Issue 17: Furloughed staff wages now being paid: Information for claimants
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Covid-19: support for businesses – updated 30 April 2020
Wages for furloughed employees are now being paid through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
If you have not yet made a claim: You can still claim online for a grant for 80% of your furloughed employees’ salaries, up to £2,500 per employee, per month. You will receive the funds six working days after your claim. Furloughed employees should be kept informed by their employer and do not need to contact HMRC directly.
If you have already made a claim: Payment takes six working days from claim submission. Please do not call HMRC to chase payment as they will not be able to help before the six working days have ended. It will automatically be sent to the bank account your claim. Records and calculations should be kept in case HMRC need to contact you about them in the future.
Coronavirus tests for workers
Testing in England has now been expanded out to include any worker who needs to leave home to travel to work and cannot work from home. For example this may include construction workers, emergency plumbers and research scientists.
The guidance has now been updated and the full list for testing now includes:
- All those working on the frontline in health and social care (with or without symptoms)
- Patients in the NHS and residents in care homes (with or without symptoms)
- All other essential workers with symptoms
- People who live with essential workers and have symptoms
- People over 65 with symptoms
- Anyone who goes into work because they cannot work from home (for example, construction workers) and has symptoms
You can find further information here.
Boost your team’s skills online, for free
A new online learning platform to boost the nation’s skills while people are staying at home, has been launched by Government. The new platform gives people access to free, high-quality digital and numeracy courses to help build up their skills, progress in work and boost their job prospects.
The platform offers skills which will help those who have found themselves working and studying remotely. Employees who have been furloughed can also keep up their skills development while they are at home.
Courses on offer cover a range of levels, from everyday maths and tools for using email and social media more effectively at work to more advanced training. Courses have been developed by the University of Leeds and the Institute of Coding, the Open University and Google Digital Garage. All courses are online and flexible, so people can work through them at their own pace. Find out more information here.
Webinar: Financial support for small businesses during coronavirus (COVID-19)
This Webinar has now finished
Extra month to claim for farm payments
In the news:
iMET and local engineering firms combine resources to produce PPE. (Press release)
Peterborough construction firm to return to work (Peterborough Telegraph)
AstraZeneca launches trail to assess whether diabetes medicine can be repurposed for Covid-19 patients. (Cambridge Independent)
Why sales are soaring for Peterborough beef farmer Judith Jacobs (Peterborough Telegraph)
Business Support Helpline 0300 456 3565
Free ACAS Webinar ‘Coronavirus – an advisory webinar for employers’. Find out more
Read here for the latest public information and public health advice about COVID-19
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