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We’re on a mission to make back office processes easier than ever, and we need your help to make that happen.

The better we understand what matters to you, the more we can tailor our future improvements. And we’ve got some exciting ones coming!

Complete our latest market research survey and enter our prize draw to win a £50 Amazon gift card. It’ll take around 5-10 minutes. Ends 20^th September.

Start survey

Thank you to everyone who participates! Your insights will help us shape the future of Codapay.

Any issues accessing the survey? Please notify us at info@codatech.co.uk.

Prize Draw Terms and Conditions

1. Eligibility: The prize draw is open to participants who complete our survey. Employees of Codatech, its affiliates, and immediate family members are not eligible to enter.
2. Entry: To enter the prize draw, participants must complete the survey by 18:00 on 20th September 2024. Only one entry per person is allowed. Multiple entries from the same individual will be disqualified.
3. Prize: One (1) £50 e-gift card will be awarded, shared with the email address used to enter the prize draw. The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other alternatives.
4. Selection of Winner: The winner will be selected randomly from all eligible entries received. The draw will take place on 24th September.
5. Notification of Winner: The winner will be notified by email within 7 days of the draw. If the winner does not respond within 14 days of being notified, we reserve the right to select an alternative winner.
6. Data Protection:
   • Data Collection: By entering the prize draw, participants consent to the collection and processing of their personal data (e.g., name, email address) for the purposes of administering the prize draw.
   • Data Usage: Personal data will only be used for the purpose of this prize draw and will not be shared with third parties except as necessary for the administration of the prize draw.
   • Data Retention: Personal data collected for the prize draw will be retained for 14 days after the draw has taken place, after which it will be securely deleted.
   • Rights: Participants have the right to access, rectify, or delete their personal data at any time. Requests should be sent to info@codatech.co.uk
7. Codatech reserve the right to cancel the survey at any time.

The post Survey: Shape the future of Codapay and enter to win a £50 gift card appeared first on Codapay.

In this article, we’ve covered all the key changes coming into effect in the 2024-25 tax year. Plus, download our free tax calendar PDF.

Download the 2024-25 tax calendar PDF

Click here to open and download the PDF. No details required!

Key tax dates (April 2024 to April 2025)

We’ve already started seeing some key changes in early 2024. From 6 January, Class 1 National Insurance contributions were reduced by 2 percentage points, from 12% to 10%.

As for the new tax year:

• From 1 April 2024, National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) will increase. NLW will be £11.44, while NMW for ages 18-20 will be £8.60 and £6.40 for ages 16-17 and apprentices.
• From 6 April 2024, the main rate of employee National Insurance will reduce by 2 percentage points from 6 April 2024, dropping from 10% to 8% (down from 12% last year!).
• From 6 April 2024, Class 4 National Insurance contributions will be reduced by 3 percentage points, from 9% to 6%.
• From 6 April 2024, the Dividend Allowance will reduce from £1,000 to £500. Tax rates on dividend income will remain the same.
• From 6 April 2024, Scotland will introduce an ‘Advanced’ tax rate at 45% for an individual’s income between £62,431 and £125,140. Other Scottish tax thresholds will change slightly too.
• From 6 April 2024, the repayment threshold for Postgraduate loans will be £21,000.
• The income tax personal allowance remains frozen until April 2028.

Previous tax calendars

• Tax year 2023-24
• Tax year 2022-23
• Tax year 2021-22

Information included in this article may be subject to change. Please refer to the date of publication. We endeavour to keep an up-to-date reflection of changes during the 2024-25 tax year.

The post UK payroll tax calendar and key tax dates 2024-25 appeared first on Codapay.

It’s the same functionality our clients know and love, but with a brand new and improved exterior. All with the mission of keeping payroll pain-free.

Here are some of the latest screens to drop.

Bank transaction matching

Match bank transactions with the correct worker via seamless bulk upload. A simple layout that allows editing on hover to save you the click.

Advanced employee filtering

Segment employees faster and see statuses at a glance with our fresh new colour palette.

Modernised screens

We’ve also simplified the tax calendar and expenses screens to improve user experience.

Coming soon

Simplified employee records

There’s a lot of information to capture when it comes to payroll, there’s no getting around that. We’re just making it easier to navigate.

