Are new employees now covered for furlough if contract terminated due to COVID

squibbs25

basics:

new job contract signed in Feb, training started beginning of March and had received 2 pays by 19th March. Early April had email to say contract terminated with immediate effect (1 weeks paid notice). When the furlough cut off date was extended we got in touch with the company, unfortuantely as position was terminated the extended cut off date did not apply as wasnt on payroll as of 28th Feb. (fair enough).

I have been looking online to see if there has been any update and found this on the government website

'If you made employees redundant or they stopped working for you after 19 March 2020

If you made employees redundant, or they stopped working for you on or after 19 March 2020, you can re-employ them, put them on furlough and claim for their wages through the scheme from the date on which you furloughed them.

This applies as long as the employee was employed on 19 March 2020 and was on your PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020. This means an RTI submission notifying payment in respect of that employee to HMRC must have been made on or before 19 March 2020.

If your employee stopped working for you and was on a fixed term contract, you should also refer to the section ‘If your employee is on a fixed term contract’ below.'

Does this mean furlough would now be applicable if the company were agreeable?  I dont want to get hopes raised if I am not reading this correcetly.

many thanks

Mrsn

From the basics you’ve said it would appear it might now be applicable.

However most employers are refusing to furlough ex employees due to the financial implications it will have in the long run for them and the fact you then regain employment rights, for them it’s just not a risk worth taking.