UK employer’s guide to backdated pay

Backdated wage adjustments ensure employees are paid correctly for their work, keeping payroll smooth and finances in check. However, managing retroactive changes, from salary raises to administrative corrections, can be complex.

This guide breaks down UK backdated pay rules, calculation methods, and how payroll software simplifies compliance.

Backdated pay calculator

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What is backdated pay?

Backdated pay refers to a change in wage or contractual entitlement that took place in a previous pay period. It is the difference between the amount an employee is owed and the earnings they actually receive in their payslip.

These changes can include both increases and decreases in salary. To understand backdated pay fully, it is helpful to clarify the terminology and the common scenarios where it applies.

Clarifying the terminology

You may often hear backdated pay referred to interchangeably as retro pay, pay arrears, or backdated salary. While the terms can vary between employees, managers, and payroll professionals, they all refer to the same concept: rectifying discrepancies between owed wages and actual earnings from past periods.

Common reasons for backdating salary

From promotions and retroactive salary increases to errors in recording working hours, there are several reasons why a salary might need adjustment:

• Retroactive pay rises: This happens quite commonly. For example, an employee gets a pay raise effective from March, but this takes time to get processed, so it doesn’t show up until April’s payroll. They would then receive a backdated salary increase.

• Late agreements: A new salary might be agreed upon after the payroll cut-off.

• Payroll errors: Pay might be missed due to an administrative or calculation error.

• New starters: A new employee might miss the payroll cut-off for their first month.

• Disputes: If an employee feels they were wrongfully terminated, they may request a backdated pay rise. Note that the upcoming Employment Rights Bill is set to strengthen day one unfair dismissal rights, with full implementation expected by 2026/27.

How to handle tax and National Insurance on back pay

The implications for tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) on backdated pay depend on the specific circumstances and timing.

You’ll need to consider whether the pay award was made in the current or a previous tax year. Here is a breakdown of how the different rules apply:

A guide for businesses

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What are the employer obligations and timelines regarding backdated pay?

There is no universal statutory grace period for paying arrears, although wages are legally due on the contractual payday. Enforcement bodies, such as the soon-to-be-launched Fair Work Agency, can impose strict deadlines (often 28 days) if any non-compliance is investigated.

If your employee is a new starter and has missed the payroll cut-off for the month, they should be paid in the next payroll run.

Where a payment is made in arrears, the best practice is to inform the employee when they can expect the payment, ensuring that all contractual obligations are being met and they receive what is their right.

What are the best practices for backdated pay?

Here are some of PayFit’s top tips for dealing with backdated pay:

💡 Stay on top of it - Make sure all your data on employee pay rates are up to date, as well as previous payslips. PayFit can actually help you do this.

💡 Act swiftly - Once you know you owe or need to adjust backdated salary, start taking steps to make the necessary updates to your employee’s next pay check ASAP. Your employee will thank you for this, especially if it means getting paid on time.

💡 Communicate clearly - Don’t let things get lost in translation. Clear communication helps manage expectations -  particularly those of key employees and managers. Don’t let this turn into a bigger issue than it needs to be. 

💡 Involve your team - Finally, calculating backdated salary can get a little complicated. Sharing this process as something your whole team can get involved with, from HR to accounting and legal, means you can give this issue the attention it deserves.

How payroll software simplifies backdated pay

Fortunately, keeping up with back pay doesn’t have to be a hassle any more.

Modern payroll software allows businesses to handle retroactive salary changes effortlessly. Rather than relying on manual calculations or complex spreadsheets, you can simply input the adjustment, and the system automatically rebalances the base pay across the relevant periods.

This automation ensures that taxable income, National Insurance, and pension contributions are accurately corrected and updated before your next payroll run. With upcoming regulatory changes like day-one Statutory Sick Pay likely to increase the volume of short-term adjustments, having a system that instantly handles these corrections is vital for maintaining compliance without the administrative burden.