Retail payroll
Retail Payroll Services for Shops and Retailers
Weekly, fortnightly or monthly payroll for shops and retailers, including seasonal and young staff, from £2.50 + VAT per payslip.
Cardiff-based payroll bureau. Serving employers across the UK.
- Since 2011
- 500+ clients
- 5.0 on Google (16 reviews)
- ICO registered
- Hiscox insured
Retail payroll is shaped by the calendar. Staff numbers rise for Christmas and the sales, young part-timers move between age bands, and the busiest hours are often evenings and weekends. Payroll Service (UK) Ltd is a Cardiff payroll bureau that has run payroll for UK employers since 2011. You send us the hours, we get each employee’s pay right and handle HMRC, payslips and pensions, so your managers can stay on the shop floor.
Why retail payroll is different
Independent shops, multi-store retailers and franchisees share the same pressure points: part-time staff, a young workforce and seasonal peaks.
Age bands and apprentices
From 1 April 2026 the minimum rates are £12.71 an hour for 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20 and £8.00 for under 18s. Apprentices are paid at least £8.00 if they are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship, then the rate for their age. A birthday can change pay mid-year.
Seasonal and Christmas staff
Temporary staff for peak trading need setting up quickly and paying correctly. For staff you know will work for you for less than three months, auto-enrolment assessment can be postponed, provided you write to each of them within six weeks.
Sunday working
Most shop workers can opt out of Sunday working by giving notice, and employers who need Sunday work must tell staff in writing that they can opt out. There is no right to extra pay for Sundays unless the contract provides for it.
Holiday pay for variable hours
Part-time staff on variable hours, and seasonal staff who work only part of the year, are irregular-hours or part-year workers. For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, holiday can accrue at 12.07% of hours worked, or rolled-up holiday pay can be paid with each payslip.
Staff discounts
A staff discount on goods is generally not a taxable benefit, provided the employee pays at least what the goods cost you to provide. If staff can buy goods for less than that cost, a taxable benefit can arise and may need reporting.
Weekly pay, clear payslips
Many shop staff are paid weekly or fortnightly from rota hours, overtime and holiday taken. Payroll has to fit around the week’s trading, and payslips need to show clearly how pay was worked out.
Planning for peak trading
The weeks before Christmas are when retail payroll is most likely to go wrong. Temporary staff start at short notice, regular staff pick up extra hours, and the payroll date does not move.
Send us new starter details as soon as you have them: name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number if known, start date, pay rate and the answers from the HMRC starter checklist. We set each person up before their first pay run so that their first payslip is right. They are assessed for auto-enrolment, or postponed if you have chosen to use postponement, in line with the rules.
When the season ends, leavers are processed with their final pay, any holiday pay owed and a P45, at no extra charge. Staff you keep on after the peak simply stay on the payroll. Because pricing is per payslip, your payroll cost rises and falls with your headcount instead of staying fixed through the year.
What we handle for you
Everything a retailer needs from a payroll bureau, run by a named team in Cardiff.
- Weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly and monthly pay runs
- Age-band and apprentice rates, using the dates of birth and apprenticeship start dates you give us
- Sunday, overtime and late-shift premiums as separate pay elements
- Holiday pay for part-time, variable-hours and seasonal staff
- PAYE, National Insurance and student loan deductions
- RTI submissions to HMRC (FPS and EPS) every pay run
- Secure online payslips for every employee
- Starters, leavers and P45s, at no extra charge
- Pension auto-enrolment: assessment, enrolment, re-enrolment and contribution files for NEST, Smart Pension, People’s Pension and others
- Statutory pay: SSP, SMP, SPP and ShPP
- Attachment of earnings orders
- P60s and year end
- Payroll journals and reports for your bookkeeping
- A payment report so you stay in control of paying staff
How it works
Four steps, then the same simple routine every pay run.
Send us your details
Your employees, pay rates and pay frequencies, PAYE reference and pension scheme. Switching mid-year? We bring your year-to-date figures across.
Set up within 24 hours
Your payroll is set up within 24 hours of us receiving the information. We take over from any payroll software or provider.
Send hours each pay run
Send us rota hours, overtime, holiday taken, any deductions and new seasonal starters or leavers.
We process and report
We calculate pay, submit RTI to HMRC, deliver payslips and send you the payment report. You pay your staff; we handle the pension submission.
Simple per-payslip pricing
One price per payslip, so your payroll cost follows your headcount through the seasons.
- No setup fee and no contracts
- No extra charges for starters, leavers, P45s, P60s or year end
- Pension auto-enrolment included in the per-payslip price
★★★★★
“We have used Payroll Service for over 10 years… Nothing is too much trouble.”
We run payroll for employers in every sector. Retailers with a café or food counter may also find our page on hospitality payroll useful, as it covers tips and service charges. See all our payroll services or read how we work as a UK payroll bureau.
Retail payroll questions
Can you set up seasonal staff for Christmas?
Yes. Send us their starter details and we set them up before their first pay run. Starters, leavers and P45s are included in the per-payslip price, so a busy season does not bring extra charges.
Do seasonal staff need to be put into a pension?
Every member of staff must be assessed each time they are paid. For staff you know will work for you for less than three months, you can postpone assessment, as long as you write to each person within six weeks to explain. Anyone still working for you when postponement ends must then be assessed. Tell us if you want to use postponement and we apply it in the payroll. Read more about our pension auto-enrolment service.
Are staff discounts taxable?
A staff discount on goods is generally not taxable where the employee pays at least what the goods cost you to provide. If goods are sold to staff below that cost, a taxable benefit can arise. If your scheme goes further than ordinary discounts, check the treatment with your accountant before it starts.
Can you deduct till shortages from pay?
Deductions must be allowed by the employee’s contract or agreed in writing. For shop staff, deductions for till shortages are limited to 10% of gross pay in each pay period, although the full balance can be taken from final pay. Tell us the amount each pay run and we show it as a separate deduction.
Do Sunday staff get extra pay?
Only if the contract says so. There is no legal right to extra pay for Sunday working. If you pay a Sunday premium, we set it up as its own pay element so it is calculated and shown on payslips correctly.
How do you keep young workers’ pay rates right?
Our payroll records include each employee’s date of birth, because RTI requires it. Tell us when an apprentice started and confirm the rate each employee should be on, and we apply any change from the pay run you confirm. Decisions on pay rates remain yours.
What does retail payroll cost?
Weekly and fortnightly payrolls are from £2.50 + VAT per payslip, and monthly and four-weekly from £3.50 + VAT. There is no setup fee and no contract. See our payroll pricing.
Do you pay our staff?
You stay in control of payments. We give you the payment report for each pay run and you pay staff from your own bank account.
Payroll that works around your trading
Tell us how many staff you pay and how often, and we will send you a clear per-payslip quote. You can also email us at sales@payrollserviceuk.co.uk.