Your boss can't make you come in to work - even from home - if you need to look after your children.
In fact, you can even take furlough pay for time spent on childcare - meaning it won't cost you employer a penny but you'll get 80% of your normal wages up to £2,500 a month.
It's excellent news for mums and dads wondering how they'll mange with school now set to remain closed until at least 8 March.
And that's not all, with new flexible options and furlough rules meaning this lockdown works rather differently to the first one in March, even if it feels like we're back at square one.
But there is a warning too - whether you'll get paid for time off is entirely in the hands of your boss.
MARTIN LEWIS OUTLINES HOW PARENTS CAN BE FURLOUGHED SO THEY CAN STILL LOOK AFTER THEIR KIDS
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As things stand, furlough is available until April.
Up until then people prevented from working by the Covid-19 pandemic people can get 80% of their salary paid for by the Government - up to a limit of £2,500 a month.
And looking after children because schools have been closed definitely counts towards this, the Treasury has confirmed.
But there are some caveats.
© Getty ImagesThere is help on offer over lockdown
Workers can be on any type of contract to be furloughed, including if you are part-time or on a zero-hours contract.
You don't need to have been furloughed before to be eligible for the scheme, and the business you work for doesn't need to have used it before to use it now.
But in order to qualify, you need to have been on your employer's payroll by 11.59pm, October 30 2020.
And furlough now is flexible.
That means you can work just a few hours a week and be furloughed for the rest of it, or take just a few hours a week off on furlough and work the rest at normal pay.
And that flexibility could be a godsend to parents.
But furlough is entirely at the discretion of your employer - meaning they are well within their rights to say "no".
© GettyChildcare is a valid reason to be furloughed
The TUC is calling for this to change, however.
"Ministers must urgently give all parents the temporary right to furlough, plus at least ten days' paid parental leave each year," TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said.
"It's simply not sustainable to expect mums and dads to work as normal, while looking after their children and supervising schoolwork.
"As ever this burden is falling hardest on women and the low paid. Without action now many risk being pushed out of the labour market."
The good news if they do, is that while they can refused to furlough you, they absolutely can't stop you from taking time off to look after your children.
"In an emergency, you are entitled to take time off to make sure your child is looked after. This is known as dependant leave," said Tracey Moss, employment expert at Citizens Advice.
"Your employer can't refuse you dependent leave if you have no other choice, and you can't be disciplined or sacked for taking the time off."
It's important to note that while your employer has to authorise your absence - it will, in most cases be unpaid.
"If your employer won't give you time off, or has disciplined you for having to look after your child, contact your nearest Citizens Advice for help."
This will cover you for a day or two - but if that's not enough, you can request more time off in advance - in what's known as unpaid parental leave.
Each employee is entitled to up to 18 weeks' leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 5th birthday - or 18th if the child has a disability.
The limit on how much parental leave each parent can take a year is four weeks.
You must take parental leave as whole weeks rather than odd days, unless your employer agrees otherwise or your child is disabled.
During this period, all of your employment rights will remain protected - such as annual leave entitlement and your right to return to work.