Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme online service launched
20 April 2020
The online service through which companies can claim for furloughed employees under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is now live and can be accessed here.
Prior to accessing the service, there is a reminder to check that employers are only claiming for employees that are eligible for furlough, and also to calculate how much they are entitled to claim.
As previously confirmed, anyone making a claim will need:
- To be registered for PAYE online
- A UK bank account number and sort code
- An employer PAYE scheme reference number
- The number of employees placed on furlough
- Each employee’s National Insurance (NI) number
- Each employee’s payroll or employee number
- The start and end date of the claim
- The full amount of the claim, inclusive of employer NI contributions and employer minimum pension contributions
- Contact phone number
There will also be the requirement to provide either:
- A Corporation Tax unique taxpayer reference
- A Self Assessment unique taxpayer reference
- A company registration number
Claimants who are making claims for more than 100 employees on furlough, will need to upload a file containing each employee’s full name, NI number, furlough start date, furlough end date (if known) and the full amount claimed. Employee’s payroll number is optional. The upload file must be in either .xls, .xlsx, .csv or .ods format.
Claimants will also need the Government Gateway user ID and password they received upon registering for PAYE online.
There is a warning that the service may be slow during busy times. Claimants should check if there are any known issues with the service if they experience technical difficulties.
Once the claim has been completed, a claim reference number will be generated. HMRC will check that the claim is correct and pay the amount by BACS into the nominated bank account within six working days.
Claimants must:
- Retain a copy of the claim reference number
- Retain a copy of calculations in case HMRC requires more information about the claim
- Inform employees that a claim has been made and that they do not need to take any action
- Pay employees their wages, if this has not already been done
Claimants should not contact HMRC unless it has been over ten working days since the claim was made and the funds have not been received. HMRC is receiving a very high number of calls and contacting HMRC unnecessarily puts essential public services at risk during these challenging times.
CIPP comment
The CIPP is eager to hear feedback from its members relating to their experience of using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme online claim service.
All feedback is encouraged and welcomed, so please send any of your thoughts and reflections to [email protected] with “CJRS user experience” as the title.
Information provided in this news article may be subject to change. Please make note of the date of publication to ensure that you are viewing up to date information.