Business preparedness, emergency and continuity are all subjects that most business owners have discussed during their annual strategy days. Fortunately, most have never had to implement these plans – until March 2020.

We all know that COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world of work forever. Homeworking, changes to contracts, government benefits and employee furloughs have all had to be considered and managed.

Perhaps understandably, limitations to our existing HR and payroll have been revealed.  Many organisations had to review how they manage their payroll, for the well-being of their teams and their businesses.

Payroll has been tested like never before 

Old, complicated, IT systems and ineffective, manual processes have been unable to cope with the ‘new normal’. Inaccurate data and a lack of analytics and visibility have hampered businesses’ ability to make fast decisions at the most critical time.

With often whole workforces  based at home, companies have had to urgently manage both the logistical and emotional challenges of keeping teams operational and happy. These issues don’t even take into consideration the potential of higher levels of sickness, leaving many businesses’ shorthanded, at the same time as possibly being over-staffed – it’s often one or the other, but rarely both.

Through all of this, people have still needed to be paid. Often with new, different terms than before as organisations rapidly restructured to  maintain resilience.

Payroll management needs to be cloud-based  

It has become apparent, very quickly, that the organisations who were able to adapt best to these new challenges were those who had embraced cloud-based working. Their teams were able to work from home more efficiently, and the administrative functions of their business, such as HR and payroll, were able to continue seamlessly.

Businesses that had traditional, in-house infrastructure, hosting internally, have struggled, at a time when certainty of income is all important. Having on-premise systems, tied to physical infrastructure and fixed locations, can create security, scalability and in the event of a pandemic even possibly health risks.

Payroll must change forever – like everything else  

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced rapid change to the way we work, collaborate and manage our teams. It has also quickly proven that people can work well from home. Even when the health crisis ends, home working won’t, which means that innovations to our HR policies and processes, including payroll will continue to be a worthwhile and valuable investment.

If you would like to discuss how Offshore Payroll could help your business, please email info@offshorepayroll.com to arrange a chat.

Statistics Jersey have today published the December 2020 Labour Market report. Jersey’s labour market report is published every six months and covers key aspects of the job market for both the private and public sector.

In December 2020:

• the total number of jobs was 60,000. There was an annual decrease of 1,380 jobs (2.2%) since December 2019, the largest December decrease since at least 1998

• there were 51,470 jobs in the private sector. This was an annual decrease of 1,790 jobs (3.4%), its largest recorded decrease in December

• there were 8,530 jobs in the public sector. This was an annual increase of 400 jobs (4.9%)

At a sectoral level:

• seven sectors saw annual decreases in jobs; the largest decrease was of 1,040 jobs in hotels, restaurants and bars, which was the second-largest change recorded in any sector to date (with the largest being the annual decrease of 1,700 recorded by this sector in June 2020)

• the annual increase of 400 jobs in the public sector was driven by an increase of 330 in the number of Government of Jersey (GOJ) core employees (permanent and fixed term employees), which includes staff employed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Source: Government Jersey website (December Labour Market Report Published (gov.je))

From January 2022, the Jersey 8 hour rule will be replaced with a financial limit. This limit will be equivalent to 8 hours at the minimum wage that is in place at the start of the year.

For weekly paid employees there will be a weekly threshold based on 8 hours per week at the minimum wage. The employer will need to determine, each week, if the employee has reached that threshold and deduct contributions accordingly.

It is possible that an employee may exceed the threshold in some weeks during a month and not others.  The Combined Employer Return (due January 2022) will require the earnings for the entire month to be declared for tax purposes but for contributions purposes only the earnings for the weeks where contributions have been deducted should be reported.

For monthly paid employees earnings will only need to be declared for social security purposes where the monthly threshold is reached.

The introduction of a government-approved secondary pension scheme for Guernsey and Alderney has been delayed.

The scheme was due to be established in 2022 after being approved by deputies, but Brexit and Covid-19 have caused a delay.

No alternative start date has yet been proposed. A delay was not unexpected given the challenges of the past year, and that it could help businesses already hit by the pandemic prepare for the scheme’s implementation.

Local employers will be obliged to offer a pension scheme for staff if they do not do so already, and to make contributions of up to 3.5% of salary.

The default scheme is to be administered by a UK auto-enrolment pension provider specialist, but many businesses are setting up new schemes with local providers.

Details of the delay are set out in Employment & Social Security’s Social Security Contributory Fund Accounts 2020, due to be discussed by the States on 16 June.

Source: Guernsey press Website (Secondary pensions held up by Covid and Brexit | Guernsey Press)

Revenue Jersey is reminding employers – including building contractors – to prepare for changes to the way they submit their returns of employees’ tax deductions, taxable benefits, contributions and manpower.

Under the current system employers submit their tax, social security, and manpower information on different returns.

From January 2022, employers will submit a Combined Employer Return (CER) every month, which will include tax, social security contributions and manpower all on the same return.

The deadline for the first return under the new system is 15 February 2022. 

To complete the CER, employers who use their own payroll software will need to make changes to their systems. Employers who use the online employer returns form will be redirected to a new form when they submit their January 2022 return.

Submissions will need to include the correct social security numbers and tax identification numbers for each of their employees, to be accepted. Ahead of the change, employers will need to ensure all their records are correct and up to date.

Comptroller of Revenue, Richard Summersgill, said: “This initiative will make life easier for employers, enabling them to tell Government about a number of employee-related matters just once. It is the latest step in the Government’s plans to collect revenues more efficiently by centralising services and systems where it is appropriate to do so.”

“We’re committed to achieving this by modernising our legislation, providing easier access to services online, ensuring all customers can understand and meet their obligations while reducing costs.”

