Wrong Furlough Payment

daysaunders87

Hi, 
I have been on furlough for a couple of months and I am sure I haven't been paid 80% through my employer who is an agency.

Please see below some information of my hours etc...
Week ending 28 feb - 28.75 hours. Weekending 6 March, 42.5 hours, and weekending 13 March is 48.5 hours. 

This averages my weekly hours to be 40 hours per week (39.9... but we’ll round up)

My average pay has been £440 a week and 80% is £352. 

My start date was 22nd February 2020 and paid weekly, so their calculations should be based on 80% of my weekly average earnings?! 

The fact that they are penalising me on what they class as my monthly average depending on how many weeks are in the month is ridiculous. 

If they managed my pay monthly they would find my average monthly salary, divide it by 30 then times it by as many days there was in the month. But for me to get less in May because it was a 5 week month when im a weekly worker, therefore I should have got more in May which I find criminal. 
I should be getting £352 per week gross. 

Please see below what my employer is saying..... 

"We have calculated 80% of the workers regular payments, this does not include statutory payments or discretionary bonuses or  discretionary commission payments.

Calculations for average gross pay are based on months, not weeks worked.

Total gross pay based £1540.00

Average Gross pay £1540.00 / 2 (start date 22.02.20  2 months Feb & Mar) = £770.00

Average Gross furlough pay £770 x 80% = £616.00

Average pay for May £616/ 5 pay days on the month = £123.20 per week".

It doesn't ad up to me. Can you please help. 
Thank you 

[Deleted User]

daysaunders87 said:

It doesn't ad up to me. Can you please help. 
Thank you 

Firstly it looks like you and they are using different reference periods, they are using two reference months, so total earnings over two months, divided by two. You are using a condensed time period, three weeks earnings, extrapolated. If you had been working for them for a longer period of time then your average monthly earnings would be high enough to largely iron this out, but because you only worked for them for three weeks and because of the way the scheme is calculated then it has created an anomaly. 

I believe there calculation using the monthly method is correct as the scheme is calculated on a monthly basis, not weekly, so they are paying you the correct monthly amount. You will receive the same amount each month, based on your earnings in the reference period, the amount of weeks is irrelevant.