In this article you'll be guided through setting up your Primo Payroll account, including setting up employer data, managing employee records, running payroll and getting ready for the next payroll period.
1. Setting up employer data
1.1 Company Name and Address
These details should be the same as those on your HMRC Gateway Account. These are some of the pieces of information that form part of the recognition process when submitting RTI returns.
Navigation: Settings -> Main(Section) -> Name and Address
1.2 HMRC References and RTI Configuration
These tabs contain important information that will assist the HMRC software in authenticating your submissions. Usually your PAYE details will be printed on HMRC correspondence. Remember to separate the Tax Office and PAYE Reference fields as the program will combine them to get the full reference used in the submissions.
Navigation: Settings -> Main(Section) -> HMRC Settings
1.3 Bank Account and Payment Settings
Here you can enter all the details for the company Bank Account that will be used for payments. It will also hold all the details for any BACS payments that are made. Please note that HMRC have a limit on RTI submissions of 30 characters for the Account Name. Any names over this length will result in an error message when submitting.
Navigation: Settings -> Main(Section) -> Bank
1.4 Processing Rules
The software needs to know how you want to process payroll. You can choose which items to use and the type of payrolls that you want to run (frequency etc.). You can also determine the overtime rates to be used within the company and, if you are a bureau, enter your requirements.
Navigation: Settings -> Main(Section) -> Processing Rules
1.5 Payments and Deduction Codes
You can set up various payments and deductions that are unique to your company in addition to the preset ones in the software that are some of the most common ones within the payroll world.
Navigation: Settings -> Payments and Deductions(Section)
2. Setting-Up and Managing Employee Records
2.1 New Employee Record
Every employee within the company will have their own individual file where their unique details are stored. This allows the software to process individual requirements when the payroll is processed. Many of the details are used to identify an individual in the HMRC Gateway and so extra care will need to be taken to ensure that these details are accurate.
Navigation: Employee List: Click on the ⨁ Button
2.2 Amending an Employee Record
From time to time it will be necessary to make changes to employee records, such as a change of address, Tax Code or a change in their salary or hourly rate.
Navigation: Employee List: Click on the respective employee's Payroll ID
2.3 Updating Overtime and Absence Rates
When an employee’s pay rates are changed, the associated hourly rates will need to be updated to allow the correct calculation of their pay.
Navigation: Employee List -> Employee Record -> Main(Tab) -> Employment Section -> Recalc. OT Rates
3. Processing Payroll
3.1 Setting the First Payroll Period End Date
The payroll end date is the last date of the pay period. For monthly frequency, the default end date is the 5th of May for the first tax month. However, for convenience purposes, you may want to align the tax month to the calendar month and choose the 30th of April as the end date. For a weekly payroll, you may want to treat Friday of the week as your payroll period end date, instead of the default 12th of April.
Navigation: Employee List -> Period Inputs -> Set Period End Date
3.2 Period Inputs using Payslip Entry Screen
In some payrolls it is necessary to input extra details into the payroll run that vary from one period to the next. You can do so by using the Payslip Entry screen that allows manual entry into each employee’s pay.
Navigation: Employee List: Select required Employees -> Period Inputs -> Payslip Entry
3.3 Payroll Run
When all the details are correct and changes to the previous data have been completed, the details entered need to be processed to calculate the amounts for the current period.
Navigation: Employee List: Select required Employees -> Run Payroll
3.4 Viewing and Emailing Payslips
After processing the figures it will be necessary to check that everything is correct. Viewing the payslips will be the ideal way of doing this and, should everything be as expected, these payslips will need to be distributed to employees.
Navigation: Employee List -> Payslips
3.5 Amending Period Inputs/Payslips
If any of the payslips have discrepancies it will be necessary to change the details that caused any incorrect calculations and rerun the payslips. This can be done multiple times as long as the period has not been closed.
4. Getting Ready for the Next Payroll Period
4.1 Submitting a Full Payment Submission (FPS)
When a period has been run and the figures agreed, it is necessary to inform HMRC by way of RTI submissions. An FPS will need to be submitted within 3 days of payments being made to employees and an Employer Payment Summary (EPS) should be submitted between the 6th and 19th of the month following the tax month that has been processed.
Navigation: Employee List -> Payslips -> RTI
- Full Payment Submission(FPS)
- Employment Payment Summary(EPS)
- Period of Inactivity(EPS)
- No Payments(EPS)
- Earlier Year Update(EYU)
4.2 Closing Period
When the processing has been completed and the payslips have been sent, the period should be closed in preparation for the processing of the next payroll. Once this has been done, you cannot make any changes to the data.
Navigation: Employee List -> Payslips -> Close Period