Furlough scheme ends on 30th September

The scheme was extended until 30th September 2021 earlier this year, with tapered Government funding levels kicking in from 1st July.

Since the start of the pandemic 11.6 million employees had been furloughed within the furlough scheme at some stage, falling to 1.6 million employees by the end of July.

Strict rules apply to making use of the scheme, so it is important employers are furloughing correctly. Various time limits and conditions apply to making claims and we have recapped below a reminder of imminent deadlines employers making use of the scheme should be aware of.

We are available to support you with your furlough claim and payroll needs. Switching to TaxAssist Accountants is simple. If you’re curious about becoming a client and would like to find out more please contact us.

Furlough scheme deadlines you should be aware of

Employer claims must be submitted 14 calendar days after the month you’re claiming for. If this time falls on the weekend or a bank holiday, then claims should be submitted on the next working day.

The time limit for September claims is therefore 14th October 2021. Time limits also apply to making amendments if you have not claimed enough. To amend a claim for August 2021, you must amend the claim by 28th September 2021. For September 2021, the time limit to amend your claim is 28th October 2021.

What if I have claimed too much from the furlough scheme by mistake?

If you have claimed too much furlough grant and have not already repaid the overclaimed amount, you can repay as part of your next online claim without needing to call HMRC. If you claimed too much but do not plan to submit further claims, you must notify HMRC and make a repayment online through its card payment service or by bank transfer within 30 days. More information is available here.

You must notify HMRC and repay the money by the latest of whichever date below applies:

• 90 days from receiving the furlough money you’re not entitled to
• 90 days from the point circumstances changed so that you were no longer entitled to keep the furlough grant.

If you do not do this, you may have to pay interest and a penalty as well as repaying the excess furlough grant.

Date published 22 Sep 2021 | Last updated 13 Feb 2024