Sep 2016
22
BrightPay announced as a finalist for CIPP’s ‘Payroll Software Product of the Year’ award
The finalists for the CIPP Annual Excellence Awards have just been announced. We are delighted to reveal that BrightPay has been shortlisted for the ‘Payroll Software Product of the Year’ award for the second year running.
CIPP's Annual Excellence Awards will be held on Thursday 6 October at the Celtic Manor Resort, Wales. The awards are the longest running awards in the industry, currently in their 13th year. Being the only awards from a Chartered professional body for payroll, they are the most prestigious awards for individuals and organisations in the industry.
The awards ceremony will be run alongside CIPP’s Annual Conference and Exhibition which will take place on 6th & 7th October. BrightPay will be exhibiting at the conference allowing attendees to ask us any questions you might have. Make sure to chat to the BrightPay team where we can give you a quick demo of the software and take you through our newest feature – BrightPay Cloud.
Find out more about CIPP’s Annual Conference and Exhibition and Annual Excellence Awards here.
Sep 2016
21
National Living Wage Increase 1st of October
The Government's National Living Wage was introduced on 1 April 2016 for all working people aged 25 and over, and is set at £7.20 per hour. The current National Minimum Wage for those under the age of 25 still applies.
From October 2016, the national minimum wage will rise by 3.7% to £6.95 for 21 to 24 year olds, and by 4.7% to £5.55 an hour for those aged 18 to 20.
The minimum wage for 16 to 17 year-olds will rise to £4.00 and apprentices will see their wages go up to £3.40. Almost half a million young people will benefit from the increases introduced.
Sep 2016
11
Student Loans - which Plan type to use?
On 6th April 2016, a new plan type for student loans was introduced by HMRC. Employers should now be deducting student loan repayments from their employees using either Plan 1 or Plan 2.
A query that regularly comes into our BrightPay Helpdesk is 'How do I know which plan type to use?'
HMRC provide the following guidance on how you can determine an employee’s student loan plan type:
- check the Student Loan Start Notice (SL1)
- ask your new employee to fill in the starter declaration checklist
- ask your employee to go online to the Student Loan Company website at www.slc.co.uk/students/loan-repayment.aspx – if they do not know their plan type already.
HMRC also advise that if you receive an SL1 with a start date prior to 6 April 2016 and there is no plan type shown, you should make deductions under Plan 1.
Generic notifications have been sent by HMRC to those employers who haven’t reported any student loan deductions for a specific employee, but for whom deductions are expected. Where two generic notifications have been sent to an employer already, HMRC will begin contacting such employers to discuss the matter further.
Sep 2016
11
Payrolling Benefits in Kind 2017-18
HMRC requires an employer to register in order for them to process benefit in kind through the payroll. If you are planning on processing the benefit in kind through the payroll for 2017-18 you can register now and up to 5th April 2017. But HMRC are advising employers that it would be best to register before the 21st December, when the annual tax coding process normally starts, in order to avoid being sent several tax codes for employees with payrolled benefit in kinds.
Employers who wish to process benefits in kind through the payroll must ensure they are registered with HMRC for real time information. Employers can register for payrolling of benefits using their government gateway ID to login. Currently agents cannot use this registration service for payrolling of benefits but HMRC will develop this option at a later stage.
Employers must select the benefits that will be processed in the payroll for their employees for the whole tax year. If a benefit is not selected by the employer but is processed through the payroll the employer must report these benefits on a P11D. Benefits may be added or the original application can be changed by the employer if an error was made. Normally the selection of benefits, if no changes were made, would automatically be carried forward to the next tax year.
Sep 2016
9
BrightPay to showcase BrightPay Cloud at Accountex
We are excited to be able to showcase our new BrightPay Cloud product at Accountex 2017!!!
BrightPay have just launched an innovative online tool for payroll bureaus, employers and employees. BrightPay Cloud is an add-on to BrightPay Payroll bringing exciting new online features to our customers. BrightPay cloud is not a ‘cloud version’ of the desktop version of BrightPay. Rather, BrightPay Cloud provides a way to connect your payroll data to the cloud to enable new features.
Processing your payroll will still be managed and maintained on your BrightPay Payroll which will remain a desktop based solution. We recognise that employers and their employees want a certain level of cloud functionality to access their payroll information on the go, online and at anytime.
BrightPay Cloud Explained
- Automated Cloud Backup
Until now, BrightPay customers had to manually back up their payroll data. Even if your data is regularly backed up onto your computer, you could lose it all if your computer is broken, lost or stolen. Manually backing up succumbs to human error along the way too. Using BrightPay Cloud, your payroll data will be automatically backed up every 15 minutes to a secure cloud facility. Any changes you make to your payroll data in BrightPay will automatically be synced back to the Cloud.
