Running payroll for the first time can feel like the highest-stakes thing you do all month — one wrong tax code or a missed deadline, and it’s real people’s pay and HMRC on the line. This course takes that pressure off. Over one live, tutor-led session (or two shorter evenings if you’re fitting it around work), you’ll go from a blank Xero organisation to a completed, submitted pay run, guided the whole way by a practising UK accountant you can actually ask questions.

You’ll set up a company’s payroll properly — pay calendars, organisation and HMRC settings — then add employees with the right tax codes, NI categories and starter details. From there you’ll run a straightforward pay run start to finish, learn how to read and check a payslip, and submit your first RTI Full Payment Submission, so you understand not just which button to press but why it matters. We practise everything in a shared Xero demo company, so you’re learning on real pay runs without ever touching live employer data.

No prior payroll or accounting experience is needed — just basic computer skills. You’ll finish with a short hands-on assessment and a TaxCare Academy Certificate of Completion. Ideal for small business owners doing their own payroll, bookkeepers new to Xero, and anyone who wants a solid, confident foundation.