Sleepwalking bureaux

I’m increasingly worried that payroll service providers, particularly firms of accountants who offer payroll as a cheap add-on, are sleep-walking into huge reputational damage.

In the #newreality of the payroll and auto enrolment era, bureaux typically have too few qualified professionals, managing too much legislation for too many clients who pay too little to fund the level of service they actually require to remain fully compliant with all the regulations.

I believe that every single day some of the most highly respected firms of accountants are failing to provide a comprehensive and totally accurate payroll service to all of their clients. And, in an era when “naming and shaming” by HMRC and TPR is on the increase, firms won’t be able to sweep any problems under the table. 

“If you can’t even get my payroll right, how can I trust you with my personal and corporate tax affairs?” 

I’m not scaremongering here, this conclusion is founded upon years of detailed observation, working closely with some of the very largest firms of accountants and upon regular attendance at conferences and training courses when I am always astonished at the masses of incredibly detailed legislation which payroll professionals are expected to understand and manage.

The sooner that firms wake up to this potentially catastrophic threat to their business the sooner they can look forward to reduced risk, happier clients and greater profitability.

Barry Matthews

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