Payroll

Bonuses are treated as taxable earnings, so both employers and employees need to understand how they are taxed and reported.

For cash bonuses (including vouchers that can be exchanged for cash), the rules are straightforward. The payment is added to an employee’s normal salary and taxed through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE). This means employers must deduct Income Tax and National Insurance (Class 1) in the usual way through payroll.

Bonuses can sometimes push employees into a higher tax band for that pay period, so the net amount received may be lower than expected.

For non-cash bonuses, such as gifts or rewards, the treatment depends on what is provided. If the item is considered as something that can easily be turned into cash then it is taxed in the same way as cash through PAYE. Other benefits may instead be treated as benefits in kind. A list of typical expenses and benefits and their tax treatment can be found at https://www.gov.uk/expenses-and-benefits-a-to-z

It is important for employers to ensure they apply the correct treatment and reporting method for bonuses, as errors can lead to underpaid tax or penalties.

Mandatory payrolling of benefits in kind (BiKs) and taxable employment expenses will be introduced from 6 April 2027. This represents a major change in reporting and means that for most benefits, the annual P11D form will no longer be required from the start of the 2027-28 tax year.

The requirement to report Income Tax and Class 1A National Insurance on most BiKs through Real Time Information (RTI) was originally due to start on 6 April 2026 but has been delayed until 6 April 2027 to allow additional time for employers, payroll professionals, software providers and agents to prepare.

The deadline to register for the current voluntary payrolling service for the 2026-27 tax year is 5 April 2026. After this, the service will close in preparation for the introduction of mandatory payrolling. 

From April 2027, employers will report BiKs and expenses via the Full Payment Submission (FPS), aligning reporting with the process currently used for reporting salaries. The number of RTI fields will be expanded to reflect the data currently captured through P11D and P11D(b) forms. Employers will also have the option to payroll employment-related loans and accommodation on a voluntary basis.

To support implementation, HMRC will waive penalties for inaccuracies related to mandatory payrolling for 2027–28, provided there is no evidence of deliberate non-compliance. However, existing late filing, late payment penalties and interest will continue to apply.

HMRC has confirmed that its Basic PAYE Tools software will also be updated to support payrolling of benefits in kind from April 2027.

There are a number of annual payroll reporting issues that employers are required to complete. With the tax year ending on 5 April 2026, this means there are several key payroll reporting chores that will need to be considered over the coming months.

One of the main requirements is submitting a final PAYE return for the tax year. The final Full Payment Submission (FPS) must be sent to HMRC on or before employees’ final payday in the 2025–26 tax year to ensure payroll records are correctly closed for the year.

Employers must also remember to provide employees with a P60 by 31 May 2026. A P60 must be issued to all employees who are on the payroll on the final day of the tax year, 5 April 2026. The P60 summarises an employee’s total pay and the tax deducted during the year and can be provided either in paper form or electronically.

Employees should be advised to keep their P60s safe, as they are an important record of tax paid and may be needed to reclaim overpaid tax, apply for tax credits, or provide evidence of income when applying for a loan or mortgage. Employees who leave during the tax year will not receive a P60, as the relevant information will already have been provided on their P45.

In addition, employers must report any Class 1A National Insurance contributions and submit P11D and P11D(b) forms to HMRC for the tax year ending 5 April 2026. The deadline for these submissions is 6 July 2026.

As we move into the start of 2026, it is not that long until the current 2025–26 tax year comes to an end and there are a number of payroll annual reporting obligations that must be completed. This includes sending a final PAYE submission for the tax year. The final Full Payment Submission (FPS) needs to be submitted on or before your employees’ final payday for the 2025–26 tax year.

It is also important that employers remember to provide employees with a copy of their P60 form by 31 May 2026. A P60 must be given to all employees that are on the payroll on the last day of the tax year, 5 April 2026.

The P60 is a statement issued to employees after the end of each tax year that shows the amount of tax they have paid on their salary. Employers can provide the P60 form on paper or electronically. Employees should ensure they keep their P60s in a safe place as it is an important record of the amount of tax paid.

In addition, a P60 is required in order that an employee can prove how much tax they have paid on their salary, e.g.:

• to claim back overpaid tax;
• to apply for tax credits;
• as proof of income if applying for a loan or a mortgage.

Employees who have left their employment during the tax year do not receive a P60 from their employer, as the same information will be on their P45.

The deadline for reporting any Class 1A National Insurance contributions and submitting P11D and P11D(b) forms to HMRC for the tax year ending 5 April 2026 is 6 July 2026.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) also known as the furlough scheme has been extended until 31 October 2020. There are a number of important changes to the way the scheme works starting from 1 July 2020, when employers can bring back furloughed employees to work part-time, for any amount of time and any shift pattern. One of the specified changes is that the final date employers could furlough staff for the first time was 10 June 2020.

However, employees who return to work from maternity and paternity leave after 10 June had not been considered. The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has now confirmed that affected employees could still be furloughed in future as long as their employer has already furloughed employees under the CJRS.

This means that in most cases parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave, who return to work in the coming months after a long period of absence, will be permitted to be furloughed. This change also applies to those on adoption leave, shared parental leave and parental bereavement leave.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP said:

'When I announced these changes to the furlough scheme last month, I was clear that we wanted to do this in a fair way, that supports people back to work as the country begins to re-open following Coronavirus.