“The new return will make the submission process easier for employers but it’s important that employers are sufficiently prepared by having the correct information for their employees. We have been updating employers for some time and there is detailed information and advice on how to prepare for the changes on a dedicated webpage.”

More information about changes is available via the Government of Jersey website: www.gov.je/CombinedEmployerReturn

Payroll suppliers and employers have received information about the changes to give them enough time to update their systems and software.

Employers can also request IT specifications for their payroll provider, or subscribe to regular email updates by emailing: cer@gov.je

Source: Government of Jersey News Release.

An extensive package of measures to address the cost-of-living crisis, which formed part of the Chief Minister’s 100 day plan has been passed.

The aim of this package is to put almost £15 million back into Islanders’ pockets this year and almost £42 million in 2023.

The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Ian Gorst, said: “This mini budget will help individuals and families with their budgets in this cost of living crisis. I am pleased with the work we have done to help people with these broad measures at this time of need in the community.”

Some of the changes passed as part of the Mini budget will directly impact payroll in Jersey. A reduction from 6% to 4% for employee Social Security contributions, came into effect on the 1st of October 2022 for 3 months (ending on the 31st of December 2022).

Our clients won’t need to do anything, as the update to social security will go through to our databases automatically.

Also approved as part of the Mini budget was an above inflation increase of 12% in Income Tax thresholds and allowances, including Child Allowances, Additional Allowance and Child Care Tax Relief. From 1 January 2023 Income tax threshold for a single person will be raised from £16,550 to £18,550.

We will also be updating Jersey databases to reflect the increase in income tax thresholds from the 1st of January 2023 onward and will let our clients know if any action is required.

You can find more information about the Mini budget through the Government of Jersey website: https://www.gov.je/News/2022/Pages/MiniBudgetQandA.aspx

Source: Government of Jersey News Release.

Offshore Payroll is delighted to welcome Jackie Helks, who joins the team as a Client Experience Officer.

Jackie together with Offshore Payroll’s Relationship Manager, will have responsibility for further developing effective relationships with clients. This appointment is part of Offshore Payroll’s expansion to satisfy our growing client base. She brings a wealth of customer service experience, having spent over ten years in the luxury hospitality sector, which included responsibility for employee rotas and payroll.

Her passion for client relations makes her ideally suited to support Offshore Payroll clients. Jackie’s expertise will further strengthen Offshore Payroll’s focus on making payroll as simple and efficient as possible for their clients in Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man.

Jackie expressed how much she is looking forward to applying her experience in her new role: “Joining the team at Offshore Payroll feels like a natural step after my previous experience in client-facing roles.

I’m delighted to have the responsibility to help create a seamless customer journey and I’m looking forward to working with the Offshore Payroll team, and establishing meaningful connections with our clients.”

Commenting on the appointment, Jeralie Pallot Director, Offshore Payroll, said: “We are delighted that Jackie is joining us as a new member of the Offshore Payroll team. Her enthusiasm and commitment to creating a seamless, enjoyable journey for clients along with her passion for the digital sector, make Jackie the ideal fit for our business. At a time when we are seeing significant growth and change within the payroll market, we know our clients will all benefit from working with her.”

There are some important changes for Jersey and Guernsey will come into effect from the 1st of January 2023, luckily for Offshore Payroll clients we’ve had these in place since early December and our databases have been automatically updated.

Jersey will see an end to the temporary reduction in Social Security contributions and a percentage rise from 4% to 6% for employee contributions from January 1st 2023.

There have also been annual updates to Guernsey and Jersey tax and social security thresholds, more details of these annual changes can be found by using the following links:

Click here for more information on 2023 Jersey Tax rates, allowances and reliefs

Click here for more information on 2023 Guernsey Tax rates, allowances and reliefs

If you’re considering a change in 2023 and are looking for a new Payroll software provider, then reach out and speak with a member of the team by using this link.

Businesses using the global accounting platform Xero as their accounting system, can now benefit from a two-way interface with the cloud payroll application, Offshore Payroll.

Jeralie Pallot, director of Offshore Payroll, commented on the news “ We are delighted that Offshore Payroll has been accepted as a member of the Xero family; this brings exciting benefits to businesses operating in unique offshore environments. Our integration with Xero will improve accuracy and offer significant time savings by further automating the payroll process; allowing businesses to focus on other essential processes and achieving better outcomes.

Since the launch of the cloud based Offshore Payroll, our emphasis has always been on ease of use, efficiency, and automation of the payroll process for our users, which is what makes this software such a popular choice.  Becoming a certified partner of Xero is another step forward in the ongoing development of our application.

The Xero certification caps off an exciting 12 months of growth for Offshore Payroll, which is now used by more than 800 organisations and provides payslips for more than 11,000 employees across the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

To learn more about how Offshore Payroll can help your business click here.

Returning to St Helier for their fifth event in the Channel Islands, DisruptHR is a global movement designed to energise, inform and empower people in the fields of people, business and the future of work.

Once in a while, an event series is born that shakes things up, makes you think differently, it leaves you inspired, this is DisruptHR.

14 speakers, just five minutes each, and slides rotate every 15 seconds. Over 250 global cities across 6 continents have hosted this phenomenon.

Offshore Payroll is delighted to be announced as a supporting sponsor for Disrupt St. Helier 2024, with Offshore Payroll’s very own Megan Rolland included in the line-up of speakers.

Speaking on the announcement Director, Jeralie Pallot has said “As a team, we are very proud to be a supporting sponsor of this thought-provoking event that challenges traditional HR practices.  We are especially excited to be supporting Megan on stage as she disrupts conventional thinking on payroll; with thoughts on transforming a routine administrative task into a powerful strategic tool for developing meaningful connections. We live in a world that thrives with change, where agility and adaptability are the keys to success – why should payroll be any different?“

Interested? Tickets are now available on Eventbrite click here, we look forward to seeing you there!