Aside from the larger schemes, such as CBILS and the Furlough Scheme, that the Government has put into place, there have also been significant changes made to many policies affecting British workers. These include:
Annual Leave
Employees who don’t take the entirety of their annual leave entitlement because of the Coronavirus outbreak will be able to carry their unused days forward and use them in the next two years.
This applies to a maximum of four weeks.
The Self Employed
The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is set to be introduced to help self-employed workers whose income has been harmed by the ongoing outbreak.
SEISS will supply a grant to self-employed workers worth 80% of their monthly profits up to a maximum of £2500.
Statutory Sick Pay
The Government is introducing legislation to allow SMEs to claim back Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid to staff who were absent as a result of the Coronavirus.
This refund will cover up to two weeks’ SSP per employee.
Help with rent
Commercial tenants who cannot pay their rent because of coronavirus will be protected from eviction.
Tax Supports
Businesses or self-employed workers struggling to meet their tax liabilities might be eligible for support via HMRC’s Time to Pay service.
The precise terms are agreed on a case-by-case basis.
For those who have a VAT payment due between 20 March and 30 June 2020 there will be the option to defer the payment until a later date.
