Does anyone know how to pay staff through the government 80% scheme?

We can add additional pay type to your employee's account so that you can pay them, @lynn27.

As of now, we're continuously updating our payroll system based on the government's mandate for the affected employees.

Since you need to pay your employees something that's not included in their regular pay, we can create a special pay type for them. Here's how:
 

1. Go to the Employees menu, then select Employees.
2. Click the name of the employee.
3. Select Actions (at the top right of the page), then select Additional pay.
4. Select or search for the pay type you want to add. If you can’t find the pay type you’re looking for, you can add it.
5. Select Other earnings, then enter all required details.
6. Click Save.

More details about adding a pay type are shared in this article: Add or customise other pay types in QuickBooks Online Standard Payroll.

You'll also want to directly reach out to HMRC or to your accountant to get more details about the new guidelines. Let me know if you need anything else. 

Feel free to go back to this thread if you need anything else.