Background
The Government has now provided a further update on the recently announced changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme detailing what an employer will need to do from 1 July 2020 and other key dates to be aware of.
In addition the online service for the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme enabling employers to recover Statutory Sick Pay payments is now open.
Details
Job Retention Scheme – Update:
From 1 July 2020 businesses will be able to bring previously furloughed employees back to work part time – referred to as flexible furloughing. This will allow employers to choose the hours and shift patterns a previously furloughed employee will work in order to suit the needs of the business. The employer will pay the wages for the employee for the time they are working and will then be eligible to claim the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grant for the employees normal hours not worked.
Claims under the CJRS for days in July can only be started to be made from 1 July 2020.
Claims for periods ending on or before 30 June 2020 must be made by 31 July 2020 since this will be the last date an employer can make a claim for these earlier periods.
Further details on the updated CJRS and how to prepare a claim are available on the GOV.UK website.
Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme:
The Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme was announced in the Budget as part of the package of support measures for businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The scheme enables small and medium-sized employers, with less than 250 employees, to recover Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) payments they have made to their employees.
The online portal for employers to make claims under this scheme is now open.
Employers can claim a rebate at the relevant rate of SSP that they have paid to current or former employees for eligible periods starting on or after 13 March 2020. Repayments will cover up to 2 weeks of SSP where an employee has been unable to work because they:
- have coronavirus; or
- are self-isolating and unable to work from home; or
- are shielding because they’ve been advised that they are at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.
Further detailed guidance on making a claim under the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Our updated working arrangement – We remain ‘Open for business’
Our staff have returned to office based working on a rota basis, each attending one day a week, whilst continuing to work from home at other times. They can still be contacted in the usual way either via email or by calling the office number where reception will divert your call to the appropriate staff member.
Should you have any questions regarding the updates to the schemes outlined above, require any assistance in making claims under the new measures or have any other query relating to the current situation, please speak to your usual contact at the firm.
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