Guide to Payroll Changes from April 2019
28th March 2019 
Tax 
CHW Accounting
If you are an employer there are several payroll changes which come into effect from April 2019 of which you should be aware.
Here’s a useful guide from CHW Accountants in Bolton outlining the changes.
National minimum wage
All businesses, irrespective of size, must pay all employees at least the minimum wage. Employers who fail to pay the national minimum wage are committing a criminal offence.
There is a useful minimum wage calculator on the gov.uk website.
From the 1st April 2019, the National Minimum wage is increasing so check the rates you are paying your employees now to ensure you do not fall foul.
Auto-enrolment pension contributions
Minimum auto-enrolment pension contributions for both the employer and the employee increase to 3% and 5% respectively from 6th April 2019.
This means that the total minimum amount being paid into the workplace pension will increase from 5% to 8 % of qualifying earnings.
This is a nationwide change, involving millions of people and their employers and if you’re an employer, you should inform your employees about the changes.
Personal allowance and basic rate limit
The Personal Tax Allowance is increasing from £11,850 to £12,500 per annum for 2019/20. The basic rate limit increases to £37,500 which means that the higher rate threshold will be £50,000 in 2019/20.
Statutory sick pay, maternity and paternity pay and adoption pay
Statutory sick pay is increasing from £92.05 to £94.25 per week, and statutory maternity & paternity pay is going up from £145.18 to £148.68 per week (or 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks if this figure is less than the statutory rate).
From 7 April 2019, statutory adoption pay is payable at 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, with the remainder of the adoption pay period at the rate of £148.68, or 90% of average weekly earnings if this is less than £148.68.
Payslips must be provided to all workers
Currently, only employees have to receive a payslip. However, from 6 April 2019, all workers must receive a payslip. Guidance on whether a person is a worker can be found at www.gov.uk/employment-status/worker
Where an employee’s pay varies by the amount of time worked, the number of hours worked must be also be shown on the payslip.
Summary
With national minimum wage and employer workplace pension contributions both going up from April 2019, businesses are facing increased costs. This can have an impact on your cashflow – so make sure you are prepared.
This article is for general guidance only. It provides an outline, and may not include points which are important to your situation. You should not depend on this blog without taking advice based on the full facts of your case. The information given was correct at the time of publication.
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