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Holiday pay has a wonderful ability to make something that sounds incredibly simple become remarkably complicated. “How much holiday does this employee have?” Good question. But sometimes payroll has another one: “What exactly does a day mean?” 😂 Because one employee’s day might be 7.5 hours. Another employee might work three 12-hour shifts. Someone else might work different hours every

For years, benefits in kind have had their own little annual rhythm. The tax year ends. Someone remembers the P11Ds. Payroll asks for the information. HR looks for the paperwork. The accountant might get involved. Someone contacts the medical insurance provider. And eventually, after a certain amount of emailing, spreadsheet hunting and muttering… We work out what benefits everybody actually

Receiving two payslips in a short period doesn’t necessarily mean something has gone wrong. There are perfectly legitimate reasons why an employee might receive two payments that fall within the same PAYE month. A business might be changing its normal payday. There may be a transitional or part-period payment. An additional payment may need to be processed. But while making

There is a point where payroll and HR become very closely intertwined. And sometimes it’s difficult to see exactly where one stops and the other starts. An employee’s hours change. Their working days change. Their salary increases. They reduce their hours. An allowance is agreed. Someone changes from five days to four. All perfectly normal things that happen during employment.

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There is something I’ve noticed over the years. Nobody seems to care about payroll. Now, before my fellow payroll professionals start throwing calculators at me, let me explain. Businesses care about sales. They care about marketing. They care about winning new clients. They care about growth. They care about profits. Payroll? Payroll is often treated like the forgotten middle child.

Nobody talks about payroll stress. Until they’re responsible for payroll. Then suddenly it becomes very real. When people think about payroll, they often think about calculations, payslips, tax deductions, and pension contributions. What they don’t often think about is the pressure that sits behind it all. Because for many small businesses, payroll isn’t handled by a dedicated payroll department. It’s

If you’ve ever used your own car for work, you’ll probably know the feeling. You fill up the tank. You wince at the cost. You submit your mileage claim. Then you wonder whether the reimbursement actually reflects what it costs to run a vehicle these days. Well, after more than 15 years of sitting at the same level, HMRC has

There’s been a noticeable shift over the last couple of years in how menopause is discussed in the workplace. And honestly? About time. For years, menopause was treated like some kind of workplace Voldemort situation. People knew it existed, plenty of employees were dealing with it daily, but everyone seemed determined not to actually say the word out loud. Meanwhile,

(Or: Why Disaster Recovery Isn’t Dramatic — It’s Responsible) Let’s address the question. Because it always comes. Usually politely.Sometimes awkwardly.Occasionally wrapped in corporate language like: “What are your disaster recovery procedures?” But what it often really means is: “What happens if you’re not here?” Or, more bluntly: “What if you get hit by a bus?” Now, after just under 30

(Or: “They’ve Only Just Started… and Payroll Is Already Involved”) There was a time when employment rights came with a quiet, unspoken condition: “Stick around for a bit… then we’ll talk about your rights.” That is changing. From April 2026, under the Employment Rights Act reforms, we move further into a world of day-one rights — where certain protections and entitlements apply

(Or: “Just Because Something’s Gone Missing Doesn’t Mean You Can Take It Back from Wages”) At some point, most businesses face it. A till is down.Stock is missing.Something gets damaged. And the question lands: “Can we just deduct it from their wages?” Payroll takes a deep breath. Because this is one of those areas where what feels “fair” and what