Furlough Scheme Extended throughout the UK to March 31st.
Businesses and people across the UK given certainty over winter months with further support announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The furlough scheme will now be extended until the end of March across all nations. Workers across the United Kingdom will benefit from increased support with a five-month extension of the furlough scheme into Spring 2021, the Chancellor announced today, 5 November.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will now run until the end of March with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
“I’ve always said I would do whatever it takes to protect jobs and livelihoods across the UK – and that has meant adapting our support as the path of the virus has changed. It’s clear the economic effects are much longer-lasting for businesses than the duration of any restrictions, which is why we have decided to go further with our support. Extending furlough and increasing our support for the self-employed will protect millions of jobs and give people and businesses the certainty they need over what will be a difficult winter.
There are currently no employer contributions to wages for hours not worked. Employers will only be asked to cover National Insurance and employer pension contributions for hours not worked. The CJRS extension will be reviewed in January to examine whether the economic circumstances are improving enough for employers to be asked to increase contributions. In addition, the Jobs Retention Bonus (JRB) will not be paid in February and the government will redeploy a retention incentive at the appropriate time.
The purpose of the JRB was to encourage employers to keep people in work until the end of January. However, as the CJRS is being extended to the end of March 2021, the policy intent of the JRB falls away.”
