End of Coronavirus Furlough Scheme

As announced previously, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will be ending on 30 September 2021. Claims for September must be submitted by 14 October 2021 and any amendments must be made by 28 October 2021. For claims relating to August and September 2021, the government will pay 60% of wages up to a maximum cap of £1,875 for the hours the employee is on furlough.

As per the GovUK website (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme), when the scheme closes, you must decide to either:

1. bring your employees back to work on their agreed terms and conditions
2. terminate their employment (normal redundancy rules apply to furloughed employees)
3. agree with employees any changes to terms and conditions of employment (rules for contractual changes apply to furloughed employees)

When employers are making decisions about how and when to end furlough arrangements, equality and discrimination laws will apply in the usual way.

Although we are not employment law specialists, we can offer advice to business owners/managers if they are unsure as to how to proceed. Please contact us if you require guidance or assistance.