2025-26 BrightPay (effective for pay periods on or after 6th April 2025) is now available to download. 

 

Each annual installation of BrightPay installs separately to each previous tax year version. Therefore, once installed, you will see a new icon appear on your desktop for you to access 2025-26 BrightPay:

If you used 24-25 BrightPay,  you will need to instruct 25-26 BrightPay to import your employer data files and all associated employee data records from 24-25 into 25-26 by following the steps below:

1) First establish the location of your 24-25 BrightPay employer data file(s). You can do this by simply hovering over an employer name on your 24-25 starting screen (as shown). The location from which the employer data file opens will be displayed on screen:


 

2) Open the 25-26 BrightPay software

3) Click 'Import Employer' followed by 'Import BrightPay 2024/25 files(s)...' 





 

4) Browse to the location of your 24-25 employer data files, highlight the employer data file and simply select Open.
 

5) If you are importing multiple employer data files: 

Either: 

• Hold the Shift key on your keyboard and select the first and last employer data file that you wish to import and all employer files within the start and end range will be selected.

Or:

• Hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and individually select the employer files you wish to import. 

6) Select Open



 

7) All selected 24-25 employer files will now be imported into 25-26 BrightPay and will be listed on your 25-26 Open Company screen. 

Please note: if the employer file is password protected, the password will be the same as the previous year.

Please note: All employee data records will be reset for the start of the new tax year and all associated 2025/26 budgetary changes will be applied as per HMRC instruction. 

What HMRC require before commencing payroll from 6th April 2025

Employees without a new tax code

Carry forward the authorised tax code from the employee's 2024/25 payroll record to their 2025/26 payroll record. 

Do not copy or carry over any ‘week 1’ or ‘month 1’ markings.

 

Employees with a new tax code

Keep and use the form P9(T) or other tax code notification with the most recent date on for each employee.

HMRC advises to:

 

  • scrap any form P9(T) or other tax code notification for the same employee with an earlier date

  • copy the tax code from the form P9(T) or other tax code notification onto your payroll record

  • update any tax codes where you have received form P9(T) or other tax code notification after you have set up your payroll records.