Streamline your business' annual leave management

Managing employees’ annual leave can be a stressful process. For you as the employer, having email or even paper requests sent from multiple locations can be frustrating, especially during busy holiday periods. Likewise, employees having their leave rejected because of double bookings or mismanagement can sometimes sour working relationships. An inefficient annual leave system can also make managing and tracking payroll to become more difficult.

Having a system in place that can automate these tedious aspects of annual leave management can improve your working relationships with employees, as well as increasing their job satisfaction levels.

Move your employees’ annual leave to a secure online portal

It’s time for your employees to say goodbye to printed letters, excel spreadsheets and long email threads to book annual leave. While these more traditional methods can be still used, they’re becoming less and less reliable, and there are more effective alternatives to take their place.

Moving annual leave management to a secure online portal offers many benefits for your business, including:

• Saving time chasing annual leave requests
• Reducing stress with a more automated system in place
• Eliminating errors that can occur from more traditional methods
• Increasing employee satisfaction by reducing mismanagement
• Creates a fair system where all requests are timestamped, so staff can be accepted on a first come, first served basis
• Reducing admin workload from rectifying mistakes and retrieving lost emails
• Promoting environmental sustainability by turning annual leave into a completely paperless process

Using BrightPay’s cloud extension, BrightPay Connect, automates the entire annual leave process for you. Our employee self-service app allows staff to request annual leave through an easy-to-use calendar format on their smartphone or tablet device, where you will then receive a notification on your own employer dashboard. From here, you can view the company calendar through the same and choose to either approve or reject employees’ requests. Managing annual leave has never been so easy!

Our cloud extension comes with a host of other benefits to increase your service offering, such as:

• Client payroll approval feature that gives your clients more control over their payroll by allowing them to make any necessary changes and approve the payroll before it is finalised and before payslips are distributed.
• Automatic cloud backups of your payroll data that ensure your clients’ data is safe and secure at all times. This also aligns with GDPR best practices.
• Remote working support by notifying you when someone else has worked on an employer’s file from a different computer, and if they are still working on that file.
• Bureau branding giving clients a more personal touch to your services, enhancing work relationships.

Interested learning more about BrightPay Connect? Sign up for a free 15-minute demo. Interested in staying up to date on all the latest payroll trends and legislative changes? Sign up to our newsletter below for weekly emails so you can stay in the loop.

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinAnnual Leave

Start preparing now for this year’s P60 deadline

It’s hard to believe it’s that time of the year again, to start preparing your P60s, where did the time go? With the new tax year well underway and payroll processors settled back into their routines, it can be easy for to forget about upcoming HMRC deadlines. Luckily, we’re here to keep you informed with all the latest up-to-date payroll news and legislative updates. The next upcoming due date is the P60 deadline, on May 31st.

By May 31st, all employees who were working for you on the last day of the tax year (April 5th, 2022) must receive a copy of their P60. Failure to provide employees with their P60s by this deadline can result in costly fines from HMRC, that can build up quite quickly. However, accidents happen and if you can provide proof of a genuine mistake, the likelihood of receiving a fine is lessened. Fines start out at £300 , with an added £60 per day penalty thereafter.

This is why we strongly advise to start preparing now for this year’s P60 deadline, to avoid the possibility of any fines cropping up in the coming weeks.

How do I start preparing for P60s now?

Preparing P60s can seem daunting at first, and depending on what payroll software provider you use, it can be either a tedious process or one that is automated, requiring minimal work. If you’re using BrightPay Payroll Software, we’ve made the process of preparing and sharing P60s as smooth as possible for you. In the payroll software, the P60 option is located within the “Employees” tab. From there, you can generate the P60 of individual employees, or you can generate P60s for multiple employees at once.

Once the P60s have been created, you can email the files to your employees, directly from the payroll software. You also have the option to print or export the documents in PDF format. If you use our cloud extension, BrightPay Connect, once generated, your employees will automatically be able to access their P60s from the online employee portal or through the employee app on their smartphone.

Streamline P60 distribution with cloud technology

By using our cloud extension, you don’t have to worry about your employees misplacing their P60s. All employees’ P60s are stored conveniently in one location, on the employee self-service app. From here, your staff can view, print and download their P60s, as well as their payslips and any other important payroll or HR documents.

If you’re still distributing physical documents to employees, there’s a chance that these documents could fall into the wrong hands. Likewise, if you accidentally send these files to the wrong email address, there’s a possibility of unauthorised persons viewing employees’ sensitive personal and financial information.

Having your employees’ documents stored in the cloud, accessible from one central location, improves the safety of your employees’ data. It also reduces your administrative workload and saves your business time.

How can I stay up-to-date on future HMRC deadlines?

