It’s nearly a month since the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) opened and many businesses will be preparing to make another claim in order to receive money by the end of May.
To ensure you receive a payment by the end of May, you need to apply by Wednesday 20 May.
When you make a claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, you’ll receive the money within six working days.
After making a claim, please keep all records and calculations, in case we need to contact you to discuss these.
Update on the scheme
On 12 May, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the CJRS scheme will be extended until the end of October. The scheme will continue in its current form until the end of July.
From 1 August to the end of October, we will introduce more flexibility so employers will be able to bring their furloughed employees back to work part-time and contribute to paying employees' wages while still receiving support from the scheme.
These measures will apply across all regions and sectors in the UK economy, and we expect to publish more details of how this will work by the end of May.
Guidance and support
In the meantime, more information is available online to help you apply – go to GOV.UK and search 'Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme'.
Online guidance has recently been updated with:
Our webinars are also available to help you, and there are two about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on our YouTube channel 'HMRCgovuk' – an overview of the scheme and a detailed session about how to make a claim. You can book a place on a live webinar by going to GOV.UK and searching 'help and support if your business is affected by coronavirus'.
Please remember that grants are only intended for the payment of employees' salaries and related National Insurance, and pension contributions.
Payments may be withheld or need to be repaid in full if based on dishonest or inaccurate information or found to be fraudulent, and we may call you to check the details of your claim.
Protect yourself from scams
Stay vigilant about scams, which may mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic and unthreatening. Don't give out private information or reply to text messages, and don't download attachments in emails you weren't expecting. Search 'scams' on GOV.UK for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact. You can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
I hope this information helps and supports your business, and we’ll continue to keep you updated on scheme developments at this challenging time.
