HM Treasury has published updated guidance for both employers and employees who have been affected by the £95,000 cap that was applied to public sector exit payments. This cap has now been revoked, following an extensive review into the effects of the cap, which revealed that it may have had some unintended consequences, and so should not be in place. This means for those employees who had an exit date between 4 November 2020 and 12 February 2021, they should check with their former employers to establish if the amount that they would have received if the cap wasn’t in place would have been higher. If this is the case, then the employer should ensure that any payment owing to the employee is made out to them.
The guidance for employers is that, now that the cap has been disapplied, it is open to employers to pay any former employees with an exit date between 4 November 2020 and 12 February 2021, to whom the cap was applied, the additional sums that would have been paid had the cap not been implemented.
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The importance of downloading and taking action on BACS messaging reports 2 March 2021 A reminder has been circulated to businesses relating to the importance of ensuring that they keep on top of their BACS Payment System processes. A key element of this is making sure that messaging reports are downloaded, and action is taken on them within three working days. When reports are not accessed and the correct action isn’t taken in a timely manner, then payments to accounts, or collections against them may be unsuccessful in the future, which could result in issues with failed payments or unpaid Direct Debits. Subsequently, this could mean extra costs for the business, or complaints from the businesses they engage with, or even from their staff. It is advisable to make frequent checks on who, within a business, can access these reports. If these members of staff aren’t available, then other colleagues may need to be identified that can pick up these tasks in their absence. They will need to be given access to the reports. There is more information about which reports are available online. Where a bureau is used, it must be established who will be accessing and taking action on the reports - so whether this will be one of the bureau’s duties or if will be left to the business itself.
There is a guide and a video available for registered users, and also a collection of file submissions hints and tips. Those who haven’t registered for a password, should ensure that they do so now.
Reports can be accessed in a number of ways:
• Through the Payment Services Website (PSW) • Through an organisation’s Bacstel-IP software • Through a Hardware Security Module (HSM)
Regardless of the method used to access the reports, contact details must be kept up to date.
• If using PSW, contact details can be amended in the ‘My details’ section of the website • Details of how to update via Bacstel-IP software can be located on page 126 of the Bacstel-IP service user guide • For service users that have configured a contact in an HSM, it is equally important to ensure that these details are also checked and updated if required. Details relating to HSM can also be found in the Bacstel-IP service user guide
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The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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