What’s New in BrightPay Cloud: Less Admin, More Control

Payroll software should make your life easier — not add to it. This month’s BrightPay Cloud update is packed with new features designed to give payroll bureaus and employers greater visibility, fewer manual steps, and more confidence in every pay run.

These updates sit alongside the wider efficiency case for cloud payroll generally. See how cloud payroll software improves payroll efficiency in 2026/27 for the fuller picture.

This blog is part of our series on Payroll Management Systems: Connecting Cloud Payroll Software with Other Tools.

What is BrightPay Cloud?

BrightPay Cloud is Bright’s award-winning payroll software, built for accountants, payroll bureaus, and employers across the UK and Ireland. It combines powerful payroll processing with an intuitive client portal, employee self-service, and automatic enrolment tools — all in one place, accessible from anywhere.

New Features

Payroll Differences Report

One of the most common pain points in payroll is spotting what’s changed between pay periods — and doing it quickly. The new Payroll Differences Report solves this by surfacing variances in employee pay at a glance, so bureaus and payroll managers can review, query, and sign off each run with confidence. No more cross-referencing spreadsheets or hunting through individual records.

Customisable Payroll Summary Columns

Every employer is different, and the data you need front and centre varies accordingly. BrightPay Cloud now lets you configure the columns displayed in the Payroll Summary at employer level. Set your preferences once and the software remembers them — a small change that saves meaningful time across a large client portfolio.

Portal Invitation Timestamps

When did you last send that employee portal invitation? Now you’ll always know. BrightPay Cloud records the exact date and time whenever portal invitations are sent — for both the Employee Portal and Client Portal — and displays a Last Emailed timestamp on the invitation screen. It’s the kind of audit trail detail that saves awkward back-and-forth with clients and employees.

People’s Pension — Retrieve Opt-Outs

For employers using People’s Pension, managing opt-outs just became hands-free. When an employee opts out, BrightPay Cloud can retrieve that information directly and update their automatic enrolment status automatically. No manual updates, no risk of records drifting out of sync.

SSP1 Form Generation

BrightPay Cloud can now generate an SSP1 form directly within the software. The SSP1 is required by HMRC when an employee isn’t entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, or when their entitlement has ended. Having it available at the click of a button means employees get the right documentation promptly — and can access any other support they’re entitled to without delay.

A4 Security Stationery Payslip Template

Bureaus that print payslips on security paper can now use the A4 Security Stationery payslip template directly in BrightPay Cloud, keeping payslip formats consistent across clients’ employees without any workarounds.

Continuous Improvements

Great payroll software isn’t just about headline features — it’s about the hundred small things that make the experience smoother every month. This release includes a range of refinements across reporting, portals, and payroll processing:

• Cleaner report exports — payroll report figures now include thousand separators across PDF downloads and print, for easier reading at a glance

• More accurate annual leave balances on the Employee Self-Service Portal, reflecting entitlement, days booked, and remaining allowance in real time

• Auto zeroise settings on daily rates now persist automatically between payroll runs on monthly schedules, removing a repetitive manual step

• Faster departmental updates — changes to an employee’s department now reflect immediately across their payroll profile

• Smarter HMRC messaging — when HMRC’s coding notices service is temporarily unavailable, BrightPay Cloud now provides a clear explanation so you always know what’s happening

• Instant NEST pension updates — successful submissions now reflect immediately on the Dashboard and Pension tab

• Full Client Portal reliability across payroll approval requests, P30 reports, the Statutory Pay Report, and View Amounts Due for all authorised users

• Enhanced confidential employee access — managers and users with the appropriate permissions now have full visibility of confidential employees within payroll requests

Why Payroll Bureaus Choose BrightPay Cloud

BrightPay Cloud is built around the needs of payroll bureaus and accountants managing multiple employers. Features like batch payroll processing, a dedicated client portal, automatic enrolment tools, and now the Payroll Differences Report mean less time on admin and more time delivering value to clients.

For businesses running payroll directly rather than through a bureau, the same updates matter just as much. See the best payroll software for small businesses in the UK for that perspective.

If you’re currently using desktop payroll software — or looking to switch providers — BrightPay Cloud is worth a look.

This content may have been developed with the assistance of AI tools. Content is reviewed by a member of the Bright team before publication. Guidance on legislation can be obtained from your industry body.