Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary)

Eligibility

1). I currently have eight people in my company, but plan to increase this to ten full time people in December. Am I still eligible to apply?

No, you must have ten or more full time people employed in your company on the 2nd November 2009 to be eligible to apply for the scheme. Your auditor will confirm this is correct when you make your first claim.

2). My company is not engaged in export activities and is not a client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Shannon Development or Udaras na Gaeltachta. Can I still apply?

Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria set out on this website.

3). My company is a charity organisation/not for profit organisation - we receive some funding from the HSE. We meet the 10 full time employees criteria – are we eligible?

The fact that your company is a charity or a not for profit organisation is irrelevant to the question of eligibility.

However, your company must be able to satisfy the eligibility criteria set out on this website, which include

Must be capable of growth in the global upturn
Must have already taken significant restructuring measures to improve their competitive position through full engagement at enterprise level on measures to sustain jobs. This could include strategies to reduce costs and improve productivity

4). My business has been established within the past 12 months. Is it eligible to apply under the Scheme?

No. Accounts in respect of an enterprise’s last full financial year are required to be submitted as part of the application. If such accounts are not submitted, the application will be incomplete and ineligible for support. Therefore an enterprise which is unable to submit such accounts is ineligible.

5). Can you clarify what is meant by an enterprise "active in the fisheries sector"?

An enterprise is considered to be active in the fisheries sector where the products it produces are found in the table below. These products include both products caught at sea or in inland waters and the products of aquaculture.

Where an enterprise produces both these ineligible products and other products not found in the table below, it may apply for support under the Scheme but employees involved in the production or sale of the ineligible products may not be included in either the Committed Jobs or Supported Jobs figures. Examples of “fish” products not found in the table below include prepared meals containing fish or shellfish, and fish/shellfish in sauce.

	CN Code	Description of Goods
(a)	0301	Live fish
	0302	Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading No 0304
	0303	Fish, frozen excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading No 0304
	0304	Fish fillets and other fish meat (whether or not minced), fresh, chilled or frozen
(b)	0305	Fish, dried, salted or in brine; smoked fish, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process; flours, meals and pellets of fish, fit for human consumption.
(c)	0306	Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine crustaceans, in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water, whether or not chilled frozen, dried, salted or in brine; flours, meals and pellets of fish, fit for human consumption.
	0307	Molluscs, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; flours, meals and pellets of aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans, fit for human consumption.
(d)		Animal products not elsewhere specified or included; dead animals of Chapter 1 or 3, unfit for human consumption: • Other: • Products of fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates; dead animals of Chapter 3:
	0511 91 10	• Fish waste
	0511 91 90	• Other
(e)	1604	Prepared or preserved fish; caviar and caviar substitutes prepared from fish eggs.
	1605	Crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, prepared or preserved.
(g)		Pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed (with meat or other substances) or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagne, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni; couscous, whether or not prepared: • Uncooked pasta, not stuffed or otherwise prepared:
	1902 20	• Stuffed pasta, whether or not cooked or otherwise prepared:
	1902 20 10	• Containing more than 20% by weight of fish, crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates.
(h)		Flours, meals and pellets, of meat or of meat offal, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, unfit for human consumption; greaves:
	2301 20 00	• Flours, meals and pellets, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates

6). I have accepted a letter of offer under the first Employment Subsidy Scheme which closed on the 4th September 2009, but I have not received any payment under that Scheme. I note that I must formally withdraw from that contract before I can apply under the current Scheme. How do I do that?

By sending a letter or email to Enterprise Ireland * from one of the persons who signed the letter of offer on behalf of the enterprise, containing the following text:

" Dear

[insert name of enterprise] wishes to withdraw from the grant agreement comprised of a letter of offer dated [insert date] and acceptance dated [insert date] and hereby releases Enterprise Ireland* from all obligations, claims and liabilities under the said grant agreement.

On behalf of [ insert name of enterprise]

.......................