- Payroll Bureau Dashboard
Bureaus can view each client's payroll information on one online dashboard including the employer's paye reference code, payroll reports, employer annual leave calendar, when the last payroll has been finalised to and more. Payroll bureaus can invite their clients to their own personal self service employer portal. Likewise employers can also invite their accountant to BrightPay Cloud. Bureaus can also view the schedule of HMRC payments, any outstanding payments due and access the P30 for each tax period. The bureau dashboard allows you to save time, reduce admin and collect your clients payroll information as you need it.
- Employee & Employer Self Service
Employers can access their own self service dashboard online where they can view their employees information, manage holiday leave requests, access payroll reports and view scheduled HMRC payments and liabilities. Employers can also grant their employees access to an interactive, online self service portal. Employees can log on and view their payslips and other relevant payroll documents such as P60’s. Employees can even request annual leave from the self service portal. A notification will then be visible on the employer's dashboard and also emailed to them informing them of any employee request.
- Bureau Branding / White Labeling
Accountants or payroll bureaus may wish to brand BrightPay Cloud with their own logo. Not only does the Cloud allows accountants to add value to their existing payroll services but also helps position their company branding with their clients. Employers will additionally have the feature to brand their self service portal with their branding.
For more info click - BrightPay Cloud Features or BrightPay Cloud Overview.
Accountex 2017
BrightPay will be back again at Accountex 2017. With over 6,500 visitors through the door, Accountex is the place to be to meet the very best of accountants, suppliers and key influencers in the accounting space. For BrightPay, it is the perfect platform to introduce our latest Cloud product to the accounting industry. Drop by our stand and say hello. Our team would be happy to take you through the benefits and features of BrightPay Cloud.
Aug 2016
29
BrightPay Reviews & Testimonials - Find out what our customers think?
At BrightPay, we enjoy exceeding our customers’ expectations. We are constantly improving our payroll and auto enrolment software and the support that we provide for all our users enhance your customer experience.
To do this, BrightPay recently carried out a Customer Satisfaction Survey to find out what our customers really think. The results were overwhelming! We were delighted to discover that both BrightPay and our customer support team have a satisfaction rate of 99%.
Customers left remarkable comments, praising BrightPay’s simplicity, reliability, functionality, value for money, customer support… the list goes on! Here is a selection of some of the comments…
- I have used BrightPay for nearly two years now and I love it! Its great value for money. It saves me time a does a great job. I can't recommend it enough
- BrightPay is the very best software I have ever purchased!!
- From day one it's been a delight to deal with BrightPay - it's improved my relationship with HMRC - I can't recommend them enough - it's almost a pleasure to do the wages each week!
- This is a great program for any size of company and it is very easy to use, has everything you need, and is it very good value for money, I would recommend this program to everyone who need payroll
BrightPay saves time & money…
- I absolutely love using BrightPay. It has reduced the time it takes to do my payroll to less than an hour when it used to take nearly three! It links to Nest and creates bank files making payments faster. It has built in letters and reminders for auto enrolment and really does the work for you
- Using BrightPay has made my life so much easier - time spent would have been easily 70% longer if I didn't have BrightPay
Switching to BrightPay…
- I used Sage for many years and was nervous about changing. The changeover from Sage to BrightPay was quick and easy. The payroll experience is now a pleasure!
- Transition from other software was so easy any queries are answered professionally and in a timely manner
BrightPay vs. competitors…
- IRIS, ADP and other outdated payroll systems have had their day, the new world is BrightPay for payroll processing. User friendly, practical and versatile software making running payroll easy and me look good
- I regularly recommend BrightPay to those I know who have need of payroll software, it does everything that the more expensive software will do but it is in my opinion more efficient, easier to use and with greater benefits
- In my opinion BrightPay is about the best payroll and Auto Enrolment software in the market, easy to use and efficient. Totally reliable and always up to date software. Keep up the excellent work
BrightPay’s value for money…
- BrightPay is extremely functional and very good value for money. We moved from Iris in April 2015 and have not regretted the decision
- I couldn't believe how affordable it is, definitely customer focused as they put customers first instead of their own pocket
BrightPay’s support team…
- Telephone support is rarely needed as the software is intuitive with "help" feature that provides 99% of the answers. For that rare 1% that persist I find telephone support is easily accessible, patient and they know their product well.
- From the start I found it easy to understand the programme; when I needed advice, I found it easy to obtain through the Helpline. I thoroughly recommend BrightPay
BrightPay’s functionality & ease of use…
- Very user friendly payroll software. Compared to other packages I used before this software was breeze to use and the tutorials on their website are great
- I can't recommend this highly enough. Super reliable, super-fast, well supported. It's a pleasure to work with something which has been so thoroughly well designed and built.
