Services
People
News and Events
Other
Blogs

Update: Furlough Scheme

  • Posted

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced reforms to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.  We are awaiting updates to the Treasury Direction and the Employer's Guidance - and the devil will always be in the detail - but these are the headline points announced at his press conference (with additional details from HM Treasury's Twitter feed) in the last half hour:

- 10 June 2020 will be the last day that employers can place employees on furlough.

- from 1 July, 'flexible furlough' is being introduced, meaning employees will be able to work part-time and be furloughed part-time.  Businesses will decide how that will work (in terms of the time split).

- from 1 August, employers will have to pay employee's national insurance contributions and pension contributions, and can no longer reclaim them through the CJRS.

- from 1 September, the government will only reimburse 70% of salary (up to a maximum of £2,190). Employers are required to top-up to 80% (or more, depending on what the employer agreed with the employee).

- from 1 October, the government will only reimburse 60% of salary (up to a maximum of £1,875), and employers will continue having to top up to 80% (or more).

- the furlough scheme will close on 31 October 2020.

- the self-employed grant is being extended, with applications opening in August for a second and final grant.  There will be parity with the reducing furlough scheme, paying 70% (not 80%) of average earnings up to £6,750

Comments