Working parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave, who are returning to work before October 2020, will be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

The government announced on 9th June that parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave who return to work in the coming months after a long period of absence will be permitted to be furloughed ahead of today’s furlough deadline (10 June). This also applies to people on adoption leave, shared parental leave, and parental bereavement leave but will only apply if an employer has previously registered a furlough claim before 10 June 2020.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP said:

“When I announced these changes to the furlough scheme last month, I was clear that we wanted to do this in a fair way, that supports people back to work as the country begins to re-open following coronavirus.

But for parents returning from leave, their circumstances has meant that they are still in need of support, and I’m pleased that they will be able to receive the financial assistance they and their family will need.”

Around 1 million employers have used the furlough scheme, furloughing almost 9 million jobs.

For all other workers, the scheme closes to new entrants on 30 June, with the last three-week furloughs before that point commencing on 10 June.

More details of how the enhancement to the policy will be included in the government’s updated guidance, to be published on 12 June 2020.