Staff on parental leave can still be put on furlough after deadline

Employers with staff who are on parental leave and who are set to return to work in the coming weeks will still be able to be put on furlough despite the scheme being closed on 10th June for new applicants.

An amendment to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) now gives parents the opportunity to be furloughed after returning from parental leave.

From 1st July, the CJRS will only be available to employers that have previously used the scheme for employees they have previously furloughed. This means that the final date for an employer to furlough an employee for the first time will be the 10th June, in order for the current three-week furlough period to be completed by 30th June.

In a welcome relaxation of the strict 10th June deadline, HMRC have confirmed that where you have returned from statutory parental leave after 10 June, you can still be furloughed, even if you are being furloughed for the first time, The following conditions must all be met:

• your employer must have previously submitted a claim for any other employee in their organisation in relation to a furlough period of at least 3 consecutive weeks taking place any time between 1 March 2020 and 30 June
• you must have started maternity, shared parental, adoption, paternity or parental bereavement leave before 10 June and have returned from that leave after 10 June
• your employer included you on an RTI submission on or before 19th March 2020

Maternity Action, a UK charity dedicated to ending inequality and improving the health and wellbeing of pregnant women wrote to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, asking him to exempt those on parental leave from the 10th June furlough deadline.

Mr 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 have 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.”

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Date published 12 Jun 2020 | Last updated 19 Jun 2020