Payroll Year-End: What Employers Must Do Before end of April

The 2024/25 tax year has officially ended, but that doesn’t mean payroll duties are done. If you're an employer, now’s the time to complete your year-end submissions and prep for the new tax year. Here's what you need to do if you haven’t already, and if you're looking ahead, this can also serve as a helpful guide for your payroll year end 2025 planning.

1. Submit Final FPS (If Not Already Done)

The Full Payment Submission (FPS) is what tells HMRC how much you’ve paid your employees and the last one of the tax year is especially important.

If you haven’t submitted your final FPS for the year ending 5 April, don’t panic, but do it as soon as possible. Most payroll software will have a checkbox to mark it as your ‘final submission for the year’.

Here’s what to do:

• Go into your payroll software and send the last FPS.

• Make sure the 'final submission' box is ticked.

• If it’s late, you’ll need to choose a reason for the delay (your software should guide you through this).

• You may still face a penalty, but late is better than not at all.

If you didn’t pay anyone in the final period, you might need to send an Employer Payment Summary (EPS) instead.

RELATED: What is the Payroll Payment Process Like? (Step-by-Step)

2. Send EPS and Issue P60s

Even after the payroll year end date on 5 April, there are still a couple of key tasks to wrap up.

First, send an Employer Payment Summary (EPS) if you:

• Didn’t pay anyone in the final payroll period

• Need to claim things like Statutory Sick Pay or Employment Allowance

• Had CIS deductions to report

This tells HMRC about adjustments not included in your regular payroll reports. The deadline is 19 April, so don’t leave it too late.

Second, you’ll need to give all employees who were on your payroll at the end of the tax year a P60. This shows their total pay and deductions for the year. You’ve got until 31 May to issue these, and most payroll software can create them for you.

Double-check all the employee details (like names and NI numbers) before sending them out to avoid any confusion later.

RELATED: How Long Does It Take for Payroll to Process?

3. Prepare for the New Tax Year

Once you’ve finished your payroll year-end checklist, it’s time to get set for the new tax year starting 6 April. Make sure your payroll software is updated with the latest tax codes, NI thresholds, and student loan plans. 

Double-check that employee records are accurate and ready to go, especially if there were any changes over the past year. A quick review now helps avoid errors when running April payroll.

What We Think

We believe the payroll year-end process could be much easier for small business owners if the system was clearer and less rushed. A lot of people feel unsure about what needs doing and when, and that’s not their fault.

From what we’ve seen, many businesses try their best to stay compliant, but they often feel overwhelmed by deadlines and technical terms. That’s why we think it’s time payroll stopped being something stressful and became something simple and manageable instead.

With the right support and reminders, year-end can be just another step instead of last-minute panic.

How JAFA Can Help

At JAFA, we’re here to make payroll feel easier - not harder.

We’ll let you know about important deadlines and help you stay on top of final submissions, employee records, and tax year updates before they become a problem.

And if you’re unsure about any part of the process, our team is always on hand to explain things in plain English and guide you through it. Whether you run payroll yourself or want us to take care of it for you, we make sure nothing slips through the cracks, so you can move into the new tax year with confidence.

Contact our expert accountants based in Birmingham, UK, either by booking a FREE discovery call or calling us on +44 121 227 6277.