Payroll Essentials for New Employers

When you engage someone to work for you, youcompletes an excel copy of the compulsory HMCE
become their employer. Every employer operating aforms significantly easing the administrative burden.
PAYE scheme must have an understanding of thePaying Employees
HMCE payroll essentials. Payroll essentials that payrollEmployees must be paid the national minimum wage
software packages satisfy include both the knowledgewhich for adults was raised on the 1st October 2007
to correctly calculate income tax and nationalto £5.52 per hour. Every employee must receive a
insurance plus legal obligations to each employee.payslip that shows the amount of income tax and
When should an Employer Register for PAYEnational insurance deducted from the gross pay. In
An employee is anyone who works on a full time, partaddition every employer must also calculate the
time or casual basis for the business and includesemployer's national insurance contribution. If you are an
company directors. Employers should register as soonemployer and not operating a payroll software system
as possible when a qualifying employee is appointedsuch as the DIY Accounting Payroll Software then you
and may register up to four weeks prior to the firstmust design a payslip to give to your employees to
employees pay day. You should register as ansatisfy legal requirements.
employer and operate a PAYE system if yourHMCE Payroll Forms
employee already has other employment, or if theP11 Employees Deductions Working Sheet
employee's earnings are equal to or above the PAYEThe working paper is a record of the weekly or
threshold. The PAYE threshold for 2007-08 is earningsmonthly pay for each employee and the income tax
of £100 per week or £435 per month at whichand national insurance deductions.
point income tax and national insurance deductionsP14 End of Year Employees Deductions Summary
may be required. These limits include the value of anySummary of the employee income tax and national
benefits in kind that may be paid.insurance deductions recorded on the P11 deductions
Employer Registration Information Requiredworking sheet
Generally the information to be provided includes theP35 Annual Employers Return
business name, trading address, type of business,Summary detailed by employee of the annual totals of
name and address of the employer, national insuranceincome tax and employee's national insurance
number and tax office reference of the employer,deductions and employers national insurance liability
contact telephone number and email address ifP45 Details of Employee Leaving
applying by email., In addition details will be required ofOnly available from the Employer's helpline the P45 is a
the likely number of employees, frequency of payment,certificate of the amount paid to the employee and the
the date the first employee was appointed and theincome tax deducted during that employment. Every
first payment date. Also have available the addressemployee that leaves the employers employment
where the payroll records will be kept and the contactshould be issued with a P45.
details of the person responsible for the payroll. WhereP60 End of Year Employees Certificate
partners are involved details of each partner's names,The P60 is a certificate of an employees total
addresses, national insurance numbers and tax officeearnings and total income tax deducted during the tax
references will be required and the LLP number foryear including previous those of previous employers
Limited Liability Partnerships. Limited Companies will beand also the amount of national insurance deducted by
required to supply the address of the company'sthe current employer and should be issued to every
registered office, date of incorporation and companyemployee the employer has at the 5th April each year.
registration number plus details of the directors; names,Each of these HMCE PAYE forms are automatically
addresses, contact telephone numbers, nationalcompleted by the DIY Accounting payroll software
insurance numbers, tax office referenceswhich produces excel copies of the HMCE forms
How to register as a PAYE Employermaking the package highly suitable for both
Employers can register for PAYE online at the HMCEinexperienced employers and those wishing to minimise
website. Click Employers - Register as an Employer -the administrative burden payroll can place on an
First steps as an Employer - scroll down the page untilemployer.
you can click email which then presents you with onlinePAYE Payments and Online Bonuses
registration form to complete and send. AlternativelyDeductions of income tax, employees national
contact HMCE Employer Helpline at 0845 6070 143.insurance and employers national insurance must be
PAYE and Payroll Recordspaid to HMCE each month, the standard final payment
Accurate payroll records are essential, full stop.date being the 19th of the month following the payroll
Employers must keep payroll records for both HMCEmonth. If monthly payments of income tax and national
purposes and employees. The employee records mustinsurance deductions including employer's national
include the name and address of the employee,insurance are under £1,500 per month then
national insurance number, date of birth, income taxemployers have the option to pay the amount due to
code, all payments and benefits made and allthe HMCE on a quarterly rather than a monthly basis.
deductions for income tax, national insurance andPayments of income tax and national insurance to the
voluntary deductions. When registering to operate aHMCE can be made online electronically. At the end of
PAYE system immediate arrangements should beeach financial year, 5th April, every employer must
made to ensure these records are maintained eithersubmit the P35 Annual Employers Return .to HMCE
by setting up the records yourself using the help anddetailing the amounts paid to each employee and the
advice contained in the Revenue CD-ROM provided todeductions made for income tax, employees national
all new and existing employers or employing a payrollinsurance and employers national insurance with the
service to produce the records or using a payrollamount that has already been paid to HMCE in
software package. Various payroll software packagesrespect of the income tax and national insurance
are available with different degrees of complexity. Thecontributions. Employers with less than 50 employees
DIY Accounting Payroll Software is an ideal solution forare eligible for a tax free online bonus when the P35
small employers being written on excel spreadsheetsEmployers Annual Return is submitted online which has
and in addition to producing the deduction calculationsbeen a tax free £250 and £150 in recent years.
and payslips the payroll software also automatically