Our blogs

Fair Work Agency

The Fair Work Agency is here – what it means for your payroll

If you have been keeping one eye on employment law over the last year or so, you will have seen the Fair Work Agency coming. It launched on 7 April 2026, and for the first time, the enforcement of workers’...

Salary sacrifice

Why salary sacrifice is not as simple as you think

Most employers know the basic idea of salary sacrifice. The employee gives up some salary and gets a benefit instead – everyone saves on tax and National Insurance. Unfortunately, like many things in payroll, salary sacrifice isn’t as simplistic as...

Payrolling of benefits

How payrolling benefits in kind works – and the cash flow problem hiding in the detail

UPDATED 15th JUNE 2026 following HMRC announcement of phased implementation Mandatory payrolling of Benefits in Kind (BiKs) is now to be phased in, with the most common benefits of company cars, vans, fuel and private medical and dental benefits coming...

EV charging and tax

Charging points for electric cars – what every employer needs to know about the tax

If you have been thinking about installing EV charging points at your workplace, you are in good company. As more of your team make the switch to electric, the question of whether to put chargers in at the office, the...

Employment rights act - hospitality

The Employment Rights Act – what it really means if you run a pub, restaurant or hotel

If you have been running a hospitality business for any length of time, you will know that the legislation rarely leaves you alone for long. The Allocation of Tips Act in October 2024. The employer NIC hike in the April...

The importance of learning at work for Ascend Payroll

Learning at Work Week – what learning really looks like at Ascend Payroll

Learning at Work Week is a good moment to stop and think about what learning actually means in practice. Not just in theory, but day to day, in the middle of a busy payroll operation, whilst juggling multiple clients, hard...

Pension contribution tiers

What the pension contribution tiers actually mean for your payroll

Workplace pension contributions might seem straightforward on the surface – an employer pays in, an employee pays in, and the pension pot grows. But the mechanics of how those contributions are calculated are more nuanced than many payroll teams, and...

hidden costs draining your hospitality payroll

The hidden costs draining your hospitality payroll

If you run a hospitality business today, your payroll is rarely simple and predictable. It is a constantly moving target. You’re working with a mix of salaried managers, weekly paid bar staff, casual workers covering seasonal shifts and often agency...

Why charities need a specialist payroll provider

Why charities need specialist payroll support

As a charity or not-for-profit organisation, every donation counts; it not only goes to fund your cause but also keeps the lights on, wages paid, and storefronts open. Making sure that your costs and outgoings are well managed is essential...

International password day 2026

Beyond the password – how ascend and elementary are rethinking security for payroll data

Every year on the first Thursday of May, the security community marks International Password Day. This year’s theme goes further than encouraging stronger passwords. It is about moving beyond them altogether. For those of us working with payroll data, that...

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