HMRC have advised that the online portal to furlough workers will be available by 20th April and the government have said that payments will be made by the end of April. This seems rather optimistic in our view, but let’s see.

We have also received clarification with regard to directors being furloughed. We have already posted that employees on furlough cannot do any work on behalf of the employer.

However, directors can still do admin work and accounting work, but cannot do anything which would generate income.

The information required for the portal is as follows:

1. The bank account number and sort code you’d like HMRC to use when we pay your claim.
2. The name and phone number of the person in your business for HMRC to call with any questions.
3. Your Self-Assessment UTR (Unique Tax Reference), Company UTR or CRN (Company Registration Number).
4. The name, employee number and National Insurance number for each of your furloughed employees.
5. The total amount being claimed for all employees and the total furlough period.

You may also find this recorded webinar helpful, ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19) Job Retention Scheme‘, available on HMRC’s YouTube channel.