Insights & guides
Straight answers on UK payroll & tax
No jargon, no fluff, practical guides for overseas employers hiring in the UK, and for contractors and landlords who need to file a tax return. Written by the people who do this for a living.
No jargon, no fluff, practical guides for overseas employers hiring in the UK, and for contractors and landlords who need to file a tax return. Written by the people who do this for a living.
Our 2026 checklist for hiring your first UK employee with no UK entity, the routes, the real costs, the compliance, and a first-30-days action list.
Get the guide → Overseas payrollThe whole picture in one place, the three routes (own PAYE, DPNI/DCNI, EOR), the real costs, your obligations and a realistic timeline, each linking to the detail.
Read the guide → ReferenceIncome tax, NI, statutory pay, minimum wage, student loan and pension thresholds for 2026/27, a clear, scannable UK payroll reference.
View the rates → UK payrollThe apprentice minimum wage, the employer NI saving from category H (under 25), and the Apprenticeship Levy, what actually changes in payroll, with a 2026/27 worked example.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollWhen do IR35 rules apply if you engage a UK contractor from abroad? The small-company exemption, who carries the SDS and PAYE, and how it differs from DPNI.
Read the guide → PayrollWhat benefits in kind are, the P11D and P11D(b), Class 1A NIC at 15%, the 6 July deadline, and why payrolling benefits becomes mandatory from April 2027.
Read the guide → PayrollThe year-end process in order, the final FPS/EPS, P60s by 31 May, P11Ds by 6 July, new tax-year codes, and what overseas employers must do.
Read the guide → Country guideUK PAYE vs the bulletin de paie, far lower employer charges than French cotisations, posted-worker rules, and why you usually need no UK entity.
Read the guide → Country guideUK PAYE/NI vs Irish PAYE/PRSI, Common Travel Area right-to-work, and the close-but-different details, same time zone, no UK entity required.
Read the guide → Country guideEmploy UK staff with no UK entity via DPNI, one PAYE deduction instead of TDS/PF/ESI, right-to-work basics, GBP pay and the time-zone overlap.
Read the guide → Country guideCPF vs UK NI and a separate pension, PAYE deduct-at-source vs settle-it-yourself tax, right-to-work, and why you usually need no UK entity.
Read the guide → Payroll & pensionsHow salary sacrifice cuts Income Tax and NI for both employee and employer, a clear 2026/27 worked example, what still qualifies, and the pitfalls to check.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollDo you owe UK statutory sick and family pay with no UK entity? The 2026/27 rates, who qualifies, and how much you can recover from HMRC.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollShare codes, the statutory excuse and a two-year record, how to check a UK hire's right to work before day one, and the fines if you don't.
Read the guide → PayrollThe £5,000 and £12,570 salary options, the Employment Allowance trap, and the new dividend rates, how owner-directors pay themselves efficiently.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollYes, you usually have to enrol UK staff in a workplace pension, even with no UK entity. The duties, the 8% minimum and qualifying earnings for 2026/27.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollDPNI covers tax and NI; DCNI is NI-only. What each scheme covers, who's responsible for the tax, and how to tell which one you actually need.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollA realistic timeline for an employer with no UK entity, why the DPNI scheme can't be opened online, and how to be ready for the first payday.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollThe complete guide. Compare the three routes side by side, estimate what a UK hire really costs, and see the UK employment essentials.
Read the guide → Country guidePAYE vs W-2, employer NI vs FICA, no at-will, the five differences that surprise American companies, and how to hire with no UK entity.
Read the guide → Country guidePost-Brexit right-to-work checks, lower employer costs than Sozialversicherung, no works councils, what German companies need to know.
Read the guide → Country guidePAYE vs PAYG, 3% pension vs 12% super, 5.6 weeks' holiday, the differences that matter, and how to hire with no UK entity.
Read the guide → Cost comparisonEOR platforms charge ~£500 per employee per month. Your own payroll costs a fraction, even with no UK entity. Interactive comparison inside.
Compare the numbers → Cost comparisonThe real hours, software costs and penalty risk of DIY, plus an honest panel on when doing it yourself genuinely makes sense.
See the honest maths → Country guidePAYE vs CPP/EI source deductions, T4 vs P60, 5.6 weeks' holiday vs 2–3, and how to hire with no UK entity.
Read the guide → Country guideFrom zero payroll tax to full PAYE: WPS vs RTI, gratuity vs pensions, and the on-costs to budget, the Gulf employer's guide.
Read the guide → Country guideLoonheffing vs PAYE, no vakantiegeld, lower employer costs than the Dutch stack, what changes post-Brexit.
Read the guide → Self AssessmentThe £1,000 property allowance, rent-a-room relief, what you can deduct, non-resident landlords, and the MTD timeline.
Read the guide → Self AssessmentRegistering by 5 October, your UTR, the records to keep, and the payments-on-account ambush every first-timer should see coming.
Read the guide → ReferencePAYE, RTI, FPS, DPNI, P60, qualifying earnings, every term you'll meet in plain English, plus the dates that matter.
Open the glossary → Overseas payrollRun your own UK payroll or use an EOR? The real difference, when each wins, and why a DPNI scheme is often the leaner middle path.
Read the guide → PayrollReporting payroll to HMRC in real time, what the FPS and EPS are, when each is due, and the on-or-before-payday rule that catches employers out.
Read the guide → Self AssessmentQuarterly digital updates are replacing the annual return for sole traders and landlords. The thresholds, the timeline, and what to do now.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollHow overseas companies can employ UK staff without a UK entity, what a DPNI/NI-only scheme is, when you need one, and how to set it up.
Read the guide → Overseas payrollSalary is only the start. Employer NI, pensions, the Apprenticeship Levy and more, the full cost of hiring in the UK, with 2026/27 numbers.
Read the guide → PayrollWhat employer NI is, the current rate and threshold, the Employment Allowance, and how to work out what you'll actually pay on a UK salary.
Read the guide → Self AssessmentWhen PAYE through an umbrella isn't the whole story, who needs to file Self Assessment, what you can claim, and how to avoid penalties.
Read the guide → PayrollFrom 6 April 2026 the responsibility for umbrella workers' PAYE moves to the recruitment agency. What's changing, the liability, and what to do now.
Read the guide →Ask us directly, we're happy to point you the right way, no obligation.
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