There has been an update to the guidance to businesses claiming under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), to explain that earliest that they can make a claim for May 2021 is 19 April 2021.

A new section has also been added regarding the ability to claim for employees that have caring responsibilities. This states that employee are eligible for the grant and can be furloughed if they have Covid-related caring responsibilities that mean they are:

• unable to work (including from home)
• working reduced hours
• Examples of caring responsibilities include caring for:
• children who are at home as a result of school or childcare facilities closing
• a vulnerable individual in their household.

The section on training during furlough has also been updated to state:

• Furloughed employees can engage in training during hours which you record your employee as being in furlough, as long as in undertaking the training the employee does not provide services to, or generate revenue for, or on behalf of their organisation or a linked or associated organisation. Furloughed employees should be encouraged to undertake training.
• Where training is undertaken by furloughed employees during hours which you record your employee as being on furlough, at the request of their employer, they are entitled to be paid at least their appropriate national minimum wage for this time. In most cases, the furlough payment of 80% of an employee’s regular wage, up to the value of £2,500, will provide sufficient monies to cover these training hours. However, where the time spent training attracts a minimum wage entitlement in excess of the furlough payment, employers will need to pay the additional wages.

Check which employees you can put on furlough here.