Portal now open to claim wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

The portal for businesses to claim 80% of employees' wages plus any employer National Insurance and pension contributions, if they have been furloughed because of coronavirus (COVID-19) is now open.

Any entity with a UK payroll can apply, including businesses, charities, recruitment agencies and public authorities, can claim.

To qualify, those entities must have:

1. created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020
2. enrolled for PAYE online
3. a UK bank account

An online calculator was published on Friday 17 April 2020 allowing employers to calculate how much they can claim.