- BrightPay is so easy to use anyone with a little knowledge can use it with ease. You can rest reassured that your duties as an employer are being satisfied and all in less time than with other payroll software. I would recommend BrightPay to everyone
- Since changing to BrightPay it has not only been cost effective for the business but extremely easy to use and has made the auto enrolment process easy and stress free
BrightPay for bureaus…
- I wouldn't hesitate to recommend BrightPay to both professional payroll bureaus, employers and single people alike. I have found very few problems with our switch over and I am a bureau processing well over a hundred payrolls
- I have used BrightPay for several years with the bureau service and it has never let me down. The aftercare and personal attention is second to none. I have recommended BrightPay to several of my colleagues and I know I can do this with every confidence they will never look at another software program for payroll
BrightPay for employers…
- Would recommend to any small start-up business as a MUST to have peace of mind and your PAYE all secure and HMRC fully up to date
- If you're a payroll novice, like me - don't worry. Get BrightPay. Use it and know that you're getting it right
- This software has transformed the process of handling employees in small enterprise - the previous burden has been lifted off my shoulders, and it helps me keep abreast of my commitments to report and pay over money to HMRC like a dream.
This is just a fraction of the hundreds of wonderful comments that BrightPay received! You can also find out more about what customers have to say on the BrightPay testimonials and BrightPay case studies pages on our website.
If you haven’t yet seen BrightPay, you can book a demo with our sales team. The 20 minute online demo will take you through processing both payroll and auto enrolment. You can also download a 60 day free trial of the software with full functionality.
Aug 2016
25
Declaration of Compliance - Don’t risk a fine!
With holiday season upon us, if you are a payroll bureau and your client's declaration of compliance deadline is fast approaching, you can help them to avoid a fine by starting the declaration as soon as possible and ensuring that it’s completed on time.
A declaration of compliance must be submitted to the Pensions Regulator within 5 months of your client’s staging date to inform them of what actions they have been performed to meet their auto enrolment duties.
If you are performing some auto enrolment tasks on your client's behalf, it is important that you both agree in advance who will be completing the declaration so that there is no confusion.
The Pensions Regulator produces a declaration checklist to help gather all the information needed to complete the declaration.
Aug 2016
17
Payroll giving to charity on the rise
According to provisional figures recently released by HMRC, approximately £130 million was donated to charity during tax year 2015/16 through payroll giving.
This represented an increase of 3% compared to the previous tax year, but this is still somewhat down on the amounts donated in tax year 2012/13 when a record £155 million was raised via payroll giving.
Payroll Giving is a simple, tax effective way to give to charity directly from an employee's pay.
Employers can set up a scheme with a Payroll Giving agency of their choice. Employees can then authorise their employer to deduct charitable donations from their pay.
Such donations are deducted after NIC but before PAYE is calculated, and are then sent to the payroll giving agency, who pass them on to chosen charities.
For employers who have set up a scheme with a payroll giving agency, BrightPay provides a preset 'Payroll Giving' deduction to facilitate employees who wish to donate in this manner.
Further information on payroll giving can be found at Payroll Giving - GOV.UK
Aug 2016
17
Auto Enrolment: Over 200,000 Employers have Complied
In The Pensions Regulator's monthly declaration of compliance report over 200,000 employers have completed their automatic enrolment duties and over 6.5 million employees have been enrolled in an automatic enrolment pension scheme. In July's Declaration of Compliance Report shows that more than 6.5 million employees have began contributing to their pension after having been automatically enrolled by their employer.
Over 156,000 small and micro (up to 9 employees) employers have now declared that they have complied with their automatic enrolment duties. This is over 3 times the amount of medium and large employers that have complied, over 44,000. Over 960,000 employees employed by small and micro employers have been enrolled under automatic enrolment.
Aug 2016
17
Employers failing to pay National Minimum Wage details published
The current National Minimum Wage was introduced on 1st October 2015 and will change on 1st October 2016. The current rates are:
• Workers aged 21 and over: £6.70 an hour
• Development rate for workers aged 18-20: £5.30 an hour
• Young workers rate for workers aged 16-17: £3.87 an hour
• Apprentices under 19, or over 19 and in first year of the apprenticeship: £3.30 an hour
197 employers have failed to pay their employees the National Minimum Wage. These employer details have been published, this list is the largest list to date. These employers range across a number of industries such as hairdressers, hotels, football clubs and care homes.
A total liability of £465,291 was owed by the 197 employers to their employees and The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have confirmed that all these monies have been repaid to the employees. Since the scheme was introduced in October 2013, a total of 687 employers details have been published and a total liability of £3.5 million.
The onus is on the employer to ensure the correct rate of pay is paid to the relevant employee, depending on their circumstances. The National Living Wage was introduced on 1st April 2016, for employees aged 25 and over, which is £7.20 per hour. The National Living Wage will be enforced equally along with the National Minimum Wage!