Payroll batches screen

Easily browse payroll batches, including past, current, and future periods with colour coding:

• Blue: period has passed
• Green: current period
• Red: future period
• Amber: payroll validated but not committed

Want to see more of Codapay? Book your free demo today!

The post Our platform gets a new look and feel appeared first on Codapay.

Our native integration makes sending candidate and payroll data to Codapay simple and secure.

Learn all about it below.

How does the Codabill integration work with Codapay?

If you’re an agency or work with agencies that use Codabill, timesheet and invoicing information from Codabill is automatically sent to a queue in your Codapay system for you to review and approve.

As Agency data is immediately available in your system, you can process payslips in Codapay at the click of a button. No data importing is required!

Learn more about the differences between Codapay and Codabill.

Codabill’s key features

• Create candidate and client self-service portals
• Collate and approve timesheets
• Raise and manage client and supplier invoices
• Send payroll data to suppliers
• Manage worker ID verification
• Export financial data for leading accounting platforms (including Sage, Xero, and Quickbooks)
• Report on real-time business performance

Getting started is simple

Go live on Codabill in under 24 hours and pay zero set-up fees.

As ongoing costs are based on a small fee for each candidate whose timesheet is processed, you pay as you grow.

Contact us to book a free Codabill demo – or refer Codabill to your agencies and get rewarded if they sign up.

The post Codapay x Codabill integration: How it works appeared first on Codapay.

And that’s still true.

In fact, we hammered the topic in our switching guide.

But – switching ahead of the the new tax year does offer the benefit of starting fresh without any mid-year data migration.

And, with all of Codapay’s exciting new features coming soon, it’s a great time to make the move.

Carry on reading to get the inside scoop.

1. An improved look and feel is coming 

We’re super excited to reveal our new user interface soon.

Our existing design gets a lot of praise as our clients love that it’s self-explanatory and modern. But, our planned updates take it up a notch – with improved usability and a sleek, simplified interface.

User experience (UX) is always at the forefront of our design rollouts to reduce the time it takes for you to get from pre-validation to payroll processing.

And on that note, we think this update will be a real hit.

Follow us on LinkedIn to be notified when the new screens go live! And Codapay clients – keep your eyes peeled for a sneak peek via email.

2. Direct integration with the leading RTW checks app

We received significant uptake on our Credas partnership late last year from new and existing clients who wanted to make right to work checks quick and easy.

Very soon, Credas will directly integrate into Codapay so companies can invite employees to self-verify their ID documents themselves.

This means Codapay clients can track, manage, and monitor all their compliance verifications under one roof.

Stay tuned for release updates via email.

3. New and improved support

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. A tech product is only as good as the support behind it.

Our UK-based product and support teams are committed to ensuring our product is always ahead of the curve.

In early 2022, we introduced live chat within the system. Now, we’ve rolled it out for even longer hours to ensure you can get real-time help when you need it.

Plus, our new support dashboard means you can access all types of help in a click, including:

• Self-service articles
• Codapay Academy
• Feature requests

In 2023, we’re all ears for further support recommendations. After all, our clients have their say on our development pipeline thanks to our Feature Upvote voting platform.

It goes without saying that all upcoming legislation changes will be addressed in future releases. And with automatic updates, the latest version will always display to you.

Thinking about switching?

If you’re looking to start the new tax year with software that takes the pain out of payroll, now’s the time to get the ball rolling.

Specialist temporary staffing software like Codapay takes a little extra time to configure, taking around four weeks to set up. That means you need to plan ahead of 6 April to guarantee you go-live in time.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your free Codapay demo today!

The post 3 exciting improvements coming soon appeared first on Codapay.

In 2022, we’ve seen significant changes announced and later reversed  – including income tax reductions and IR35 – with four different Chancellors in power. As a payroll software provider, it’s essential for our team to be equipped with all the latest news to keep our software up-to-date with automatic feature rollouts.

Check out the key changes coming into effect in the 2023-24 tax year and download our free tax calendar 2023-24 PDF below.

Download the 2023 – 2024 tax calendar PDF

Simply click here to open and download the PDF. No details required.

How to use the 2023-24 tax calendar

A tax calendar is a great resource to have handy when running payroll. Quickly check when your employees need to be paid and during what tax week / period.

