Job Support Scheme extended

Employment / 14 October 2020

Further to our recent update following the announcement of the Job Support Scheme (‘JSS’), and despite still waiting for the formal guidance, the JSS has already been extended.

The aim of the increased scope of the JSS is to capture and support employees who work in businesses which are legally required to close due to increased coronavirus restrictions:

— If that happens, the government will pay two-thirds of eligible employees’ salaries, up to a maximum of £2,100 per month.

— It will cover businesses which are required to close due to local or national lockdown rules.  Employees must be off work for at least 7 consecutive days to be eligible.

— Businesses will receive grants to pay wages of employees who are affected.

—  Employers will not be required to contribute towards wages at all.  They must still cover employer national insurance contributions (if incurred) and pension contributions.

The extended JSS will run alongside the standard JSS scheme, which starts on 1 November 2020 and is due to last for 6 months.

As always, the detail will be key, and we await the full guidance.  If your business needs help in the meantime, or if you have a question about the JSS, please get in touch.