If you have been offered furlough and agreed to it, the following is the basis of payments you should receive.
Have you been ‘furloughed’ by your employer? Do you know how much you will receive? The following outlines the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme basis your employer should be using.
How much you’ll get
Your employer will get a grant to cover 80% of your monthly earnings, up to a maximum of £2,500. Firms will be eligible for the grant once you have been furloughed, from 1 March.
Your employer:
- will pay you at least 80% of your usual monthly earnings, up to a maximum of £2,500, as your wage
- can claim for a minimum of 3 weeks and for up to 3 months – but this may be extended
- can choose to pay you more than the grant – but they do not have to
You’ll still pay Income Tax, National Insurance contributions and any other deductions from your wage.
If you are concerned that your employer is not paying you what you are entitled to then you should raise this with your employer in the first instance, then with Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service).
How your monthly earnings are calculated
Employers will claim for the higher of either:
- the amount you earned in the same month last year
- an average of your monthly earnings from the last year
If you’ve been employed for less than a year, employers will claim for an average of your monthly earnings since you started work. The same arrangements apply if your monthly pay varies such as if you are on a zero-hour contract.
If you started work in February 2020, your employer will pro-rata your earnings from that month.
Bonuses, commissions and fees are not included as part of your monthly earnings.
PAYadvice.UK 30/3/2020
