The network covers United Kingdom within the Western Europe region. Payslips there are drawn up in GBP, and dealings with a local firm are conducted in English.
The business centres where the network is looking for a correspondent as a priority are Londres, Manchester, Birmingham, Édimbourg.
The country lies outside the European Union and outside the European Economic Area: the A1 certificate has no standing there. Whether the employee remains in the scheme of origin then depends on the bilateral social security agreement, if any, concluded with the sending country; where no such agreement exists, dual affiliation must be expected and budgeted into the assignment.
The answer to this question changes everything: it determines to whom you may entrust your payslips locally, and what you must ask for before signing. It has been verified country by country with the local authorities.
In United Kingdom, running payroll on behalf of third parties is reserved by law to no registered profession: any company may take it on. The absence of a legal barrier shifts the checking onto you, and that is why the network itself verifies the registration, the tax and social security standing and the insurance cover of every firm before listing it.
Aucune licence n'est nécessaire pour exercer la paie au Royaume-Uni, et le titre de « payroll professional » n'est pas protégé. La régulation passe par deux canaux indirects : l'habilitation d'agent HMRC pour télédéclarer, et surtout la supervision anti-blanchiment, que HMRC étend aux prestataires de paie avec une obligation d'inscription à compter du 18 novembre 2026. Vérifier aussi que le cabinet a bien un compte à jour d'auto-inscription (auto-enrolment) auprès de The Pensions Regulator s'il gère les retraites complémentaires des clients.
Since leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom no longer applies the EU coordination regulations: movements between France and the UK are now governed by the social security coordination protocol annexed to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, whose posting rules differ from those applying within the Union. Treating the UK as if it were still a member state is now a reliable source of error.
Pounds sterling are the currency of pay, and English the language of contracts and payslips alike. A single mechanism dominates British payroll, the PAYE withholding system: income tax and National Insurance contributions are deducted by the employer and reported to HM Revenue and Customs in real time, on or before every payment of wages.
The title of payroll professional is unprotected and the activity is not regulated. Regulation instead runs through two indirect channels: agent authorisation with the tax authority, and anti-money laundering supervision, which is being extended to payroll service providers.
Incorporating a British company, opening a branch or using an employer of record: the decision is taken early. Note that a foreign employer with no establishment can in certain cases register directly for PAYE, an option that is not available in most other jurisdictions.
Registration as an employer produces the PAYE references issued by HM Revenue and Customs, and without them no payroll can be reported at all. Check next the automatic enrolment duty, which requires every employer to enrol eligible workers in a workplace pension and to declare compliance to the pensions regulator.
A written statement of employment particulars must be given on or before the first day of work, with a minimum content fixed by statute. Look carefully at the way probation, notice and service-related rights interact with one another: it is length of service that unlocks protection against unfair dismissal.
Every pay date produces a payslip for the employee and a real time submission to the tax authority, a mechanism with no French equivalent. Employers' liability insurance is compulsory, and right to work checks place the burden squarely on the employer if they are omitted.
Statutory notice, redundancy pay and a documented procedure form a package that employment tribunals examine closely.
The network asks 9 documents of any firm wishing to represent it in United Kingdom. The table gives, for each of them, the exact wording in use locally, the body that issues it and the period during which it remains admissible. These are the terms to use in an application to the local administration.
Of these 9 documents, 7 are required of every applicant and 6 have a limited period of validity, the shortest being 3 months. 2 of these documents exist only in United Kingdom and have no equivalent in the common core of the network.
| Local wording | Issuing body | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation + Companies House filing history / current appointments reportCertificate of Incorporation and Companies House company record Le Certificate of Incorporation n'a pas de péremption mais ne prouve rien de la situation actuelle : y joindre un extrait récent du registre en ligne (statut « active », dirigeants en fonction, comptes et confirmation statement à jour). Un cabinet non constitué en société (sole trader, partnership) n'apparaît pas à Companies House. | Companies House | 3 months Required | Official website |
| VAT Registration Certificate (VAT4) portant le VAT Registration Number ; Company Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)VAT registration certificate and company UTR Le numéro de TVA se vérifie sur le service public « Check a UK VAT number ». Attention : en dessous du seuil d'assujettissement, un cabinet peut légitimement ne pas être immatriculé à la TVA ; ne pas en faire un motif d'exclusion. | HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) | No expiry Required | Official website |
| HMRC Business Tax Account statement of liabilities / lettre de confirmation d'absence d'arriérésHMRC statement of account / confirmation of no outstanding liabilities À signaler franchement au candidat : HMRC ne délivre pas d'attestation générale de régularité fiscale équivalente à l'attestation française. La pratique britannique, y compris dans la commande publique, repose sur une déclaration sur l'honneur du candidat (self-declaration) complétée par l'impression de son relevé de compte HMRC en ligne. Une lettre HMRC sur demande reste possible mais n'est ni normalisée ni de droit. | HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) | 3 months Where applicable | Official website |
| Professional Indemnity Insurance certificateProfessional indemnity insurance certificate Pas d'obligation légale pour un bureau de paie indépendant, mais obligation déontologique dès lors que le cabinet est membre d'un ordre comptable (ICAEW, ACCA, AAT, CIMA), avec des montants minimaux fixés par le règlement de l'ordre. Vérifier si le cabinet est réglementé par un ordre et, dans ce cas, exiger l'attestation aux montants requis. | Assureur ; contrôle par l'organisme professionnel (ICAEW, ACCA, CIPP…) lorsque le cabinet en est membre | 12 months Where applicable | Official website |
