Online Services: Payroll Standard and Pensioner Accreditation Scheme
The Payroll Standard/Pensioner Payroll Standard Accreditation schemes are operated by the Payroll Support Team (PST) in the evaluation of payroll products against the Payroll Standard and Pensioner Payroll Standard. Software products and services that have already been accredited as fully meeting the Payroll Standard and Pensioner Payroll Standard are found on the list of accredited payroll software products and suppliers.
Before applying for accreditation we strongly recommend that you run the payroll test data provided on our website against your payroll product. This should highlight any discrepancies between your product and the calculation and recording requirements of the Payroll Standard and Pensioner Payroll Standard and will save time during the official evaluation process. If you have any queries concerning the payroll test data please contact the Payroll Support Team on 0845 9159146.
A flow chart that describes the accreditation process is available in PDF format. To view this document you need to use a PDF file viewer such as Acrobat Reader. To save a file to your computer, right click on the link and choose the Save option.
Benefits of the Payroll Standard Accreditation
Registration of Applications
Accreditation Pack
Test Pack Evaluation
Electronic Returns
Successful completion of the Formal Evaluation Process
Accreditation Renewal
Policing / Monitoring the use of Payroll Standard logo(s)
Benefits of the Payroll Standard and Pensioner Payroll Standard Accreditation
- You receive accreditation for a 12 month period, accreditation certificate and an electronic copy of the accreditation logo.
- Payroll Standard logo and/or Pensioner Payroll Standard logo can be displayed within your marketing material for the recognized product, as an additional sales aid.
- The Payroll Standard logo will signify to an employer that your product is up to date and has the essential features necessary to calculate PAYE, NICs, Statutory Payments and perform a range of other payroll functions.
- The Pensioner Payroll Standard logo will signify to pension payers that your product is up to date and has the essential features necessary to calculate PAYE and a range of other payroll functions.
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will actively promote the Payroll Standard, Pensioner Payroll Standard and accredited software with new and existing employers.
You can register for the scheme by completing the appropriate Payroll Standard Accreditation Registration form (PDF 55K). Software developers interested in the Pensioner Payroll Standard can register their interest by completing the Pensioner Payroll Standard Accreditation Registration form (PDF 48K). Please note that if you have more than one payroll product and you are interested in accreditation, each product will have to be registered and undergo the formal evaluation process before that product can display the accreditation logo(s).
A registration form can also be requested from the Scheme Manager by telephone, fax or email.
The completed registration form must be returned directly to the Scheme Manager.
On receipt of the completed registration form we will note the application on the registration database and contact you to provide/agree the following:
- a date the accreditation test pack will be issued,
- an estimated date for the return of the completed test pack for evaluation by the Payroll Support Team
Please note that we will operate the accreditation process on a strictly first-come/first-served basis.
Once the registration process has been completed, we will issue an accreditation pack. The following documents form the basis of the accreditation pack and will be issued on an agreed date before the formal accreditation process begins:
- Payroll Standard or Pensioner Payroll Standard accreditation Test Packs – the test packs contain a series of tests that need to be executed by the software developer on their premises to establish if their payroll product satisfies the calculation and recording elements of the Payroll Standard or Pensioner Payroll Standard. The completed test packs should be returned to the Scheme Manager for formal evaluation.
- A copy of the Payroll Standard and/or Pensioner Payroll Standard accreditation terms & conditions – these documents define the terms and conditions of the accreditation schemes.
The completed tests, and a signed copy of the Terms & Conditions should be returned by the date agreed with the Scheme Manager. We will commence evaluation of the tests within the agreed timescales.
Elements of the Payroll Standard and the Pensioner Payroll Standard which can not be evaluated within the test pack eg validation checks will be covered in an on-site visit by the Payroll Support Team to the premises of the software developer.
All the criteria defined within the Payroll Standard and/or the Pensioner
Payroll Standard has to be satisfied for accreditation to be awarded.
A series of checks will be conducted by the Payroll Support Team to establish if the test results that have been provided are correct and whether the relevant element of the Payroll Standard and/or the Pensioner Payroll Standard has been satisfied.
If all the test results are correct the evaluation stage of the process will be deemed as a success and the software developer will be contacted to arrange an on-site visit.
If errors are found during the evaluation process, these will be included in an assessment report which will be issued as soon as the evaluation has been completed. We will detail the errors/omissions from the test pack and provide you with appropriate guidance notes to help you update your software.
To continue the software developer should make the amendments to their software
and return revised test results. If the revised test results are correct we
will proceed to the on-site visit – if not, we will again produce an
assessment report and ask the software developer to investigate the errors
that have been found. If errors are still present after several attempts we
may issue a letter to the developer advising them that their application for
Payroll Standard and/or Pensioner Payroll Standard Accreditation has been
rejected.
An important stage of the evaluation process is a check to establish if the payroll software product is capable of making electronic returns to HMRC. Please see Electronic Returns in the Payroll Standard and/or the Pensioner Payroll Standard for further details.
Successful completion of the Formal Evaluation Process
Upon successful completion of the evaluation process we will notify you in writing and issue two copies of the Payroll Standard accreditation licence and/or the Pensioner Payroll Standard accreditation licence. HMRC requires the licence to be signed and returned to the Scheme Manager.
On receipt of the signed copies of the licence(s), the Scheme Manager will also sign them and return a copy together with the accreditation certificate and an electronic copy of the Payroll Standard accreditation logo and/or Pensioner Payroll Standard accreditation logo. Having been granted a licence to use the accreditation logo(s) they can be displayed within your marketing material. Please note that only the product that has been officially evaluated by HMRC may display the accreditation logo(s) and that once awarded the logo is non-transferable to any other payroll product or service.
The software developer must keep their accredited software up to
date and accurate, in accordance with the relevant legislation, and the Payroll
Standard and/or the Pensioner Payroll Standard during the period of accreditation.
This is in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Payroll Standard
Accreditation scheme and/or Pensioner Payroll Standard Accreditation scheme.
Before the end of the current accreditation period we will issue a reminder to the software developer to ask if they want to renew their accreditation. If the renewal notification is returned the accreditation renewal process will begin.
This process involves an on-site visit only in which we will check that your accredited payroll software still meets the requirements of the Payroll Standard and/or the Pensioner Payroll Standard.
If renewal of accreditation is not awarded you must cease use of the logo(s)
from the end of the current accreditation period.
Policing / Monitoring the use of Accreditation logo(s)
The Payroll Support Team will police accredited/non accredited software and monitor the use of the logo(s) on payroll software products and services. This will be achieved by:
- spot checks on accredited products to ensure that updates required during the 12 month accreditation period have been correctly incorporated. If we find that the product does not meet the Payroll Standard, the authority to use the logo(s) will be cancelled immediately.
- checking products in the market place to ensure that only those products that have been accredited actually display the logo(s)
