Payroll: what to check before closing the year
Christmas bonus, unused leave and contributions, a checklist to start January without corrections
Year end is the most demanding period for payroll. A three-step check avoids errors that later cost time and money.
Between the Christmas bonus, holidays and the year's contract changes, December is when most payslip errors appear. This checklist helps you get ahead of them.
1. Christmas bonus
The Christmas bonus must be paid by 15 December. Confirm the amount due to each employee, including those hired or leaving during the year, for whom the calculation is pro rata.
2. Leave, absences and changes
- Review leave taken and outstanding, and the effect of absences and sick leave on payroll.
- Confirm pay, job category or working-hours changes made during the year.
- Update benefits and allowances (meals, travel) so that taxation is correct.
3. Withholding and contributions
Confirm that income tax withholding follows the current tables and that social security contributions, for both employer and employee, are correctly calculated and filed on time.
What you gain by planning ahead
- Correct payslips the first time.
- A realistic forecast of staff costs for next year's budget.
- Fewer after-the-fact corrections with Social Security and the Tax Authority.
Prefer to outsource payroll? Our team handles everything, from payslips to returns.
