Can I use furlough scheme for this?

[Letsgetquizzy]

Hello,

Not sure if anyone has any experience of this? I employ a nanny for 2 after school periods per week in term time, 10 hours per week. We have had a complete nightmare with self-isolation this half term due to children's bubbles bursting (no positive cases in the family, thankfully) so our nanny only worked for 10 hours in June and will be the same this month, despite being due significantly more.

I paid her for June as normal, as it's not her fault she can't come and will of course do the same in July. Wondering if we can use the furlough scheme to claim any of this back for July; as well as having to work until midnight in the week and over weekends and being knackered it does somewhat add insult to injury to be paying for childcare that we can't use.

Have asked my payroll provider and got lots of 'may wish to consider' and 'it might be possible if...' so wondered if anyone has had experience as I've yet to get through to HMRC (mainly as I'm supposed to be looking after DC and working simultaneously).

I appreciate the answer may well be that others have it worse (I know) and that I will just have to suck it up, but thought I'd ask before I add it to my mental mutterings about the pandemic and working mums.

Thank you!

There has been a lot of discussion about this on an accountancy forum I frequent.

Essentially the consensus was no, you shouldn't as furlough is for when the position is not immediately required as there are not enough hours to provide work.

In your circumstance the work is still there- the nanny is just self isolating. I seem to remember some suggestions that you may be able to offer statutory sick pay, however I don't claim to know the immediate ins and outs.

@Alarae

There has been a lot of discussion about this on an accountancy forum I frequent.

Essentially the consensus was no, you shouldn't as furlough is for when the position is not immediately required as there are not enough hours to provide work.

In your circumstance the work is still there- the nanny is just self isolating. I seem to remember some suggestions that you may be able to offer statutory sick pay, however I don't claim to know the immediate ins and outs.

I think she is saying the Nanny can't come as the kids are isolating, not the other way round. In which case you could possibly say the hours aren't there.

I would say yes.
As you were not in a position to offer the nanny her work. And it was due to covid.

@Meme69 that's exactly it. Children have been consecutively self-isolating due to covid cases in their class. So our nanny can't come as her workplace is deemed unsafe.

I have never paid her less than full pay, even when I could have paid her SSP this year for an illness, as she's great and we want to keep her (been with us 4 years and is like part of the family). But it has been an utterly exhausting 8 weeks and it's just not something that I've seen mentioned anywhere (like most things affecting children and families).

Thank you for your replies, though, I do appreciate it.

@Ifixfastjets thank you for your reply, that's helpful.