Parents returning to work following a period of parental leave will be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
10 June 2020
HM Treasury has confirmed that any parents on statutory family leave e.g. maternity leave returning to work over the course of the next few months will be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), despite the 10 June cut-off date.
When changes to the CJRS were announced on 29 May 2020, it was confirmed that any individuals who had not previously been placed on furlough would need to be furloughed by 10 June 2020, in order to observe the three-week minimum period. Any individuals not previously furloughed or placed on furlough by 10 June 2020 would not be eligible for the furlough scheme from 1 July 2020, when the operation of the scheme changes, to encourage the restart of the economy.
The government has made it clear, however, that any individuals returning to work after a long period of parental leave will be eligible for the scheme if they work for an employer who has previously furloughed other employees.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said:
“When I announced these changes to the furlough scheme last month, I was clear that we wanted to do this in a fair way, that supports people back to work as the country begins to re-open following coronavirus.
But for parents returning from leave, their circumstances has meant that they are still in need of support, and I’m pleased that they will be able to receive the financial assistance they and their family will need.”
This will also be applicable to individuals on adoption leave, shared parental leave, and parental bereavement leave.
Further guidance relating to this change will be included in the guidance that is due to be published on 12 June 2020.
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication. For all the latest information, news and resources on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting payroll professions, visit our Coronavirus hub.