The calendar begins from 6th April 2023, the start of the new tax year, and the weeks shown in orange mark the start of a new tax period.

Key tax dates 2023-24

The current income tax personal allowance is frozen until 2028 and Class 1 National Insurance rates remain 12% after the 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy was removed from 6 Nov 2022.

• 6 April: Inflation-linked benefits and tax credits are due to increase by 10.1%, in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation in September 2022
• 6 April: The Income Tax additional rate threshold will be reduced from £150,000 to £125,140, impacting higher earners
• 6 April: The tax-free allowance for dividend income will be reduced from £2,000 to £1,000

Previous tax calendars

• Tax year 2022-23
• Tax year 2021-22

Information included in this article may be subject to change. Please refer to the date of publication. We endeavour to keep an up-to-date reflection of changes during the 2023-24 tax year.

The post UK payroll tax calendar and key tax dates 2023-24 appeared first on Codapay.

It sounds unsuspecting, but it’s stuff of nightmares for business owners trying to stay productive.

Every step along the way will drain you of time and claw away your memory.

Carry on reading to hear the cautionary tale if you dare.

A techie’s worst nightmare

It’s a scary word in the software space.

We are, of course, talking about *whispers* on-premises software.

The opposite of cloud software, it’s latched onto your business’s premises, computer, or an on-site server. It keeps you stuck in a never-ending cycle of maintenance costs, responsibility, and memory loss.

If you get caught, you’ll face these consequences:

• Horrifying upfront costs
• Precious time lost on deployment and maintenance
• Your ability to scale up with ease will be crushed
• Drained server space
• Scarily slow updates

Your IT team will also be held in the grip of on-site management. Plus, you better keep an eye out for bugs that might try to threaten the safety of your data.

Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

Luckily, there’s a simple solution

We’ve rescued some of our clients from their nightmares, and fortunately – it’s easy to wake up from this bad dream.

The cure is a cloud-based solution. Software that you can switch to and reverse the curse of an outdated system.

When it comes to payroll, with its ever-changing legislation, it’s essential you never stay stuck in the past. Cloud software like Codapay has automatic updates that ensure you never fall victim to manual patches and rising maintenance costs.

Plus, your upfront and ongoing costs will be slashed, and your resource restored.

Why not book a demo and see if you’re ready to leave On-Prem Street?

Up next

• Payroll software complete guide
• Beware the scary payroll software this Halloween

The post The Nightmare On-Prem Street appeared first on Codapay.

It’s important to look at the recruitment process from start to finish, so you can deliver the best possible level of service to candidates and clients.

So, we’ve put together this handy checklist to help you save time, stay organised and maximise your opportunities.

Here’s what you need to consider when selecting recruitment software for your start-up:

1. Staying organised and tracking the status of your projects

If you have experience in the recruitment industry, you’ll be familiar with using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), but starting up on your own presents a different set of challenges.

You’ll be managing multiple projects at different lifecycle stages, with potentially hundreds of CVs per project, as well as taking on the additional responsibilities that come with running a new business day-to-day.

There are many ATS options on the market, so ensure you go in with a clear set of requirements and do your research on review sites before committing. Consider:

• Do you need to factor in how you’ll collaborate with other team members using the system?
• Will the system scale as you grow, and how does this impact pricing?
• How robust is the reporting offered?
• To what extent do you need to be able to customise workflows?
• Are you looking for additional features, such as AI tools or support with producing a branded careers site?
• Is it easy to use? Lots of additional features might be what you’re looking for, but make sure you don’t lose sight of usability and getting the basics right.
• Does it integrate with any other recruitment software you intend to use?

The list goes on, and will be personal to your needs and priorities.

2. How you’ll attract prospective candidates and clients

It takes time to build your client and candidate base, which makes having a robust marketing and lead generation strategy essential.