Director"

*where the enterprise received a letter of offer from a development agency other than Enterprise Ireland, the letter or email should instead be sent to that agency and the name of that agency substituted for Enterprise Ireland in the text of the letter/email.

7). Can you clarify what is meant by a full time employee?

Only a person who has worked an average of 35 hours or more per week during the week or weeks up to and including the 2nd November 2009 will be counted as a “full time employee” at the 2nd November 2009”. An enterprise is free to select the number of weeks over which this average is taken, but the weeks must be continuous up to and including the 2nd November 2009. The person must have been an employee on the 2nd November 2009.

For the purposes of making a claim under the Scheme, only a person who has worked an average of 35 hours or more per week during the Qualifying Period will be counted as a “full time employee” during that Qualifying Period.

Enterprise Ireland will consider that an employee may be deemed to have worked for a certain number of hours in certain situations, details of which are set out in the guidelines below. These guidelines may be updated from time to time.

Where the guidelines below refer to “Qualifying Period” this refers to each of the four Qualifying Periods set out in the rules of the Scheme, and also, for the purposes of determining eligibility for the Scheme only, to the week or weeks up to and including the 2nd November 2009.

Where the guidelines below refer to “average working day” this refers to the average working day of that person during the period immediately before the person went on leave or resigned, as the case may be. The enterprise may choose the period over which the average is taken provided that the period is a continuous period up to when the person went on leave/resigned, and provided the period is not less than a week and not more than three months.

PAID LEAVE (e.g. paid maternity leave, annual leave): An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day of paid leave during the Qualifying Period.
UNPAID SICK LEAVE: An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day of unpaid sick leave during the Qualifying Period (up to a maximum of 20 days per Qualifying Period).
JURY SERVICE: An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day spent on jury service during the Qualifying Period.
UNPAID STATUTORY LEAVE (e.g. parental leave, bereavement leave, force majeure leave, adoptive leave, carer’s leave, unpaid maternity leave - see below): An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day of such leave during the Qualifying Period (up to a maximum of 13 days per Qualifying Period).
UNPAID MATERNITY LEAVE: Where an employee on maternity leave has been replaced by another employee, the hours of both may be added together for the purposes of arriving at an average for one job. If there is a gap between an employee leaving on maternity leave and the replacement employee starting work, the replacement employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each of the working days during that gap (up to a maximum of 20 working days).
WHERE AN EMPLOYEE RESIGNS: Where an employee resigns and has been replaced by another employee, the hours of both may be added together for the purposes of arriving at an average for one job. If there is a gap between the date on which the former employee stopped working and the date the replacement employee started work, the replacement employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each of the working days during that gap (up to a maximum of 20 working days).

8). Can you clarify what is meant by a part time employee?

Only a person who has worked an average of 21 hours or more per week but less than 35 hours per week during the week or weeks up to and including the 2nd November 2009 will be counted as a “part time employee” at the 2nd November 2009”. An enterprise is free to select the number of weeks over which this average is taken, but the weeks must be continuous up to and including the 2nd November 2009. The person must have been an employee on the 2nd November 2009.

For the purposes of making a claim under the Scheme, only a person who has worked an average of 21 hours or more per week but less than 35 hours per week during the Qualifying Period will be counted as a “part time employee” during that Qualifying Period.

PAID LEAVE (e.g. paid maternity leave, annual leave): An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day of paid leave during the Qualifying Period.
UNPAID SICK LEAVE: An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day of unpaid sick leave during the Qualifying Period (up to a maximum of 20 days per Qualifying Period).
JURY SERVICE: An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day spent on jury service during the Qualifying Period.
UNPAID STATUTORY LEAVE (e.g. parental leave, bereavement leave, force majeure leave, adoptive leave, carer’s leave, unpaid maternity leave - see below): An employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each day of such leave during the Qualifying Period (up to a maximum of 13 days per Qualifying Period).
UNPAID MATERNITY LEAVE: Where an employee on maternity leave has been replaced by another employee, the hours of both may be added together for the purposes of arriving at an average for one job. If there is a gap between an employee leaving on maternity leave and the replacement employee starting work, the replacement employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each of the working days during that gap (up to a maximum of 20 working days).
WHERE AN EMPLOYEE RESIGNS: Where an employee resigns and has been replaced by another employee, the hours of both may be added together for the purposes of arriving at an average for one job. If there is a gap between the date on which the former employee stopped working and the date the replacement employee started work, the replacement employee will be considered to have worked an average working day for each of the working days during that gap (up to a maximum of 20 working days).

