Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) Claim Service is live!

The HMRC online Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claim service is now up and running and it has been reported that 67,000 claims were submitted in the first 30 minutes of it being live!

This service allows employers to make a claim for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) which is scheduled to run for four months between 1st March – 30th June 2020, and it is recommended to make a claim for each month that the scheme is active.

Claimants can use the scheme to stipulate the time period for which you want to claim the grant. It therefore appears you can now claim through to 30 April. HMRC are saying payments will be paid six business days after the date of submission and claims must be submitted by Wednesday (22 April) in order to secure payment by the end of April. This therefore could be of critical significance to anyone who is going to be dependent on this money to be able to fund April’s wages.

HMRC have published a step by step guide for employers to assist them through the claim process and they have designed the service so it should be straightforward and simple to navigate, however if you do have any problems or questions when processing your claims do get in touch with the Lewis Brownlee team and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Do check you’ve referred to HMRC’s guidance when calculating how much you should be claiming of your employee’s wages; you can use their online calculator to confirm your claim amounts. Once you have made your claim HMRC will check your claim amounts are correct and then pay you the total claim amount within 6 working days via BACS to the Bank Account details you provide. They will also provide you with a claim reference number for each claim you make which you should keep a record of. Alongside this you should be recording your claim calculations should HMRC need more information, plus the amount claimed and claim period for each employee.

You can refer to our Coronavirus Government Support Guide for further details on whether you’re eligible for the scheme or get in touch with our team by calling 01243 782 423 if you require assistance preparing or processing your claim. Our professional and experienced team are here to help!