You’ll need to consider:

• Ensuring your business is active on social media – especially LinkedIn, due to its focus on work and professional relationships. You may want to invest in social media management software, so you can work more efficiently by scheduling posts to multiple accounts from one place, in advance.
• The software you’ll use to send email campaigns to your audience. If you’re not doing this via your ATS, ensure you choose a platform that integrates with it so that you can centralise your data. Mailchimp is a great, user-friendly place to start.
• Looking the part. Consider investing in software that makes it easy to produce professional, branded contracts and offer letters that facilitate e-signatures.
• How you’ll use content to build an audience. A great way to grow your following is to produce helpful, insightful, informative content. Whether you’re keeping people up-to-date on the latest news in your industry, or producing downloadable resources such as ebooks, use design software to ensure your content always looks professional.
• Tracking the success of your efforts. If you have your own website, ensure you have Google Analytics set up, so you can see where your traffic is coming from.

3. Optimising your online presence

When putting together your lead generation plans, always keep your goal pages in mind – they should match the messaging you use in your social media posts and email campaigns.

Decide which job boards you’ll focus on and ensure your website is up-to-date and ready to capture leads. You may want to look at integrating software that makes it easy to customise dynamic forms, add pop-ups, or even use chatbots.

4. Putting forward the strongest candidates

You’ll build your reputation as a firm that clients can rely on by consistently sourcing exceptional candidates.

Often, the strongest candidates are passive candidates who are open to opportunities but not actively exploring them. Consider integrating a CRM (Customer – or in this case, Candidate – Relationship Management) system with your ATS to support your marketing efforts and help you nurture an audience of potential candidates.

Nail down your process for assessing and recommending candidates effectively. Some industry players are moving away from the traditional CV in favour of more dynamic approaches – you could explore using online personality tests, video platforms, virtual reality and more.

5. Managing and retaining the best talent for your own team

In order to succeed, you’ll need to build a team around you that you can trust.

To ensure effective collaboration and ease of assigning tasks day-to-day, look at project management and internal communications software. And don’t forget to cover the basics, like where you’ll store shared internal files, particularly if your team are working remotely.

Last, but definitely not least, you need to ensure your team feel valued and appreciated for their hard work, whatever their role in your business. This means making time to focus on the things that matter, by cutting down on unnecessary admin and inefficiencies.

This is something Codapay can help you with. We provide trusted payroll software for the recruitment industry, with free and automatic updates to cater for changing legislation. Whether your worker engagement model is PAYE, umbrella, self-employed, CIS or LTD, it’s ideal for agencies with no time to waste. Book a free demo today.

Up next:

• Assessment: What payroll software features do I need?

The post Checklist: Software you need to launch your recruitment start-up appeared first on Codapay.

Our six top tips for umbrella start-ups will help you hit the ground running.

Let’s get started.

1. Know the market inside out

We’ve spoken to many payroll bureaus who have chosen to set up an umbrella company to diversify their services, however they’re often surprised by the number of differences to typical accounting.

Aside from seeking the services of a tax or industry specialist, it’s worth familiarising yourself with the common topics that umbrella contractors discuss. Check out relevant groups and forums to stay in the know – here are some places to get started:

• Contractor UK forum
• Contractor UK reddit group

When starting up, your priority should be to deliver an excellent service, including payments on time, availability on call and email, providing payslip self-service, and so on. Those are just some of the ways we’ve seen new umbrella companies fall short.

2. Clue up on regulations that protect contractors

The umbrella market receives some bad press due to a very small number of fraudulent operations. That means as a start-up, you must have in-depth knowledge of all the laws and requirements for umbrella companies to fulfil their tax duties.

This also includes making sure the employees working under your umbrella company are on board with all the requirements. A consultant and regular training should be necessary to ensure you’re meeting all current requirements and to plan for the ever-changing market.

Compliance needs to be your number one consideration as a new umbrella company – as would be the case with any payroll company. In particular, ensuring your employees’ timesheets, deductions, expenses, and holidays are dealt with in line with legislation.

3. Get recognised by leading bodies

There are several professional bodies that you can partner with to gain all-important trust signals. The main ones are APSCo, FCSA, and Professional Passport.

As part of the approval process, they will audit your practices and highlight anything that needs to be remedied. As a result, you’ll benefit from optimising your business and receive a seal of approval that demonstrates that you’re a trusted and legitimate player in the market.

4. Get real reviews

Contractors are cautious about selecting an umbrella company and conduct research to prevent choosing a provider that doesn’t offer a great service. And that’s totally understandable – you wouldn’t become an employee of a business without ensuring you’ll get paid accurately and on time, either.

