Thank you for your patience and understanding during what has been a very difficult time for us all. We have continued to work with our finance department and umbrella companies to ensure a process and policy under the Job Retention Scheme that benefits candidates and ensures compliance with HMRC.
All candidates who have worked for us through New Red Planet since January will be eligible for furlough. You will placed on the scheme from either when the schools closed or when your long term finished, whichever is the later.
Under the terms of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, you would be paid 80% of your average earnings in the 2019/20 tax year, provided you remain employed on the Company’s payroll during this time [subject to a maximum liability for the Company of £2,500 gross per month] and not 80% of minimum wage which some other umbrella companies are offering. Payments made under the Scheme are still subject to deductions for income tax and National Insurance contributions. For umbrella employees: Your average earnings have been calculated from when you were first paid by New Red Planet until the end of the 2019/20 tax year – this figure will be used to calculate the furlough payment.
New Red Planets first claim under the Scheme is from the start of your furlough period until Sunday, 26th April. They are planning to make the claim on Friday 24th April. All eligible candidates have received an email with a link to read and sign and this must be done by 10am 24th April 2020. For any candidates whose letters are signed and returned after this date, they will be unable to make a claim for this period due to the restrictions of the HMRC Portal and would miss out on pay for this period.
Once the claim is submitted, HMRC will process the claim and distribute the funds to New Red Planet. At this point they will be able to make their first furlough payment. HMRC’s current guidance states that the turnaround for processing claims is 6 working days. Therefore, they anticipate being able to make the 1stfurlough payments w/c 4th May.
Following the 1st claim, they anticipate making future claims on a 3 week cycle until the end of the furlough period.
Not undertaking any work for the Company during furlough leave is an essential condition of the Scheme. If you have worked for or on behalf of New Red planet since the furlough start date statedyou must inform us immediately and not sign the furlough agreement. If you have continued to work elsewhere or have taken employment with a different employer since the furlough start date, New red Planet are not liable for any individual claims made to you by HMRC or other government bodies.
