Advise please - not entitled to furlough as started job on 9th March

RainOnMe_2

Hello everyone - sad times but wondered if anyone can help please?  I started my job on 9th March after being unemployed for 3 months due to redundancy.  I have today learnt that I cannot be put on furlough as I was not employed on 29th February.  My employer is devastated but there is nothing they can do.  They cannot guarantee a job will be there for me when this is all over which I understand.  I live alone and have no other income.  I have deferred my mortgage for 3 months.  Do I immediately claim Universal Credit as from today?  Is there any other help available as Universal Credit is an insult per month and just isn't enough to survive on?  Many thanks

7Phil

They employer could still vary your employment and furlough you but it would be at their expense as you will not be eligible for them to claim back from HMRC. This is unless rules change to cover you somehow. A chance might be that if they employer processed you on to their books in Feb in anticipation of your first pay in March then you could still be covered but we need to wait for more detail to find out if that is true. It may not even apply to you anyway if you were added to the books in March.

I would get the ball rolling on the UC and you can check if you are eligible for that online and keep watching for any changes to the economic packages coming out. Try get anything you can right now.

RainOnMe_2

Thank you so much for your response.