After a hard week’s work, being paid on time, in full and with the right tax deductions is a basic expectation that we all have, and something which your payroll company plays a crucial role in. But what should you do if this isn’t happening, or you start to experience issues with your payroll company?
Before we answer this, it’s worth exploring what you should expect from your payroll provider.
Your Hard-Earned Pay!
It sounds obvious, but as a minimum you should be paid on time, and in full, with accurate deductions for tax, national insurance and any other costs.
Expect Service
Payroll is a service and as such, this is exactly what you should expect. You should be able to speak to a member of staff who knows about your contract and personal payroll details, who personally takes responsibility for any queries you have, and keeps you update whilst they investigate any issues.
Compliance is Key
There is a lot of legislation, HMRC regulations and employment law which is connected with payroll and payroll companies and it changes regularly. Your payroll company should be fully compliant at all times. As such this means, your payroll provider should avoid any risky or non-compliant schemes.
If your payroll company is found to be promoting non-compliant schemes which you have been involved in, you could end up with significant penalties and fines. But how can you tell whether your payroll provider is complaint?
Reputation and Trading History
A key indicator of payroll service compliance comes from the longevity of the payroll company trading under the same UTR. Longer trading payroll providers typically have more robust processes and will have passed HMRC audits and checks which have occurred.
Reputation of your payroll company is also an important factor with recommendations from your agency, contractor and online proving to be good indicators of a business’ working practices and track record.
Unfortunately, payroll accreditations do not provide certainty of compliance. There have been a number of high profile cases in recent years, when accredited payroll companies have been found to be non-compliant by HMRC resulting is significant financial penalties for the payroll company and any workers involved.
Contracts and Documentation
When you join a payroll provider, you should expect to receive a registration form and a contract which sets out the terms of your employment. You should also expect to provide proof of ID, proof of eligibility to work and any skills specific documentation. Be cautious if this process does not happen or is disorganised.
Personal Accident Insurance
Whilst no one likes to think about the risks, unfortunately sometimes accidents do happen at work. That’s why many umbrella companies offer personal accident insurance so that if you’re involved in an accident that prevents you from working, the insurance policy kicks in and helps with financial costs.
Protecting Your Data
Your payroll company looks after some of your most sensitive data including personal details, bank details and identification documents. In the wrong hands, this information could be used be a fraudster to steal your identity or money. As such you want to be confident that your payroll company has comprehensive protection including secure online forms, prominent security checks before they discuss your account on the phone and ideally an ISO27001 data security accreditation.
Falling Short?
So if you find your payroll isn’t meeting your expectations or isn’t delivering on the points above, maybe it’s time to look for a new payroll company that will offer the support you need.
You should equally look to switch if your payroll company offers ‘too good to be true schemes’ [LINK].
Switching is Easy
The good news is that if it’s time to change payroll companies, switching is typically easy and hassle-free. For example, at BoostPay, joining our Umbrella PAYE, is a simple 4-step process that takes just 15-minutes.
- Contact us to discuss if we’re a good fit and then we’ll send you a quote and an agreement.
- Securely sign the document via Docusign
- Complete the registration form
- Send through the required proofs of ID and eligibility to work for us to securely store
And that’s it. You’re ready to work and be paid!
If you’ve got any questions or concerns about your payroll service, feel free to contact us for a chat with an experienced payroll advisors. There are many reputable payroll companies across the UK and we’re happy to share our experience to help guide you to a compliant, reputable company.