If you have no reviews, there’s no social proof to entice new contractors. Trustpilot and Google Business are some of the top platforms for payment companies to get reviews, and your ratings will be visible when a contractor searches for your company name.

The downside to getting reviews is, of course, opening up the possibility of receiving poor ratings and impacting your reputation. The obvious way to avoid this is by preventing poor experiences in the first place – however, that isn’t always possible.

A good time to prompt reviews is after a successful customer service interaction and via your email campaigns. If a negative review is received, respond to it with a positive and actionable message that acknowledges the issue at hand.

5. Make your website your portfolio

Elevate your offering with a modern website that positions you with an authoritative voice. If you don’t have development or copywriting capabilities in-house, you may need to invest in freelance support to ensure you have an eye-pleasing, functional site with well-written content.

While there’s no denying that well-written content goes far, a modern website design is more impactful than you think. 75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on their website design.

If you have the resource or budget to create website resources like blogs, brochures, and helpful guides for contractors, these will also go a long way in adding credibility too.

A pay calculator on your website is a handy tool for new and existing contractors, allowing them to run pay calculations in seconds. Download our free instruction manual on how to add a pay calculator to your site in a few easy steps.

6. Make your payroll software count

Umbrella companies have unique payroll requirements to reflect the employment relationship with contractors. This means standard accounting software simply doesn’t cut the mustard. Luckily, there are a number of solutions designed especially for umbrella companies.

This software is designed to pay unlimited workers across different agencies and end clients without delay or disruption in accordance with necessary payroll legislation.

Codapay is a leading umbrella payroll software provider, offering unparalleled speed and flexibility. Process payroll for an unlimited number of workers in just seconds, and only pay for one license regardless the number of users. Get the lowdown on our software and book a free demo today.

Recommended further reading:

• Umbrella, Agency PAYE, or LTD: Which is best for contractors? 
• Umbrella companies and IR35 off-payroll rules 
• Three ways to keep up with payroll legislation 
• True or false: Common umbrella company myths 
• Payroll requirements for setting up an umbrella company 

The post Top tips for start-up umbrella companies appeared first on Codapay.

The model is sometimes known as co-employment, as both the end client and the PEO employ the worker for different purposes. It’s a popular employment model in the United States as it allows employers to simplify the processes involved with hiring.

How does a PEO model work?

The PEO will hire the end client’s workers, becoming the contractor’s employer of record. The end client continues to employ the worker, but each party maintains different roles. The PEO is responsible for payroll and HR administrative tasks, like timesheets, holiday, pension, statutory payments and grievances, while the client manages the worker.

This setup makes it ideal for small to medium businesses as HR is outsourced and managed by the PEO. A PEO simplifies payment for both the client and the worker while supporting the existing HR team. It also means employment responsibilities rest with the PEO.

Under a PEO, a worker will receive employee tax and National Insurance deductions from their gross pay – as well as other necessary deductions like student loan repayments.

There’s no fee for the service to the contractor – only the contractor’s agency. An advantage for agencies is that there is no VAT on payroll costs – it’s only payable on service fees.

How’s a PEO different to an umbrella company?

Both umbrella companies and PEOs offer outsourced HR and payroll, but they’re slightly different.

Workers under a PEO will be quoted with a fixed gross pay rate, and employer costs are agreed between the employer and agency. Umbrella companies are obliged to outline their deductions, but payslips can sometimes be trickier for contractors to interpret. However, with modern payroll solutions, this is usually no longer an issue.

An umbrella company will provide a pay rate to the contractor, agreed with the client or agency, with umbrella agency fees, taxes, and National Insurance deducted. Meanwhile, under a PEO, pay is agreed between the worker and client, and PEO fees are not charged to the contractor.

Find out more about what an umbrella company is and its benefits.

How is PEO impacted by IR35?

A PEO becomes the worker’s named employer of record, meaning they remain off payroll to the end client or agency. In other words, it’s unaffected by IR35, and the client can direct and control the worker without penalisation.

Codapay is trusted payroll software for the recruitment industry, with free and automatic updates to cater for changing legislation. Book a free demo today.

The post Explained: What is a Professional Employment Organisation (PEO)? appeared first on Codapay.