The text of the email HMRC issued to employers and agents states the message below:
Wages for furloughed employees are now being paid through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, just six working days after claims opened.
Payments for claims made on Monday 20 April will be in employers’ bank accounts by tomorrow (28 April).
If you have already made a claim
Don’t worry if you haven’t received payment yet – it takes six working days from when you claimed. Please don’t call us to chase payment as we won’t be able to update you before the six working days have ended.
You don’t need to do anything to receive payment. It will automatically be sent to the bank account you nominated in your claim.
Please retain all records and calculations for your claims in case we need to contact you about them in future, as we continue to check claims made through the scheme.
If you have not yet made a claim
You can still claim online for a grant for 80% of your furloughed employees’ salaries, up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee, per month. You will receive the funds six working days after you claim, provided your claim matches records that we hold for your PAYE scheme.
Please read all the available guidance before you apply. To find this, go to GOV.UK and search for 'Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme'.
HMRC will check claims made through the scheme and will act to protect public money against anyone who makes a dishonest claim.
Please continue to keep your furloughed employees informed and ask them not to contact us directly – we will not be able to provide them with any information.
A word about scams
Stay vigilant about scams, which may mimic government messages such as 'Stay at home' and 'Stay home, stay safe', as a way of appearing authentic and unthreatening. Don’t give out private information or reply to text messages, and don’t download attachments or click on links in texts or emails you weren’t expecting. You can forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
To find more information on coronavirus support for businesses, employers and employees in the UK and around the world, visit the activpayroll Latest News page.