To make thinks easier for employers, we’ve created a list that summarises all of the key dates for the 2022/23 tax year. For the latest payroll news and legislative updates, sign up to our weekly newsletter to stay in the loop.

Did you know that by the 6th of July 2022, you must report any employee expenses and benefits for the 2021/22 tax year? For further information on this, please read here.

Interested in using BrightPay? We are a fully compliant HMRC payroll software with both the credibility and reputation behind us. Why not take a look at our 5-star ratings on Trustpilot or book a free 15-minute demo of our award-winning payroll software.

Related articles:

• The 22/23 tax year: Key dates for employers
• Year End - Frequently Asked Questions
• 6 payroll mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinHMRC

2022/23 student loan plans and repayment thresholds

There was an increase to the thresholds for student loan repayments for the 2022/23 tax year. When an employee’s annual income is above the repayment threshold, they will have to repay their student loan. An employee’s repayment threshold will depend on when and where they went to university and from which country they received their loan.

The amount an employee can earn before they will need to start paying a percentage of their income towards their student loan will depend on which loan plan they fall under. Loan plans include plans 1, 2, 4 and postgraduate.

To work out which plan an employee should be on, please reference our charts below:

English Students

Welsh Students

Scottish Students

Northern Ireland Students

EU Students

Postgraduate Loan

For English or Welsh students, they are on a Postgraduate Loan repayment plan if they:

• Took out a Postgraduate Master’s Loan on or after 1st August 2016

Or

• Took out a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan on or after 1st August 2018.

For EU students, they are on a Postgraduate Loan repayment plan if they started a postgraduate course on or after 1st August 2016.

Student loan repayment threshold increases from April 2022

Figures from Gov.uk.

Related articles:

• The 22/23 tax year: Key dates for employers
• Real Living Wage Rates Increase
• Spring Statement: Payroll changes for April and July

Posted byElaine CarrollinHMRC

3 ways to boost job satisfaction in your workplace

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees have shifted their outlook in relation to the workplace. The option for remote working has given employees a greater work-life balance and employees have proven that flexibility in the workplace doesn’t need to hamper productivity. In the UK, all employees have the legal right to request flexible working, but they must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks to be eligible. Employers must deal with requests in a reasonable manner by assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the application and discussing the request with the employee. If they refuse the request, employers should offer an appeal process.

3 ways to improve job satisfaction

1. Flexible working days

According to a report by the Office for National Statistics, 46% of remote workers said they spent less money as a result of remote working. In another report by Culture Shift, 54% of employees said that remote working has had a positive impact on their work-life balance, showing that remote working can have a positive effect. Thanks to having a healthier work-life balance, saving money and spending less time commuting, remote working can improve mental health as it gives your employees the option to work when and where suits them.

One difficulty employer’s may face when their employees are working remotely is managing annual leave. When employees are working different hours and from various locations, it can be difficult to implement a process that is fair and accessible to all. BrightPay Payroll Software’s cloud-extension, BrightPay Connect, allows your employees to book annual leave with ease through the employee self-service portal, at any time and from anywhere. Employees can simply book annual leave within a few clicks online or through the employee app on their smartphone, meaning they won't have to wait until they return to the office to request annual leave.

2. Training and Investment

Investing in your employees to boost their career is vital. Training or upskilling in your workplace will not only help boost employee satisfaction, but it also helps you as you will have employees with additional skill sets, who can help to grow your business.

Training staff to use HR software will allow you to delegate responsibilities amongst the team. An example of this could be training staff to use BrightPay Connect, an online payroll and HR platform. A great way to use the online platform is to allow managers from different departments to manage annual leave requests. This means less back and forth as they are the ones who will know the needs of the team best. Delegating this task using BrightPay Connect means annual leave requests can be dealt with quickly, keeping your employees happy. It also means the responsibility of dealing with requests is not all on one person.

3. Easy access to important details

As an employer, it can be a time-consuming task to keep all of your employees' details up-to date. If an employee moves house, changes their mobile number or wants to update their emergency contact, it can take time to update this information in the system. You may also have to deal with employee requests for past payslips when applying for a mortgage for example. Searching for and printing off payslips can be a tedious task that delays you from taking care of other important duties.

BrightPay’s cloud-extension, BrightPay Connect takes away the headache of manually searching for payslips and updating employee information. BrightPay Connect offers a seamless way for your employees to update their details via the BrightPay Connect employee self-service app, through an internet browser or their smartphone. In addition, you can send payslips each pay period from the payroll software, directly to BrightPay Connect.

Implementing these changes in the workplace can improve employee satisfaction and boost morale within your business. In remote environments, it is important to keep on top of employee well-being and offer as much support to them as you can. Why not book a free 20 minute demo on how BrightPay Connect can help support you and your employees today.

