There are plenty of options when it comes to selecting payroll software for your business. Take a look at our guide to BrightPay and find out if it's right for you
BrightPay is created by Ireland's number one payroll software provider - Thesaurus Software. With over 30 years’ industry experience, we are committed to providing easy-to-use, accessible and cutting edge software solutions, supported by excellent customer service to SMEs across Ireland and the UK. The 11.3 version of BrightPay UK 2011/12 is available as a free download on our website. The tool is sometimes referred to as 'BrightPay UK 201112'. This free program is a product of Thesaurus Software Ltd. Commonly, this program's installer has the following filename: BrightPay.exe. The result was BrightPay (www.brightpay.co.uk). I created the first BrightPay release in a twelve month period and was responsible for all architecture, user interface design, business logic programming, data access programming, data source implementation, and the development and integration of multiple utilised web services. BrightPay is one of Ireland and the UK’s market payroll software providers for accountants and businesses helping your business comply with auto enrolment and run an efficient and accurate payroll. BrightPay is a payroll and auto enrolment software package designed with small to medium businesses owners and accountants as the focus. BrightPay prioritises simplicity and ease of use and their payroll software is used by over 100,000 employers across the UK and Ireland, and is supported by a growing team of 25+ people.
BrightPay is a payroll and auto enrolment software package designed with small to medium businesses owners and accountants as the focus.
BrightPay prioritises simplicity and ease of use and their payroll software is used by over 100,000 employers across the UK and Ireland, and is supported by a growing team of 25+ people.
BrightPay payroll software
Since launching in 2011, BrightPay has seen rapid growth, high levels of customer satisfaction and numerous award nominations. It’s clear to see that employers love BrightPay – read on to find out why.
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What is payroll software?
As a responsible organisation, it is your responsibility to ensure that at a specific time in every month or payment period, the large sums of money that will leave your bank accounts are sent securely to the correct employees in the correct amounts.
This is where payroll software comes in: automating and streamlines it the employee payment process, meaning less hassle for you or the business owner, and therefore more time to be productive elsewhere.
With the large amounts of rate and allowance changes, human error is to be expected. An automated, electronic system can help save your business time and money from these errors.
Payroll software functions can include the automatic calculation of witholdings and deductions, the generation of tax forms, processing direct deposits and more. By using payroll software, users can then save time and reduce manual errors when carrying out these tasks.
It is also worth mentioning that HM Revenue & Custom’s (HMRC) Real Time Information (RTI) has essentially made manual payroll running virtually impossible.
RTI requires that you send information to HMRC each time you run your payroll – and this data must be sent electronically, via an RTI compatible payroll system. If your business has not got an electronic payroll system yet, clearly, it is time to invest.
For more information on on the different types of payroll for different businesses, take a look at our small business payroll services page.
What services do BrightPay provide?
BrightPay has a huge amount of features available to users that will make sure your payroll operations are as efficient as possible. There is such a huge number of these features that this page will not be able to list all of them, so instead it will focus on some of the most notable ones.
Flexibility
One of the main aims of BrightPay is to be a flexible payroll platform – suitable for any employer.
Users can register an unlimited amount of employees on the software, with no additional pricing required, meaning that the platform will grow as your business does.
BrightPay’s software allows you to pay different users on different days, progress any employees forwards and backwards in the payroll year, and run different payment schedules side-by-side.
You will also have access to free, unlimited support by phone or email.
Additional features:
- Unlimited payments, additions and deductions on employee payslips
- Ability to print payslips on a variety of media, including popular stationary and A4/A5
Large number of features
BrightPay’s feature list is too long to list in full, however, some of the platform's key offerings are:
- Payments: can be done weekly, fortnightly, 4-weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly, and be based on basic, daily, hourly, piece and statutory pay
- Employee documentation: ability to print, export and send payslips, print P30, P32, P45 and P60 forms, as well as download and process P6, P6B, P9, SL1 and Sl2 employee coding notices
- View data: users can manage expenses and benefits as well as employee calendars and give holiday pay, view and manage starters and leavers via the software
While there are plenty of features on offer, BrightPay’s user interface visually prioritises the most frequent payroll tasks, showing or hiding other features according to their relevance.
