The Practical Payroll Workshop

14 CPD hours

2 day

The Practical Payroll Workshop is a hands-on training day designed to build confidence in everyday payroll processing. You work through real examples, calculate pay and deductions manually, and learn how to handle common payroll situations from start to finish. It’s a practical course aimed at giving you the skills to run payroll accurately and understand what your payroll software is doing behind the scenes.

Who This Course Is For

Work in payroll or HR and want stronger practical skills
Are new to payroll and need guided, hands-on experience
Already use payroll software, but want to understand the manual calculations
Are returning to payroll work after a break
Want more confidence in checking payroll accuracy and resolving queries

What You’ll Achieve

Understand how gross pay, taxable pay and NI-able pay are built
Be able to calculate tax, National Insurance and other deductions manually
Know how to handle starters, leavers and common adjustments
Feel confident checking software output and spotting errors
Understand the workflow of a complete payroll cycle
Apply statutory rules to real payroll scenarios

How earnings and deductions are structured
What affects tax and NI calculations
How pay frequency impacts results
What payroll software calculates and why

Calculating PAYE tax using current thresholds
NI categories, limits and calculation methods
How to resolve issues such as unexpected tax changes

Starter information and P45 handling
Ensuring tax codes and NI details are correct
Pay adjustments during joining and leaving periods

Step-by-step pay calculations
Holiday pay basics
Overtime, bonuses and irregular pay

How to audit payroll output
Spotting incorrect calculations
Reconciling payroll records and making corrections

No. The course starts with the basics and builds up through practical examples. A basic competency in maths is required. You should be comfortable with calculations such as percentages, addition, subtraction, and basic payroll-related number work. The workshop builds on these skills to handle practical payroll tasks confidently.

Yes. Understanding the calculations behind the software helps you troubleshoot issues and check payroll accuracy.

Yes. You’ll receive notes and examples you can refer back to after the workshop.

This course is best experienced face-to-face to fully benefit from the hands-on exercises and practical learning. While some content may be delivered online, attending in person ensures you gain maximum confidence and understanding of payroll processes.

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