Related articles

• Direct payment platforms – taking your bureau to the next level
• Customer Update: May 2022
• Take the hassle out of Automatic Enrolment

Posted byRoss GrahaminEmployee Self Service

Direct payment platforms – taking your bureau to the next level

 Paying employees and making payments to HMRC, each pay period can be a timely task for bureaus. Not only from an admin point of view, but also the time it takes to manually create bank files, rectify any errors that crop up, and ensuring that payments land in employees’ bank accounts on time. It’s a lot to juggle on top of everything else on your to-do list.

Imagine if there was a sophisticated system that integrated with your payroll software. A system that allowed you to pay employees, subcontractors and HMRC easily and smoothly, eliminated manually uploading bank files, and improved the security and time-efficiency of your payments…

Modulr, a direct payments platform, is integrated with BrightPay Payroll Software and can do all of the above for you. Modulr completely streamlines the entire payment process of your payroll workflow, leaving you with more time to attend to other business matters. Here are three key ways that BrightPay’s integration with Modulr can take your bureau to the next level.

Pay employees in just 90 seconds

Modulr allows you to pay employees in just 90 seconds from within the payroll software. It’s an all-in-one seamlessly integrated payments system. The integration can save you time by removing the need to double and triple-check that all pay amounts are correct, as this information flows directly from the payroll software.

Modulr allows you to schedule payments in advance and you can make any last-minute changes to clients’ employees’ payments if needs be, on any day of the week. This gives you much greater flexibility when making payments, in comparison to more traditional payment methods.

Increases your payments’ security and reduce errors

Modulr provides added layers of protection for payments through a range of security features. Their partnership with the authenticator app, Authy, is an optional feature that provides two-factor authentication when logging in. Two-factor authentication means that there are two forms of identification required when logging in. These can include a code that is sent to your phone number or email address, or can include biometrics such as a fingerprint. This ensures that only authorised users can approve payments within the client’s company. If the client would rather that you authorise the payments for them, this can be done also. Once the payments have been approved, they will be sent straight to employees’ bank accounts within 90 seconds or at the scheduled time. Modulr’s network is also fully encrypted, protecting your payments from any potential cyber-hacks or ransomware.

Having a direct payments system in place eliminates the likelihood of any data input errors and uploading issues to occur, saving you time rectifying any payment submission problems should they arise. This gives you peace of mind, knowing that your clients’ employees will be paid on time, every time.

Direct payments to HMRC

BrightPay is a fully HMRC complaint payroll software. This integration with Modulr automates most of the workload involved in submitting HMRC payments. No longer do you have to export and upload files from multiple locations – it can all be done from one centralised location – within your payroll software. Your HMRC payments will also be sent and received by HMRC in just 90 seconds.

Want to learn more?

To discover more about BrightPay’s integration with Modulr, please read our webpage on the topic.

Interested in learning more about BrightPay? Sign up for a free 15-minute demo today. We are one of the leading providers of payroll software for accountants in the UK, are a fully HMRC complaint payroll software and have a 5-star rating on Trustpilot.

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinPay/Wage

Customer Update: May 2022

Welcome to BrightPay's May update. Our most important news this month include:

• Client communication: No more last-minute panic

• One simple hack to get employees to actually read company updates

• When did you last back-up your payroll data?

• 7 takeaways from AccountancyManager’s latest webinar

Broaden your service offering like never before (webinars for bureaus) 

In our webinars, our experts reveal the power of cloud technology in 2022 and how it can broaden your service offering to clients while making a profit.

Join our upcoming webinar on the 17th May at 11.00 am where we will discuss how cloud technology and automation is transforming payroll services for the better. Watch-back our webinar that took place this week on top tips for expanding your client base and what pricing strategies work.

Register for webinar Watch on demand

Streamline your payroll workflow like never before (webinars for employers) 

In our upcoming webinars, our experts will reveal the power of cloud technology in 2022 and how it can streamline your payroll workflow.

• 12th May: Find out the benefits of integrating your payroll and accounting software while we demonstrate how you can streamline the entire process from start to finish.
• Join our upcoming webinar on the 17th May at 2.00 pm where we will discuss how cloud technology and automation is transforming payroll for the better.

Register for 12th May webinar Register for 17th May webinar

How client platforms automate annual leave

BrightPay Connect’s online annual leave tools completely eliminate manual people management tasks. Download our free guide to unlock the power of automation including a ready-to-go, easy-to-use HR software solution for you, your clients, and their employees. 

Meet us at Accountex 11th-12th May 

Posted byHolly McHughinCustomer Update