Furlough’s online portal is now live!

Companies can now claim online for a grant through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

So far, the portal seems to be working well. According to HMRC, as at midnight on Monday (i.e. 24 hours after opening):

• 185,000 organisations had submitted claims;
• 1.3 million employees were reported as furloughed; and
• £1.5bn total value of claims had been processed.

HMRC’s key guidance on making a claim says that:

Before you make a claim:

• please read all the available guidance on GOV.UK before applying;
• gather all the information and the precise calculations you need before you start your application – if you have a payroll provider, they will be able to help you with this;
• you can find out more in the calculation guidance where you can access a claim calculator – this will allow you to check your claim for most employees who are paid the same amount each pay period; and
• access the government’s simple step-by-step guide for additional help.

After you have made a claim:

• keep a note or a print-out of your claim reference number – you will not receive a confirmation SMS or email;
• retain all records and calculations for your claims, in case the government need to contact you about them;
• expect to receive the funds six working days after you apply, provided your claim matches records that we hold for your PAYE scheme;
• to receive payment by 30‌‌ April, you will need to complete an application by 22‌‌ April; and
• furloughed employees should not contact the government directly as information on individual claims will not be provided.

This piece was prepared by Amy Cunningham and Lucy Ganbold. If you require assistance with the above, please reach out to either of them. Amy’s thoughts on the furlough scheme were recently quoted by the Financial Times’ Sifted publication.

All the thoughts and commentary that HLaw publishes on this website, including those set out above, are subject to the terms and conditions of use of this website.  None of the above constitutes legal advice.  Much of the above will no doubt fall out of date and conflict with future law and practice one day.  None of the above should be relied upon.  Always seek your own independent professional advice.

Humphreys Law