Job Retention Bonus
On 8 July 2020 Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced the Job Retention Bonus. The Job Retention Bonus is a one-off payment to employers of £1,000 for every employee who they previously claimed for under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and who remains continuously employed through to 31 January 2021.
Details about the Job Retention Bonus have now been announced.
Employers will be able to claim £1,000 for each employee who:
- was furloughed and had a CJRS claim submitted for them that meets all relevant eligibility criteria for the CJRS;
- has been continuously employed from the time of the most recent claim for that employee until at least 31 January 2021;
- has been paid an average of at least £520 a month between 1 November 2020 and 31 January 2021. The employee does not have to be paid £520 in each month, but must have been paid on average at least £520 per month and must have received some earnings in each of the three months;
- has an up to date RTI record for the period to the end of January;
- is not serving a contractual or statutory notice period at 31 January 2021.
Employers can claim the Job Retention Bonus for all employees who meet the above criteria, including office holders, company directors and agency workers.
To ensure a successful claim can be made, employers should ensure that they have:
- complied with their obligations to pay and file PAYE accurately and on time;
- maintained enrolment for PAYE online;
- not made a fraudulent or inflated claim under the CJRS;
- a UK bank account.
Employers will be able to claim the Job Retention Bonus from February 2021. The Job Retention Bonus will be able to be claimed through the GOV.UK website. Details about the process will be published in by the UK Government by the end of September 2020.
Full UK Government Guidance on the Job Retention Bonus can be found here.
