Latest news with #payslips
The Sun
08-08-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Urgent warning for workers to check pay for holiday mistakes – you could be owed back £100s
WORKERS have been warned to check their pay for holiday mistakes, as they could be owed hundreds of pounds. Experts at have urged people to check if they're owed unpaid holiday earnings from previous employers. An easy way to check if you're entitled to holiday pay is to check if you get payslips - which can be paper or electronic. These will list your earnings, working hours and any deductions such as income tax or National Insurance. "If you get payslips, you're likely entitled to holiday pay as an 'employee' or 'worker'," according to the MSE website. "This is the case whether you work full-time, part-time or on a zero-hours contract. And it doesn't matter if your job is temporary or for only part of the year." However, if you're self-employed or work a "cash in hand" job, then you likely won't get any payslips and may not be entitled to any holiday pay. If you are eligible, you should then check how much holiday pay you're entitled to. You're legally allowed 5.6 working weeks of paid holiday a year, but the number of days depends on how many days or hours you work. If you work full time, five days a week, you'll be entitled to 28 days of paid holidays a year. This may also include bank holidays, but it depends on your employer. If you work part time, you should multiply the number of days you work in a week by 5.6 to check what you're owed. If you leave your job without taking your holiday, your employer must pay you for it - even if you get sacked. MSE says that once you've worked out how much holiday pay you're entitled to, you'll need to talk to your boss about taking that time off or getting paid for unused holiday if you've left the job. "Speaking to your employer casually should hopefully be enough, but if you're not getting anywhere, the next step would be to raise a formal complaint," MSE says. "As a last resort, you may be able to make a claim to an employment tribunal – but there are strict time limits for doing this. However, taking this route is a big decision to make, so get all of the facts together first and strongly consider contacting Acas or Citizens Advice for free guidance and support before going ahead." Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@
Irish Times
05-08-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
School staff paper payslips to be phased out by 2028, Government says
Paper payslips for school staff are to be phased out entirely by 2028, according to the Department of Education , which paid more than €3 million in postage fees last year. Figures obtained under freedom of information (FOI) laws show the department posted more than 2.8 million payslips in 2024, at a cost of €3,010,856. One of the largest payrolls in the State, the department issues payslips to about 144,000 current and retired school staff. These include primary and secondary school teachers, special needs assistants, school secretaries and caretakers spanning about 3,700 schools across the country. READ MORE Despite a decrease in the number of payslips posted last year following the introduction of an option for staff to receive digital payslips, the cost of posting them has risen. The average cost of posting one paper payslip last year was €1.06, up from €0.89 in 2023 when the department spent €2.99 million on postage costs for some 3.35 million paper payslips. Since the introduction of the digital service in April 2023, which is an opt-in service only, nearly 46,000 people have chosen to receive their payslips electronically. Out of the 144,000 currently on the department's payroll, 38,000 are retirees, about 4,600 of whom have opted in to receive e-payslips. 'However, rising postage costs have reduced some of the savings from this switch,' according to a department spokesman who said the department 'encourages' staff to opt-in to receive e-payslips. The department is currently developing a new HR and payroll system which will allow both current and former staff to view their payslips online, the spokesman said. Under the current system, staff must have a public services card to receive e-payslips. It is expected that this new system will take about two and a half years to complete. [ Why are Ireland's schools struggling to find teachers? Opens in new window ] Plans to upgrade the payroll system to allow for digital payslips stretch back to more than a decade ago. Photograph: Getty Images/ iStock Different pay groups, such as retirees, primary, secondary and non-teaching staff, will 'go-live along the way'. 'By 2028, it is expected that all staff will receive digital payslips only, and paper payslips will be phased out,' he said. Plans to upgrade the payroll system to allow for digital payslips stretch back to more than a decade ago. Then minister for education, Jan O'Sullivan , said while it had been planned to switch to digital by the end of 2014, it was not possible 'due to other priorities that arose' The department has faced criticism over the costs in recent years after a 2021 Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report noted it had spent €10.2 million on posting payslips over a six-year period. 'A modern State organisation could expend approximately €1.7 million annually in a more productive manner than posting payslips,' it said. At the time, the PAC urged the department to develop an electronic payroll system 'as a matter of urgency'.