9). My enterprise consists of a group of companies. Should the holding company make one application, or can the subsidiaries make separate applications?

Either approach is acceptable. The holding company can make one application on behalf of the group, or each subsidiary can make a separate application. But, regardless of which approach is taken, the total subsidies awarded to the group or to companies in the group cannot exceed €500,000. Applicants should bear in mind that enterprises on the same score will be ranked according to the total number of jobs the enterprise is committed to maintaining – therefore there may be an advantage in making a single application on behalf of the group rather than two or more subsidiaries making separate applications.

If my company has been awarded job subsidies, what happens if, during the term of the grant agreement, I wish to reorganise the corporate structure or I wish to sell the business by selling the assets?

Where an enterprise has been awarded job subsidies Enterprise Ireland* may consent to the transfer of (the benefits and obligations arising under) the grant agreement to a new legal owner of the enterprise, where it is satisfied that the enterprise (i.e. the business, its assets and its employees, as distinct from the legal owner of the enterprise) has been transferred to the new owner.

*Where the enterprise has received a letter of offer from a development agency other than Enterprise Ireland, such consent should instead be sought from that agency.

10). I own two separate companies. Can I add their employment numbers together and make one application?

If the two companies are part of a “group of companies” they can be considered a single enterprise (see FAQ on groups above). To be considered a “group of companies”, one of the companies must be a “subsidiary” (as defined in Section 155 of the Companies Acts) of the other, or, both companies must be subsidiaries of the same holding company. Two companies owned by the same individuals and having common directors are not part of a group of companies.

If these two separate companies are not part of a group and operate separate businesses, then they are two separate enterprises and their numbers cannot be combined in one application.

If the two separate companies are not part of a group but are in reality just divisions of what is the one business (offering complimentary services/products to the same customers), then they can be considered a single enterprise.

Application Process

1). Is there financial assistance available to companies to help them complete the application?

No, there is no funding to help companies to apply for support. Companies apply online via www.employmentsubsidy.ie

2). Can I submit a hard copy application?

No, there is no facility to submit a hard copy application form. You can only apply online using the website www.employmentsubsidy.ie

3). I do not have a soft copy of my accounts. Can I post them to you?

If you do not have a soft copy of your accounts, you can send them by registered post (not standard post) to;

Employment Subsidy Department
Enterprise Ireland,
The Plaza,
East Point Business Park,
Dublin 3.

The documents must reach us by the call close date (2pm 23rd of December 2009). Late applications will not be considered.

4). Can I send in my financial information after the call close date?

No, in order for your application to be considered you must submit the online application form and email/post the financial information (audited accounts/management accounts/cash flow statements) by the call close date. If any of the four pieces of information are missing, your application will not be considered.

5). Why do I have to send my documents by registered post if I cannot email them to you?

You need to have proof that you sent your documents by post to reach us by the call close date, if you wish to query your application. If you send them by normal post, you have no proof that you sent the documents.

6). We do not have a tax clearance certificate and we have never had a requirement to apply for one. Is a tax clearance certificate mandatory and if so, can the Employment Subsidy Scheme application be made before the closing date even if the Tax Clearance Certificate has not been received from the Revenue Commissioners prior to that date?

You cannot receive payment under the Scheme without a Tax Clearance Certificate. Also, you will lose any entitlement to be paid in respect of a Qualifying Period if you do not submit a Tax Clearance Certificate by the relevant Claim Date, even where you subsequently obtain a certificate.

