The government has provided further clarification on a couple of different items over the last couple of days.
1) Job Retention Scheme
The government has updated the guidance in regards to who is eligible for the Job Retention Scheme in regards to the date an employee was with their employer. There is now a chart on the guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-which-employees-you-can-put-on-furlough-to-use-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme that shows the date an employee was on an employer’s payroll, when the date of the RTI submission was, and whether they are eligible or not. The table is under the section “Employees you can claim for”.
They have also updated this guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme to explain what functions can be tested on the calculator when trying to check the amount you can claim. Employers are now able to claim for employees who have received top-ups or discretionary payments while they have been furloughed. The government has also made it clear that the amount claimed for NICs cannot be more than 13.8% of the grant claimed for wages.
2) The new Discretionary Fund Grant that Local Authorities are able to issue
It has also been announced that the new Discretionary Fund Grant that recently went live, is now able to be claimed by those who were eligible for the Self-Employed Income Scheme payment. Up until today, those who had received the SEISS grant were not eligible, but that information has now been changed to state that anyone who has received the SEISS grant, is eligible to receive assistance through the Discretionary Fund Grant. This has been clarified in Section 29 and 31 of Version 2: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/887239/Local_Authority_Discretionary_Grants_Fund_-_guidance_for_local_authorities_-_version_2.pdf
I am continually monitoring the updates that the government and other business-related departments release and will continue to share that information for as long as I feel that it is beneficial to all businesses in the UK.
The information and policies are continually being updated by the government, so I urge you to keep on top of the information by visiting the relevant website for your area.
UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/
Wales: https://gov.wales/business-and-employers-coronavirus
Northern Ireland: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/
I will be trying to keep myself as informed as possible and will share relevant information on my fb business page: https://www.facebook.com/ihelmenterprises/