Year-end guide for QuickBooks Online Standard Payroll

The end of the tax year is approaching fast, and with it comes the need to get your payroll in order. Whether you're new to QuickBooks Standard Payroll or a seasoned pro, this guide will help you get everything sorted so you can hit the ground running in the new year.

This article will cover:

1. How to complete payroll year end (video)
2. Check if your payroll date ends on week 52 or 53
3. Run final payroll
4. Send final FPS to HMRC
5. Give employee payslips
6. Print P32 report (Employer Payment Record)
7. Give employee P60 forms

Important to know

Before you wrap up this year's payroll and prepare for the next, check if you're eligible for Employment Allowance (EA). It can lower your employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) by up to £5,000 per year. If you think you qualify, make sure to let HMRC know so you can claim the allowance in the upcoming tax year.

Here's how to set it up Employment Allowance in QuickBooks.

Payroll tax changes

Keep up with the latest payroll tax changes here.

Payroll dates and deadlines

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1. How to complete payroll year end

Watch this video on wrapping up this year’s payroll and preparing for the next. For detailed steps and more helpful articles, keep reading!

2. Check if your payroll date ends on week 52 or 53

If you process your employees' pay monthly, you won't need to worry about whether your payroll ends on week 52 or 53. However, if the final pay date falls on 5 April, then your payroll will end on week 53.

Here's everything you need to know about running payroll week 53 in this article.

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3. Run your final payroll

It's time to run your final payroll of the tax year! QuickBooks will let you know when it's time to do this. If this is your first time running payroll, follow the steps in this article so that you can get it done.

Edit or delete a pay run

If you've ever made a mistake while running payroll, like entering the wrong amount or making an incorrect deduction, don't worry. The good news is that you can make changes to a pay run and start over if you need to.

If you need to delete a pay run, remember to reset your Employment Allowance based to your eligibility for the tax year. To do this:

1. Select the ⚙️gear icon to go to your Account and settings.
2. Select the Payroll tab.
3. Then, Employer NI & Relief.

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4. Submit your final FPS to HMRC

Next things to do is send an FPS to HMRC. This is important because it helps calculate your business's PAYE and NIC liability for the tax year.

Once you've submitted the FPS, you'll have to wait for a confirmation email before you can be sure that your submission has been successfully accepted by HMRC.

While you're waiting, you can check all of your recent submissions in QuickBooks. Here's how:

1. Go to Taxes, and then Payroll Tax.
2. Next to the FPS submission, select Review.

Turn on RTI reporting for automatic FPS submission

Save time and simplify submitting your FPS to HMRC by switching on RTI (Real-Time Information) reporting in QuickBooks. It will automatically submit your FPS to HMRC whenever you run payroll.

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5. Give employees their payslips

As an employer, it is your duty to provide payslips to your employees. Each payroll run generates a payslip for every employee, which must be given to them on or before their pay date.

Payslips contain important details such as earnings before and after deductions, taxes and other contributions.

Here are two ways for distributing payslips to your employees:

• Download them or email payslips directly to employees.
• Invite your employees to QuickBooks Workforce, a secure self-service portal where employees can access and download their payslips and P60 forms, saving you valuable time on admin tasks.

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6. Print P32 report (Employer Payment Record)

Make sure you're on top of your Employer Payment Record (P32) report. This report is a summary of the payments made HMRC each tax month, helping you assess whether you need to submit an EPS. It also includes details of PAYE, NI contributions and student loans deductions.

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7. Give employees their P60 forms

Finally, make sure to create and provide your employees with their P60 forms by May 31, right after you wrap up your final payroll.

A P60 form summarises an employee's pay and deductions for the entire year, and is only generated for employees who are still in your employment at the end of the tax year.

And that's it! You've successfully completed your final payroll for this tax year.

Need more help?

Need help with year-end tasks? Sign in to QuickBooks and start a discussion with an expert in our community.

For more articles, check out the Standard Payroll hub page.