The government has confirmed a number of important of announcements regarding the eligibility requirements for using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the opening of the online portal for applications.
- The date on which employees can be placed on furlough has been changed to 19 March 2020. This means that employees who were on the PAYE payroll of their employers on or before 19 March 2020 will be eligible to receive support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The original eligibility date was 28 February 2020. The new date is fixed at the day before the scheme was originally announced by the Chancellor and is therefore unlikely to be changed again to protect the government against fraudulent claims.
- Employees who were employed as of 28 February 2020, and on payroll, who were made redundant or stopped working for the employer after that and prior to 19 March 2020, can also qualify for the scheme if they are re-employed and placed on furlough.
- It has been confirmed that the online claim service for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be launched on Monday 20 April 2020. The only way to make a claim will be online.
It is expected that claims will be paid within six working days. HMRC have requested that you do not contact them unless absolutely necessary.
