Payroll bureaus often have to deal with significant volumes of Bacs payments on behalf of their customers. Typically, these may include both Direct Debit (payments taken from customers) and Direct Credit payments (payments delivered to employees) within the total number of transactions completed.
The latest data from the Office of National Statistics demonstrates that there were around 30.3 million payrolled employees in the UK during March 2026, with 80-90% of these, or 24-27 million employees, being paid by Direct Credit.
Such large numbers of Bacs payments require efficient, effective and secure payment processing software and expertise, which payment bureau software providers can provide.
In this article, we help you answer the question: How will my payroll bureau correspond with HMRC? Plus, we explain what RTI, FPS and EPS are and why these elements are important for seamless payroll processing.
Contents
- How will my payroll bureau correspond with HMRC?
- RTI, FPS and EPS explained.
- Discover your best-fit payroll bureau software with Interbacs.
How will my payroll bureau correspond with HMRC?
A payroll bureau is a third-party provider who delivers services connected to the management and processing of payroll for businesses. One of the main purposes of a payroll bureau is to manage time-consuming and sometimes complex payroll processing tasks on a business’s behalf.
Payroll bureaus are likely to be in regular contact with HMRC as they need to fulfil a legal obligation to submit mandatory reporting and tax administration information. This communication with HMRC is essential in terms of ensuring that payroll processing is legally compliant and completed under transparent conditions.
Connecting and communicating with HMRC is likely to be done digitally today, using payroll bureau software to transmit important payroll information. Generally, a payroll bureau will act on behalf of more than one business, so using specialised systems helps increase security when it comes to sensitive payment data.
RTI, FPS and EPS explained
When processing payment information, payment bureaus may find they have to deal with intricate, sensitive data which calls for custom payment workflows, ad-hoc payments or differing frequencies. This is where payment bureau software delivers productive and time-reducing features to support consistent processing.
The whole system integrates a variety of tools to ensure payments are completed successfully, including:
HMRC’s Real Time Information (RTI) system
The RTI or Real Time Information system is the official digital apparatus that is used to report payroll taxes to HMRC in the UK. This is the method that employers use to submit employees’ pay details, tax deductions and National Insurance contributions to HMRC when employees are paid.
Rather than at the end of the tax year, these details are sent to HMRC through the RTI system every payday using approved official software that is capable of safeguarding the confidential personal information of employees and employers.
Notably, RTI uses two submission procedures to ensure the process is smooth and safe:
Full Payment Submission (FPS)
A Full Payment Submission or FPS is an information set which is sent to HMRC on or before a payday. The FPS contains data which shows who has been paid, the person’s earnings and any tax or National Insurance deduction details.
Employer Payment Summary (EPS)
The EPS is a report that is part of the RTI system and aligns with the FPS. This report doesn’t inform HMRC directly about employee pay, but rather it details any adjustments or situations that impact what the employer owes HMRC. It’s submitted separately from the FPS and isn’t shared with HMRC as frequently.
A business would need to submit the EPS to HMRC if certain situations arise, such as:
- You have a period of inactivity that means you’re not paying your employees for an amount of time.
- You have no employee payments to make during a tax month.
- You need to reclaim statutory payments, such as maternity, paternity, parental bereavement or adoption pay.
- You want to notify HMRC that you’re eligible for Employment Allowance, which can be claimed once a year.
These are some of the ways in which your payroll bureau corresponds with HMRC. Your payroll bureau provider may also connect with the department in other ways but these are the main secure methods by which your payment processing information will be shared with them.
Explore more information about payment bureau software in this guide: What is payroll software?
Discover your best-fit payroll bureau software with Interbacs
Businesses acting on behalf of their customers face considerable challenges as they manage client transactions. Bureaus large or small, who require software to connect to Bacs, can manage any number of SUNs seamlessly within one solution. A great example is payroll bureau software from Interbacs.
Using Interbacs payroll bureau software provides protection, assurance and streamlining of operations for increased efficiency.
If you’d like to know more about payroll bureau operations, browse our article: How a payroll bureau handles your employee data securely.
Looking for payroll service support? Get in touch with our expert team for a friendly chat and to discover more about payroll bureau software.
