Payroll
Payroll services for the creative industries
We run payroll for studios, agencies, production companies and creative founders: the ones with freelancers on the books one month and a crew of twelve the next.
Who is this for
WallsMan Creative provides fully outsourced payroll for UK creative businesses.
We process your payroll each pay period, submit Real Time Information returns to HMRC on or before payday, manage pension auto-enrolment, produce payslips and year-end documents, and handle starters, leavers, statutory pay and P11Ds.
You approve; we file.
Creative sole traders on their first employee
The moment you hire, you become an employer: PAYE registration, RTI filings, a pension scheme, the lot.
We set the whole thing up and run it, so your first hire doesn’t come with a compliance project attached.
Limited companies and studios
Director salaries set at the right level against dividends, a growing permanent team, and the usual mix of maternity, paternity, sick pay and leavers. We run it monthly and tell you what’s coming before it arrives.
Agencies and production companies with variable headcount
Crew on for a shoot, contractors on for a campaign, a core team underneath. We handle payroll that changes shape every month without treating each change as an exception.
What's included in payroll services for creatives
This is where a generalist payroll bureau starts costing you money.
Crew and short-term engagements: A production hires 15 people for three weeks. Each one needs a starter checklist, correct tax code handling and a P45 on the way out. If the paperwork is wrong, they get taxed at emergency rates and you get the phone call.
Freelance vs employed: Get the employment status call wrong and HMRC will come back for the PAYE and NIC you didn’t operate, plus interest.
Directors on low salary plus dividends: Setting the salary at the optimal point against the NIC thresholds is a calculation that changes every tax year. We recheck it annually as part of the service.
Royalties, residuals and profit shares: Some of these go through payroll, some don’t. We’ll tell you which is which before you pay it.
Irregular months: Payroll cost that triples in a production month and halves afterwards makes cashflow planning hard.
Not included as standard, available as add-ons:
- CIS returns
- complex share-based remuneration
- international or split payroll
- IR35 status determinations on individual engagements.
Every payroll engagement covers:
Payroll processing
On your cycle: weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly.
RTI submissions to HMRC
Full Payment Submission on or before each payday, plus Employer Payment Summary where applicable.
Payslips
issued securely to each employee.
Starters and leavers
New starter checklists, tax code handling, P45s.
Statutory payments
SSP, SMP, SPP, shared parental and adoption pay, calculated and reclaimed where you’re eligible.
Pension auto-enrolment
Assessment, enrolment, opt-outs, re-enrolment and pension provider submissions.
Reporting
A payroll journal that posts straight into Xero, plus a cost summary before each run.
HMRC correspondence
We deal with the letters.
Frequently Asked Questions about payroll services
We handle all aspects of payroll processing, including payslips, RTI submissions, auto-enrolment pensions, PAYE, and CIS (if applicable) so your team and contractors are paid correctly and on time.
Yes.€” We process payroll for employees, creatives working on PAYE, and CIS contractors, ensuring all compliance criteria are met.
That's up to discussion, and it depends on what suits your business and payment cycles.
Yes. We submit Real Time Information (RTI) reports to HMRC each payroll cycle on your behalf to keep you fully compliant.
Yes. We take care of year-end requirements, including P60s, P11Ds where needed, and ensuring all submissions are completed accurately and on time.
No problem –€” we can onboard you onto a suitable payroll platform (we use Xero) and manage it for you.
Yes! We link payroll to your accounting package so wages, NI, and pension figures flow correctly into your books and reports.
Of course! We're in contact with HMRC on your behalf if any queries, discrepancies, or compliance notices arise.