To be paid in respect of the Qualifying Period 2/11/09 to 31/1/09, you must have submitted a Tax Clearance Certificate before the end of March 2010.

If you do not have a tax clearance certificate you will need to apply for one from the Revenue Commissioners.

As it is a mandatory field on the online application form, please enter “Applied for” in the Tax Clearance Certificate Number field and the date you applied for the certificate in the expiry date field.

7). What happens if I see a mistake in my application after submitting it on-line?

You must formally withdraw your application by quoting the ESS Id, co. name, your name and position in company stating you wish to withdraw the application.

8). Can an application to the Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary) be made on behalf of an applicant by an agent (such as an accountant)?

Yes, but in accordance with Enterprise Ireland policy, the email address of the enterprise itself should be entered on the application form. The acknowledgement of receipt of application will be sent to this email address.

9). Can I courier the documentation to Enterprise Ireland?

Courier delivery is acceptable provided you have proof of delivery from your courier that your information has reached Enterprise Ireland before 2pm on Wed 23rd December.

10). Can I personally deliver my documents to Enterprise Ireland before 2pm on Wed 23rd December?

No, as independent proof of delivery is required by the applicant. This is to ensure that that applicant can prove that the documents were delivered before the call close date.

11). Can you acknowledge you have received my financial information?

If you have sent your financial information via e-mail before 2pm on Wed 23rd December 2009, we will acknowledge receipt of your financial information by email. If you submit within the last 24 hours of the call, your email may not be acknowledged until after the call close. However, all reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that your acknowledgement is sent as soon as possible thereafter.

If you have submitted your financial information by registered post, this must reach Enterprise Ireland by 2pm on Wed 23rd December 2009. Late submissions will not be valid under the scheme rules and will not be processed.

Note that applicants are responsible for ensuring that their complete application is received by Enterprise Ireland. Therefore, applicant should ensure that they LEAVE sufficient time to submit so that delays in the receipt of emails with attachments by Enterprise Ireland, faulty broadband, traffic jams, incorrect postal addresses, lost couriers and so on do not result in a late submission.

Employees

1). How much support do you get per person per month? Does it vary based on the person's salary?

The full time employment subsidy is €9,100 over the 52 week period starting on 2nd November 2009 to 31st October 2010.

The part time employment subsidy is 70% of the full time subsidy, €6,370 over the 52 week period starting on 2nd November 2009 to 31st October 2010.

The full time subsidy is paid at a rate of €200 per week and the part time subsidy is paid at a rate of €120 per week for the first 26 weeks and then on a reducing scale.

The amount of subsidy is not affected by the person's salary level.

2). If an employee works in an overseas office but is paid through the Irish company, are they eligible for the subsidy?

No, the employees must be working in Ireland, regardless of where they pay income tax.

3). Are two people job sharing in the same role, working a 35 hour week, eligible for the subsidy?

No, not if both employees work less than 21 hours per week on average.

If one of the employees works 21 or more hours on average per week that person will be considered a part time employee – see FAQ above on what is meant by a part time employee.

4). Does the Accountant’s Report have to be completed by an independent accountant and submitted on the accountant’s headed paper?

Yes

5). Does the Director’s Statement have to be completed on the company’s headed paper?

Yes

6). Qualifying Period – how do I show payroll for the first Qualifying Period if my payroll does not finish until after the Qualifying Period ends?

The company need's to show the payroll records for this period and the previous period.

7). Information Sheet - 08/2009 – 'obtain a listing of staff for the two pay periods preceding the first quarter' what is meant by this?

This is to demonstrate that the company had 10 or more staff on the payroll at the time of application.

8). Is there a requirement to keep Time Sheets?

To validate the claim, the accountant will look for payroll records, attendance records or other Human Resource records to indicate that full time employees worked a minimum average of 35 hours per week and part time employees worked a minimum average of 21 hours per week.

