Main points from today
- Flexible furlough scheme starts today. Businesses will have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work part time.
- 829 new cases yesterday. 43,906 total deaths with 176 deaths yesterday. 7 day rolling average to 26th June 117 deaths (lowest since March).
Latest Guidance (employment and business)
Furlough and Holiday Pay
Holiday pay
Whilst furloughed you will continue to accrue leave as per your employment contract. You can agree with your employer to vary holiday pay entitlement as part of the furlough agreement, however almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory paid annual leave each year which they cannot go below.
You can take holiday whilst on furlough. If you are flexibly furloughed then any hours taken as holiday during the claim period should be counted as furloughed hours rather than working hours. Your employer should not put you on furlough for a period just because you are on holiday for that period. Working Time Regulations (WTR) require holiday pay to be paid at your normal rate of pay or, where your rate of pay varies, calculated on the basis of the average pay you received in the previous 52 working weeks. Therefore, if you take holiday while on furlough, your employer should pay you your usual holiday pay in accordance with the WTR. Employers will be obliged to pay the additional amounts over the grant, though will have the flexibility to restrict when leave can be taken if there is a business need. This applies for both the furlough period and the recovery period.
If you usually work bank holidays then your employer can agree that this is included in the grant payment. If you usually take the bank holiday as leave then your employer would either have to top up your pay to your usual holiday pay, or give you a day of holiday in lieu.
Read further guidance on holiday pay during furlough.
Flexible furlough scheme starts today
Businesses will have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work part time from today as part of the government’s plan to re-open the UK and kick-start our economy.
First published. 3:25pm, 1 July 2020
Calculate how much you can claim using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Page updated with information about how to treat statutory payments received in the claim period.
8:02am, 1 July 2020
Steps to take before calculating your claim using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Page updated with information on holiday pay that employees can be recorded as on furlough during time spent on holiday. Also added information on how to calculate furloughed hours for different sets of circumstances. 8:02am, 1 July 2020
Check which employees you can put on furlough to use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Page updated with eligibility information for claims before 1 July. 8:02am, 1 July 2020
Claim for wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
The page has been updated with information about what to do if you have claimed too much and do not plan to make another claim. 8:01am, 1 July 2020
Changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Information box updated to say you can now submit claims for periods starting on or after 1 July. 8:01am, 1 July 2020
Check if you can claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Page updated with information that employee taxes and pension contribution payments must be paid directly to HMRC. Also added information on holiday pay that flexibly furloughed employees can be recorded as on furlough during time spent on holiday. 8:01am, 1 July 2020
Check if your employer can use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Page updated with information on eligibility for claims before 1 July 2020. Also added new information on holiday pay that tells employers that flexibly furloughed employees can be recorded as on furlough during time spent on holiday. 8:00am, 1 July 2020
CJRS guidance can be found here:-
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme guidance is here:-
Check if you can claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
Latest Guidance (health)
Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do until 4 July
Updated 24 June 2020
Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do after 4 July
Updated 24 June 2020
Schools
Local lockdowns: guidance for education and childcare settings
What schools, colleges, nurseries, childminders, early years and other educational settings need to do if there’s a local lockdown during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
First published. 4:09pm, 1 July 2020
Protective measures for holiday or after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Protective measures for providers of community activities, holiday or after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings offering provision to children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. First published. 2:25pm, 1 July 2020
Providing free school meals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Updated application form and guidance on the temporary extension of free school meals eligibility to NRPF groups. This is to reflect the change in annual household income threshold to £16,190 after tax. 7:27pm, 30 June 2020
The collections are:-
Guidance for schools: coronavirus (COVID-19) – What school leaders, teachers and school staff need to do during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Early years and childcare: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Further and higher education: coronavirus (COVID-19)
Early years and childcare: coronavirus (COVID-19)
General Guidance
The general coronavirus guidance starts here:-
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
