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CIPP you ’ re a large business that ’ s undergone a complicated merger or an SME that wants to ensure your small payroll team is operating under today ’ s requirements , the CIPP team will review payroll practices , and provide a status report . “ This can range from a ‘ well done , this is great ’ to a ‘ you must put these actions in place to make sure you are compliant ’,” Jason adds .
If the client does find they need assistance , the CIPP is there to support them . “ In the UK we have over 6500 members , but I know that there ’ s over 100,000 people involved in producing payroll ,” Jason asserts . “ I want to reach employers whose staff might be running payroll alongside other roles and let them know that we can help . There are a lot of businesses out there that may not be compliant , not deliberately so , just by virtue of not understanding how and when to apply the rules .
“ There are staff delivering payroll without any formal qualifications , and from a compliance point of view , it is vitally important to support them . Investing in educating staff mitigates the risk of non-compliance and expensive mistakes .
“ I can even give you an example where a staff member believed they were doing the right thing , but it could have had disastrous consequences . Tax ‘ K ’ codes were coming through ( which are typically for employees with company cars , who need to pay extra tax for that benefit ). Not realizing the significance , the individual was removing the K codes and returning them to standard tax codes . This is totally wrong and was creating a bigger problem further down the line . When the tax catches up , it will really hurt somebody . With taxes , it always catches up – you can ’ t ignore it .”
I can even give you an example where a staff member believed they were doing the right thing , but it could have had disastrous consequences
The CIPP facilitates learning at every stage , from level 3 admin right up to level 7 strategic , leader qualifications for industry , as well as delivering training when and how teams need it . The CIPP also delivers timely updates around significant changes such as the UK Budget or an election . Education around payroll ( not just its implementation but also as a career ) is a topic close to Jason ’ s heart and one he intends to promote as CEO . “ We have had our Royal Charter since 2011 and have offered individual chartered membership since 2017 ,” he explains . “ We have developed a career progression for payroll professionals in alignment to what you can do with accountancy , so that our most senior members are positioned with the same status as other careers associated with royal societies . It helps recognize the industry itself and the professionals within it , with the level of respect they deserve for the work that they ’ ve done .
“ A lot of what we ’ re doing right now is about designing the qualifications that suit the needs of the customer ,” he continues . “ The way we consume content is changing and there is a desire to learn online rather than in a classroom and consume bite size amounts of information rather than a lot at once .
“ I also want to help new entrants into the market understand payroll as a career choice . Many find themselves in payroll via accounts , but our message is that this is a rewarding career option . We have been working with young people on explaining all the elements of a payslip , for example , to give them insight into what goes into payroll .” ccemagazine . com 27