9). I had 10 employees on Nov 2nd, one person resigned November 30th and we are currently recruiting to fill that position, am I eligbile?

Yes, the requirement is to have 10 employees (full time) on the books as at November 2nd 2009. However, if the position is not filled immediately, then that company is likely to have a problem with claiming the subsidy, even if the application itself is eligible.

10). My company employs less than 10 full time employees. Are there any types of supports or subsidies available to me?

You should contact your local County Enterprise Board. They engage with companies of your size and will be able to advise you on the supports available for companies employing less than 10 full time employees.

11). Why is the scheme only open to companies that employ at least 10 full time employees?

This decision was taken by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, based on this being the number that will help the economy to retain its productive capacity and help employers which are under particular pressure as a result of the global economic crisis retain the labour, knowledge and skills of the workforce, thereby supporting a faster return to sustainable growth.

12). Are seasonal workers covered by the scheme and eligible for subsidies?

An applicant can only apply for the scheme based on the number of employees in the enterprise as at Nov. 2, 2009. If there are workers employed at that date who are seasonal then provided they work the required hours, they can be counted in the committed and subsidised jobs numbers. However if the applicant falls below the committed number during the qualifying period (e.g. if the seasonal workers leave), then they will not get paid anything for that period. To maximise the funding available, the applicant would have to commit to maintaining these seasonal workers for the period of the scheme if they are being used as the committed numbers.

However, an applicant cannot apply using an employment figure greater than the current number as at Nov 2, 2009 based on an expected increase in seasonal employment during the spring and summer months in 2010. The employment subsidy scheme is a job maintenance scheme and not a job creation scheme.

Assessment

1). Is there a score above which I know my project will be funded?

No, there is no such score.

This is a competitive scheme and there is a set amount of funding available. The applications will be ranked in order of their score.

2). How does the scoring for the ratio of supported jobs to additional committed jobs work?

"Supported Jobs" means the number of subsidies sought by the applicant.

"Additional Committed Jobs" means the number of jobs (both full time and part time) that the applicant will maintain up to and until the end of November 2010 in addition to the number of "Supported Jobs".

"Total Committed Jobs" means the "Supported Jobs" together with the "Additional Committed Jobs".

A higher ratio of "Supported Jobs" to "Additional Committed Jobs" will result in a higher score being awarded to the applicant.

Ratio of Supported Jobs to Additional Committed Jobs
Ratio	Score
1:10 or greater	55
1:8 or greater	45
1:6 or greater	35
1:4 or greater	25
1:2 or greater	15
1:1 or greater	5
Less than 1:1	zero

The type of subsidies awarded (i.e. full time subsidies and part time subsidies) will be awarded in the same proportion as the proportion of full time and part time jobs in the Total Committed Jobs.

The proportion and number of full time and part subsidies approved cannot be changed and will remain fixed for the duration of the scheme.

Enterprise Ireland shall round up the number of part time subsidies and round down the number of full time subsidies as appropriate.

Example 1

An enterprise with 100 Total Committed Jobs (with 80 full time and 20 part time), who is successful in having 10 jobs subsidies approved, will only be entitled to 8 full time subsidies and 2 part time. If the enterprise subsequently brings all 100 workers up to full time, the number and type of subsidies it will receive will remain the same i.e. the enterprise will still only get 10 subsidies with 8 full time and 2 part time. Enterprise Ireland shall round up the number of part time subsidies and round down the number of full time subsidies as appropriate

Example 2

An enterprise with 100 Total Committed Jobs (with 80 full time and 20 part time), who is successful in having 9 jobs subsidies approved, will only be entitled to 7 full time subsidies (i.e. 80% of 9 = 7.2, rounded down to 7) and 2 part time subsidies (i.e. 20% of 9=1.8, rounded up to 2). If the enterprise subsequently brings all 100 workers up to full time, the number and type of subsidies it will receive will remain the same i.e. the enterprise will still only get 10 subsidies with 8 full time and 2 part time.

