CJRS Claims Information Being Published by HMRC
Last month HMRC published a list of employers who have claimed CJRS for periods from December 2020 onwards.
They have now announced that, from 25 February 2021, they will publish the employers’ names and an indication of the value of claims and the Company Registration Numbers (where applicable) for employers who make CJRS claims for periods starting on or after 1 December 2020. The published value of claims will be shown within a banded range.
HMRC have said that they will not publish details of employers claiming through the scheme if they can show that publicising these details would result in a serious risk of violence or intimidation to individuals or those living with them. If you believe that this applies to you and would like your details withheld, you can request this by completing an online application form.
If you make this request HMRC will not publish your details until a decision has been made and you have been informed of this. You need only apply once, as the decision will cover all CJRS claim periods starting from 1 December 2020.
In another change employees will also be able to check if a CJRS claim has been made on their behalf through their online Personal Tax Account from 25 February 2021.
HMRC are publishing this information to try and prevent fraudulent claims by encouraging “whistle blowing” by employees, if they believe that their employer has claimed for them but they have not received furlough pay.
We are expecting to see HMRC increasing the number of CJRS claims that they check as they believe that substantial amounts have been claimed fraudulently and are looking to claw this back. We have already seen the start of these enquiry letters and HMRC are requesting a lot of detailed information to back up the claims made. We are therefore very pleased to confirm that our Tax investigation service will now cover our costs for dealing with any such queries from HMRC.
We would urge any of our clients who are making CJRS claims to subscribe to this service. The letters regarding our Tax Investigation Service for 2021/2022 will be sent out next month. If you wish to subscribe for the rest of the current tax year to 5 April 2021. please email ann.mcqueen@jsca.co.uk for a quote.
The information in this blog provides only an overview of HMRC guidance and legislation in force at the date of publication and no action should be taken without consulting the detailed HMRC guidance and legislation or seeking professional advice. Therefore no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the material contained in this blog can be accepted by the firm.
Photo by Zakaria Zayane on Unsplash
