Yes. The government’s CJRS – also known as the furlough scheme – has been extended across the UK until 30 September 2021.
Employees will receive 80% of their current salary for the hours they don’t work, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month (depending on the level of non-working hours) up to 30 June 2021. As an employer, you’ll only have to pay National Insurance and pension contributions (although you can, if you want to, top your employees’ pay up to 100% at your own expense).
From 1 July 2021, employers are required to contribute 10% of the 80% (capped at £312.50 each month) with the government contributing 70% of the 80% (this is capped at £2,187.50 per month).
From 1 August 2021, until the scheme ends on 30 September 2021, employer contributions rise to 20% of the 80% (capped at £625 per month) with the government contributing 60% of the 80% (this is capped at £1,875 per month). We set this out in the table below.
| May | June | July | Aug | Sept | |
| Percentage of salary covered by government furlough grant | 80% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 60% |
| Monthly limit | £2,500 | £2,500 | £2,187.50 | £1,875 | £1,875 |
| Employer contribution | None | None | 10% | 20% | 20% |
| Monthly limit | n/a | n/a | £312.50 | £625 | £625 |
Businesses can choose to bring furloughed employees back to work part-time or furlough them full-time.
Neither employers nor employees need to have previously used the CJRS in order to access the extended scheme.
Any employees who were made redundant after 23 September 2020 – when the Job Support Scheme (JSS) was announced – can be brought back on to the scheme.
The JSS, which was due to replace the CJRS on 1 November, has been postponed until the furlough scheme ends.
You can find out more about the changes to the scheme here.
The government is also offering free webinars to help employers understand updates to the CJRS.