Furlough unpaid employee since May

dboi10

Hi there,
We managed to keep paying a brilliant employee until May 2020, but ran out of cash. Employee is still part of the team and on our systems but isn't getting paid and hasn't gotten another job. Can I put this employee on furlough from now if the last RTI for this employee was May 2020?
Thanks for the advice!

Jeremy535897

Yes. I assume this employee was not furloughed in the past because they were not on the payroll at 19 March 2020?
See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extension-to-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme/extension-of-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

dboi10

Jeremy535897 said:

Yes. I assume this employee was not furloughed in the past because they were not on the payroll at 19 March 2020?
See 

@Jeremy535897 - employee wasn't previously furloughed as we had active projects we thought would last (that didn't) and didn't want to take the mick... (maybe we should have..) 

gary83

I’m curious, sorry not offering any advice just questions, we don’t get many employers on here. Can I just check I’ve got it right? so the employee was kept on originally in March then after a month or 2 the work dried up but you chose not to furlough them as you didn’t want to take the mick & so they got nothing, now 5 months later, when furloughing him or her would cost you exactly the same as it would have done between may & the end of August you’ve chosen to do it? What’s changed?

you say the employee is brilliant &still  a member of the team. Do you not think they might harbour some resentment or ill feeling towards the company?

Jeremy535897

dboi10 said:

Jeremy535897 said:

Yes. I assume this employee was not furloughed in the past because they were not on the payroll at 19 March 2020?
See 

@Jeremy535897 - employee wasn't previously furloughed as we had active projects we thought would last (that didn't) and didn't want to take the mick... (maybe we should have..) 

See paragraph 2.2 in the link I sent you then. They can be furloughed under the extension provisions, but there may be a problem if they haven't actually been paid anything for some time, or worked any hours. Read the link in full.