In doing so, the software manages to be uncluttered and simple to use, meaning you and your staff can spend more time focusing on growing your business.
Real Time Information (RTI)
In a similar way to other elements of the platform, the implementation of Real Time Information (RTI) in BrightPay has been done with simplicity and flexibility in mind.
BrightPay will automatically create Full Payment Submissions (FPS) as your business progresses through the payroll year. Other submission types, including additional FPS, NVR, EPS and EU, can also be created when required.
Submissions as a whole have been made simple, too:
- Unsent submissions will be updated automatically as you change payment or employee details
- More than one submission can be sent at any given time
- The information within all submissions is shown in a user-friendly, clear format
In addition to these features, the platform will also store all HMRC communication logs, and in the event of any submission errors, will relay the information back to you in a simple and user-friendly format.
If your submission happens to be late, BrightPay will detect this and allow users to enter a ‘Late Reporting Reason’ for late FPS submissions.
Automatic enrolment
Since October 2018, all employers have, by law, been required to provide and automatically enrol employees into a workplace pension scheme.
Brightpay Uk 2021/22
More information can be found on the government website, but the main point is that employers must make contributions to employee’s pensions if all of the following requirements are met.
The employee:
- is classed as a ‘worker’
- is aged 22 up to the state pension age
- earns at least £10,000 a year
- usually works in the UK
Automatic enrolment functionality has been integrated into BrightPay, which includes setting up pension schemes, employee enrolment, communications, making contributions and viewing reports.
Using BrightPay’s software will ensure that your business will be fully compliant with any government legislation surrounding automatic enrolment. It can obviously be difficult to keep track of these changes, so taking advantage of BrightPay’s functionality is recommended.
BrightPay automates the process of auto enrolment, incorporating employee assessment, personalised auto enrolment letters/communications, opt-in and opt-out requests, postponement, refunds and more – all with various pension providers.
This functionality comes free of charge to customers alongside the software. Feel free to watch the video below to find out more about BrightPay’s auto enrolment functionality.
BrightPay standard pricing
BrightPay operate a simple pricing structure that's easy to understand and fir into your own business budget.
The Standard package is for a single employer with unlimited employees – see the table below for pricing.
| Version | Feature | Price |
| BrightPay Standard | Everything an employer will need to manage their payroll | £99 per year + VAT |
| Standard + BrightPay Connect | BrightPay Standard, cloud backup + employee self service | £148 per year + VAT |
| Standard Pro Bundle | BrightPay Standard, cloud backup + employee self service, Bright Contracts Standard* | £199 per year + VAT |
*Bright Contracts is a software package that allows employers to create tailored, professional-looking documents, including employment contracts and staff handbooks.
BrightPay free version
There is also a free package for a single employer and 3 employees, although functionality is relatively limited in comparison to the standard package.
- For micro businesses with up to 3 employees in the tax year (this includes leavers)
- Includes free email support but not any form of phone support – upgrade to standard version for this
- Does not include support for CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) or an employee’s Expenses and Benefits (this includes P11D) – upgrade to standard version for this
BrightPay for payroll bureaus and accountants cost
BrightPay’s Bureau package allows an unlimited amount of employers, suitable for payroll bureaus and accountants.
| Version | Feature | Price |
| BrightPay Bureau | Manage payroll for all clients | £229 per year + VAT |
| Bureau Pro Bundle 1 | BrightPay Bureau (5 installations), BrightPay Connect (10 employer pack), Bright Contracts Bureau* | £599 per year + VAT |
| Bureau Pro Bundle 2 | BrightPay Bureau (10 installations), BrightPay Connect (30 employer pack), Bright Contracts Bureau | £999 per year + VAT |
*Bright Contracts is a software package that allows employers to create tailored, professional-looking documents, including contracts of employment and staff handbooks.
BrightPay connect
BrightPay connect is an add-on to BrightPay’s payroll software that allows users to link their data to the cloud, thus introducing a large amount of extra functionality to the platform.
All data with be automatically synchronised with the cloud, and the Connect software will maintain a chronological history of backups. This data can be restored or downloaded at any time.
