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People Group Services Limited Company Number: 11570329 |
PAYE Reconciliation & HMRC Alignment Policy
1. Purpose
This policy establishes the framework by which People Group Services Ltd (“PGS”) ensures that all Pay As You Earn (PAYE), National Insurance Contributions (NIC), and statutory deductions are:
- Accurately calculated
- Correctly reported
- Fully reconciled with HMRC
- Supported by a complete and auditable record
The policy is designed to eliminate discrepancies, safeguard statutory funds, and protect all stakeholders from financial and regulatory risk, including Joint & Several Liability (JSL).
2. Scope
This policy applies to:
- All PAYE payroll operations undertaken by PGS
- All employees and contractors paid via PAYE
- All recruitment agencies, intermediaries, and MSPs engaging PGS
- All submissions made to HM Revenue & Customs under PAYE
3. Regulatory Framework
This policy operates in accordance with:
- PAYE Regulations
- HMRC Real Time Information requirements
- UK employment tax legislation
- Relevant audit and compliance standards
Including the Real Time Information (RTI) system governing payroll reporting.
4. Policy Statement
PGS operates a zero-variance reconciliation model.
At all times, the following must align exactly:
- Payroll gross-to-net calculations
- RTI submissions (Full Payment Submissions (FPS) and Employer Payment Summaries (EPS))
- HMRC account balances
No discrepancy, regardless of value, is acceptable.
Any variance is treated as a critical compliance exception and must be investigated and resolved immediately.
5. Reconciliation Framework
Payroll Calculation Validation
Each payroll cycle is subject to validation checks including:
- Tax code accuracy
- National Insurance thresholds and categories
- Pension contributions
- Statutory payments (SSP, SMP, SPP, etc.)
- Net pay outputs
RTI Submission Alignment
All RTI submissions must:
- Match payroll outputs exactly
- Be submitted within statutory deadlines
- Include accurate worker and payment data
Validation includes:
- FPS vs payroll report reconciliation
- EPS adjustments verification
- Timestamp and submission confirmation checks
HMRC Ledger Reconciliation
PGS reconciles:
- Total PAYE/NIC liability per payroll run
- Monthly cumulative liability
- HMRC digital account balances
Frequency:
- Weekly as a minimum
- Daily during high-volume processing periods
- Mandatory reconciliation prior to HMRC payment
Zero-Tolerance Variance Rule
- Permitted variance: £0.00
- No rounding tolerance
- No delayed adjustments
- No unresolved differences carried forward
6. Exception Management
Identification of Exceptions
Potential discrepancies may arise from:
- Incorrect tax code application
- Timing differences between payroll and HMRC processing
- Data input errors
- HMRC system anomalies
Escalation Procedure
All discrepancies must:
- Be logged immediately in the reconciliation register
- Be reviewed by the Compliance Team
- Be escalated to senior management within 24 hours if unresolved
Resolution Actions
Resolution may include:
- Corrective RTI submissions
- Payroll recalculations
- Direct liaison with HMRC
- Stakeholder notification where appropriate
7. Controls and Governance
Segregation of Duties
- Payroll processing and reconciliation are performed independently
- No single individual controls end-to-end processing
Dual Approval Controls
- All reconciliations are subject to secondary review
- HMRC payments require dual authorisation
System Controls
- Automated validation within payroll systems
- Locked payroll periods post-submission
- Full audit trail of all amendments
Audit Trail Requirements
Each payroll cycle must retain:
- Payroll reports
- RTI submission confirmations
- HMRC reconciliation outputs
- Exception logs and resolutions
8. Reporting and Transparency
PGS provides stakeholders with:
- Agency-level reconciliation summaries
- MSP-level consolidated reporting
- Worker-level payslip traceability
Where applicable, access is provided via:
- Real-time reporting dashboards
- Period-end compliance reports
- Audit-ready documentation packs
9. Compliance Alignment
This policy aligns with best practice standards recognised by:
- Professional Passport
- APSCo
10. Breach of Policy
Failure to comply with this policy may result in:
- Internal disciplinary action
- Immediate suspension of payroll processing
- Escalation to regulatory authorities where required
PGS enforces a zero-tolerance approach to reconciliation failures.
11. Review and Continuous Improvement
This policy is:
- Reviewed annually at Board level
- Updated in response to legislative or HMRC changes
- Continuously improved based on audit findings and operational data
Declaration
This Policy is approved by the Board of Directors of: People Group Services Limited Company Number: 11570329
Last updated: 24th March 2026

