Partner Article

Payroll providers urged to hook up with an online solution

A number of payroll providers across the UK have already signed up to use national pensions consultancy, LEBC Group’s (LEBC) online auto-enrolment tool aecomply.com and other providers are being urged as a matter of urgency to look for an online solution to auto-enrolment for their clients before it is too late.

The payroll providers using LEBC’s æComply have come in all shapes and sizes, for example bureau, accountant or bookkeeper and this has already empowered them to talk to their own clients with confidence about running their auto-enrolment schemes.

Glynn Jones, Divisional Director at LEBC says, “As a firm we’ve been talking about auto-enrolment for a good three years but of course it’s only in the last 3-6 months that SMEs are really starting to listen. What has been very interesting is that recently, three new LEBC employer clients have all said something very similar, ie if their existing payroll provider can’t assist them with auto-enrolment then they would consider switching to a payroll provider that can.”

Among those already using æComply are members of the International Association of Book-keepers (IAB), which partnered with LEBC earlier this year.

“The feedback we are getting from our members is that æComply has given them a competitive advantage over those who don’t use such a system,” said Malcolm Trotter, Chief Executive of the IAB.

“They also like its flexibility, in that it helps them create auto-enrolment solutions for clients of all sizes.”

Glynn Jones concluded, “So our message is, if you are involved in running a payroll please don’t assume that auto-enrolment will just pass you by. Consider a strategic partner, look at what your software provider is doing but at the very least you should recognise that if you don’t mention auto-enrolment to your clients, somebody else probably will.”

The International Association of Book-keepers is the leading UK and international professional body for those providing bookkeeping and related accounting services to small businesses. Through its broad range of Ofqual accredited qualifications and its CPD activities, the IAB aims to meet an extensive range of financial skills needed by young people and adults and to provide essential business skills for those starting up or developing a small business.

In 2013 LEBC launched ‘æComply’ an automatic online enrolment tool that enables all employers, regardless of size, to manage their short and long-term compliance requirements and subsequently reduce the risk of thousands of employers incurring unnecessary non-compliance fines.

In February 2014, LEBC upgraded ‘æComply’ to include a ‘retro fit’ solution to help those businesses that have not met or are not meeting their auto-enrolment commitments for whatever reasons. This includes businesses that have been unsuccessful in meeting the strict compliance rules or have not met their staging dates and have subsequently fallen foul of The Pensions Regulator.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by LEBC Group Ltd .