BookSmart: First Employee, UK Payroll, Pensions and HR

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.

Taking on your first employee is a big step, and the rules can feel overwhelming. This course takes you through everything a UK small business needs to do, in plain English, in about 30 minutes.

You'll learn what an employee really costs, the checks to do before day one, how to register as an employer and run payroll, and how pensions, holiday, sick pay and family leave work, all with 2026/27 figures.

Every lesson is short and practical, with the exact steps and the numbers you need, so you can hire with confidence and avoid the common mistakes that lead to fines, back pay or disputes. By the end you'll have a clear checklist of what to do before, during and after your first hire.

What's covered

• Module 1: Before you hire. Employee, worker or contractor, the true cost of an employee, and right to work checks.
• Module 2: Getting set up. The contract, registering with HMRC and setting up payroll.
• Module 3: Running payroll. Your first pay run, RTI and paying HMRC, and minimum wage records.
• Module 4: Pensions. Auto-enrolment duties and setting up a workplace pension.
• Module 5: Time off. Holiday, statutory sick pay and family leave.
• Module 6: Leavers and year end. When someone leaves, payroll year end and your employer checklist.

Downloads included

• Employee cost calculator (Excel): the full cost of a salary, including NI and pension
• Payroll calendar 2026-27 (Excel)
• First employee checklist (PDF)

Figures are for the 2026/27 tax year and checked against official government guidance. This course is general guidance, not legal or tax advice.

Your instructor, Nargas Forster, is a finance director and Xero and QuickBooks ProAdvisor who helps UK small businesses set up payroll and grow their teams.