The Treasury has announced that it is extending the cut-off date for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
New guidance published by the department states that employers can now claim for furloughed employees who were employed and on their PAYE payroll on or before March 19 – the day before the scheme was announced.
Initially, it only supported those already employed on February 28.
Penny Mordaunt, the Paymaster General, said she was “sorry it was not done sooner”.
She tweeted: “This will help more people and is very welcome. Sorry it was not done sooner and know how worried people will have been.
The change could mean that a further 200,000 more employees could now be furloughed
