PAYE Recognition

When buying payroll software you do so under the assumption that the figures it produces will be correct, and that it will allow you to fulfill your obligations to HMRC with regards to reporting your PAYE information online. This becomes even more important with the introduction of Real Time Information (RTI), when you must file your payroll information to HMRC each time that you pay your employees. But how can you be sure that your chosen software is accurate and compliant with HMRC requirements?

‘PAYE recognition’ is an HMRC scheme which tests commercial RTI payroll software products by checking that they can satisfy a range of general payroll tests and are compatible with reporting Real Time Information payroll data electronically through the Government Gateway. If successful, the product is then awarded ‘PAYE recognition for RTI’, and appears on the HMRC list of tested software suppliers.

The PAYE recognition scheme covers all aspects of payroll, including Income tax calculations, Tax codes, National Insurance deductions, Statutory Sick, Maternity and Paternity pay, Student Loans, Directors NIC and more. The scheme also checks that the software is able to send the relevant RTI submissions to HMRC.