Question about furlough pay from agency acting as umbrella company...

[northernladuk]

He's started a thread in the proper area so prof answers go there.
https://www.contractoruk.com/forums/...ml#post2762893

Any other piss take and japery can continue here...

But I'll be watching and I'll not be amused if it crosses the line.

EDIT : Sorry posted on wrong account. Meant to post from my Cojak one...

Carry on.

[ladymuck]

Sadly, you have no recourse here. Your work ended and, whilst it may have been due to the coronavirus, the timing is such that you were no longer on the payroll when the help measures were announced.

The CJRS isn't proving very helpful to people working via umbrellas due to the way umbrellas operate.

[GhostofTarbera]

As it stands today you get nothing


Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum

[whitewater]

I was contracting for various clients through agency for just over a year, clients found through agency. I chose to have my invoices from them forwarded to agency and they paid me on a PAYE basis rather than submit a tax return. Essentially they were the umbrella company.

Around Christmas 2019, I was furloughed by a company, they told the agency a week before Christmas that I was not required for three weeks, and I just didn't get paid for that time by agency, they picked up paying me again once I went back to work in early January 2020.

The agency then told me at close of business on 7 Feb 2020 that I wasn't to go back to that client as they had been informed by the client they were reducing the team size and I wasn't required any more. They stopped paying me as I wasn't putting in any hours, I was just waiting for them to find me another client.

Then the CV lockdown happened and all non-essential workers sent home - no chances for me to get any more contracts. At the start of April 2020 I wrote an email to them enquiring as to whether I would be entitled to any furlough pay as they hadn't sent me a P45 when the last contract finished, and as such I was still recorded on their payroll.

They responded by simply sending me my P45 backdated to 7 Feb 2020 without any additional written response following. As an agency I expect to get zero help from them if there's nothing in it financially for them (client commission) so I thought I'd ask what the opinion is here? They can of course continue to 'employ' me at no cost to themselves except for the administration cost, but I was on zero hours, not sure of the situation.

Thanks for any insights, positive or negative, on the situation