Changing the Payroll Week/Month/Fortnight Ending Day in BrightPay

Overview

Before you can process any payroll in BrightPay, you must set up at least one payment schedule. The payment schedule defines:

• The period ending date (e.g. week ending Friday), and
• The payment date (the date employees are actually paid).

Once you have processed payroll using a schedule, you cannot directly change the period ending date on that schedule. If the schedule has been set up incorrectly, there are several options, depending on how much payroll has already been processed.

This article explains:

1. How to fix a newly set up schedule with only a small number of payslips processed
2. How to move employees to a new schedule when several periods are already processed
3. When it may be better to set up the company again and import employees

1. Correcting a Newly Set Up Schedule

If you have only recently set up your schedule and processed a small number of periods, it may be best to:

• Reopen the payslips
• Delete the incorrect schedule
• Set up the schedule again with the correct period ending
• Reprocess payroll to date

Step 1 – Reopen finalised payslips

1. Open the relevant employer.
2. Go to Payroll and select the relevant period(s) that were processed using the incorrect schedule.
3. Reopen the payslips that have been finalised.

Step 2 – Delete the incorrect schedule

1. Go to Payroll > Schedules.
2. Select the schedule that was set up with the wrong period ending date.
3. Click Delete Schedule.
4. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Step 3 – Set up the schedule again

1. Still in Payroll > Schedules, click New Schedule (or equivalent).
2. Enter the correct period ending date pattern (e.g. week ending Friday instead of Sunday).
3. Enter the correct payment date pattern.
4. Save the new schedule.

Step 4 – Reprocess payroll

Once the new schedule is in place:

1. Go back to Payroll.
2. Process payroll again for each period up to date, using the newly created schedule.
3. Finalise the payslips when you are satisfied the figures are correct.

HMRC submissions (FPS) considerations

If the pay figures have not changed compared to what was originally submitted:

• There is no need to send new FPS submissions to HMRC.
• Sending duplicate FPS submissions may result in the figures being reported twice.

Instead:

• If BrightPay creates new FPS files as a result of reprocessing, mark these as Sent (without resubmitting) to keep your payroll records consistent.

2. Moving Employees to a New Schedule (When Many Periods Are Processed)

If you have already processed a significant number of periods and redoing all payroll would be too time‑consuming or risky, it may be possible to:

• Create a new schedule with the correct period ending
• Move employees from the old schedule to the new one

This option depends on the alignment between the old and new schedules.

Step 1 – Create a new schedule

1. Go to Payroll > Schedules.
2. Click Create New Schedule.
3. Set the correct period ending pattern.
4. Set the correct payment date pattern.
5. Save the new schedule.

Step 2 – Switch employees to the new schedule

1. Go to More (top menu).
2. Select Switch Employees Payment Schedule.
3. Choose the current (old) schedule as the source.
4. Choose the new schedule as the destination.
5. Select the employees you want to move.
6. Confirm the change.

Important: Schedule alignment warning

BrightPay checks that the new schedule aligns correctly with the old one. If the schedules are not compatible, BrightPay may:

• Prevent the switch from occurring, or
• Allow the switch but result in a skipped period or misalignment in the payroll run.

If you see a warning message or the switch is blocked:

• Do not force changes or adjust periods manually.
• It may be best to contact BrightPay support to review your options and ensure there is no impact on payroll accuracy or HMRC reporting.

3. Setting Up the Company Again and Importing Employees

In some cases, especially where:

• The schedule configuration is significantly incorrect, and
• A number of periods are processed that would be difficult to correct,

it may be better to:

• Set up the company again as a new employer profile in BrightPay
• Export employees from the original company
• Import them into the new company
• Then set up the correct schedules from scratch

Step 1 – Export employees from the original company

1. Open the original company.
2. Go to Employees > Import and Export.
3. Choose the option to Export employees.
4. Select all employees you wish to export.
5. Save the export file to a suitable location on your computer.

Step 2 – Create the new company

1. From the BrightPay main screen, set up the company a second time as a new employer.
2. Enter all required employer details.
3. Complete any initial setup steps.

Step 3 – Import employees into the new company

1. Open the new company.
2. Go to Employees > Import and Export.
3. Choose the option to Import employees.
4. Select the export file created from the original company.
5. Confirm the import and review the employee details.

Step 4 – Set up the correct schedule(s)

Once the employees have been imported:

1. Go to Payroll > Schedules.
2. Set up the schedule(s) with the required period ending and payment dates.
3. Process future payrolls in the new company using the correct setup.

Choosing the Best Option

• Use Option 1 if only a small number of periods have been processed and reprocessing is manageable.
• Use Option 2 if you need to adjust schedules without reprocessing many periods, and the schedules can be aligned.
• Use Option 3 if the existing setup is too complex or incorrect to fix safely within the current company.

If you are unsure which approach is appropriate, or if BrightPay displays warnings when you attempt to switch schedules, contact BrightPay support with details of:

• Your existing schedule settings
• How many periods have been processed
• Any HMRC submissions already made
• Any warnings or error messages that are displayed

This will help determine the safest way to correct your payroll week ending day.