INTRODUCTION
 The purpose of these terms and conditions is to set out the nature, standards and costs of the payroll service that will be provided to you by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC).

CONTENTS

1.      About SALC

2.      Payroll service and charge rate

3.      Billing arrangements

4.      How to contact SALC

5.      Level of Service

6.      Data Protection

7.      What to do if you have a complaint

8.      Termination of agreement

1. ABOUT SALC
 Formed in 1950, SALC is a not-for-profit organisation supporting the first tier of local government.  At the core is knowledge and experience that protect, advise, and support the corporate interests of Suffolk’s local councils. Understanding this important layer of the public sector, and a proven record for providing member services, makes SALC the first port of call when it comes to local Council business.  

2. PAYROLL SERVICE AND CHARGE RATE

Our services including charges for payroll will be reviewed on annual basis, and any increase in charges will be notified to you before the 1 April of any financial year. The current charges for 2024-25 are as follows:

 

·        £7.50 plus VAT per month for a single employee where the Council has no staff eligible for pension and £4.00 per month for additional     employees.    

·        £8.00 plus VAT per month for a single employee where the Council has staff eligible for pension and £5.00 per month for additional     employees. 

 

   For a quarterly, half-yearly or yearly service, the annual cost is £38 plus VAT.


3. BILLING ARRANGEMENTS

You will be invoiced in arrears on a half-yearly basis, in September and March. 

4. HOW TO CONTACT SALC

Via the SALC portal

Use our dedicated email box:  payroll@suffolk-alc.gov.uk

Or contact our central admin team by phone:  01473 833713

5. LEVEL OF SERVICE

The SALC payroll service will include:

 

·        Processing of starters and leavers including the issue of P45s.

·        Calculation of employee pay and any additional pay including backpay and/or deductions.

·        Calculation of Tax and National Insurance contributions.

·        Calculation of pension contributions and submission where applicable.

·     Ensure all other deductions are made in accordance with statutory regulations e.g. statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay, student loans etc.    

·        Providing a payslip for your employees, which will be emailed in a PDF format and password protected.

·       Providing the employer with details of the amounts to be paid to HMRC for Tax and National Insurance, and the deadline dates for these payments.

·        Providing the employer with details of the amounts to be paid to the Council’s pension provider, and the deadline dates for these payments (if applicable) or setting up the direct debit instruction on the council’s behalf.

·        Submit a Full Payment Submission on the council’s behalf, to HMRC.

·        Submit an Employer Payment Summary to HMRC on the council's behalf even in the absence of an employee. 

·      In the absence of an employee SALC continues to make submissions on behalf of the council to avoid the council receiving any fines. 

·        Submit year end figures to HMRC on the council’s behalf and provide employee P60s.

·        Implementing any changes informed by HMRC such as minimum wage increase or National insurance fluctuations.

·        Issue statutory pension correspondence to all eligible jobholders/workers.

·        Securely store payroll records for 6 years.

To enable a complete and accurate service the employer will need to:

·        Complete an ‘Application of service’ form as provided by SALC.

·        Register as an employer with HMRC and provide SALC with your Employer and Accounts Office PAYE reference details.

·        Provide comprehensive details of employees by completing ‘New Employee’ and HMRC Starter forms as provided by SALC.

·        Provide a P45 and/or year-to-date figures, previous payslips, where applicable.

·        Advise SALC immediately of any employees leaving their employment.

·        In the event of a clerk leaving, update the point of contact with SALC and request if they want all correspondence associated with pay to be diverted elsewhere. 

·        Submit employee hours (if applicable) within PAYE reporting guidelines by the date received on the monthly bulletin. 

·        The period end date will be the last day of the month unless the council advises SALC otherwise.

·        Report any changes in circumstances regarding employee(s), i.e. change of address, change of name, change of email address.

·        Report any changes in hours worked, pay increases, hourly rate etc. 

·        Ensure payments to HMRC are paid according to deadlines provided. Employers can incur fines if payments are not received by HMRC in specified time frames.

·        Ensure that pension provision is in place, inform SALC if they have registered an employee for a pension scheme, for example LGPS and all eligible employees have been informed of their entitlement or when an employee becomes eligible speak to your payroll officer about enrolment. Details of Workplace Pension duties can be found at www.thepensionregulator.gov.uk.

To enable a complete and accurate service the employee will need to:

·        Inform us immediately if they receive a change of tax code

·        If their tax code looks incorrect, or their tax deduction/tax refund looks incorrect, call HMRC to ensure they are on the correct tax code

·        The employee can access their personal tax account  here .

All reports will be sent to one email address of your choosing. This can be updated at a later date to another singular email address. 

Please also ensure that we have your chair’s up to date contact details on file. 

6. DATA PROTECTION

SALC collects and stores data as part of this service provision and in line with our privacy policy available from our website here.  In relation to the provision of our payroll service, SALC collects and uses the following information: 

·        Name, postal address and email address of employee

·        National Insurance Number

·        HMRC information (tax code etc.)

·        Date of birth

·        Pension details (if applicable)

In the context of this service, SALC is a Data Processor and thereby processes data on your behalf. By signing this Service Level Agreement, you are giving your consent to SALC to this activity.

SALC uses Brightpay payroll software. Brightpay does not have access to your data files. 

7. WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT

Complaints about the level of service provided should be raised directly with the relevant member of the SALC team.  Our intention is to resolve most complaints at this level within 5 working days.

If this is not possible, the complaint should be directed to the Chief Executive Officer at SALC in writing – ceo@salc.org.uk.  The CEO will investigate the matter and reach a resolution, where possible, within 20 working days.

Comments about the services SALC provide are always welcomed.  If a member council is pleased with the services we have delivered, we like to record it.  Likewise, if there are any problems with any aspects of our service then please let us know. 

TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT

Either party may terminate the agreement by giving one months’ notice in writing. 

Following termination of the agreement, SALC will delete all personal data in its possession as provided in the agreement except to the extent that SALC is required by applicable law to retain some or all the personal data (in which case SALC will archive the data and implement reasonable measures to prevent the personal data from any further processing). The terms of this agreement will continue to apply to such personal data.