Shortly before the deadline on September 30, around 70,000 final invoices for the federal government’s Corona aid are still missing in Bavaria. As of September 17, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria, the responsible body, had only received 211,345 final invoices, as it announced when asked. However, 281,590 invoices are expected.
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“Although noticeably more final accounts are being submitted every day, there is still room for improvement and unfortunately there is not much time left,” says the Chamber of Commerce. And anyone who does not submit a final account by the deadline will have to pay back the entire amount plus interest, according to the federal government’s funding guidelines.
The final accounts are the second stage of the process, as the Chamber of Commerce explains. In the first stage, the applications were submitted based on forecast sales figures and the aid was paid out. In the second stage, the applicants must now present their actual drop in sales. Depending on this, there may be additional payments, repayments or confirmation of the aid.
More than one in three received additional money
Around 75,000 final settlements have been processed so far, of which almost 95 percent have been approved. In 24.5 percent of cases, applicants had to pay money back. In 37.5 percent of cases, payments were confirmed and in 38 percent of cases there were additional payments.
There are various reasons why applications are missing, says the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. “In the final phase, we are of course assuming that many third-party auditors will submit their final accounts in the coming days.” Then there are cases in which companies no longer exist or cases in which the third-party auditor is no longer working for the client.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry is unable to determine exactly how much money is involved in the 70,000 final accounts that are still missing. However, it is likely that the amounts involved are smaller. Applications for large grants are usually submitted via auditing firms or large tax offices, which then usually also prepare the final accounts.
