Who can go on furlough?
April 24, 2020 • 2 min read
The government introduced the coronavirus job retention scheme to help businesses save money and to keep people employed during the coronavirus pandemic. For you to qualify, your company has to put you on furlough.
Here, we break down who can go on furlough.
People who work for any company with a UK payroll can be eligible for furlough
But it’s usually a joint decision between you and your employer. If your employer needs you to carry on working, they likely won’t ask you to go on furlough. You might be asked to furlough if business slows down because of coronavirus, so that your company came save money and keep your job.
If you’re not sure whether you can go on furlough, you should ask your employer.
You’ll have to have been working for the company on or before 19th March to be eligible.
You can be on any type of contract, and you don’t have to be a British National
You can be eligible to be furloughed on any type of employment contract – including zero hours, flexible and temporary contracts.
You’re allowed to be furloughed if you’re a foreign national.
If you work for more than one company at once, you can be furloughed by one and still work for the other.
You can be furloughed if you’re sick, self isolating or you’re a career
If you’re on sick-leave, or self-isolating, you could ask your employer about whether you’re eligible to furlough. If you go on furlough, you’ll stop getting sick pay. Instead, you’ll be given furlough pay.
If you’re shielding because you’re vulnerable, you could be eligible for furlough. This could help your employer save money, especially if you’re unable to work whilst shielding.
If you’re a carer or parent, you could be eligible for furlough. If furlough would help you manage your responsibilities a little more easily, you could talk with your employer to see if furlough’s a good option for you and the company.
You can be re-employed and placed on furlough if you were made redundant
As long as you were made redundant after 28th February, then your employer can claim from the day they furlough you.
The government will pay 80% – it’s up to your employer whether or not they cover the extra 20%
If your employer doesn’t top up the grant by 20%, you can work out how much you’ll be paid using our calculator.
You can read the government’s full guidance on being furloughed here.
Written by Jack Cully who lives and works in London building useful things. You can follow him on Twitter