3). Can an enterprise apply for a greater number of subsidies than there are jobs at risk in that enterprise?

No. An enterprise may not be granted a subsidy for a number of jobs greater than the number of jobs at risk in that enterprise (being the number of jobs at risk set out in its application form).

4). Is there a minimum qualifying score?

No, there is no minimum qualifying score or threshold for either call. It is determined by budget and number of applications.

5). Can I apply for employment subsidies if I have previously received High Potential Startup or Innovative HPSU funding?

Yes as long as the company fulfils all of the other eligibility criteria. However if the company received funding since the 1st of January 2008 under De Minimis or Temporary Aid Framework (e.g. Enterprise Stabilisation Fund) then this is deducted.

6). We intend on applying for employment subsidies for our company. However, we also plan on applying for additional funding from Enterprise Ireland in the future and we would like to know the impact, if any, our application/acceptance of this subsidy would have on future EI funding.

The only implications for future funding relate to funding under the Temporary Aid Framework. A company could, however, receive non-Temporary Aid Framework support eg R&D fund or Growth Fund, i.e. funding by normal pre-existing EI process.

The maximum a company/group can receive under the Temporary Aid Framework is €500,000, this includes the Employment Subsidy Scheme, the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund and De Minimis aid.

7). We have already received some support under the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund. Are we eligible to apply for employment subsidies?

Yes, but the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund is part of the Temporary Aid Framework, and a deduction will be made from the total max funding per company of €500,000 under the Temporary Aid Framework to reflect funding you are already receiving under the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund.

If you need more detailed information on the maximum Employment Subsidy Scheme you are now eligible to apply for, you should contact your Development Advisor with Enterprise Ireland or Project Executive with Údarás na Gaeltachta or Shannon Development.

Making a Claim

1). Does my Tax Clearance Certificate have to be in date at the time of making my application?

No, however, you do have to enter the details of your most recent tax clearance certificate in the online application form, even if it is not currently in date.

If you have applied for a tax clearance certificate enter "Applied For" in the tax clearance certificate number field in the application form and enter the date you applied for the certificate in the tax clearance certificate expiry date field.

The tax clearance certificate does not have to be in date at the time of application but the applicant does have to have a valid tax clearance certificate at the date of claim payment.

The information on the tax clearance certificate is required on application so that if an applicant is successful, we can be alerted as to whether or not your tax clearance certificate will be valid when your company makes a claim. This will give you time to contact Revenue to obtain a valid tax certificate for the purposes of making a claim.

If the tax clearance certificate is out of date when the claim is due for payment, then the claim documentation will be incomplete and cannot be paid.

2). If I have committed to maintain 30 employees, but during a Qualifying Period I had only 29 employees, is my claim amount reduced pro-rata, or do I lose all of the grant payable in respect of that Qualifying Period?

If you fail to maintain the committed number of employees for the Qualifying Period, you do not get paid anything for that Qualifying Period. See also FAQs entitled "What is meant by a full time worker?" and "What is meant by a part time worker?"

3). If I fail to maintain the committed number of workers during a Qualifying Period, does that affect my right to make a claim in subsequent Qualifying Periods?

Where the Company has failed to maintain the Minimum Number of Jobs during a Qualifying Period, that shall not affect its right to claim the tranche of Grant payable in respect of a subsequent Qualifying Period where it has maintained the Minimum Number of Jobs in that subsequent Qualifying Period.

Confidentiality

1). Will a list of applicants to ESS be published?: Enterprise Ireland’s policy is not to publish the names of any applicants whether successful or unsuccessful.
2). Is my application available to anyone who wants to see it?: No. All information received as part of an application will be treated as confidential and commercially sensitive.
3). Are applications accessible under FOI?: Enterprise Ireland will not release any information received as part of this application except as may be required by law, including the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 and 2003. In the event of a Freedom of Information request, the client will be given reasonable advance notice in order to contest such disclosure. This applies to applicants to any of the schemes that are managed by Enterprise Ireland.

