Watch a recording of our webinar where we discuss the year end processes in BrightPay for 2023/24 and answer the most frequently asked questions. 

UK Year End Processes with BrightPay

Your payroll year end checklist

Payroll legislation 2024/25

BrightPay Connect FAQs

Year End Process (Cloud)

Go back into BrightPay 23/24, go to Employees > select the Employee > click on Automatic enrolment along the toolbar. There will be an option to tick opt out in 24/25, tick this option. Once ticked go to RTI > click on New > select Additional FPS and only choose the employee that has been opted out > submit the Additional FPS. This will clear out the pension year to date with HMRC for the relevant tax year. In BrightPay 24/25 you will need to enter an addition of the pension refund amount, as the employee is only receiving it now. 

What do I do if my employee opts out in April, but the pension is processed in 23/24?

If you are unsure of where your BrightPay employer file is saved for 2023/24, you can simply check this by clicking on your BrightPay 2023/24 icon > in the open company screen where you see the company name, rest your cursor over the company name and you will see the file location. Or you can right click on the company name and select Browse to file location. This will bring to where the file is saved. Please take note of the file path.

Once you have taken note of the file location, close out of your BrightPay 2023/24 and go back to the open company screen of your BrightPay 2024/25 and click on Import Employers from BrightPay 23/24 and then browse to the file location that you took note of above. 

How do I find the employer file?

If the incorrect employees/information are showing, this means there is more than one employer file on the PC and the incorrect one was imported into 24/25. Delete the file from the open company screen in 24/25 and double check where the correct 23/24 file is saved and then import again using the steps in Point 2. 

Why have the wrong employees/information/rates come across to the new tax year?

If the incorrect rates for employees are showing, this means that there is more than one employer file on the PC and the incorrect one was imported into 24/25. Delete the file from the open company screen in 24/25 and double check where the correct 23/24 file is saved and then import again using the steps in Point 2. 

Why are old rates showing on the employees in the new tax year?

When setting up the schedule it is very important to set this correctly. The pay period is the range of dates used to calculate an employee’s income for work done. The pay date is the day the employee physically receives the payment for that pay period. 

How to I set up my pay schedule?

Your pay date is the day the employee physically receives payment for work done. The pay date determines the tax week/month, not the pay period end date. Any payments receive on or after 6th April must be recorded in 24/25 payroll. 

What is my Pay Date?

The BrightPay software should be installed locally to a C drive. You can save the employer file to any location such as a shared drive or server. The user can then open BrightPay from the shortcut created during the installation process and then click on the option to Browse to the file, navigate to the server or shared drive and then click and open the file. BrightPay will then remember this path for future ease.

Please click here for guidance on how to do this - https://www.brightpay.co.uk/docs/23-24/installing-brightpay/setting-up-brightpay-for-multiple-users// 

How can I install BrightPay to a server?

Once payroll has been completed for 23/24, you can produce employees P60’s by going to Employees along the top > click on P60 along the toolbar. If you have an email address entered in each employee record, you have the option to email the P60 via the software. 

How do I create P60s?

BrightPay Connect works off the current tax year, therefore leave for 24/25 will not show on the portal until 6th April 2024. 

Why can I not see leave for the new tax year on BrightPay Connect?

Within the RTI menu in 2023/24 BrightPay, select 'RTI > New > Employer Payment Summary' 

Where you have recoverable amounts, tick this box and select 'tax month 12' or 'tax quarter 4' 

Tick the Final Submission indicator and click OK to generate the EPS 

How do I notify HMRC that the last RTI submission is my final submission for the tax year?

Anyone that pays their weekly payroll on a Thursday or Friday will have a week 53 this year. This will have been set automatically when you setup your schedule in BrightPay at the beginning of the year – If you pay day lands on Thursday the 4th or Friday 5th April 2024.

Do I have a week 53 in the 2023/24 tax year?

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. 

Is it ok to import my data into BrightPay 2024/25 before my payroll is finished for the 2023/24 tax year?

 BrightPay will initially download as a 60-day free trial (with full functionality). On purchasing a 2024/25 licence, you will have received a licence key on the invoice that was emailed to you. Simply select 'Upgrade Licence' in the bottom right of the 'Open Company' screen of your BrightPay 2024/25 software and enter and activate your licence key. Your software will no longer show as a free trial and instead will indicate your purchased licence type. 

Why is BrightPay 2024/25 downloading as a 60-day free trial - I have already purchased a licence?

Yes. Since 6th April 2020, Employment Allowance does not auto renew for an employer as it did in previous tax years. 

An employer now has to submit an Employer Payment Summary to HMRC every tax year to notify HMRC that they will be claiming the Employment Allowance. 

Once this EPS is sent to HMRC, the employer can then enable the Employment Allowance in the first tax period within the 'HMRC Payments' utility in BrightPay. 

Please note: HMRC must also be notified via an Employer Payment Summary if you are no longer eligible for the Employment Allowance. 

Do I need to send a new Employer Payment Summary to HMRC to claim the Employment Allowance?

Please select the 'Connect' tab on the BrightPay 2024/25 'Open Company' screen and sign into your BrightPay Connect account using your BrightPay Connect username and password (also known as your Bright ID). 

How do I sign into BrightPay Connect for the new tax year?

HMRC will only accept a P11D(b) for the 2023/24 tax year from 6th April 2024. If trying to submit before this date, error number 6010 will be returned from HMRC into BrightPay. 

HMRC are currently accepting a P11D(b) for the tax year 2022/23 up until 5th April 2024. 

Why do I receive HMRC error 6010 when I try to submit a P11D(b) for the 2023/24 tax year?

If director’s NIC calculation method is Pro-Rate (Alternate) in the final payment director’s total earnings are reassess and he may receive a NI refund.

Why is the director receiving an NI refund in the final pay period?

BrightPay 24/25 is scheduled for release week ending 22nd of March 2024. 

Payroll year end

Watch our webinar

Your payroll year end checklist

Payroll legislation 2024/25

BrightPay Connect FAQs

Year End Process (Cloud)

BrightPay 2024/25 is now available

Frequently asked questions