National Payroll Week 2026 | Monday 7 – Friday 11 September

Celebrating National Payroll Week with Bright

A week of sessions, demos and a bit of fun for the people who make sure everyone gets paid.

Payroll Week EventsPayroll ResourcesFAQs
graphic of three cartoon people with their hands in the air celebrating

Payroll professionals are the unsung heroes of everyone’s payday

Every mortgage payment, every food shop, every holiday. None of it happens until payroll has run.

Payroll is precise, deadline-driven work that nobody sees, and that only gets noticed when something goes wrong. Tax and compliance rules for payroll change constantly. Payroll deadlines don’t move. And every month, payroll professionals make sure the money lands anyway.

National Payroll Week is when the profession gets the credit it’s due. We’re marking it with five days of content built around the work you actually do.

Watch Bright people talk about what Payroll means to them
PAYROLL WEEK EVENTS

How We’re Celebrating National Payroll Week

Something different every day. Register for what’s useful — we’ll send recordings for anything you miss.

Monday 7

Bright payroll offering update

We’re kicking the week off with an update on our Bright payroll offering, straight to your inbox.

View the email as a PDF.

Tuesday 8 | 2pm

Panel discussion: the state of AI in payroll

How are payroll professionals actually using AI today? Our panel unpacks a joint survey by Bright, IPASS and The Payroll Centre.

Wednesday 9

Bright Payroll Demo Day

Short demos across the Bright payroll range. Register once and pick the sessions you want, or come to all of them.

10:00 – 10:30
BrightCIS: CIS management, fully online

Watch on-demand

11:00 – 11:15
TimeKeeper: Time and attendance, straight into payroll

Watch on-demand

12:00 – 12:30
Ask The Payroll Centre: Your quick route to trusted payroll answers

Watch on-demand

14:00 – 14:30
BrightPay UK: A guided tour of BrightPay Cloud

Watch on-demand

15:00 – 15:30
Oscar: AI-powered new starter onboarding within BrightPay

Watch on-demand

16:00 – 16:30
Embedded Payments: Pay employees without leaving BrightPay (SMEs only)

Watch on-demand
Thursday 10 | 2PM

Back to Basics: Statutory Maternity Pay

A practical refresher on calculating and administering SMP — eligibility, average weekly earnings, the correct rates, and reclaiming from HMRC.

PAYROLL RESOURCES

Payroll content worth your time

Blog

The Numbers Every Payroll Team Should Know

A quick refresher on payroll essentials, from calculating statutory sick pay correctly to navigating the latest pension auto-enrolment rules.

Blog

Understanding Statutory Maternity Leave in the UK

Essential information on the UK’s Statutory Maternity Pay rules; how much is paid, for how long, and who’s eligible.

Blog

Understanding Statutory Sick Pay in the UK

A quick guide to Statutory Sick Pay; who is eligible, how long it lasts, and how much is paid to employees on sick leave in the UK.

FAQS

Frequently Asked Payroll Questions

Payroll involves dozens of rules that change every tax year; from statutory payments to National Insurance thresholds. Here, we answer the most common payroll questions UK employers and payroll professionals ask, covering SSP, SMP, SPP, holiday pay, Employment Allowance and NI rates for 2026.

What is Statutory Sick Pay and how much is it in 2026?

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum an employer must pay an eligible employee who is off sick. The rate is £123.25 a week or 80% of your standard weekly earnings (whichever is lower). SSP can be paid for up to 28 weeks. The amount you get is based on your average weekly earnings over 8 weeks. If you’ve worked less than 8 weeks at a job, you still qualify for SSP.

How is SSP calculated if someone is off for part of a week?

Divide the weekly SSP rate by the number of qualifying days in that week, then multiply by the qualifying days taken. So on a five-day working week, one day is a fifth of the weekly rate. See here for more information on how SSP works in BrightPay.

How do I calculate net pay from gross salary?

Net pay = Gross pay – (Income Tax + National Insurance + pension contributions + any other deductions such as student loan repayments).

What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?

Gross pay is the employee’s total pay before any deductions. Net pay is what the employee actually receives once tax, National Insurance and other deductions have been taken off. Net pay is sometimes called take-home pay.

How much is Statutory Maternity Pay in 2026?

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid for up to 39 weeks. It’s 90% of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then the lower of 90% of your salary or the statutory flat rate of £194.32 for the next 33 weeks.

What is Statutory Paternity Pay and who qualifies?

Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) is payable for 1-2 weeks to employees taking leave following the birth or adoption of a child. Employees need to have worked for at least 26 weeks by the qualifying week and are paid the lower of either 90% of their salary or the statutory flat rate of £194.32.

How is holiday pay calculated for irregular hours or part-year workers?

Since the 2024 reforms, holiday entitlement for irregular hours and part-year workers accrues at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, and rolled-up holiday pay is permitted. Check out how to better understand how annual leave entitlements work in BrightPay.

What is Employment Allowance and is my business eligible?

Employment Allowance reduces an eligible employer’s annual National Insurance bill. Most businesses and charities paying employer NI can claim, with some exclusions including single-director companies. Learn more about Employment Allowance.

What are the current National Insurance rates?

Employer and employee National Insurance rates and thresholds are set each tax year. Check current National Insurance rates and thresholds.

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