BENEFITS EXPERT: Support for workers on leave has changed during pandemic

Support for people on maternity leave is one of many benefits subject to change.

These changes only apply to employees who may currently be on maternity, paternity, adoption leave, shared parental leave or parental bereavement leave. In order to benefit from these changes it is not necessary that you are getting any form of benefit such as Statutory Maternity Payments. So for example if you are taken leave for one of the above reasons, even if this is unpaid leave then these changes will still benefit you.

The current furlough scheme will end for new applications from 1/7/2020, government support will continue for employers who have applied for funding. The potential problem was that people who were still employed but on unpaid parental leave would be returning to employment but wouldn't be able to work due to lockdown. For such returning employees they wouldn't have been receiving any form of furlough support and the cut off date would mean their employer couldn't claim additional support to pay furlough for them. These legal changes means that such returning employees can request furlough wages and the government will provide appropriate financial support for their employers.

We would advise that if you are due to return to work in these circumstances to speak to your employer to confirm you will be placed on furlough. If there are any issues such as refusal to pay furlough wages then contact ACAS for further advice and also make sure your employer is aware of these specific changes.

Full information concerning these changes can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/parents-returning-to-work-after-extended-leave-eligible-for-furlough and it should be noted that more detailed guidance will be published in the next day or two.

We would also advise clients in this position to also check their benefit entitlement, if their income is too low on furlough wages additional support may be available.

For those client's currently on Universal Credit information about any furlough payments will be automatically sent to the DWP but we would advise that you notify the DWP via your journal that you will be receiving furlough wages. Again if your income is still low even with furlough wages you may still qualify for a UC top up.