Self-employed directors ramp up plea for Treasury support Sole traders who pay themselves through dividends have so far missed out on furlough and the self-employed income support scheme 8 January 2021 • 4:07pm Self-employed workers urgently need Government support through the new lockdown as the latest wave of Covid threatens to snuff out any economic recovery, business groups have warned. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses and millions of jobs could be at risk, the Treasury has been warned, as furlough payments and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) do not apply to workers who operate as company directors and pay themselves via dividends.