Our blogs

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...

Charities and employment allowance

Is your charity missing out on £10,500 of free money?

For UK charities, not-for-profits, and community interest companies, managing a tight budget is a constant balancing act. Every penny saved on administration is a penny that can be redirected straight into your frontline services and core mission. In the current...

The future of hospitality payroll

The future of hospitality payroll

Protecting your hospitality margins amid the 2026 cost crisis With one third of the hospitality sector now operating at a loss, managed outsourced payroll and tronc management isn’t just day-to-day administration; it’s a survival strategy. Running a hospitality business right...

The definition of a car for income tax

What is a ‘car’ for income tax purposes?

Ask most people to define a car, and they’ll look at you like you’ve lost the plot. Four wheels, an engine, you drive it. Done. Ask HMRC the same question, and you’ll get a very different answer – one that...

Staff Survey

Stress Awareness Month is a good time to ask – how does your team really feel?

April is Stress Awareness Month. It is a moment the HR and wellbeing world tends to mark with statistics about burnout and articles about resilience techniques. All of that is useful. But we wanted to do something a bit different...

6 years holiday pay records

Holiday pay record-keeping – the rule change that snuck up on employers

The Employment Rights Act 2025 has generated a lot of noise. Day one unfair dismissal rights. Fire and rehire reforms. The Fair Work Agency. All of it warranted, all of it well-documented. But buried in the detail of the Act,...

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