As the CJRS closes on 30 September, employers will be thinking about next steps for their employees and their business.

Final CJRS claims for September can now be submitted and must be made by Thursday ‌14‌‌ October.

Employers can find everything they need to know about the CJRS on GOV.UK, and here are some answers to our most frequently asked questions:

What should employers do when the scheme closes? 

Employers will need to:

• bring their employees back to work on their agreed terms and conditions, or
• agree any changes to their terms and conditions with them, or
• consider ending their employment.

When making decisions about how and when to end furlough arrangements, equality and discrimination laws will apply in the usual way. You can find more information on GOV.UK.

Can employers claim CJRS for employees on notice periods?

Employers cannot claim CJRS grants for any days an employee is serving a contractual or statutory notice period, including notice of retirement, resignation or redundancy.

What support is available for employees if they’re unable to return to work?

There’s UK Government support available for employees through the JobHelp website, offering a range of support, training and advice, to help people find their next opportunity. This includes the Kickstart scheme and other Plan for Jobs support measures, along with advice on learning new skills and finding who’s recruiting.

Normal redundancy rules and protections apply to furloughed employees.

What support is available to help businesses grow after the CJRS has closed?  

If an employer is looking to grow their business, the UK Government Help to Grow scheme offers management and digital programmes, to help them learn new skills and reach more customers.

If employers are considering taking on new employees, there’s a range of UK Government support available to help them, including placements, apprenticeships and training opportunities.

What if an employer has claimed too much in error?

If an employer has claimed too much CJRS grant and has not already repaid the overclaimed amount, they can repay as part of their next online claim without needing to call us. If they claimed too much but do not plan to submit further claims, they can let us know and make a repayment online through our card payment service or by bank transfer.

Employers must tell us and repay the money by the latest of whichever date below applies below:

• 90 days from receiving the CJRS money they’re not entitled to
• 90 days from the point circumstances changed so that they were no longer entitled to keep the CJRS grant.

If they don’t do this, they may have to pay interest and a penalty as well as repaying the excess CJRS grant.

What if an employer hasn’t claimed enough?

If an employer made a mistake in their claim that means they received too little money, they’ll need to amend their claim within 28‌‌ ‌calendar days after the month the claim relates to – unless this falls on a weekend or bank holiday, where the deadline is the next weekday. The deadline to amend claims for August is Tuesday‌‌‌ 28 September.

To find out how, go to get help with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on GOV‌‌‌.UK.