Extended Furlough November 2020: Update

Changes have again been made to Government support after the announcement of a second lockdown last night by the Prime Minister. The Job support Scheme has been put on hold, and the Job Retention (Furlough) Scheme is continuing until the end of November.

JRS Extension – Key Facts:

  • The extended scheme will run just as the furlough in August, with employees paid 80% of their usual wages by the government. Employers will only have to pay pension and NI costs.
  • Flexible furlough will be allowed as well as full time furlough
  • The scheme will be capped at £2,500 per month. The cap reduces according to the proportion of hours not worked
  • Claims can be made in advance of paying staff, but there will be a small period of time where these changes need to be updated on the government website, so early claims may be paid after staff are paid.
  • Staff can be furloughed that have not been previously furloughed before.
  • Employers can still chose to top up payments to 100% if they wish.
  • To be eligible to be claimed for under this extension, employees must be on an employer’s PAYE payroll by 23:59 30th October 2020. This means a Real Time Information (RTI) submission notifying payment for that employee to HMRC must have been made on or before 30th October 2020.

That last point will mean that any staff not included on a submission before March 2020, that have not been able to have been furloughed before now – can be furloughed for November. This will mean many members of staff not previously eligible can now be claimed for.

Other Support Announced

Further changes to the SEISS scheme for the self employed are expected to be announced shortly.

Businesses required to close in England due to lockdown restrictions will be eligible for the following:

  • For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;
  • For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;
  • For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.

If anyone needs any advice on these changes, please contact us