HMRC released detailed guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) last week ...
But the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) does not apply to furloughed employees (there are exceptions). Fees, commission and bonuses are also not included.
If flexible contract employees have been employed for longer than 12 months, the higher of the average monthly earnings for 2019/20, or their earnings from the same month the previous year should be used in your calculations. When employed for less than 12 months, use the average of their monthly earnings since they started.
A furlough grant is paid on a 'per employment' basis, so if your employment contracts allow individuals to have other employment, they may be furloughed by one, some or all of the other employers, with each employer making its own furlough payment claim!
Furloughed employees must be on payroll on the 28th February 2020 as employees hired after this date cannot be furloughed, or even claimed for. You can claim for full time or part-time employees, agency contractors and those on flexible/zero-hours contracts. The scheme covers employees made redundant since 28 February 2020 if they are rehired by the employer.
Employees on unpaid leave which began prior to 28 February 2020 cannot be claimed for and employees on statutory sick pay (sick or self-isolating) can only be furloughed after this date.
I'm sure that there will be more information about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme over the coming days and weeks, so do watch this space to get more information as and when it's announced by the Government.
If you'd like to find out more about anything I've written here, do call me on 01908 774323 or leave a comment below and let's see how I can help you.