Skip to main content
FAQs

Making the move

How do I move from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay’s cloud software?

Step 1: Log in using your BrightID

Go to https://id.brightsg.com/login and log in using your BrightID. If you have already purchased BrightPay, or used BrightPay Connect or other Bright Products, you will already have a BrightID.

Step 2: Create your organisation

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.

Step 3: Import your employer(s)

Select the option to ‘Import from BrightPay for Windows’. Select the employer file(s) you wish to import and BrightPay will import all of the required payroll data.
Check out our migration video for step-by-step instructions on how to import your data from BrightPay’s desktop to BrightPay’s cloud software

How do I move to BrightPay from another payroll software?

For information on how to move from Thesaurus Payroll Manager to BrightPay’s cloud software, please see here.
If you are moving from a payroll software other than BrightPay or Thesaurus Payroll Manager, you can import your payroll information by uploading a CSV file to the software.

How do I create an organisation?

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.

Why do I need 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.

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

Yes, on the import screen, press and hold the “Shift” key on your keyboard and select the 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.

FAQs

Pricing

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

BrightPay’s desktop and cloud solutions have very different pricing models. For Desktop users can choose between a Bureau license for payroll service providers, based on your number of clients, or a Standard license for employers, based on your number of employees. Additionally, there is the option of using BrightPay Connect alongside the desktop software.

You have two options to choose from when paying for your BrightPay licence. You can choose to pay annually, in advance, or you can choose to be billed monthly.

How much does BrightPay’s cloud software cost?

With BrightPay’s cloud software, the pricing works off your total number of employers and employees, so the pricing will be unique to each business.
Use our pricing calculator to work out how much you would pay for your 2025 BrightPay (cloud) licence

How can I pay for my BrightPay licence?

You have two options to choose from when paying for your BrightPay licence. You can choose to pay annually, in advance, or you can choose to be billed monthly.
Monthly subscription
Monthly payments are due and payable monthly in arrears by Direct Debit on the 4th of the following month or the next working day, based on your total number of active employers and employees in that month. Payments are taken automatically each month.
Annual payment
Annual payment plans are paid in advance and are payable on the 4th of the following month based on the number of employers and employees you
will need in that year. A discount will apply to annual payments.*
*Additional usage that is higher than the annual payment plan will be charged based on monthly subscription prices with overage payments taken
automatically each month.

FAQs

What’s seamlessly imported?

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

When importing a company from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay’s cloud software, the employer and employees’ details, pay elements, pension, payslips and all reports are imported into the cloud software along with any pay periods updated in BrightPay (desktop).
Please note, you will need to re-add your ROS Certificate to BrightPay’s online software.

Do I need to upload my ROS Certificate to the cloud software?

Yes. To authorise your connection to Revenue and to send data to ROS safely and securely, each user will need to upload any ROS certificates to BrightPay’s online software. To do it, click on the ‘Settings’ icon in the top right corner of the screen, and then go to Submissions section.

Will my bank details all come across?

Yes, the employer and employees’ bank details come across from BrightPay (desktop) to BrightPay’s cloud software. Like the desktop software, BrightPay’s cloud software includes 4 different bank file formats. You can also use our integration with Modulr if your required bank file is not catered for.

Do I need to set up my journal mapping again?

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.

FAQs

User management

How do I invite a new user / team member?

There are four types of users with different permissions in BrightPay: Owner, Administrator, Payroll Processor and Billing Manager.
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’.
Please note, each new user will need to upload any ROS certificates.

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

Yes. You can have unlimited users in BrightPay’s cloud software. Four different user types can be added – Owner, Administrator, Payroll Processor, and Billing Manager. An organisation can only have one Owner.

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

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

Will I see when another user is accessing the company 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.

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

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

FAQs

Employee Self Service Portal

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

You can send invitation emails to welcome employees to use the Employee Self-Service Portal. Under the employer, go to ‘Employees’ > ‘Employee Portal’ and click on ‘Email Employee Portal instructions to Employee(s)’. You can then select all employees or each employee that you would like to send a personalised email with an overview of the self-service portal and instructions on how to log in

How do I give employees access to their self-service portals?

