Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - Update 18th January

We have received the below update from HMRC regarding the next deadline for claiming under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and updates on the information HMRC will be publishing shortly on your claims.

Also included is information on furloughing employees who may need to care for children at home due to school and childcare closures, and an update on VAT deferral.

"December claims

Thank you if you submitted your December furlough claim by the deadline of 14 January.

If you didn’t, we may still accept it if you have a reasonable excuse for not claiming by the deadline, such as you were self-isolating or had an unexpected stay in hospital that prevented you from completing it.

If your reason means you can claim late, please do so as soon as you’re able to, and note that reasonable excuses only apply to late claims for periods from November onwards. For more information on reasonable excuses, go to GOV‌‌‌.UK and search 'claim for wages'.

If you have already submitted your claims for December but need to make a change because you didn’t claim enough, you can do this until Thursday‌‌ ‌28 January.

To find out how to amend your claim, search 'Get help with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme' on GOV‌‌‌‌‌.UK.

You can now make January claims

You can now submit your claims for periods in January. These must be made by Monday‌‌ ‌15 February.

You can claim before, during or after you process your payroll. If you can, it’s best to make a claim once you’re sure of the exact number of hours your employees will work so you don’t have to amend your claim at a later date.

You and your employees do not need to have benefitted from the scheme before to make a claim. You can check if you’re eligible and work out how much you can claim using our CJRS calculator and examples, by searching 'Job Retention Scheme' on GOV‌‌‌‌.UK.

What you need to do now

1. If you haven’t submitted your claim for December but believe that you have a reasonable excuse, check if you can apply to make a late claim by searching 'claim for wages' on GOV‌‌‌.UK.
2. Check you claimed the right amount in December by looking at the eligibility criteria and calculating how much you can claim – search 'Job Retention Scheme' on GOV‌‌‌.UK.
3. Submit any claims for January no later than Monday‌‌ ‌15‌‌ ‌February.
4. Keep records that support the amount of CJRS grants you claim, in case HMRC needs to check them. ‌

Making your claim online

To make a CJRS claim, you will need to be registered and have the required access, password or activation code for HMRC online services. For more information search 'HMRC services' on GOV‌‌‌.UK.  

Furlough for caring responsibilities 

Your employees can ask to be furloughed because they have caring responsibilities resulting from coronavirus, such as caring for children who are at home as a result of school or childcare closing. You can place them on furlough and claim for them under the CJRS. 

Publishing information on claims

On 26‌‌ ‌January we will be publishing a list of employer names who have claimed CJRS for periods from December onwards, on GOV‌‌‌.UK.

From February, we will publish the names, an indication of the value of claims and Company Registration Numbers (for those who have one) of employers who make CJRS claims for periods starting on or after 1‌‌ ‌December. The published value of your claim will be shown within a banded range – to find a list of these, search 'Check if you can claim for your employees' wages' on GOV‌‌‌‌‌‌.UK.

We will not publish details of employers claiming through the scheme if they can show that publicising these would result in a serious risk of violence or intimidation to individuals, or those living with them. To request for your details not to be published, complete the online application form – go to GOV‌‌‌.UK and search 'Check if you can claim for your employees' wages'.

If you need to do this, we will not publish your details until a decision has been made and you have been informed. You'll only need to apply once, as the decision will cover all CJRS claim periods starting from 1 December 2020. You must make the application yourself, and it can’t be made by an agent on your behalf.

Your employees will also be able to check if you have made a CJRS claim on their behalf through their online Personal Tax Account from February. They can set up a Personal Tax Account by going to GOV‌‌‌‌‌‌.UK and searching 'Personal Tax Account: sign in or set up'.

Details of CJRS claims will now be published monthly as part of HMRC’s commitment to transparency and to deter fraudulent claims.

VAT Payments Deferral Scheme – correcting errors

If you notice an error on a VAT return which relates to a period covered by the VAT Payments Deferral Scheme, you should send a VAT652 form to us as soon as possible. Go to GOV‌‌‌.UK and search 'Correct errors on your VAT Returns' for more information.

You will then receive a Statement of Account confirming your balance, and if any extra payments are needed as a result, you can contact us to defer these too, before the end of January.

You can:

• pay the deferred VAT in full on or before 31‌‌ ‌March 2021
• opt in to the VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme when it launches in early 2021 (more information to follow shortly)
• contact HMRC if you need more help to pay.

Where can I get further support?

Thousands of people have joined and benefitted from our live webinars which now offer more support on changes to CJRS, and how they affect you. To book online, or to view updated guidance, go to GOV‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.UK and search 'help and support if your business is affected by coronavirus'.

There’s also a list of monthly claims deadlines and a helpful step-by-step guide on GOV‌‌‌.UK, summarising the latest information on CJRS and the steps you need to take to make a claim – you can find these by searching 'Job Retention Scheme step-by-step guide'. 

Our phone lines and webchat remain very busy, so the quickest way to find the support you need is on GOV‌‌‌‌.UK. This will leave our phone lines and webchat service open for those who need them most.

Protect yourself from scams   

Stay vigilant about scams, which may mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic. Search 'scams' on GOV‌.UK for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact. You can forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.

Access the National Cyber Security Centre’s new guide on how to stay secure online and protect yourself and your business against cyber crime by visiting 'Cyber‌‌Aware.gov‌‌.uk'.

I hope this information helps you and your business, and we’ll continue to keep you updated."