We now have further details of the extension of CJRS “furlough” that will apply from 1 November 2020 through to the end of March 2021. The government support will initially be at the rate of 80% of an employee’s reference pay for hours they are furloughed, subject to a maximum of £2,500 a month.

Claims must be made by the 14^th of the following month although they can be made up to 14 days in advance. Another key difference from the previous versions of CJRS is that there is no requirement that the employee was on the payroll at 19 March 2020 or has been previously furloughed. They do however need to be on the payroll and subject to an RTI submission before midnight on 30 October 2020.

REFERENCE PAY

An employee’s reference pay will depend upon whether or not they were on the payroll and subject to an RTI submission for 2019/20 on or before 19 March 2020. Where that is the case their reference pay will be that used under previous furlough claims. Where the employee has joined since that date or is not subject to an RTI submission before 19 March the reference pay will generally be that for the last pay period ending before 30 October.

There are exceptions to these rules and complications for those working variable hours and with variable rates of pay. We can of course assist you with your claims, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for further information.