January is the best time of year to change your payroll

2nd January 2019

Happy new year! The new year symbolises a fresh start, and for many of you this may also mean a fresh start for your payroll processing. Of course, in any month you may decide that it’s time to make a change for a variety of reasons. But we believe January is a brilliant time to start anew.

Here’s why:

1. New year, new you! Or, new year, new payroll. Starting 2019 with a clean slate for your business means it’s a great time to overhaul your systems and processes and re-asses whether or not you’re getting things done in the best, most efficient and accurate ways possible.

2. Christmas disasters. The last payroll of 2018 will have gone one of two ways: either it went smoothly and everyone was happy, or it was a complete disaster. There is not a worse time for payroll errors to happen than at the end of the year, when everyone is feeling the monetary strain of Christmas and is in need of that final payslip of the year. Additionally, for most businesses there is a particularly long wait between December and January’s paydays, so it’s even more crucial it goes to plan. If it didn’t, you are undoubtedly starting the year with some very unhappy employees, and assuring them that you’re changing your payroll processes going forward will be reassuring for them.

3. The new financial year is right around the corner. If you change your payroll provider in January, you will have time for a smooth implementation to ensure everything is in order before the new financial year begins. Leave it much later than January and the pressure will start piling and there may still be uncertainty as to how your new system works come April 6^th.

4. Summer sneaks up. If you leave changing your payroll provider until after the new financial year begins, you are then on the cusp of summer. This is a notoriously unsettled time for businesses, as many of your staff will be on holiday. It’s not the best time to implement a major new process or system.

5. Dare we say the C word? No, we don’t want to mention Christmas in January!!! But it has to be acknowledged that after the summer, the festive period will inevitably come hurtling towards us all at full speed. It can be the busiest time of year for many businesses, and it’s unlikely that on top of this you want to be introducing and learning a new payroll system.

The fact of the matter is that it’s always the right time to ensure you’ve got a reliable, compliant and secure way of processing your payroll. Dedicate some time to this during January and you’ll find the rest of 2019 is better for you and your employees.