Bank holidays and furlough

Whilst for some of us this feels like groundhog day, questions are arising again on what to do with bank holidays during furlough.

The furlough scheme is currently due to end on 30 April 2021 but Good Friday and Easter Monday fall on the 2nd and 5th April.

You have two options for furloughed staff.

The first is that you agree the bank holiday can be taken as annual leave.

Here you would pay 100% pay for the annual leave and not the furlough rate.

You can continue to claim for a furloughed worker’s wages when the individual is on holiday.

The second is that you agree that the bank holiday is not taken as annual leave at the time, but is carried forwards to a future date.

Here the employee would be paid their furlough pay for the two bank holidays.

In both situations the period of furlough is uninterrupted.

Government guidance is available at Holiday entitlement and pay during coronavirus