Furloughed holiday pay - help!

[laughoutquiet]

Also posted in Work topic! I wasn't sure what was more relevant.

For background, I am a full time permanent employee for a large nationwide company. I am full time furloughed. My salary is over the £2500 pm salary cap. I have two questions regarding this...

1. Company asked me to take 1-14th Feb as holiday. Fine. They say they are paying me 80% of holiday pay in Feb and 20% in March. Is this normal?!

1. The 80% (as above) has been marked as holiday but paid as a furloughed amount . So not my full pay but only up to the cap. If they are paying the 20% the following month plus the missing amount between cap and my actual salary, that still shouldn't be right?

Sorry if this is a tad rambling!

They're supposed to give you your full salary during holiday periods on furlough

You must receive full pay if using annual leave.

Yes I know. What I am unsure of is can they split it over two pay periods as they are doing?

I have no idea why they would split it over 2 months. By rights it should be covered in your February salary, that's the month the holidays fall in.

Like others have said it should be your full salary for holiday taken during furlough, I'm not sure why they'd split it over the months.. can you ask them?

If not Acas might be a good place to ask for advice tomorrow.

Furloughed workers must get their usual pay in full, for any holiday they take

www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus/using-holiday

This is from ACAS, I would assume it should be in the same month, and not carried over as that is your 'usual pay in full'.

Workers on furlough are able to take annual leave and should be paid their normal salary (i.e. 100%) of their salary) for days spent on annual leave. Employers are able to claim 80% of salary paid on holiday days.

www.ashtonslegal.co.uk/insights/business-news/how-do-we-deal-with-holiday-whilst-on-furlough/

Looking at this, I wonder if they're wanting to carry it over into the next month so they can claim the other 20% to make it up to the 100%?

@covetingthepreciousthings Ahhhhh, yes, I think you could be right.

@covetingthepreciousthings so you think they are trying to fiddle the system? Sorry if I not understanding correctly but if they were to "claim" the 20% the following month, wouldn't that affect the March furlough claim?

To be fair, I haven't spoken to payroll yet but will do tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone's replies so far.

[quote laughoutquiet]@covetingthepreciousthings so you think they are trying to fiddle the system? Sorry if I not understanding correctly but if they were to "claim" the 20% the following month, wouldn't that affect the March furlough claim?

To be fair, I haven't spoken to payroll yet but will do tomorrow.[/quote]
I'm not sure tbh, it just seems very odd that they'd carry 20% over unless they were trying to benefit somehow from it? Really not sure, I'd just ask payroll if they have a reason for it. I'm sure there's a simple explanation. Let us know if you find out

If you are going to get the full pay albeit over two months I wouldn't rock the boat. Worse case they are cf who are playing the system, more likely they are struggling and doing everything they can to keep you employed.

Maybe it’s just easier to run the payroll for that month at the 80% level that is subsidised by furlough - perhaps it’s already been set up to pay at this level. If you are paid 100% for your hols but over 2 months, I’d just let it go as you will suffer no loss.

It could be a payroll thing. So their payment dates don’t match the furlough claim dates, making it easier to split the payment. Difficult to say without knowing how your pay cycle works, whether you’re paid all or some of the month in advance/arrears etc.

Do you know that they didnt just make a mistake in month 1, realized too late to correct so are paying the shortfall in month 2

It doesn't sound particularly dodgy to me but is there a back story that makes you think your employer is gaming the system.

They have to pay the 20% whenever they pay it so it's not like they can add it onto the next month

Why do they say they are doing it?

Did you find out OP?

@covetingthepreciousthings

I emailed HR to say can they check my pay, it didn't look right as I'd had two weeks hols but been paid my normal furlough amount (about 60% normal pay).

I just got an email back today from HR saying I'd been paid correctly and the way they operated was to pay the top up in next month pay. Would have been nice to had this confirmed before being told to book holidays! None of the other staff are aware of this either.

So really I should have booked the holiday in January if I'd needed the money this month .

[quote laughoutquiet]@covetingthepreciousthings

I emailed HR to say can they check my pay, it didn't look right as I'd had two weeks hols but been paid my normal furlough amount (about 60% normal pay).

I just got an email back today from HR saying I'd been paid correctly and the way they operated was to pay the top up in next month pay. Would have been nice to had this confirmed before being told to book holidays! None of the other staff are aware of this either.

So really I should have booked the holiday in January if I'd needed the money this month . [/quote]
That's an unusual system but good to know that you'll get your full money next month and nothing dodgy is going on.

@AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair yes but I think they should have made that clear, company wide.

I have asked in reply why they are doing this and how much my top up is next month.

I wish I was back at work ☹️