Technical Questions

1). I was filling in the form and I clicked a button and I am now back in the first page and all my text is gone.

This is called a “Session Timeout”. If you take a particularly long time to fill in a page of the application form (4 pages in all) or leave your computer idle for more than 20 minutes this will happen. If it happens, you will have lost the values you have entered.

To avoid a session timeout please refer to the application checklist Link opens in new window PDF Document and the sample application form and ensure you have all information to hand before you begin filling out the online application form. You should prepare text for your business plan and financial figures in advance and use copy and paste from your word processing software to the appropriate field. By spending some time preparing your information, this problem is less likely to occur. With all the information to hand it should take 10-15 minutes to complete the entire online application form.

2). Extra fields are appearing when I click “Next” on the form.

The answers to certain questions on the form require more detail to be entered. Typically, this detail appears immediately after you select the appropriate answer. If it only appears when the user has clicked “Next” or “Submit” then “JavaScript” has been “disabled” on your web browser.

Ideally, for the best experience, JavaScript should be enabled but the form will work without it. This option is normally enabled by default in web browsers. See below for instructions on enabling JavaScript in various web browsers.

Internet Explorer 8

Open Internet Explorer
Click on the Tools from the top menu
Select Internet Options in the menu
Click on the Privacy tab near the top of the window
Click on the Default button of the window
Move the slider so that it is on one of the levels below Medium High (including Medium, Low, Accept All Cookies)
Save changes by clicking OK

Internet Explorer 7

Open Internet Explorer
Click on the Tools from the top menu
Select Internet Options in the menu
Click Security tab
Click Custom Level
Scroll down until you see a section labelled "Scripting"
Under Active Scripting, select Enable
Click OK

Mozilla Firefox 3

Open Firefox
On the Tools menu, click options
Click Content in the Options list
Under the Content section, check the box next to Enable JavaScript
Click the Advanced button to open the Advanced JavaScript Options box
Check the appropriate boxes under Allow scripts to
Click OK
Click OK

Opera 9

Open Opera
On the Tools menu, click preferences
Click Content in the Preferences list
Check the box next to Enable JavaScript
Click the JavaScript Options button to open the JavaScript Options box
Check the boxes that you want to allow
Click OK
Click OK

Apple Safari 3.0

Open Safari
Select 'Safari' from the top menu
Choose 'Preferences'
Choose 'Security'
Select the checkbox next to 'Enable JavaScript'
Click the JavaScript Options button to open the JavaScript Options box
Check the boxes that you want to allow
Click OK
Click OK

3). Text and images on the form seem to be out of place and difficult to follow

Every effort has been made to check that the application form works in current and previous versions of the leading web browsers. We cannot guarantee that the application form will function correctly if you are using a web browser outside of the recommended list or a very old web browser. We recommend using one of the following web browsers;

Internet Explorer 6.0/7.0/8.0
Firefox 3.0+
Google Chrome 2.0+
Opera 9.0+
Safari 3.0+

4). How do I identify the version of web browser I am using

To check the version of web browser you are currently using please follow the appropriate steps below;

Internet Explorer

Select “Help” menu
Select “About Internet Explorer”

Mozilla Firefox

Select “Help” menu
Select “About Mozilla Firefox”

Google Chrome

Select “Tools” menu (spanner icon)
Select “About Google Chrome”

Opera

Select “Help” menu
Select “About Opera”

Apple Safari

Click on Safari in your Safari menu, located at the top of your screen
A drop-down menu will now appear. Choose the option labelled “About Safari”
A dialog box will now appear containing the browser's version number. The first number, located outside of the parenthesis, is the actual version of Safari

5). The text is unformatted, errors don’t appear in red, there is a lot of text on the left hand side of the screen that is hyperlinked but the link doesn’t go anywhere.

This would indicate that CSS styling is turned off on your web browser.

