Firstly, this scheme has now been amended to cover 4 months from 1 March 2020, as opposed to originally 3 months.
I set out below the instructions I received today from HMRC in relation to the above:
You can now claim online for a grant for 80% of your furloughed employees’ salaries, up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee, per month, through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
This scheme will be open until the end of June 2020.
Before you make a claim:
- please read all the available guidance on GOV.uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme before you apply
- gather all the information and the precise calculations you need before you start your application: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme – if you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this
- you can find out more in the calculation guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme where you can access a claim calculator – this will allow you to check your claim for most employees who are paid the same amount each pay period
- access our simple step by step guide: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-step-by-step-guide-for-employers for additional help.
After you’ve made a claim:
- keep a note or a print-out of your claim reference number – you won’t receive a confirmation SMS or email
- retain all records and calculations for your claims, in case we need to contact you about them
- expect to receive the funds six working days after you apply, provided your claim matches records that we hold for your PAYE scheme –please do not contact us before this time
- to receive payment by 30 April, you will need to complete an application by 22 April
- please ask your furloughed employees not to contact us directly – we will not be able to provide them with any information on individual claims.
We expect to be very busy so we would ask that you only call us if you can’t find what you need on GOV.UK or through our webchat service – this will leave our lines open for those who need our help most.
HMRC will check claims made through the scheme and will act to protect public money against anyone who makes a claim using dishonest or fraudulent information.
We’d encourage you to also protect your own credentials from potential scammers and opportunist criminal activity.
We wish you well at this challenging time.
Yours sincerely
