HMRC confirms job retention scheme due to make payments this month
The Chief Executive of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Jim Harra, has today announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for furloughed workers is due to open on 20th April 2020 but the National Federation of Builders is warning against further delay.
The CJRS was announced on 20th March 2020 and is due to back date payments to the beginning of March but has not yet opened for applications, despite the fact that many companies have been furloughing staff for weeks already.
Jim Harra told MPs on the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee that he was confident the scheme would be able to handle the anticipated surge in applications when it opens on 20th April 2020. Mr Harra also added that he expected the scheme to make ‘payments later this month, before the 30th April’.
Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB) commented:
“The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is a welcome move by the Government and will undoubtedly protect jobs but we need HMRC to meet their commitment of making payments by 30th April . Cash-flow in the construction industry is already at crisis point, and many companies will not have the cash to pay staff for another month, without access to the Government’s furlough payments”.
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