Payroll Dates & Deadlines
Staying on top of payroll dates and deadlines is crucial for any business, ensuring that employees are paid accurately and on time while remaining compliant with HMRC regulations. Missing these deadlines can lead to penalties and affect employee satisfaction. In this article, we provide a comprehensive guide to the key payroll dates and deadlines that UK businesses need to be aware of in 2024. Whether you're a small business owner managing payroll yourself or using an accountancy service, understanding these timelines will help you maintain smooth operations and avoid costly mistakes.
- Author
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Steven Case
Monthly Payroll Dates & Deadlines
Pay Day - You choose when
You may choose to pay your employees on the last working day of the month, or the last working Friday of the month or any other date you choose, but whichever date you decide on, it is important to ensure that you have a regular, expected pay date for your employees (and your payroll company!).
REMEMBER
Whatever date you choose for your payday, you should file your FPS (Final Payment Submission) RTI by this date. You can send it early if you need to (if your payroll runs early, for example, and there may be nobody available to send it on the pay date), but be aware that changes to payroll after submitting an FPS will require you to submit an “additional FPS” with a reason for doing so.
5th (of the month)
The fifth of the month is the tax month end. Tax months run from the 6th of one month to the 5th of the next (e.g. 6th April to 5th May is the first tax month of the tax year). Your payroll will often not fall in line with these tax months, however your submissions will be based on them.
10th (of the month)
Assuming you have submitted your FPS submission at the end of the month, from 10th of the following month you should be able to view your PAYE/NIC owed to HMRC* on your HMRC online account.
19th (of the month)
The 19th of the month is your deadline for submitting your EPS (Employer Payment Submission) RTI for the previous pay period. (e.g. The deadline for submitting your payroll information for the month of April, is 19th May). The EPS reports things like statutory pay and periods of no payments to employees.
22nd (of the month)**
The 22nd of the month is the deadline for the payment of PAYE and NICs electronically.
If you pay monthly, this deadline will be every month.
It is strongly recommended that you ensure that you make this payment each month BEFORE running any further payrolls to prevent overpaying.
If you choose to pay HMRC quarterly, your payments will be due as below**:
Date | Quarter | Tax period | Pay months |
|---|---|---|---|
22nd July | Q1 | 6th April to 5th July | April, May, June |
22nd October | Q2 | 6th July to 5th Oct | July, August, September |
22nd January | Q3 | 6th October - 5th January | October, November, December |
22nd April | Q4 | 6th January - 5th April | January, February, March |
*If you make an EPS submission reclaiming amounts such as statutory pay, these amendments to your figures should show on your HMRC online account within 2 days of filing (or by the 14th if you sent the EPS before the 11th)
Annual Payroll Dates and Deadlines
1st April - The date at which National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage changes usually apply. These will fall in line with your monthly payroll to ensure that your April payroll is wholly within the scope of these new rates.
5th April - The last day of the tax year.
6th April - The start of the new tax year. New tax thresholds and/or increases usually start from this date.
19th April - Deadline for the submission of the previous tax year’s final RTI submission so HMRC knows that no further submissions will be made for the tax year that has just ended.
31st May - Date at which you must have provided your employees with their P60. This document will usually be generated by your payroll software but you may have to manually supply them to your employees.
6th July - Deadline for the submission of P11D returns and for providing your employees with this information.
22nd July** - Deadline for the (electronic) payments of Class 1A National Insurance.
22nd October** - Deadline for the (electronic) payments of Class 1B National Insurance
**The dates given above apply to electronic payments only. If paying by post, the deadline dates are the 19th of the month.