In addition, employees will be able to access a self service part of the platform. This will allow them to browse a history of their payroll and payslip data, view their payroll calendar, request annual leave and more.
Employees will also be able to view the details that you hold on them and request changes, from any computer, tablet or smartphone.
All of these changes with then synchronise with the cloud and flow through to your BrightPay software.
Brightpay Uk Download
BrightPay Connect safety
BrightPay Connect’s cloud software contains various security protection features that will protect your data from security issues such as:
- Data injection
- Authentication hacking
- Cross-site scripting
- Exposure flaws
The software itself is powered using up-to-date internet technologies and is hosted on Microsoft Azure to ensure performance and reliability.
BrightPay connect costs
For single employers, BrightPay Connect costs £49 per year. For bureau customers wishing to purchase several BrightPay Connect subscriptions for multiple employers, see below.
| Number of employers | Price | Number of employers | Price |
| 1 | £49 | 5 | £199 |
| 10 | £349 | 20 | £599 |
| 30 | £779 | 40 | £899 |
| 50 | £999 | ||
Compare payroll service quotes for your business
If you would like more information on BrightPay, or indeed any other payroll services, the best option is to speak directly to a supplier. Visit our guide on the other payroll software providers for more information regarding the options available to your business.
To speak to an expert and receive tailored quotes suitable for your business, fill in the form at the top of the page – the process is free, quick and easy and could even save your business money in the long term.
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BrightPay Payroll Software
Brightpay.co.uk Download
BrightPay is a payroll software that makes managing payroll quick and easy. The desktop-based payroll software is available for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X and can be installed on up to 10 PCs.
WINNER of Payroll Software of the Year 2018, Payroll Software of the Year 2019, Best Payroll Software 2020 and COVID-19 Hero (Supplier).
BrightPay is fully HMRC recognised, supports all RTI submission types and includes full auto enrolment functionality. New and improved features include integration with accounting software and the ability to batch process multiple employers at the same time.
BrightPay Connect
BrightPay Connect is an optional cloud add-on to the desktop payroll software that introduces powerful online features including an automated cloud backup, online employer dashboards, annual leave management, client payroll submission and approval and an employee self-service portal. The payroll itself is still processed on BrightPay's desktop application but the payroll information is stored online on a secure cloud server.
Watch our 90 second video or book a demo today to discover the benefits that BrightPay Connect offers payroll bureaus, employers and employees.
Multi-Award Winning Payroll Software
Payroll Journal Integration with Accounting Packages
BrightPay includes payroll journal API integration with a number of accounting packages, including Xero, Sage One, Quickbooks Online and many more. This allows users to send the payroll journal directly to the accounts software from within BrightPay.Seamless Batch Processing for Payroll Bureaus
BrightPay users have the ability to batch process multiple employers at the same time. Users can finalise payslips, check for coding notices and send outstanding RTI & CIS submissions for multiple employers at the same time.Direct API Integration with Pension Providers
BrightPay includes direct API integration with NEST, The People's Pension, Aviva and Smart Pension. This is a time saving feature in BrightPay that enables users to submit their workplace pension data to the pension provider from within BrightPay.Pay Employees & Subcontractors Through BrightPay
BrightPay’s integration with Modulr will give you a fast, secure and easy way to pay employees and subcontractors through BrightPay 2021/22. Eliminate the need to create bank files and the manual workload associated with making payments to employees and subcontractors.Improved Multi-User Remote Access
With BrightPay 2021/22 and BrightPay Connect, the software will carry out a 'version check' when opening the payroll to automatically detect if a more up to date version of the employer file is available. Plus, a new 'other users check' to prevent the risk of conflicting copies.Switching to BrightPay
BrightPay provides an import utility to bring across your company and employee details from a number of payroll packages including SAGE, IRIS, Moneysoft, QTAC, 12Pay, Star, HMRC Basic PAYE Tools and many more. Book a demo today to avail of a free consultation with our migration specialists.BrightPay Connect
With BrightPay Connect, employers have access to an online employer dashboard where they can view payslips, run payroll reports and manage employee leave. Payroll bureaus can request payroll data from their clients through the secure portal, seamlessly synchronising back to the payroll software.What customers are saying about BrightPay:
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