12 May 2020

CORONAVIRUS: New “Furlough” system for employee wages up and running – EXTENDED UNTIL OCTOBER 2020!

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claims portal opened on Monday 20th April and early indications are that it seems to be working smoothly but with a few teething problems as you would expect from a brand-new system. Read on to find out the latest updates for the scheme...

How is the scheme functioning today?

In the run up to the start of the system there was limited detail from HMRC on what could be claimed as the initial guidance was rather sketchy and did not cover all situations. The government also decided late on to change the qualifying conditions so that it would apply to those on the payroll at 19th March instead of 28th February to cover those employees taken on in March, or so we thought. It turned out that the employee needed to be included in an RTI (real time information) submission for 2019/20 by 19th March to be included. This week, it was announced that the scheme would be extended for those who need it up to October 2020. 

Remember that CJRS allows employers to claim 80% of an employee’s regular pay subject to a limit of £2,500 a month if they have been “furloughed”, in other words unable to work during the crisis.

The claim can also include employer’s NIC and the employers 3% auto-enrolled pension contribution on the restricted amount.

Note that company directors may be furloughed provided they do not work for the company other than complying with their statutory obligations. The furlough claim only applies to their salary, not dividends.

Depending on how long the Coronavirus lockdown lasts future claims should be a lot more straightforward now that we have more detailed guidance from HMRC.

Questions? We can help!

As usual, if we can be of assistance please get in touch with us today and let us help you and your business during these difficult times. Contact our Director, Nick Bonnello, directly on 0115 964 8860 or email him at nickb@rwbca.co.uk to utilise your free, 30 minute consultation and find out how we can help you across all areas of your business.

The views provided in this article are for general information purposes only. Nothing in this article represents advice of any nature whatsoever. Accordingly, RWB CA Limited does not accept any liability or responsibility for the information contained in this article or any decision or other action that may be taken in reliance upon the information contained within it. RWB CA Limited accepts no responsibility for any errors of fact or opinion and assumes no obligation to provide you with any changes to its assumptions.