Payroll deadlines for 2025-2026

To ensure all pay related forms and expenses are submitted on time for processing, as well as all rosters finalised for payroll the below timetable needs to be adhered to.  We need the dates adhering to ensure all colleagues are paid correctly and on time.

These are absolute deadlines although we expect any form submitting at the earliest opportunity and leavers forms completing as soon as a resignation is received – depending on the band of the colleague this could be four, eight or 12 weeks in advance of the leaving date.

For rosters, absences for colleagues on health roster should be extended beyond the pay period, before rosters are locked to ensure the information sent to payroll is accurate. This means absences should be extended with an end date beyond the roster finalisation deadline to ensure the pay file extracted is correct and no end date is transferred to ESR incorrectly.  If a return date is unknown at the point of locking the roster, a future date can be put in as well as open ended being ticked (do not select open ended only as the date the pay extract is taken will be the date that goes to ESR as an end date).

Whilst delays and errors can lead to incorrect payments it also impacts hugely on colleagues health and wellbeing, creating financial worry and anxiety. As an organisation that places great emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, we need to pay colleagues the right amount at the right time and ensure advance requests and overpayments are kept to an absolute minimum.