Adding up the benefits of a career in payroll

Did you know that September marks the start of National Payroll Week in the UK? 

Organised by CIPP, the Chartered Institute of Payroll professionals, this five-day event recognises and celebrates the vital role payroll staff play in ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time. 

The organisers also see it as a chance for people to boost their money skills through fun and informative events, helping them feel more confident about handling their finances. 

Why a career in payroll adds up 

All businesses and organisations that have paid staff on their books need a payroll function, whether inhouse or outsourced. 

And although payroll doesn’t spring to mind as an obvious sought-after career destination, it’s an occupation that has much to offer in terms of progression for the right person. 

It used to be that payroll staff ‘ended up in the job after doing something else admin or finance-related’, but these days there are clear dedicated pathways to a promising payroll career.  

Entrants can work their way up from junior assistant roles through supervisory and managerial positions and ultimately to director level, commanding annual salaries of more £75,000 reports CIPP. 

There are many accreditations and courses available along the way, with apprenticeships among the popular training options. Depending on any prior experience and academic qualifications, prospective apprentices can choose from the level 3 payroll administrator programme or the level 5 payroll administrator course. 

Payroll administrator apprenticeship  

This level 3 programme, trains apprentices for a range of occupations involving payroll, including bookkeeper, payroll adviser, payroll officer, payroll co-ordinator and of course, payroll administrator. Progression routes can include professional roles in areas such as workplace pensions, HR, accounting and taxation. 

Working to tight deadlines, the role calls for high degrees of accuracy, with payroll staff complying with statutory and contractual obligations to pay workers on time. And, while expected to have a working knowledge of systems and processes, apprentices misty also be able to do manual calculations. 

The programme has a typical duration to gateway of 18 months as well as a four-month EPA period and qualifies for funding of up to £10,000. Several colleges, local authorities and other training organisations are among the 20 providers currently delivering the programme.   

Much like the huge range of workplaces payroll functions serve the employers involved in creating the standard are extremely diverse. They include an NHS Trust, major retailers, local authorities, a recruitment business, chartered accountants and engineering group.     

Payroll assistant manager apprenticeship  

This level 5 apprenticeship prepares payroll personnel for senior, supervisory or managerial roles such as payroll team leader, senior payroll executive, senior payroll officer as well as payroll assistant manager.  

The course is usually two years long, with EPA typically taking four months. The standard attracts maximum funding of £11,000 and there are seven training providers offering it listed on the Gov.UK site. 

Found in all sectors and industries, this role calls for team leadership skills and – as with the level 3 apprenticeship – great attention to detail and technical know-how. Duties, for example, include analysing payroll workload and assuming and demonstrating direct responsibility for pay and benefit calculations in broadly defined and complex situations. 

As with the level 3 course, this standard’s creation has received input from an exceptionally broad range of employers including Sainsburys, Lancashire Police, Church of England, Cintra HR & Payroll Services, Howdens and NHS Payroll Services. 

Supporting your payroll apprentices with Onefile 

Apprentices working towards a career in payroll know all about the importance of ensuring people are paid the correct amount and on time. 

Learners, their training providers and employers also appreciate how much reliable software helps payroll professionals do their jobs.  

It’s something we at Onefile can relate to, with our edtech, systems and processes similarly taking the legwork out of everyday tasks and ensuring exacting deadlines and accuracy levels are met.  

Talk to us today about how Onefile can help support your learners.