For the best experience, CSS styling should be turned on but the form will work without it. This option is normally on by default in web browsers. If you suspect it is turned off please follow the steps below for your browser to enable it.

Internet Explorer 6.0/7.0

On the Tools menu, select Internet Options
Select the General tab
Click the Accessibility button at the bottom right
Make sure all checkboxes are unchecked
Click the OK button to exit the Accessibility dialog box
Click the OK button to exit the Internet Options dialog box
Close browser and re-open

Internet Explorer 8

On the View menu, select “Style”
Select “Default Style”

Mozilla Firefox 3.0

On the “View” menu, select “Page Style”
Select “Basic Page Style”

Apple Safari 3.0

Go to the Safari menu in the menu bar and select “Preferences…” from the menu
Select ‘Show Develop menu’
Select the “Disable Style” option

6). I can’t get into the form. I’m getting an error saying “SSL protocol disabled”.

The ESS application form uses a security certificate for SSL encryption to protect the user of the form. The form cannot be entered without the use of SSL encryption.

To enable SSL Encryption on your web browser (normally switched on by default) please follow the appropriate steps below;

Internet Explorer 6.0/7.0/8.0

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab
In the Security area, review the selected options
To enable SSL 3.0, select the Use SSL 3.0 check box
Click on “Ok”
Close your web browser and re-open

Mozilla Firefox 3.0

From the Tools menu, click Options.
From the Options dialog box, on the Advanced tab, click to select Use SSL 3.0.
Click on “Ok”

Opera 9.0

From Tools select Preferences
Select the Advanced tab
From the left hand side menu select Security, and click on 'Security Protocols'
Ensure 'Enable SSL 3' are ticked
Click OK
Click OK again

Google Chroms

From the Tools menu, click Options
In the “Under the Hood” tab, scroll down to the “Security” area
Ensure “Use SSL 2.0” is ticked

7). There are no images on the form, am I missing something?

There should be images on the top and bottom of the form. If the images are not appearing, image display must be disabled on your web browser.

The application form will work correctly without images. Image display is normally enabled by default in web browsers. Please follow the appropriate steps below to enable images in your web browser;

Internet Explorer 7.0

Click the "Tools" button
Select "Internet Options"
When the "Internet Options" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Advanced" tab
Scroll down to "Multimedia" and check "Show pictures
Click on “Ok”

Internet Explorer 8.0

Click Tools, and select Internet Options from the dropdown menu
Select the Advanced tab
Scroll down the list until the Multimedia heading is reached. Check the box next to Show pictures
Click on “Ok”

Mozilla Firefox 3.0

On your toolbar, click on Tools, then select Options, then select Content from the top bar
Uncheck the box that says load images automatically

Apple Safari 3.0

Select the "Safari" menu
Click "Preferences"
Click on the "Appearance" button
Check "Display images when the page opens"

Opera 9.0

Click on View in your Opera menu, located at the top of your browser window
When the drop-down menu appears, select the Images choice
A sub-menu containing three choices should now appear to the right of the View menu
Select “Show Images”

8). I wanted to change something on my form after I submitted it. I hit “back” on the browser but all I got was an empty form. Have I lost everything?

No, you haven't lost your data. We have saved the details you submitted. You should receive an email shortly with a PDF attachment showing your completed form. You cannot alter the details of your application via the website once you have submitted it. If you want to change the details on your form, please reply to your acknowledgement email stating that you want to withdraw this application and that you will be submitting a new one. Please ensure that you submit your new application via the website as before and email your supporting financial documentation prior to the call close. Late submissions will not be accepted.

9). I’m getting a “File not found” or “404” error

You may have bookmarked a partially completed form and you are now attempting to return to it. You must complete the form in one sitting.

If your internet connect failed while filling out the form you will need to restore your internet connection and start the form again.

10). I'm getting an error while when I press the "Next" or "Previous" buttons or when I submit the form

Please take a note of the error you received and take a screenshot if possible. Call the information line on 1850 211 734 (Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm) for further assistance.