Importing employers

Desktop vs. cloud

Inviting other users

Before you begin, you will be asked to login using your Bright ID. If you are already using BrightPay (desktop) or other Bright products, you will already have a Bright ID.

Once logged in, you will be asked to create your organisation. Here you need to enter your organisation name and address, choose your payment plan and add a payment method.

Select the option to ‘Import from BrightPay for Windows/Mac’. Select the employer file(s) you wish to import and BrightPay will import all of the required payroll data.

How do I move from BrightPay for Windows/Mac to the cloud software?

BrightPay provides an import utility to bring across your company and employee details from a number of payroll packages including SAGE, IRIS, Moneysoft and many more. Book your free no-obligation consultation with one of our migration specialists here.

How do I move to BrightPay from another payroll software?

You can select the 'Create Organisation' button on the welcome screen or create an organisation under > My Organisation > New Organisation

In the following screens, enter the name and address of your organisation, choose your payment plan and add your payment method. 

Details of the Organisation can be viewed under > My Organisation > Organisation Details. Here you can also manage team members and manage your billing.

How do I create an organisation?

Once signed into BrightPay you will need to set up an organisation. An organisation is the central place where you can manage employers/clients, add team members and set up billing. An example of an organisation would be your accountancy practice or payroll bureau, or if you manage your own payroll, your company, partnership or trust.

Why do I need an organisation?

Yes, on the import screen, select the Shift key on your keyboard and select multiple employer files you wish to import.  

If the employer data files are password protected, you will need to enter the passwords to import the companies.  

Can I import multiple employers from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay's cloud software?

When importing a company from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay’s cloud software, the employer, and employees’ details, pay elements, pension, payslips, all reports are imported into the cloud software along with the pay periods updated in BrightPay (desktop). 

Please note, you will need to re-enter the HMRC Gateway credentials and Nest credentials if the Nest is your pension provider. 

What information/data comes across when I import from BrightPay for Windows/Mac?

No, the pension schemes and all pension details will be imported from BrightPay (desktop) to the cloud software.

If I move to BrightPay's cloud software, do I need to set up my pension scheme again?

Yes, you will need to re-enter the HMRC gateway and Nest credentials. To do this, click on the 'Settings' icon in the top right corner, then go to 'Submissions'. 

Do I need to re-enter my HMRC and Nest credentials? How do I do this?

No, attachment orders are imported from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay's cloud software.

Do I have to add attachment orders again?

Yes, the employer and employees' bank details come across from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay's cloud software. BrightPay (desktop) includes 19 default bank file formats and BrightPay's cloud software includes 56 default bank file formats. You can also use our integration with Modulr if your required bank file is not catered for. 

Will my bank details all come across?

Some settings of the payroll journals will be imported and some settings will need to be set up again. When you import from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay's cloud software, the basic nominal ledger mapping will be imported. However, you will need to set up any variations or custom mapping again.

Do I need to set up my payroll journal mapping again?

You can upload payroll data from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay’s cloud software for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 tax years only. You will not be able to upload data from previous tax years.

Can I import previous years data?

There are four types of users with different permissions in BrightPay: Owner, Administrator, Payroll Processor and Billing Manager. Click here to find out more about the permissions available for each of these users. 

Within 'My Organisation' select the 'Team Members' tab, followed by the 'Invite New Member(s)' button. Enter the email address for the user you wish to invite, and select whether you would like their role to be an 'Administrator', a 'Payroll Processor' or a 'Billing Manager'. Click here for more details. 

How do I invite a new user / team member?

You can have unlimited users in BrightPay's cloud software. Four different user types can be added - owner, administrator, payroll processor, and billing manager. 

Can I set up multiple users and give them different permissions?

Yes, multiple users can work on the same employer file at the same time.  

Can more than one user work on the same employer file at the same time?

Yes, you will be able to see which user is in the company at any given time and what they are working on.

Will I see when another user is accessing the company at the same time?

Yes, if you mark a company as ‘admin only’ and you set up another user as a payroll processor, the user won’t have access to this company. Owners and administrators can access all companies. 

Can I restrict other users from accessing my in-house payroll?

Please click here for guidance on how to invite employees to the Employee Self Service Portal. 

The option for sending invitation emails to welcome employees to use the Employee Self Service Portal will be available soon.  

How do I invite employees to use the Employee Self Service Portal?

To enable employees access to Employee Self Service Portal, click on step-by-step guide here - https://www.brightpay.co.uk/docs/bpol/employee-self-service-portal/enabling-employee-access-to-self-service-portal/ 

How do I set up employees for self-service?

