What’s the process a company uses to claim employees furlough from the HMRC?

inasitu

Can anyone help us, employees, by briefly explaining what's the process in which a company uses to claim its employee's furlough from the HMRC?

The reason we’re asking is that when we ask the company we work for loose or specific questions about our furlough calculations or actual furlough pay before, during or after the claim period, such as:

• How WILL it be worked out?
• How HAS it been worked out?
• WHY is it worked out this way?
• Why it is NOT worked out the same way as before?

The few answers we’re given are not at all convincing, and when we challenge such answers we’re told:

• We’ve just heard back from the HMRC
• We’ve just been told by the HMRC

Other words don’t ask anything else and leave it be.

Sometimes our questions will get circumvented with a couple of standard answers:

• We’re waiting for the HMRC to tell us
• We’re waiting for the HMRC to let us know

Other times our questions will just be ignored

This has all employees going around in circles trying to get answers, answers which not fill us with confidence, but overall giving the feeling that something is not quite right, that there’s almost something to hide and doubting what we're paid.

THE SHORT QUESTION IS:

1. In line with the above, we’re being led to believe that the company is always waiting for the HMRC to contact them, telling them what needs to be paid to the employee.
2. But we cannot see how this would be the case, and feel it more like it’s the company who should be telling the HRMC what each employee should be paid and the HMRC either pays it to the company or questions the company about it.

Can anyone confirm to us which general furlough claim process is right 1 or 2?

gettingtheresometime

When I've processed my company's claim, I've told the HMRC how much I'm claiming for - when you could claim for the employer's NI & pension contributions that had to be a separate entry even though the amount paid was made as a lump sum.
It was down to me to keep records how how I have calculated the amount being claimed. Presumably if we are ever audited then they will examine my calculations against the amount claimed.
Interestingly enough the company will only have 14 days to make the claim for the previous claim period so, for example, a company making a claim for November's pay period will only have until 14 December to make that claim

Jeremy535897

It is for the employer to work out their claim under CJRS. HMRC don't do it for them. They might ask for HMRC's advice on a particular point, and wait for a response before doing the calculation. What you should be paid is in your employment contract, amended by any furlough agreement. Whether your employer claims under CJRS or not does not affect that, unless your furlough agreement says it does. You and your employer can agree to a furlough pay of any amount whatsoever, but if that means you get less than 80% of your reference salary (capped at £2,500 a month), then they can't claim under CJRS for you.