Going digital?

If you want to make better use of digital technology in your business but aren’t sure where to start, arrange a free Digital Health Check today. An RfM Transform Digital Technology specialist can help identify where digital technology can make the biggest difference to your business, and how to get the most from the software and systems you already have. To arrange your free Digital Health Check, please call Mark Thwaite on 01772 431233 or email mthwaite@rfm-more.co.uk