What does the Scheme aim to do?

  • This Government backed scheme enables eligible businesses, across the whole of the UK, to obtain a discount of up to 50% on approved software solutions up to a maximum of £5,000 (excluding VAT).
  • This discount covers 12 months’ worth of the approved software’s’ core product costs.

What cost does the discount not cover?

  • Planning and delivery services.
  • Any separate one-off payments.
  • Transaction costs.
  • Professional, technical or supplier support services not included as standard.
  • Any costs listed as ‘additional’.
  • Supplier support packages that are provided at additional cost and provide more than standard supplier support offers
  • Value Added Tax (VAT). The discount is applied against the total software product price offered by technology suppliers, exclusive of VAT.

What is the eligibility criteria?

  • You have to be a UK company registered with Companies House or on the Financial Conduct Authority’s Mutuals Register.
  • You have between 1 and 249 employees.
  • The business has been actively trading for over a year before applying for the discount.
  • You are purchasing the software for the first time.
  • The financial discount is only for the use of the business applying and cannot be transferred.
  • All financial discounts should be redeemed before their expiry date (30 days from successful application).

The person applying for the discount must be:

  • aged 18 or over
  • an employee and/or an owner, including an owner-manager, a trustee or person with significant control over the business
  • authorised to agree to the terms and conditions on behalf of the business
  • able to confirm receipt of the financial discount will not cause the business to exceed the total threshold for Small Amounts of Financial Assistance or De Minimis.

What is the Financial Assistance threshold?

  • Subject to exchange rate fluctuations, you are able to receive a total of approximately £330,000, taking into account De Minimis aid received before 1 January 2021, over a period of 3 fiscal years.

What is the De Minimis threshold?

  • This relates to goods or wholesale electricity companies with operations based in Northern Ireland (NI), or your business is otherwise in the scope of the State aid provisions in the NI Protocol.
  • You are able to receive a total of 200,000 Euros over a period of 3 fiscal years. 

What are the approved software types?

  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
  • Digital Accounting.
  • eCommerce.

Who are the approved CRM suppliers?

  • Capsule CRM.
  • Zymplify.
  • Zym Lite
  • Zym Pro
  • Gold-Vision CRM.
  • Swiftcase
  • Deskpro Ltd.

Who are the approved Digital suppliers?

  • Sage.
  • Quickbooks.
  • Crunch.

Who are the approved eCommerce suppliers?

  • EKM Pro.
  • Gob2b
  • ShopWired.
  • Comgem.
  • Kentico.

How do you apply for the discount?

Step 1: Choose your software.

Help to Grow: Digital – compare eligible business software (learn-to-grow-your-business.service.gov.uk)

Step 2: Provide information about you and your company as part of the eligibility and fraud checks.

Step 3: Once the checks are complete, you’ll receive an email. Confirm your email address to continue.

Step 4: Wait to receive your email confirming if you’ve passed the eligibility and fraud checks.

Step 5: If successful, you’ll receive a unique link. Use it on the supplier’s website to buy your chosen software.

What is the final deadline to apply?

  • End of December 2025.

If you wish to discuss the Help to Grow – Digital or other issues please do contact us.

About the Author

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