Importance of properly documenting CJRS claims

The investment into the taxpayer protection taskforce of 1 265 compliance officers and funding of £100m announced in the spring Budget on 3 March show how HMRC is ramping up its investigations into possible fraudulent or incorrect coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) claims. With investigations building momentum it is critical that businesses check their claims for potential errors and gather the evidence that demonstrates the financial context and internal discussions around their furlough application.

Our recent survey of 605 mid-sized companies found that of those who have made use of the CJRS almost one in five (16%) have still not reviewed their claims to ensure that they are correct. Of those surveyed who have (83%) more than one in ten (13%) found errors requiring correction.

The guidance for the scheme has been updated many times since first issued and the focus for many will...