The treasury has issued a new direction. They refer to an extension being available from the 1st February to the 31st April 2021. How kind of the Government to give us an extra day in April!
What it means, in effect, is that the Furlough Scheme is being extended to the 30th April and the direction therefore covers the period 1st February to 30th April. It clarifies that furlough pay in March or April 2021 should refer back to the corresponding month in March or April 2019, and not March or April 2020. This is because looking back to 2020 might well involve a period where individuals were already on furlough pay. The calculation for ‘usual hours’ of work is also amended in the same way with the same time frame comparator.
The deadline for amending a claim is extended from 15th of the following month to the end of the following month. Your payrollers and/or accountants will doubtless need to implement this on your instruction.
