Extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to March 2021

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has today announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will remain open until 31 March 2021 and that until 31 January 2021 furloughed employees may receive up to 80% of their usual monthly wages (subject to the £2500 cap) for hours not worked. The Government will review the scheme in January to decide whether economic circumstances are improving enough to then ask employers to contribute more. Employers may furlough any employee who was on their payroll on 23 September 2020, whether they had been previously furloughed or not.

The Job Support Scheme and the Job Retention Bonus have both been put on hold for now.

Click here to read the policy paper, here for the Government's guidance on which employees you can put on furlough, and here to read the Government's guidance on checking if you can claim for your employees' wages through the scheme.

I guess this explains why they didn't update the guidance after the November extension announcement!