| Employers' Liability Insurance certificateEmployers' liability insurance certificate Pièce britannique spécifique et réellement obligatoire : l'Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 impose à tout employeur une couverture d'au moins cinq millions de livres, et l'attestation doit être affichée ou tenue à disposition. Son absence est une infraction sanctionnée par le HSE — un signal d'alerte fort sur le sérieux du candidat. | Assureur ; contrôle par le Health and Safety Executive (HSE) | 12 months Required | Official website |
| Anti-money laundering supervision — enregistrement comme Accountancy Service Provider / Tax Adviser auprès de HMRC ou d'un organisme professionnel superviseurAML supervision registration (HMRC or professional body supervisor) Point de bascule à connaître : HMRC a étendu la supervision anti-blanchiment aux prestataires de services de paie, considérés comme conseils fiscaux. Selon le calendrier annoncé, les inscriptions ouvrent le 18 mai 2026, l'obligation prend effet le 18 novembre 2026 et la date limite d'inscription est fixée au 18 février 2027. Demander soit le numéro de supervision HMRC, soit le nom de l'organisme professionnel superviseur, et vérifier l'existence d'une évaluation des risques et de procédures écrites. | HM Revenue & Customs ou l'un des organismes professionnels superviseurs (ICAEW, ACCA, AAT, CIOT…) | 12 months Required | Official website |
| HMRC Agent Services Account + PAYE agent code (agent authorisation, form 64-8 ou autorisation en ligne)HMRC agent authorisation for PAYE Sans Agent Services Account et sans code agent PAYE, le cabinet ne peut pas transmettre les déclarations RTI (Real Time Information) au nom de vos clients. C'est le test opérationnel le plus simple de sa capacité réelle à faire de la paie au Royaume-Uni. | HM Revenue & Customs | No expiry Required | Official website |
| Companies House identity verification (ECCTA 2023) + PSC registerCompanies House identity verification and PSC register Depuis le 18 novembre 2025, la vérification d'identité des directors et des personnes exerçant un contrôle significatif est une obligation légale issue de l'Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, avec une période transitoire de douze mois pour les sociétés existantes, chaque dirigeant devant être vérifié à sa date d'échéance. Le registre des PSC reste consultable en ligne. | Companies House | No expiry Required | Official website |
| ICO registration — data protection feeICO registration and data protection fee Le Royaume-Uni a conservé une obligation d'enregistrement là où l'Union européenne l'a supprimée : tout organisme traitant des données personnelles de façon automatisée doit s'inscrire auprès de l'ICO et acquitter une redevance annuelle, sauf exemption. Le traitement de la paie exclut de fait le bénéfice de l'exemption. L'inscription est publique et vérifiable dans le registre en ligne de l'ICO. | Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) | 12 months Required | Official website |
The UK has neither a general tax clearance certificate nor a separate social security certificate: National Insurance contributions are collected by the tax authority alongside PAYE, so there is simply no social body to approach. Practice relies on a supplier self-declaration supported by a printout of its online tax account statement.
Enrolment with the Information Commissioner's Office, together with payment of an annual data protection fee, is a formality that disappeared across the European Union but survives here. It is compulsory for a payroll operator and can be checked freely in a public register.
Anti-money laundering supervision is meanwhile being extended to payroll service providers, treated as tax advisers. This is the structural requirement for the profession over the coming period, and it belongs in every membership file from now on.
Trois pièges britanniques. D'abord l'absence d'équivalent à l'attestation de régularité fiscale et d'attestation de régularité sociale distincte : les cotisations (National Insurance) sont recouvrées par HMRC avec le PAYE, il n'y a donc pas d'organisme social séparé à interroger. Ensuite la supervision anti-blanchiment, qui devient l'exigence structurante pour les bureaux de paie sur 2026-2027 et qu'il faut désormais intégrer au dossier d'adhésion. Enfin l'enregistrement ICO, souvent oublié par les candidats parce qu'il n'a pas d'équivalent dans l'Union européenne, alors qu'il est obligatoire, annuel et vérifiable publiquement.
The network opens 3 partner slots in United Kingdom, not one more. No firm is listed there yet: all 3 slots therefore remain open to applications.
No listed partner in United Kingdom has asked to appear in the public directory. The contact details of a firm are passed on to the client only when an assignment is awarded.
Filing an application does not amount to admission: every request is reviewed one by one. There is no minimum turnover requirement, and the partner selected invoices its fees directly.
Submit an application: we review your file, we check the documents required on the ground and we give you an answer, whether it is positive or not.
The simplest test of a British firm's real capability comes down to one question: does it hold an agent services account with HM Revenue and Customs and a PAYE agent code. Without both, it cannot file your clients' real time submissions. Add a current Companies House extract, the employers' liability insurance certificate, proof of registration with the Information Commissioner's Office, and identification of the body providing its anti-money laundering supervision. The supervisor's identity should be verified rather than simply asserted by the firm.
Describe your requirement. No firm is listed in United Kingdom yet: we review the request, then entrust it to a local firm that the network identifies and vets, or to the partner of a neighbouring country covering this territory. Your contact details are passed on to the selected firm alone.
Request a provider in United KingdomEach page takes up the data in this profile from a particular angle.
Mobility is rarely arranged one country at a time. The neighbouring profiles follow the same outline.
These countries account for most of the requests received: each one has, in addition to its profile, six pages devoted to a single aspect of local payroll.
The information gathered on this page comes from the registers, administrations and bodies listed below, consulted when the reference base was compiled. It is given for guidance and does not replace the advice of a professional established in United Kingdom.