YOUR FINAL PAYROLL-ENDING AND STARTING YOUR TAX YEAR CORRECTLY

Your Final Payroll-Ending your tax year correctly
With Payroll Modernisation, it is the date that your employee is paid, that is the most important date and not when the employee has worked. This payment date determines the pay period in which wages are paid and therefore determines if you will have a Week 53 in any given Tax Year.

Week 53 occurs where 1 January and 31 December are paydays and a total of 53 pay days arise in the year. Similarly, in a leap year, ‘week 53’ occurs where a pay day falls on 1 or 2 January and 30 or 31 December and there are 53 pay days in the year.

If you are processing wages for employees who worked in December, but you are actually making the payments in January, then these wages must be run in the new years' Payroll software, using the employees RPN’s released in the new Tax year.
Any payments that you make to your employees dated from the 1st January onwards must be reported to
Revenue in the relevant Tax Year as the tax liabilities will be incurred in that Tax Year.

For example, if you are processing your Final December wages on the 28th December 2021, but your employees actually receive the payment on the 2nd January 2022, then Revenue will consider this to be a 2022 payment and must be recorded in your 2022 Payroll Software.

You must make sure that all of your 2021 wages are actually paid to your employees before the 1st January 2021, with one small caveat here.
If your normal payday coincides with the 1st January, which is a banking holiday, then, as per Revenue you are allowed to pay the wage the previous banking day. So let us use 2020 as an example. The normal pay day is on a Friday and the last December wages would be due to be paid on the 1st January 2021. This can be paid on the 31st December 2020, HOWEVER, this must still be captured as Week 1 wage on the 1st January 2021 in the 2021 Payroll Software

Revenue also published a Hot Topics document about this issue and while the document refers to the transition of 2018 to 2019, the same principles apply as rollover from 2021 to 2022 and so on.

For more information please refer to Page 83, section 10.12 of the new 2019 “Employers Guide to PAYE” published by Revenue.




It is vitally important that you select the correct payment date. Your Payment Date is used to determine what tax credits and cut off points are to be used for cumulative calculations by specifying the week number (or month number) up to which credits are calculated.

The Payment Date is the date on which the employer is due to process the wages and make the payment to the employee.

Note: Under PAYE Modernisation the Payment Date now has special significance because all employers are now required to file their Payroll SubmissionOn or Before” the payment date. Failure to do so is in breach of the new regulations and may incur penalties.


Breakdown of payment dates and paydays for running weekly wages 2021 & 2022:





Payment day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Weekly
Fortnightly
2021
2022
2021
2022
2021
2022
2021
2022
2021
2022
Week 1
Period 1
4 Jan
3 Jan*
5 Jan
4
6 Jan
5
7 Jan
6
1 Jan *
7
Week 2
Period 1
11
10
12
11
13
12
14
13
8
14
Week 3
Period 2
18
17
19
18
20
19
21
20
15
21
Week 4
Period 2
25
24
26
25
27
26
28
27
22
28
Week 5
Period 3
1 Feb
31
2 Feb
1 Feb
3 Feb
2
4 Feb
3
29
4
Week 6
Period 3
8
7
9
8
10
9
11
10
5 Feb
11
Week 7
Period 4
15
14
16
15
17
16
18
17
12
18
Week 8
Period 4
22
21
23
22
24
23
25
24
19
25
Week 9
Period 5
1 Mar
28
2 Mar
1Mar
3 Mar
2
4 Mar
3
26
4
Week 10
Period 5
8
7
9
8
10
9
11
10
5 Mar
11
Week 11
Period 6
15
14
16
15
17
16
18
17
12
18
Week 12
Period 6
22
21
23
22
24
23
25
24
19
25
Week 13
Period 7
29
28
30
29
31
30
1 Apr
31
26
1 Apr
Week 14
Period 7
5 Apr
4
6 Apr
5
7 Apr
6
8
7
2 Apr
8
Week 15
Period 8
12
11
13
12
14
13
15
14
9
15
Week 16
Period 8
19
18
20
19
21
20
22
21
16
22
Week 17
Period 9
26
25
27
26
28
27
29
28
23
29
Week 18
Period 9
3 May
2 May
4 May
3
5 May
4
6 May
5
30
6
Week 19
Period 10
10
9
11
10
12
11
13
12
7 May
13
Week 20
Period 10
17
16
18
17
19
18
20
19
14
20
Week 21
Period 11
24
23
25
24
26
25
27
26
21
27
Week 22
Period 11
31
30
1 Jun
31
2 Jun
1 Jun
3 Jun
2
28
3
Week 23
Period 12
7 Jun
6
8
7
9
8
10
9
4 Jun
10
Week 24
Period 12
14
13
15
14
16
15
17
16
11
17
Week 25
Period 13
21
20
22
21
23
22
24
23
18
24
Week 26
Period 13
28
27
29
28
30
29
1 Jul
30
25
1 Jul
Week 27
Period 14
5 Jul
4
6 Jul
5
7 Jul
6
8
7
2 Jul
8
Week 28
Period 14
12
11
13
12
14
13
15
14
9
15
Week 29
Period 15
19
18
20
19
21
20
22
21
16
22
Week 30
Period 15
26
25
27
26
28
27
29
28
23
29
Week 31
Period 16
2 Aug
1 Aug
3 Aug
2
4 Aug
3
5 Aug
4
30
5
Week 32
Period 16
9
8
10
9
11
10
12
11
6 aug
12
Week 33
Period 17
16
15
17
16
18
17
19
18
13
19
Week 34
Period 17
23
22
24
23
25
24
26
25
20
26
Week 35
Period 18
30
29
31
30
1 Sep
31
2 Sep
1 Sep
27
2
Week 36
Period 18
6 Sep
5
7 Sep
6
8
7
9
8
3 Sep
9
Week 37
Period 19
13
12
14
13
15
14
16
15
10
16
Week 38
Period 19
20
19
21
20
22
21
23
22
17
23
Week 39
Period 20
27
26
28
27
29
28
30
29
24
30
Week 40
Period 20
4 Oct
3 Oct
5 Oct
4
6 Oct
5
7 Oct
6
1 Oct
7
Week 41
Period 21
11
10
12
11
13
12
14
13
8
14
Week 42
Period 21
18
17
19
18
20
19
21
20
15
21
Week 43
Period 22
25
24
26
25
27
26
28
27
22
28
Week 44
Period 22
1 Nov
31
2 Nov
1 Nov
3 Nov
2
4 Nov
3
29
4
Week 45
Period 23
8
7
9
8
10
9
11
10
5 Nov
11
Week 46
Period 23
15
14
16
15
17
16
18
17
12
18
Week 47
Period 24
22
21
23
22
24
23
25
24
19
25
Week 48
Period 24
29
28
30
29
1 Dec
30
2 Dec
1 Dec
26
2
Week 49
Period 25
6 Dec
5
7 Dec
6
15
7
9
8
3 Dec
9
Week 50
Period 25
13
12
14
13
22
14
16
15
10
16
Week 51
Period 26
20
19
21
20
29
21
23
22
17
23
Week 52
Period 26
27
26
28
27

28
30
29
31
30
Week 53
Period 27
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
NO WEEK 53 WAGE
31Dec
Week 53 Wage
NO WEEK 53 WAGE


Taxation Basis in a Week 53

Generally, wages run in a Week 53 will be taxed on a Week 1 taxation basis. The exception is where an employee is currently being taxed on an Emergency Taxation basis- refer to the below table.


Payroll Basis
Weekly Paid
Fortnightly Paid
4 Weekly Paid
Payroll is currently operating on a Cumulative Taxation basis
Run Week 53 with a Week 1 taxation basis
Run Week 53 with a Week 1 taxation basis
Run Week 53 with a Week 1 taxation basis
Payroll is currently operating on a Week 1 Taxation basis
Continue with Week 1 Taxation basis
Continue with Week 1 Taxation basis
Continue with Week 1 Taxation basis
Payroll is currently operating on an Emergency Taxation basis
Continue to apply the Emergency Basis
Continue to apply the Emergency Basis
Continue to apply the Emergency Basis






Where ‘Week 53’ occurs, the employer should use tax credits and the cut-off point against that payment on a non-cumulative basis (week 1/month 1 basis) as per the following table:


Pay day falling on 31 December ( or in a leap year, on 30 or 31 December)
Number of pay days in a Tax Year is:
Taxation basis is:
53 Weekly
Week 1 as per the above table
27 Fortnightly
Week 1 as per the above table
14 four-Weekly
Week 1 as per the above table




LPT Deductions in Week 53
Where an extra pay period occurs in the year, for example, 53 weekly pay periods, Collsoft Payroll will deduct the total amount due over 52 weeks, leaving the 53rd week free of LPT deduction.


In Collsoft Payroll, LPT is calculated and deducted as per the following table:




Pay Frequency
LPT Calculations and Deductions
Weekly
52 deductions
Fortnightly
26 deductions
Four- Weekly
13 deductions
Monthly
12 deductions


Your first Payroll-starting your tax year correctly
It is important that the initial pay period is set up correctly as this will affect each subsequent pay period and may create an issue at the end of the Tax Year if set incorrectly in the initial period.

Many employers will normally return from their Christmas Holidays on the 1st Monday of the Year, which is often not the 1st January. Then payroll is normally run in the second week of January.
From a Revenue perspective, Payroll Week 1 dates from 1 January to 7 January. Remember this is the payment date not the period worked, so if your payment date is between the 8th and 14th January, then this is considered to be a Week 2 pay date. You can again refer the Breakdown of Pay dates created earlier on in this document.
Under the PAYE regulations, employees are entitled to tax credits up to the date of payment, so in the event that you do not have any wages run in Week 1, but start in Week2, then the employees would be entitled to two weeks tax credits.

We strongly advise against capturing wages in the incorrect Revenue Week. Revenue have made changes to submission, effective from January 2020. All submission now include both the payment date and the week number.

Tax must be deducted or refunded in accordance with the Tax credits and Standard rate cut-off points and the Tax rate applicable at the time the payment is made. This is true, even if all or apart of the wage was earned or treated as earned in a previous or coming tax Year. Excerpt from Revenue’s Employer’s Guide to PAYE. See section 10.1 on page 68

Weekly pay should be regarded as paid on the same weekday throughout the Year. For example, where the normal Pay day is on a Friday, but one pay day is changed to the previous Thursday, the following day (Friday) should still be regarded as the pay day for the purpose of determining the income Tax Week. Excerpt from Revenue’s Employer’s Guide to PAYE. See section 10.1 on page 68

Choose the income Tax week in which the initial payment will be made. This will be the actual day of payment and NOT when the work was carried out. Refer to Revenue Tax Weeks and Months or the earlier Breakdown of Pay Dates Table.

How to start your first Pay Period
When you run your first Payroll in the Software, you will be shown the “First Pay Period” Wizard where you will be able to specify the starting Week number, the first Payment Date and the Period Ending Date
In Collsoft Payroll, select the first normal pay day (as it would usually be) for the first payment in the payroll Year. This must be the actual day of payment and NOT when the work was carried out.


CollSoft Payroll will automatically align the day and Tax week entered to appropriate income tax week based on the above weekday and date entered.




How to start your payroll with a Week 2 payment date



When you run your first Payroll in the Software, you will be shown the “First Pay Period” Wizard where you will be able to specify the starting Week number, the first Payment Date, and the Period Ending Date.
To use a Week 2 Payment date as your first date in the new Tax Year, please do the following:

1. Select the Day of the week that your employees are paid- in this example, we are using Friday.
2. Change the starting Week Number to 2- you will be warned about skipping Week 1, but you can ignore this message in this instance.
3. The payment date will be automatically set to the second Friday of the year- in this example, it is the 11th January 2022.
4. Change the Period Ending date to reflect the period that you are paying the wages for. This date will determine how these payroll runs are reported in the various management reports within Payroll



In terms of PRSI, as the employee will not be paid in Week 1, one of the following options should be used to correctly record the insurable weeks for PRSI purposes:

1. The employer can submit a “NIL” pay value payroll submission in Week 1, showing 1 insurable Week
2. The employer can report 2 insurable weeks (PRSI) on the payroll submission for the Week 2 pay date.


We would recommend that you take the second option and allocate 2 insurable weeks for your wages run in Week 2. Each payroll entry can be edited and the “insurable weeks” increased from 1 to 2 as shown below:
Creation date: 20/11/2020 10:07      Updated: 12/11/2021 10:12
Files
2nd Pay period.png
31 Dec Payment date.png
Changing Insurable Weeks.png
First Pay Period Wizard.png
LPT Week 53 Table.png
Pay Period Set-up wizard.png
Taxation Week 53 Table.png
Wage screen.png
Week 2 Pay Period Set-up.png
Week 53 Table.png