Please find below an update regarding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and actions you might need to take.
Key dates
- Submit your CJRS claim for periods ending on or before 30 June 2020 by 31 July 2020. This is the last date you can make those claims. You need to have made a claim at any point on or before 31 July to be able to make a claim for future months.
- From 1 August 2020 the scheme will no longer fund employers’ National Insurance (NI) and pensions contributions for furloughed employees. You will have to make these payments from your own resources.
- From 1 September 2020 you will have to start contributing to the wages of your furloughed employees. Grants will be for 70% of usual wages in September and 60% in October, but furloughed employees will continue to be entitled to receive at least 80% of their usual wages. You will have to make up the difference from your own resources.
Live webinars offering more support on changes to the scheme, and how they impact you, are available to book online – go to GOV.UK and search ‘help and support if your business is affected by coronavirus’.
Please check GOV.UK and join one of our webinars if you need further help. This will leave their phone lines open for those who need them most.
Make sure your data is right
It’s important that you provide the data they need to process your claim. Payment of your grant may be at risk or delayed if you submit a claim that is incomplete or incorrect.
If you are claiming for 100 or more employees, they advie for you to use their standard template to submit your employees’ details. It is important that you submit the correct data (including National Insurance numbers) in the correct format.
You can find this template by searching ‘Job Retention Scheme template download’ on GOV.UK.
More information about the Job Retention Bonus
The department should have wrote to you recently about the introduction of the Job Retention Bonus – a one-off payment of £1,000 to employers who have claimed under CJRS for each furloughed employee who remains continuously employed until at least 31 January 2021.
More information about this scheme will be available on 31 July.
Incorrect claims
CJRS grants are to cover the costs of your furloughed employees’ wages (and related payroll taxes, National Insurance and pension contributions until 31 July). They may withhold or recover grants if they are claimed based on dishonest or inaccurate information.
They’re contacting a number of employers at the moment to check that they have claimed the correct amount.
If you have made an incorrect claim that meant you claimed too much, you can let them know as part of your next online claim without needing to call them. If you have made an error and do not plan to submit further claims, or you have claimed less than you were entitled to, please contact them by searching ‘Contact HMRC’ on GOV.UK.
Protect yourself from scams
Always stay vigilant about scams which may mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic and unthreatening. Search ‘scams’ on GOV.UK for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact. You can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
