Government guidance on the coronavirus job retention scheme
Following the Chancellors update on Friday 20th March 2020, under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis.
The employer can be reimbursed by HMRC for up to 80% of the furloughed employee’s salary up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. HMRC are in the process of setting up an online portal to facilitate this and has not been actioned currently.
The coronavirus job retention scheme will initially be in place for three months from 1 March but may be extended.
How to access the scheme
You will need to:
• Designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change – changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
• Submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
• Designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change – changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
• Submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.
For more information visit the Government’s Covid-19 business support page.
