Payroll and PAYE

Taken on your 1^st employee? Tired of the ongoing burden of running the payroll cycle?

Let us take the strain away from you and let you get on with running and growing the business. Payroll is complicated and has to be done on time and you as the employer are responsible for the mistakes.

We run payrolls on time and can provide a tailor-made service for your business including:

• Employee payslips (distributed via a secure online portal)
• Monthly summaries
• Departmental reports
• Dealing with leavers and starters
• Provision of analysis of staff costs
• Real Time Information (RTI) PAYE returns for the Revenue
• Assistance with automated payment set-up to your employees
• CIS returns completed by us

You will never have to worry about calculating statutory sick pay or maternity pay and dealing with student loan deductions ever again.

And at year end:

• Employee summary P60s
• P11D and P9D benefit and expenses returns

How about the Taxman paying more towards your employee remuneration?

Good remuneration packages are important in attracting and keeping the right quality staff.

We offer comprehensive advice on all employment tax issues including:

• Tax efficient remuneration strategies
• Planning for retirement
• Termination payments
• Inducement payments
• Company car and van strategies
• Benefits planning
• Expenses dispensations

Worried about a PAYE Inspection?

Our PAYE Healthcheck service is designed to find any PAYE issues before the Taxman does!

Why not call us in prior to any visit?

The healthcheck can:

• Review and sample check your payroll records for errors
• Sample test the most common errors that the PAYE inspectors look for
• Statistically analyse your completed PAYE returns
• Sample check the completion of PAYE returns
• Compare your PAYE returns against your annual accounts
• Sample check leavers and starters to make sure they are correctly dealt with
• Review statutory maternity pay, statutory sick pay, student loan deductions and working tax credits
• Identify any workers where status issues may be a concern
• Check completion of end of year returns
• Review benefit in kind and expenses disclosures and calculations
• Check expenses dispensations
• Identify any PAYE planning opportunities

We can also provide a similar service in respect of a CIS healthcheck for the construction industry.

Getting employment status wrong can be one of the most expensive tax mistakes.

The question as to whether someone is employed or self-employed is not as straightforward as it might at first appear. Many people assume they are free to choose, but this is not the case.

Although there is no clear-cut answer as to how you decide if you are self-employed or not, the following should be on your checklist

Fundamental factors to consider:

• Control
• The right to get a substitute or helper to do the job
• Mutuality of obligations.

Other factors to consider:

• Provision of equipment
• Financial Risk
• Basis of Payment
• Opportunity to profit from sound management
• Part and parcel of the organisation
• Right of dismissal
• Employee benefits
• Intention of the parties
• Length of engagement.

These are often matters of general employment law, and not specific tax legislation. There is an enormous amount of Case Law in this area and HMRC are not always right. HMRC do not have the final say on whether somebody is self-employed or not. We can argue your case and take it before the Tax Commissioners for you.

The cost if you get it wrong is enormous. Not only is there the question of employees and employers national insurance, being classified as an employee also gives rise to all sorts of employment rights such as holiday pay, maternity pay, unfair dismissal etc. The decision has to be made by the employer and if you get it wrong it is going to be very hard to recover the back tax, interest, penalties etc from the worker.

We can review your existing arrangements and give you our opinion on whether it will stand up to attack from the Taxman. We can help advise on contracts for services to assist you and advise on how you can maximise your chances.