Minimal Financial Assistance, or MFA, is a form of small-value subsidy that is less regulated under the UK’s Subsidy Control Act 2022 than is large-value subsidy. It is the UK equivalent of the European Union’s de minimis aid, which allows Member States to award small scale financial support to businesses without requiring a full compliance procedure.

Key Features of Minimal Financial Assistance:

Threshold: Subject to a number of conditions, an enterprise in the UK may receive up to £315,000 in total over a 3-year period, across all applicable UK linked subsidiaries and parent companies in a rolling 3-year period. This threshold is cumulative and applies to the total value of the grant, tax relief or other financial benefit received by the enterprise.

Exempt from Full Subsidy Control: As the value of MFA is relatively low, it doesn’t disturb what the OECD terms ‘tighter controls’. Firms receiving only MFA will not be subject to the conditions that apply to ‘more significant’ subsidies.

Types of Support: Assistance under MFA can take the form of state grants, tax exemptions, guarantees, preferential loans, access to services at favourable terms and so similar. They are typically aimed at assisting enterprises to grow, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Declaration Requirement: For any new subsidy application the organisations are required to report the amount of MFA that has been received in the past 3 years. The declaration form below helps to make that declaration. The enterprise needs to keep records for 3 years for subsidies received under MFA from the date of receipt to ensure that total over the rolling 3-year time period does not exceed the £315,000 limit.

Rulebook of financial support to enterprises

Under Section 36 of the Subsidy Control Act (2022) that came in to force on the 4 January 2023 the maximum level of Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) that an economic actor* may receive is up to a maximum of £315,000 in any 3 year period. This is across all UK measures under the terms of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Withdrawal Agreement, the Northern Ireland Protocol, the World Trade Organisation Rules and Trade Agreements between the UK and non-EU countries.

*References to “You” and a “single economic actor” in the context of this declaration means not only your organisation, but also any enterprises linked to your organisation. The table below must include any subsidy or aid they have received.

Under Section 37 (2)(c) you need to declare these amounts to us in the table below and to any other aid awarding body who requests information from you on how much assistance you have received. You must retain records of the award of the subsidy for a period of at least 3 years from the date of the award.

Minimal Financial Assistance Declaration

Please enter the details of all subsidies or financial assistance your group has received over the last three fiscal years.

Declared Assistance