Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has paid out almost £30 billion since its launch in April 2020

New HMRC statistics also show that claims to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme total a further £7.8 billion

Since its launch, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has paid out almost £30 billion, according to new statistics from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Publishing weekly figures on the CJRS - which was launched on 20 April 2020 - HMRC highlights that, as at midnight on 19 July 2020 - 

• 9.5 million jobs were furloughed;
• 1.2 million employers were furloughing; and
• a total of £29.8 billion had been paid out on the scheme.

NB - HMRC advises that the number of employers is calculated as the number of distinct PAYE schemes that have made a claim, and the number of employees is calculated as the sum of the maximum number of employees furloughed by each PAYE scheme that has made a claim.

In addition, the figures show that, since the start of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme on 13 May 2020, 2.7 million claims have been made with a total value of £7.8 billion.

For more information see HMRC coronavirus (COVID-19) statistics from gov.uk