What’s new in BrightPay 2025/26?

As the new tax year approaches, BrightPay is introducing a range of powerful new features designed to enhance payroll management, improve collaboration, and streamline processes for employers and employees alike. These updates are set to roll out in the new tax year, bringing with them a host of improvements aimed at making payroll easier and more efficient.

Let’s dive into the new releases you can expect to see in BrightPay throughout the 2025/26 tax year.

Releases we’ve made so far

Increase of employee number limit to 300

In the 2024/25 tax year, BrightPay users were limited to 250 employees per employer (including leavers). We’re pleased to announce that this limit has now been increased to 300 employees per employer (including leavers), providing greater flexibility for businesses managing larger workforces.

*There are plans to increase this further throughout the 2025/26 tax year.

Two-factor authentication for employees

BrightPay cloud’s employee portal offers a wide range of features designed to enhance the experience for both users and their clients’ employees. To further strengthen security, we have introduced two-factor authentication (2FA) for employees logging into the portal. This additional layer of protection helps safeguard sensitive payroll information, ensuring greater peace of mind.

Resource upload facility in employee portal

Employers can now upload documents directly through the employee portal, enhancing communication and reducing administrative workload. This new feature saves businesses time by enabling the secure and efficient submission of essential HR documents — such as the employee handbook — for employees to access seamlessly within the portal.

Employer / client portal

We recently launched a secure and user-friendly employer/client portal for convenient payroll management. This centralised hub streamlines access to key payroll data, allowing employers to update their own and their clients’ information, view employee calendars and annual leave, and improve communication with payroll processors. Employers can effortlessly access payslips and HMRC payment details, simplifying record-keeping and ensuring compliance.

*The portal will soon support running and exporting payroll reports, further enhancing efficiency and reporting capabilities.

Filter option in payslips

To enhance the payroll processing experience in BrightPay, we recently introduced an advanced Filter option. The new Filter tab lets you select multiple filters so you can find the right employees fast — by initial, department, or payment method. Plus, when finalising payslips, you can now batch-select who to include with these handy filters. Less scrolling, more doing.

Payroll entry requests

The payroll entry request feature allows employers to submit payroll entries directly within BrightPay, making it easier to enter payroll data accurately and quickly. This feature will help eliminate the need for manual data entry, which is often prone to errors, and will improve the overall accuracy of payroll submissions. By digitising the payroll entry process, BrightPay aims to streamline payroll management and reduce administrative burdens for businesses of all sizes.

*Please note that batch operations for payroll entry is not yet available, but will be introduced soon.

Payroll approval requests

BrightPay’s payroll approval requests ensure greater control and security. This new feature allows employers to review and approve payroll entries before they are processed, ensuring that all payroll data is correct and complete before final submission. By adding this layer of oversight, businesses can prevent mistakes from slipping through the cracks and ensure that payroll runs smoothly and accurately every time.

*Please note that batch operations for payroll approval is not yet available, but will be introduced soon.

Employee calendar visibility

Employee can now view their colleagues’ leave directly on the company calendar. The goal is to improve transparency and help teams better plan and manage workloads. By having access to this information, employees can avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure that business operations run smoothly, even during peak holiday seasons. This feature will help businesses manage leave in a more collaborative and efficient way, reducing the chances of missed deadlines or disruptions in workflow.

Releases still to come

Additional statutory pay reports and forms

When: Q4

In summer 2025, we’re expanding our statutory pay features with additional reports and forms, providing greater flexibility and support for payroll processing. The new additions will include:

• Statutory Maternity Pay

• Statutory Adoption Pay

• Statutory Paternity Pay (Birth)

• Statutory Paternity Pay (Adoption)

• Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Birth)

• Statutory Shared Parental Pay (Adoption)

• Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay

• Statutory Neonatal Pay

These enhancements will streamline statutory pay management, ensuring compliance and ease of use.

Our plans for CIS

As we continue developing BrightPay cloud, we are focusing on delivering a streamlined and modern payroll experience. We have launched a separate solution for the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) – BrightCIS

Driving payroll efficiency through innovation

These new features highlight BrightPay’s commitment to improving the payroll experience for employers and employees. The added functionality will reduce administrative tasks, improve collaboration, and increase efficiency across the payroll process. By making payroll easier to manage and more transparent, BrightPay helps businesses save time and avoid costly mistakes.

With improved visibility, better communication, and enhanced payroll tools, these updates ensure that businesses will be well-equipped to manage payroll efficiently and seamlessly in the 2025/26 tax year and beyond.

See BrightPay in action

Excited to see how BrightPay can streamline your payroll process? Book a demo today to see BrightPay in action and discover how it can benefit your business. Don’t miss the opportunity to check out the newly released features and learn how BrightPay can help you improve payroll management and enhance productivity.

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.