Yes, you can enable or disable access to the Employee Self Service Portal globally for all employees or at the individual level.

Can I enable access to the Employee Self Service Portal for all my employees at the same time?

BrightPay Connect is only designed to work with BrightPay (desktop). With BrightPay’s cloud software, you will have access to an Employee Self-Service Portal at no additional cost.

Can I use BrightPay Connect with BrightPay Cloud?

There is no additional cost for using the Employee Self-Service Portal with BrightPay’s cloud software. This is included at no additional cost.

If I have BrightPay Connect, would I still have to pay extra for this? Or is it included in the cloud version?

Click here to view a full feature comparison. 

What's the difference between BrightPay (desktop) and BrightPay's cloud software?

BrightPay for Windows will continue to be available to our customers and will be fully supported for the foreseeable future.  

BrightPay for Mac will be available for the 2024/25 tax year. This will be the last year that BrightPay for Mac will be available. 

What's happening to BrightPay for Windows/Mac?

BrightPay (both the desktop and cloud versions) will be kept up-to-date with HMRC rules and legislation changes. 

Will the desktop version still be updated?

Yes, you can use both versions of the software for different clients. Please be aware that they are separate systems and will not speak to one another. 

Can I process payroll for some clients using BrightPay for Windows/Mac and other clients using BrightPay's cloud software?

Click here to access our pricing calculator. For bureau users with multiple clients, please enter the total number of employees across all clients.

Is there a price difference between the desktop and cloud software?

No, BrightPay's cloud software will feed into the following years' version. 

Will BrightPay's cloud software still be based on the stand-alone tax year, similar to BrightPay for Windows/Mac?

At the moment you would need to open each individual company from each tax year to run a report.  

Can I run reports across more than one tax year?

BrightPay's cloud software is currently restricted to 250 employees (including leavers) per employer. 

What is the maximum number of employees allowed?

No. BrightPay Connect is only compatible with BrightPay (desktop).  

There is a separate Employee Self Service Portal with BrightPay's cloud software. Within the Employee Self Service Portal, employees can access and retrieve payslips and other payroll documents (P60s, P45s, P11Ds), view their personal details and access their calendar information. 

This is a read-only feature at the moment. It is on the roadmap to increase the functionality of this feature. 

Can BrightPay Connect be used with BrightPay's cloud software?

No, as it is a cloud-based product, however, we will be backing up your data. 

Can I backup up and restore the data?

There are no backups available as it is cloud-based software, however you won’t need to save to your desktop as it will be secure online.​

Can I save the backup from BrightPay Cloud to my computer? ​

Yes. BrightPay's cloud software includes integration with BrightBooks, Xero, Quickbooks, Sage, FreeAgent, ClearBooks, Kashflow, QuickFile and Zoho Books.

Are payroll journals available in BrightPay's cloud software?

Yes, you can set up two or more monthly schedules with different period endings. 

Can I set up two monthly schedules with different cut of dates?

The emailing system is built into BrightPay - you cannot use Outlook. 

When emailing payslips, do I use a BrightPay email portal, or can I use Outlook?

The feature is now available on BrightPay's cloud software. 

Is the 'Approve Payment' feature for Nest available?

No, the plan is to have a separate new cloud product for CIS. If you want to use the new BrightPay but need CIS, contact our sales team about getting the Windows/Mac version of BrightPay at no additional cost for CIS usage only.

Is CIS functionality available in BrightPay's cloud software?

No. There is one A5 format available only. 

Are Sage or Iris FY95 payslips available in BrightPay's cloud software?

Yes, you can use Modulr to pay employees or HMRC on BrightPay's cloud software. 

Is Modulr available in BrightPay Cloud?

You would need to finalise your payslips in the 2023/24 tax year as normal and make sure to print or email P60s. After all FPS submissions have been sent to HMRC, you will need to submit an EPS.

How do I complete my year-end on BrightPay's cloud software?

You can email P60s to individual employees or multiple employees. To do it go to the Employees tab and click on the P60 icon. 

How do I send out P60s to employees?

You can easily switch between tax years in BrightPay's cloud software. Simply click on the icon with the tax year in the top left corner. 

How can I switch between two tax years in BrightPay's cloud software?

We advise waiting until your payroll is fully completed for the current tax year before importing into the new tax year version. This will ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information is being imported from the previous tax year. 

Do I need to finalise year end for 23/24 before I import to 24/25 cloud? 

Need support with BrightPay's cloud software? Check out our help guides and video tutorials.

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