Category: Employer

Employers of low-paid workers in the UK will have to absorb another rise to the national living wage and pay it to over-23s from April 2021, the Chancellor has confirmed. Rishi Sunak confirmed the increase in his Spending Review 2020, in which it was announced the national living wage will increase from £8.72 to £8.91 … Continued

The furlough scheme has been extended until 31 March 2021, following a temporary extension last month.  The scheme was initially extended until 2 December 2020, prior to a second national lockdown in England. That guaranteed furloughed workers 80% of their salary – up to £2,500 – for hours not worked during the last four weeks. … Continued

Ministers are reportedly considering halting plans to implement the planned national living wage increase from next spring. The national living wage is currently set at £8.72 an hour for people aged 25 and over until 31 March 2021. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in this year’s Spring Budget that “forecasts would see the rate rise to … Continued

The Government has closed a loophole which allowed employers to make furloughed staff redundant on reduced pay under the furlough scheme. The new law kicked in on 31 July 2020 to ensure furloughed workers who are made redundant receive redundancy pay based on their normal wage. Employees who are made redundant after more than two … Continued

Employees who opted out of their workplace pension due to COVID-19 should be encouraged back into saving sooner than auto-enrolment rules would usually allow, a Government committee has said. Under current auto-enrolment rules, employees aged between 22 and state pension age who earn more than £10,000 a year are automatically enrolled into a workplace pension … Continued

Only employees who have been furloughed for at least three weeks on or before 30 June 2020 are eligible for the final phase of the scheme.  Employers had until 10 June 2020 to place any workers on the job retention scheme if they wanted to take advantage of it until 31 October 2020. Jeremy Coker, … Continued

The Government has delayed extending the controversial off-payroll working rules to the private sector, as the UK fights to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Hot on the heels of announcing a £350 billion support package for struggling businesses, the Treasury pulled the plug on the extension less than three weeks before it was due to kick … Continued

The Government is to press ahead with extending the off-payroll rules to the private sector next month, following the publication of a controversial report. From April 2020, every medium and large private-sector firm in the UK will become responsible for setting the tax status of any contractor they use, as is the case in the … Continued

The hourly national living wage rate for over-25s will increase from £8.21 to £8.72 for 2020/21. The Low Pay Commission published recommendations for the new rates, which kick in from 1 April 2020. The national living wage is the Government’s minimum wage for over-25s. The minimum wage for under-25s will also rise. Workers aged between … Continued

Plans to remove the employment allowance for large employers from April 2020 could impact on smaller firms. This allowance provides employers with a reduction to their national insurance contributions (NICs) bill of up to £3,000. Employers that claim the allowance can carry it forward from one tax year to the next, but that will stop … Continued