But for parents returning from leave, their circumstances has meant that they are still in need of support, and I’m pleased that they will be able to receive the financial assistance they and their family will need.'

If you are an employee, you must tell your employer as soon as possible if you are showing signs of Coronavirus or someone you live with has symptoms of the disease.

Your employer will be able to inform you if you are covered by their sick leave policy. If you are, you may be asked to furnish them with an isolation note that proves you cannot work due to Coronavirus symptoms. You can obtain an isolation note from NHS 111 online in England, NHS inform in Scotland, NHS Direct in Wales and from the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.

If you do not qualify for sick pay from your employer, you may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for every day you are in isolation. You must self-isolate for at least 4 days to be eligible.

You may be eligible for Universal Credit if you cannot get Statutory Sick Pay, for example if you are self-employed or earning below the Lower Earnings Limit of £118 per week. You can request an advance payment of Universal Credit if you do not have enough money to live on whilst waiting for your payment.

You might also be able to:

• apply online for the New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance 
• apply for New Style Employment and Support Allowance, if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work.

Guidance is published by the Department for Work and Pensions about support measures in place if you are employed and have Coronavirus symptoms. 

You must tell your employer as soon as possible if you are showing signs of Coronavirus. Your employer will be able to inform you if you are covered by their sick leave policy. If you are, you may be asked to furnish them with an isolation note that proves you cannot work due to Coronavirus symptoms. You can get an isolation note from NHS 111 online in England, NHS inform in Scotland, NHS Direct in Wales and from the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.

If you cannot get sick pay from your employer, you may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for every day you are in isolation. You must self isolate for at least 4 days to be eligible.

If someone in your household is showing symptoms of Coronavirus then you must stay at home. If you are able to work from home then you should do so. If this is not possible then you may be eligible for sick leave, special leave or SSP.

You may be eligible for Universal Credit if you cannot get Statutory Sick Pay and you can ask for an advance payment if you do not have enough money to live on whilst waiting for your payment. 

Some important changes to holiday pay arrangements came into effect from 6 April 2020. This has seen the reference period for calculating holiday pay increase from 12 to 52 weeks. This change affects workers with no fixed or regular hours. It means that their holiday pay will now be based on the average pay they received over the previous 52 (not 12) weeks. The 52 week reference period will continue to function in the same way as the previous 12 week period.

Almost all full-time workers in the UK are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' (or 28 days) paid holiday per year. This is known as their statutory leave entitlement or annual leave. Legally, employers can include bank holidays in this total although not all employers do this. Employers are also free to provide additional non statutory holiday entitlement.

An employee’s actual statutory entitlement depends on how many days they work per week but all employees including part-time, agency or casual workers are entitled to holiday. There is no statutory entitlement to holidays for the self-employed and there are special rules for those in the armed forces, police and civil protection services.

Part-time workers are entitled to a pro-rata entitlement. For example, 5.6 days holiday per year if they work one day a week. Employees who work irregular days or hours or that are in the first year of a new job can use HMRC’s holiday entitlement calculator to work out how many days they are entitled to.

Any employee that has a problem with their holiday pay should try and resolve the issue with their employer. If this does not work, there are a number of ways to resolve the dispute including contacting ACAS or taking their employer to an employment tribunal.

Under the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, small-and medium-sized businesses and employers will be able to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19. The online service to reclaim SSP is not available yet. HMRC will announce when the service is launched.

The scheme covers up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19. Employers are eligible for the scheme if their business is UK based, small or medium-sized and employed fewer than 250 employees as of 28 February 2020. Employers must also have had a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February 2020. A claim can be made for employees that had / have Coronavirus, cannot work because they are self-isolating at home or are shielding in line with public health guidance.

Employers should maintain records of staff absences and payments of SSP, but employees will not need to provide a GP fit note. If evidence is required by an employer, those with symptoms of Coronavirus can get an isolation note from NHS 111 online and those who live with someone that has symptoms can also request a note from the NHS website.

HMRC’s guidance has been updated with information relating to the EU Commission temporary framework. Claim amounts should not be above the maximum €800,000 of state aid under this framework.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that allows employers to claim cash grants of up to 80% of wages (capped at £2,500) for furloughed workers was officially launched at 8am on 20 April 2020. By midnight at the end of the first day, HMRC reported that 185,000 claims had been submitted with over 1.3 million employees classed as furloughed at a value of some £1.5 billion. The opening of the scheme was 10 days ahead of the expected date of 30 April.

HMRC expects to pay the grant within six working days from the time an eligible claim is submitted. The Chancellor also recently announced that the scheme will now be available until the end of June 2020.

HM Government guidance on the scheme for employers sets out the following important information:

• To be eligible for CJRS an employer must agree with the employee that they are a 'furloughed worker'.
• Employees must be notified that they have been furloughed.
• Employees must be furloughed for a minimum of three weeks.
• The employee cannot do any work for the employer that has furloughed them.
• You can claim 80% of wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month per furloughed employee.
• A separate claim is needed for each PAYE scheme.
• You can only claim for furloughed employees that were on your PAYE payroll on or before
  19 March 2020.
• An RTI submission notifying payment in respect of that employee to HMRC must have been
  made on or before 19 March 2020.
• You must have a UK bank account.