You can enable or disable access to the Employee Self-Service Portal globally, for all employees, or at an individual level.
Under the employer, go to ‘Edit Employer Details’ > ‘Self Service’, and from here, you can choose to enable access for all employees under that employer.
To give access individually, first, open the specific employee in the software, under ‘Edit Details’ > ‘Employment’, you can tick a box to allow employees access to the self-service portal.
You will need to have an email address on file for the employee to give them access.

Can I use BrightPay Connect with BrightPay (cloud)?

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.

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

The Employee Self-Service Portal comes as standard with BrightPay’s cloud software. This is included at no additional cost.

FAQs

Feature comparison

What’s happening to BrightPay for desktop?

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

Will the desktop version still be updated?

BrightPay (both the desktop and cloud versions) will be kept up to date with any payroll legislation changes

Can I process payroll for some clients using BrightPay for desktop and other clients using BrightPay’s cloud software?

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

What is the maximum number of employees allowed?

BrightPay’s cloud software will be restricted to 250 employees (including leavers) per employer upon release. This limit will be increased in the future.

Can BrightPay Connect be used alongside BrightPay’s cloud software?

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

Does BrightPay cloud software have an Employee Self Service portal?

There is an Employee Self-Service Portal with BrightPay’s cloud software. Within the Portal, employees can view and download any past and new payslips, view and request updates to their personal details, request annual leave, access a calendar of all their past and scheduled leave and view their leave balance

Can I restore and back up the payroll data?

All the payroll data is automatically saved online, as you work. However, you cannot restore your data to a previous version.

Can I save the back up from BrightPay in the cloud to my computer?

No, you cannot save a file of your payroll data onto your computer. However, you won’t need to save it to your computer or hard drive as it will be securely saved online.

Are payroll journals available in BrightPay’s cloud software?

Yes. BrightPay’s cloud software includes integration with BrightBooks, Xero, Quickbooks and Sage Business Cloud Accounting.

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

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

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

The emailing system is built into BrightPay – you cannot use another email service provider.

Is Modulr available in BrightPay cloud?

Yes, you can use Modulr to pay employees on BrightPay’s cloud software.

FAQs

Year-end

How do I complete my year-end in BrightPay’s cloud software?

Finalise your payslips in the 2025 tax year as normal.

What if I have a week 53?

Week 53 occurs when there are fifty-three weekly pay days in the year, for example:
• In 2025, employers who pay wages on a
Wednesday will have 53 pay days – thus,
a Week 53 payroll run
BrightPay will know by the payment schedule that was initially set by the user if a week 53 is relevant to the employer – it will only offer a week 53 where it is required as per the payment schedule.
BrightPay automatically applies any USC cut off points, employee’s tax credit and cut off points on a Week 1 basis in the week 53 payroll, as per Revenue regulations.

When will 2025 RPNs be available in the software?

RPNS for 2025 will be available from the 9th of December, 2024. Once the software is available, employers can request RPNs for 2025 for their employees.

Can I produce a year end summary?

Yes. A year-end summary report is available under: ‘Analysis’ > ‘Year to Date.’ Choose ‘Tax Year’ as your period type to view a full year of data and run the report.

Do I need to finalise year-end for 2024 before I import into the 2025 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.

FAQs

Thesaurus Payroll Manager users

Importing from Thesaurus Payroll Manager at the beginning of the tax year

Step 1: Log in using your BrightID

Go to https://id.brightsg.com/login and log in using your BrightID. If you have already purchased BrightPay, or used BrightPay Connect or other Bright Products, you will already have a BrightID.

Step 2: Create your organisation

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.

Step 3: Import your employer(s)

Select the option to ‘Import from Thesaurus Payroll Manger’. Select your employer backup file, and BrightPay will import all of the required payroll data

Importing from Thesaurus Payroll Manager mid-year

For those who want import mid-year from Thesaurus Payroll Manager to BrightPay’s online payroll software, there is no direct import functionality available yet, however, it is coming soon. You can import from a CSV file mid-year, if required.