Payroll

Making sure your PA gets paid on time

Services for Independent Living (SIL) operates a Payroll Service for employers who employ their own Personal Assistants or care staff.  We understand the issues which are specific to this field of employment and can take the hassle out of managing your own payroll and the responsibilities which this entails.

With over twenty years’ experience within the team, we can offer a fast, accurate and reliable payroll service which is up to date with all current legislation. We offer full support, explanation and advice to employers and are able to tailor the service accordingly.

Payroll Service Benefits
• Confidentiality
• Flexible and adaptable approach
• Takes the concern out about confusing, complex legislation changes
• Safeguarding against penalties for non-compliance
• Processing and quick turnaround of monthly timesheets
• Competitive rates
• Dealing with starters, leavers, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Student loans and all HMRC (Inland Revenue) queries
• Production of payslips and summary reports
• Processed to current HMRC statutory requirements
• RTI on-line filing
• HMRC accredited software
• Support to calculate holiday pay and redundancy pay
• Processing of pension contributions
• Pension administration service to take the worry out of auto-enrolment

If you would like to know more about our tailored payroll service please call us today on 01568 616653 or contact us here:

Further Information

How do I Enrol with the SIL Payroll Service?

When you enrol with SIL payroll an advisor will visit and help you complete and sign the following forms:

  • DPSS Agreement (indicating that you wish to use the payroll service)
  • Employers Details for Payroll

SIL will register you as an employer with HMRC using the information you provide. SIL will also apply for authorisation to act as agent on your behalf in dealing with your payroll affairs.

HMRC will send you a letter containing a unique authorisation code. Immediately on receipt you should pass this code number to SIL payroll so that we can complete the online authorisation process. The code expires 28 days after HMRC issues it so it is important to pass it on to us promptly.

Downloads

Employers Details for HMRC (PDF 120KB)

What do I do when taking on New Employees?

You will need to complete a new employee information form for each new PA.

You will need to ensure that you fill in all points of the form

Your new employee should either:
a) Complete Section 1 of a P46 form (you should particularly ensure that they have ticked one of the boxes under “Your Present Circumstances”) and signed the form.
b) Or supply a P45 form from a previous employer.

If sending a P46 form please look at Section 2 and complete your own name (under Employer’s details) and the date employment started but you can leave the rest to us.

These forms should be sent to Services for Independent Living (SIL) payroll as soon as possible after your employee starts work. At the latest SIL must receive these forms within the first two weeks of them starting.  Without these forms, the payroll cannot be run and this may cause payment delays for your other employees.

Downloads

Employee Information Form Herefordshire (DOC 44KB)

Employee Information Form Torfaen (DOC 44KB)

How do I let payroll know my PA’s hours?

Each employer needs to get their PA’s to complete a timesheet either monthly or 4 weekly depending on when you pay salaries. Both the employer and employee should sign the timesheets.

The service will run the payroll differently in each county due to differences in when employers receive their direct payment.

Your advisor will give you a guide specific to your area. If you have questions you can contact a payroll advisor on 01568 616653.

Information to payroll can be sent in different ways:

  1. By Post to SIL head office
  2. By scanning documents and emailing to SIL (payroll@s4il.co.uk)

Timesheets should be completed at the end of each pay period for all employees who have worked for you. These include details of holidays taken, sick days etc. Detailed guidance on how to fill in a time sheet is contained at the end of this guide. If your staff are salaried your guidance will explain how you notify payroll of any changes.

Downloads

Timesheet (XLS 26KB)

How do I pay my Quarterly Payments to HM Revenue and Customs?

Every three months (following payrolls for June, September, December and March) you will need to pay HMRC the income tax and national insurance due. Services for Independent Living (SIL) Payroll will inform you of the amount to be paid and send you a payslip to use with your payment.  (For client account service users SIL will arrange payment).

If your average monthly liability for PAYE and National Insurance exceeds £1,500 you will need to change to monthly payments.  SIL Payroll will advise you if this is the case.

You can choose how to make your payment:

  1. Send a cheque by post to HMRC at HMRC, Direct, BX5 5BD. Make your cheque payable to ‘HM Revenue and Customs only’.
  2. Take a cheque and the payslip to the Post Office (cheque should be made payable to “The Post Office”)
  3. Take a cheque and the payslip to your own bank (cheque should be made payable to “HM Revenue and Customs”)
  4. By Telephone or Internet Banking or by BillPay via the HMRC website. (SIL can give further advice about this option if required)

Always include the payment reference number (as advised by SIL Payroll) on any cheque used for payment.

