Month: December 2018

There are nine Low Pay Commissioners who make recommendations to the government on National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. Four of the Commissioners recently visited Birmingham for a meeting with businesses and individuals.  Following the visit, they posted a blog.

They said that meetings, such as the one in Birmingham, help them to prepare themselves to make their recommendations. Of course, they have access to the best economic data, statistics and evidence sessions with academics, but the real-life experience of real people who are in low paid jobs helps them to stay in touch with what’s working and what needs more attention.

It is now accepted that the National Living Wage has led to the largest fall in numbers of people in low pay for decades, and the National Minimum Wage has all but eliminated extreme low pay. But the Commissioners say there can be no complacency.  There are still a lot of improvements to be made, not least of all in the less visible end of the labour market.  For example, some MP’s are calling for a licensing scheme for Hand Car Wash Businesses.

The Commissioners also heard complaints from employers who were concerned that HMRC were being heavy handed in investigations and taking benefits away from employees, that the employers say they are entitled to, such as the salary sacrifice scheme. The Commissioners will be discussing this with HMRC.

Calculating pay, especially for people who are on zero hours contracts or short hour contracts with unpredictable shift patterns can be a challenge for the most dedicated in-house payroll clerk. Good employers want to ensure that their staff get the correct salary and benefits, with the least amount of paperwork and certainty that the calculations are correct.  Talk to us about outsourcing your payroll to All Payrolls, our head office is in Birmingham, but we work across the UK.

There isn’t a day that goes by without some new information or process that business needs to know concerning Brexit. At All Payrolls we are keeping fully up to date with announcements affecting payroll and matters associated with managing the outsourced payroll service we provide to our clients.

If you employ EU citizens, an employer’s tool kit is now available from the Home Office.  This is being updated as required.  There is also the option to sign up for email alerts

What Employers Need To Know About The EU Settlement Scheme

• EU citizens who want to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020, and their close family, will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme
• As an employer you cannot discriminate against EU citizens as a current or prospective employer, now that the UK has decided to leave the EU
• Current right to work checks apply until the end of 2020
• You do not have to pay the cost of the application by your EU employee, but you may at your own discretion
• You do not have to interpret information provided by government
• You must be careful not to provide immigration advice

At All Payrolls HR issues arise every day as we carry out the outsourced payroll function for our clients in education, the public sector and private businesses. We can answer common questions, but we also have specialist trusted HR partners with whom we work. So, if you have a question regarding payroll or HR issues post Brexit, please give our experts in our Birmingham head office a call or drop us an email.