The government has widened the criteria for its grant scheme for furloughed workers in a move that the Treasury claimed would make “thousands” more workers eligible for payments.
Previously the payments, which cover 80 per cent of wages up to £2,500 a month, only applied to those who were employed and on a company’s PAYE payroll on 28 February. That date has now been pushed back to 19 March, the day before the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was announced.
“This change makes the scheme more generous while keeping the substantial fraud risks under control and is expected to benefit over 200,000 employees,” the Treasury said in a press release.
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