Practical tips on claiming for furloughed employees

21 April 2020 / Insight posted in Article, Coronavirus, People

The scheme is extended until 30 June 2020.

Both the national insurance and pension thresholds are now pro-rated. However, those claiming should be aware that the calculations are all based on calendar days and not working days, which might cause discrepancies.

HMRC has provided a manual calculator for employers to sense check their own calculations before making a claim.

The portal times out after 30 minutes of inactivity.

There is no confirmation email, so it is a good idea to print the screen with the claim reference number on it as proof of the claim.

Claims are to be paid within six working days so enough time should be allowed before payroll date.

Companies furloughing fewer than 100 employees need to key in data for each employee, even for weekly payrolls. Those with over 100 furloughed employees can upload a file in .xls .xlsx .csv or .ods formats.

To identify the furloughed employees, their NI numbers are mandatory. Employee numbers are requested but not validated, so any identifier that helps recognise the employees is accepted.

People who are here on secondment or are newly arrived and waiting for a NI number are not covered at the time of writing. A corporation tax reference, self-assessment unique taxpayer reference or Companies House number are needed, and it is unclear what care and support employers, employers of domestic staff and parents employing nannies should do.

Claims are tied to RTI reporting and not start dates. Employees with a start date of 19 March 2020 are only included if they had been reported on an FPS by midnight on 19 March.

As at 21 April 2020

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