For Your Business

Payroll

Running payroll looks simple until you’re doing it. PAYE calculations, Real Time Information submissions to HMRC, statutory sick pay, maternity and paternity entitlements, auto-enrolment pension contributions, P11D benefits-in-kind, the inevitable tax code mess when HMRC updates codes mid-year – it’s a lot of moving parts, and one mistake creates penalties and a paperwork chain that takes longer to fix than it did to cause. We run payroll for businesses so that your employees get paid correctly, on time, every time, and HMRC gets what it’s owed.

In a nutshell: we take care of the whole payroll cycle: calculations, RTI submissions to HMRC, payslips, employer NI, statutory payments – and deal with HMRC when (not if) they get something wrong. Fixed fee, agreed upfront.

What we cover

Our payroll service covers everything from a single director’s salary to a multi-staff payroll with varying hours, benefits, and pension contributions:

Monthly payroll processing – gross-to-net calculations for each employee, PAYE and employee NI deducted correctly
Real Time Information (RTI) submissions – Full Payment Submissions (FPS) to HMRC on or before each pay date, as required under RTI
Employer NI calculated and summarised – so you know your total employer cost per pay run, not just the take-home figures.
Payslips are produced and distributed to each employee via a secure portal
Auto-enrolment pension contributions are calculated and submitted to your workplace pension provider. Every employer must auto-enrol eligible workers – we make sure the thresholds, opt-out windows, and re-enrolment cycles are all handled correctly.
Statutory payments handled – Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, and Shared Parental Leave pay – all calculated against current rates and recovery rules
PAYE year-end – final submission to HMRC, P60s for all employees, any year-end reconciliation
P11D preparation – benefits-in-kind reported to HMRC for directors and employees receiving taxable benefits (company car, private medical insurance, loans above HMRC’s threshold). See our article on P11Ds if you’re not sure what applies to you.
New starter and leaver processing – P45s, starter declarations, tax code changes
HMRC tax code queries resolved. HMRC sends revised tax codes when things change; we pick them up and apply them correctly so your employees don’t end up on emergency codes

Change Accountants Operations Team Three People Meeting 2

Director payrolls

For a single-director company, payroll is often just one salary per month – but getting it wrong has consequences. The National Insurance thresholds for directors are calculated on an annual, not monthly, basis, so the standard monthly payroll calculation is incorrect for a company director. We calculate director NI correctly and make sure the salary is set at the right level for your particular circumstances. That last part – the salary level itself – is a tax planning question. See company tax and tax planning for the details on how director remuneration is structured.

How we work

We work to your company’s pay date each month.

You tell us what’s changed. Before each pay run: any new starters, leavers, changes to hours or salary, absence, or benefits. Clients submit this information via our payroll portal.

We process the payroll and send you a summary for approval. You see the figures before anything is submitted or paid. We highlight anything unusual – an employee on a non-standard code, an SSP week that affects the gross, a pension calculation that’s changed.

We submit the RTI to HMRC and provide payslips. Once approved, the Full Payment Submission goes to HMRC on or before pay date. Payslips are made available to employees. We keep the records.

If HMRC write to you about a tax code, an underpayment notice, or a payroll query, forward it to us. We’ll respond or tell you exactly what to do.

Fixed fees, no surprises

Payroll fees depend on the number of employees, the complexity of what’s being processed (CIS, multiple pay frequencies, benefits, pension), and the amount of change each month. For most businesses, we propose a straightforward monthly fee which covers everything you need.

Ask for a fixed fee quote

A couple of minutes on our online form, and we’ll come back to you with a number.

Who we look after

Single-director companies drawing a salary – often bundled with company accounts and tax
Businesses with a small, stable team who want payroll off their plate completely
Growing businesses adding staff for the first time, setting up payroll from scratch.
Businesses with complex payrolls – variable hours, CIS subcontractors, multiple departments
Businesses whose current payroll is behind – we do catch up and take over.

Why clients stay with us

We’ve been looking after businesses and their employees since Stacey McVeighty FCCA founded the practice in 2014. Today we work with around 200 payroll clients from our office in Fulford. Debbie is CIPP qualified and a highly experienced payroll professional. We’re ACCA-accredited, and we hold 38 five-star reviews on Google, most from clients who’ve been with us for years. Fixed fees. Plain English. The same team next year, and the year after that.

Working with Change Accountants has been a game-changer for my business. I get sound advice I can trust when I need it and their team takes care of the things I don’t want to worry about like payroll, VAT, filing my accounts and personal tax returns. They offer reassurance and insights whenever we have curveball government announcements that may affect my business. Would definitely recommend them.

Rob Colley
1 year ago via Google

Frequently asked questions

How often do I need to run payroll?

Most small businesses run monthly payroll. Weekly or fortnightly payroll is common in hospitality, construction, and businesses with hourly-paid staff. You can also run a four-weekly payroll. RTI requires a Full Payment Submission on or before each pay date, regardless of the frequency. We process whichever cycle suits your workforce.

What is auto-enrolment, and do I have to do it?

You need to set up a workplace pension as soon as you take on your first employee. Even if they don't qualify for auto-enrolment contributions, the scheme must be available for employees who choose to join, or “opt-in”.

Yes, if you employ anyone over the age of 22, earning above the earnings trigger, and under State Pension age, you must auto-enrol them into a qualifying workplace pension scheme. The minimum contribution rates are set by law. Failing to meet your auto-enrolment duties results in fines from The Pensions Regulator – which are not trivial and escalate quickly. We make sure you’re compliant from day one.

What is a P11D and does my company need to file one?

A P11D reports expenses and benefits provided to employees or directors that have been paid outside of payroll – such as a company car, private medical insurance, a van with some private use. If you pay any such benefits, you need to file a P11D for each relevant employee or director by 6 July after the end of the tax year, and pay Class 1A National Insurance on the value. Our article on P11Ds explains what triggers the requirement and what to do about it.

I’ve received an HMRC notice about an underpayment. What should I do?

Forward it to us. HMRC’s payroll notices can result from a misfiled RTI submission, a tax code change that wasn’t applied, or an employer NI discrepancy. Most resolve quickly once the records are checked. If we run your payroll, the answer is usually straightforward. If you’ve come to us after the fact, we’ll tell you what the position is and how to fix it.

Ready to get your payroll sorted?

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