HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has confirmed that the online portal for applications to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will open on Monday 20 April 2020.
The CJRS provides grants worth 80 per cent of a furloughed employee’s salary up to a cap of £2,500 a month, plus Employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and minimum employer auto-enrolment pension contributions.
Furloughed employees are placed on temporary leave and may not carry out any work during the period of furlough.
Any employee on your PAYE payroll on 28 February 2020 can be furloughed, including those who have subsequently left but who you are prepared to take back on.
The scheme is backdated to 1 March 2020 and is in effect until the end of May, although the Government has said it will be extended if necessary.
If we are authorised to act as an agent on your behalf for PAYE and you plan to furlough any of your employees, please let us know the following information as soon as possible:
- The name of each furloughed staff member; and
- The date each employee was furloughed and when you expect them to resume working, if known.
- Your Company bank account details.
We will then make a claim on your behalf when the portal opens.
If we act for you as a file only agent, we are unable to make a claim on your behalf if you plan to furlough any of your employees. However, we can provide you with the information you need in order to make a claim.