ICB has updated an article from previous years to reflect payment, RTI reporting and filing considerations as we approach the Festive Season 2026/27.
We know the following Bank Holidays are approaching:
- Christmas Day – Friday 25 December 2026;
- Boxing Day substitute – Monday 28 December 2026; and
- New Year’s Day – Friday 01 January 2027
See the 2026/27 Bacs processing calendar and note 29 December 2026 is also a non-banking day in Northern Ireland.
Over the Festive Season, it is common for employers to bring forward their usual payday. For example, a monthly payroll that pays on the 25th could pay on the day before or bring forward to, say, 18 December 2026 (which is the Friday before the last weekend before Christmas Day):
- Knowing the pay day is important so the Bacs input and processing day cycle is followed; however,
- As RTI filing interacts with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Universal Credit, for the Full Payment Submission (FPS), it is important to consider the payment date. This is the date that employees are contractually-entitled to be paid.
It is also essential to consider the RTI filing date.
For Bookkeepers
It is sensible to approach clients and ask for their payment plans over the Festive Season. Bookkeepers will need this for planning purposes and, also, it may serve as a prompt for employers to consider this.
There are two considerations for bookkeepers:
1. The date the employee is paid (payday); and
2. The date the information must be reported to HMRC. This must be on or before the FPS payment date
Payday and the payment date are not the same and this is always a consideration when a payday falls on a non-banking day.
However, this does change when payday is bought forward because of Christmas. HMRC have a permanent easement which is explained in HMRC’s October 2023 Employer Bulletin and there are three operational implications: