HMRC has announced that the web portal for handling Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme claims will go live on April 20.

Under the scheme Government will cover 80% of the salaries of ‘furloughed’ workers, up to a total of £2,500 a month (further details).

Above all, HMRC wants to spread the word that claims should not be made by phone –  only via the web portal.

It is believed that up to 9 million workers could be furloughed – three times more than the Government originally envisaged.

Such huge numbers of applications would totally overwhelm HMRC’s dedicated coronavirus hotline, which is meant for general queries.

“Claims should not be made by phone, it will be an online service,” stressed Harra.

More details of the scheme

HMRC has announced that businesses, and agents that are authorised to act on behalf of clients for PAYE matters, will be able to claim. However, file-only agents, including payroll bureaus, will not be able to access the service due to data protection reasons.

Service launch

Harra confirms the scheme will be ready this month:

“We are ready to launch on 20 April. This will be made public shortly, at which point we will be contacting businesses to advise them what they need to do. We would welcome you also contacting your clients and offering yourselves as vital support during this process, either directly, if authorised, or indirectly if you are a file only agent.

“We are expecting phone demand to be beyond our capacity to offer a normal service. Therefore, the service is designed to be self-serve with guidance in place. Again, your support in helping us achieve this is called on.”