HMRC have strict dead-lines for payment and now charge interest for late payment.The interest charged depends on how late the payment is and how often the payment is late.  To avoid any risk of these penalties being imposed, we advise that you either post a cheque or make a payment by the other means by the 15th of the relevant month.

What do I do about holiday pay and sick pay?

Most employees are entitled to paid time off work as set out in their contracts and by legislation.

Services for Independent Living (SIL) advisors can calculate holiday entitlement and provide you with a holiday form to record holidays taken.

Holidays taken should be clearly shown on timesheets.

If your employee is sick and unable to work for more than three days he/she may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).  Their entitlement largely depends on the agreement you have in their terms and conditions of employment.

If your employee is unable to work due to sickness, you should indicate the first day of sickness hours missed and their last day of sickness on their timesheet.

If you are an employer from Torfaen you need to telephone the payroll officer and inform them of the above.

SIL will advise you further as to whether your employee is entitled to SSP when the full circumstances are known.

Your employee should provide you with a “Fitness to Work Note” if their sickness lasts more than seven days. If you are in any doubt contact your payroll officer.

What statutory payments are my PA’s entitled to?

You should contact Services for Independent Living Payroll if your employee tells you that they is pregnant. We will then arrange for the appropriate forms to be completed and the correct employment advice given.

If your employee is entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) we will process this as part of your payroll.

Your employees may be entitled to Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) and Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP). This is the time off for new parents and adoptive parents.

In most circumstances time off for these is unpaid, an advisor can help to discuss this further with you.

Can I pay mileage expenses?

Your social worker will inform you if you receive enough direct payment funds to pay your PA’s mileage.

  • In some circumstances they can be used where you have identified in your support plan that you will pay your PA mileage
  • The forms need to be completed by the PA and an explanation of the journey recorded
  • These sheets are similar to the time sheet in that it is required that both the employer and the PA sign
  • The detail of the journeys will inform us as to whether they are taxable earnings or not and the information may be required by HMRC in the future

Downloads

Mileage Claim Form (DOC 17KB)

Deductions from my PA’s Earnings

Occasionally, it is required that deductions are made from your Personal Assistant’s earnings at source.These may be student loan repayments or even court orders.

You should pass on to Services for Independent Living Payroll any correspondence you receive regarding these issues in order for your payroll officer to arrange the deductions.

What happens if my PA is leaving?

When an employee leaves you should inform the Services for Independent Living payroll service by either providing this information in writing, by telephone or by email.

Ensure you make the payroll advisor aware of the full details such as last day of work and any notice period to be paid and any holiday pay.

We will then process the final payroll to include holiday pay accrued and issue a P45.

The P45 should be sent on to your employee as soon as possible. (This will usually be included with the final pay cheque).

What changes should I let payroll know about?

If your employee moves house you should advise Services for Independent Living (SIL) in writing of their change of address, including postcode.

If your Personal Assistant changes any of the following please complete an employee form telling your payroll officer of the changes:

  • Title
  • Marital Status
  • First name
  • Surname
  • Gender
  • Permanent hours of work

Pension Administration Service

The Pension Administration Service (PAS) is available to anyone who purchases our Payroll Services. The new legislation which makes it a duty for all employers, however small, to offer their employees a pension where applicable has caused a lot of confusion to many employers.

The PAS offers two levels of support depending on your individual circumstances. In each case you can be assured of the very best service from our Payroll Team who will be working on your behalf and at the end of a telephone to answer your queries.

Level one

You will be slotted into this level if you are identified as having no employees eligible for joining a pension scheme, or if any that are eligible choose to opt out. However, should an employee become eligible for enrolment to a pension scheme, or wish to join one, or you employ someone new who falls into this category, you will automatically be moved into Level Two and additional charges will apply from the date of transfer.

Level two

You will be slotted into this level if you are identified as having employees eligible for joining a pension scheme and who wish to take part;

We will :

  • Provide an information pack from SIL, which will include information from the three most popular pension providers for small employers;
  • Provide prescribed notice letters to be used to advise your employees about their eligibility and whether they want to opt in to a scheme;
  • Complete the Declaration of Compliance and lodge it with the Pension Regulator;
  • Set up with the pension provider of your choice;
  • Liaise with the Pension Regulator on all matters; and
  • Ensure pension contributions are correctly calculated and deducted at source

To find out more about auto-enrolment or the pension administration service please contact the payroll department on 01568 616653 or payroll@s4il.co.uk

Please note we are unable to give advice as we are not financially regulated to do so, but we can signpost you towards a number of options and then support you with managing your employee pensions, including liaising with HMRC on your behalf, once you have chosen a provider.

For a full list of all our payroll, bookkeeping, DPSS and Pension Administration Service charges, click download link below.

Skip to content