Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS)

Making a claim

Note

The Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) ended on 30 September 2023. Claims cannot be made after this date.

There was a two-step process to make a claim under the TBESS. The eligible business needed to:

• register for the TBESS on the Revenue Online Service (ROS)
• and
• complete a claim in respect of energy costs arising in a claim period, or claim periods.

A step-by-step guide on how to register and make a claim on ROS can be found in the TBESS guidelines.

Registration

When registering for the scheme, you needed to:

• provide details about the business
• provide details in relation to electricity or natural gas connections
• and
• make declarations confirming eligibility for the scheme.

Making a claim

Energy costs for a claim period related to each calendar month from September 2022 to July 2023.

Energy costs for a reference period related to each calendar month from September 2021 to July 2022.

You must have supplied details of energy bills for both the claim period and the reference period. 

For information on how to find the relevant bill details, please see Revenue's guidance Understanding your bill.

Revenue’s TBESS calculator:

• apportioned the bills, where the billing period related to more than one calendar month   
• calculated the energy costs threshold
• calculated the eligible costs
• and
• determined the amount of Temporary Business Energy Payment (TBEP) that you could claim.

If your business had more than one energy bill in a claim period, you could make a claim in respect of each bill. You needed to meet the qualifying criteria for each claim period. This was subject to a monthly limit (see ‘How much can a business claim’).

Time limit for claims

Claims for an electricity or natural gas bill must have been made by 30 September 2023.

Compliance checks

The billing details you provided should correspond with your business’ books and records. Revenue may validate this information against details already held on Revenue systems, including relevant tax returns.

You may have been required to submit supporting documentation when making your claim. Revenue may request additional documentation to verify the claim at a later date.

Record keeping

You must keep records relating to your claim for a period of 10 years following the end of a claim period. This is a requirement under the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF).

Offset

A TBEP will be offset against any outstanding tax due in line with normal Revenue offset rules.

The offsetting rules will not apply to tax liabilities that have been warehoused under the Debt Warehousing Scheme. This is provided the business satisfies the conditions of Debt Warehousing by filing returns and making payments on time.

The offsetting rules will not apply to tax liabilities that a business is paying under a Phased Payment Arrangement (PPA). This is provided it is meeting its obligations under that PPA.

Next: How much can a business claim?