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THE first furlough payments have started hitting the accounts of grateful employers to pass onto staff.
Under the government’s coronavirus jobs retention scheme, cash-strapped employers can claim grants to pay staff who can’t currently do their jobs due to the coronavirus lockdown.
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They’re able to get 80 per cent of workers’ wages up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
Employers can furlough anyone they employ, provided that on or before March 19 they were on PAYE payroll and HMRC had been notified of payment via the RTI system.
The online portal for employers to claim opened on Monday April 20, although payments can be backdated to March 1.
At the time, HMRC said the first payments would be made to businesses within six working days, which takes you until tomorrow – April 28.
But some have reported payments being today and on Friday.
HMRC confirmed to The Sun that some payments have already gone through, although it couldn’t tell us how many payments have gone through and how much these are worth.
One person tweeted: “Furlough money has been paid into my business account this morning. Hope everyone else is starting to get theirs filtering through.”
Someone else added: “I got paid on Friday my furlough money. Thank God!”
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Another wrote: “Furlough money has now been paid into our business account. This should see us continue to support our staff and our business. Thank you. #newnormal”
While someone else said: “Furlough claim was paid in today.”
Millions of people across the UK are expected to benefit from the scheme, according to HMRC, with businesses including Brewdog, Pret a Manger and Timpsons using it to ensure staff keep their jobs and are paid while many high street and other non-essential businesses remain closed.
However, some business owners, including Victoria Beckham, Richard Branson and Sir Philip Green, have come under fire for using taxpayers’ money to pay wages instead of dipping into their own vast pockets.
Plus, while employers have started to get the cash, it doesn’t mean they’ll pass it onto employees instantly – you need to contact your boss or HR department to find out when your salary is due.
See our furlough Q&A for more on how the scheme works, and our guide on what to do if your employer refuses to furlough you.
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