Xero Payroll Training Courses
Learn to run UK payroll in Xero confidently and compliantly — from your first pay run to auto-enrolment and year-end. Live small-group classes with a named tutor, not a generic webinar.
- Basics → Advanced → Professional. Book a single level or save with the full pathway bundle.
- RTI & FPS submissions
- Small groups (max 5)
- Certificate of completion
- Live online — Zoom or Teams
- Award-winning UK training provider
- Built by practising UK accountants
- Live sessions
What is Xero Payroll training?
Xero Payroll training teaches you how to run UK payroll inside Xero — setting up pay calendars and employees, running pay runs, submitting RTI Full Payment Submissions to HMRC, handling leave, statutory pay, workplace pension auto-enrolment and year-end. TaxCare Academy delivers it as live, tutor-led online classes in three progressive levels, so you learn on a real Xero demo company rather than just watching a video.
Live online
Basics → Pro
Max 5
Certificate
Who it's for
Built for people who actually run the payroll
If you need to process pay correctly and stay compliant, not just click through the screens this pathway is for you.
Bookkeepers & accounts staff
Add payroll to your service list and process pay runs for clients with confidence.
Aspiring payroll administrators
Build the job-ready Xero skills employers ask for, from setup through to year-end.
Small business owners
Run your own payroll accurately, meet HMRC deadlines, and know when to get help.
Office & practice managers
Take ownership of pay processing and support your team without outsourcing everything.
Students & career changers
Complement AAT, ACCA or CIMA study with practical, hands-on Xero payroll experience.
Not sure it's for you?
Talk to a course adviser and we'll point you to the right level — or to our accountancy team.
Three levels that build on each other
The structure mirrors how Xero’s own certification progresses, starting where you are and move up as your confidence grows.
Xero Payroll: Basics Course
3 hours
1–2
1-5
- Set up UK payroll: pay calendars, HMRC & organisation settings
- Add employees with tax codes, NI categories & starter details
- Run your first pay run and read a payslip
- Submit an RTI Full Payment Submission (FPS)
Xero Payroll: Advanced Course
6 hours
3-4
1-5
- Manage leave, sick pay and timesheets for hourly staff
- Overtime, bonuses, commission & statutory pay (SSP, SMP, SPP)
- Multiple pay calendars in one organisation
- Reconcile the payroll journal & correct a submitted pay run
Xero Payroll: Professional Course
6-9 hours
5–6
1-5
- Workplace pension auto-enrolment, opt-outs & re-enrolment
- Salary sacrifice, director's NI & processing leavers (P45)
- Year-end payroll: final FPS, P60s & the new tax year
- Multi-client payroll & readiness for Xero's own certification
- Best value · Save ~30%
The complete Xero Payroll pathway
- 15–18 live hours
- 3 certificates
- Training manuals & checklists
- 1 month email support
Xero Payroll course prices
downloadable manual, checklists and a completion certificate.
| Course | Sessions | Total hours | Group | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Xero Payroll Course Level 1 — Basics (Live) |
1–2 |
3 |
1-5 |
£149 |
|
|
Xero Payroll Level 2 — Advanced (Live) |
3–4 |
6 |
1-5 |
£229 |
|
|
Xero Payroll Level 3 — Professional (Live) |
5-6 |
6-9 |
1-5 |
£279 |
|
|
Full Bundle — Basics to Professional Course (Live) |
10-12 |
15–18 |
1-5 |
£429 |
What you'll cover, level by level
Every level ends with a hands-on assessment in a Xero sandbox company plus a short knowledge check.
Basics training
Syllabus
- Xero Payroll and how it fits alongside Xero accounting
- Company payroll settings: pay calendars, financial & HMRC settings
- Adding employees: tax codes, NI categories, starter checklist
- Pay items: earnings, deductions, reimbursements
- Running a simple pay run & checking payslips
- RTI basics: what an FPS is and why it must be on time
- Common first-time mistakes and how to avoid them
Assessment & certificate
- Practical sandbox exercise: add an employee & run a pay run
- 10-question knowledge check
- TaxCare Academy Certificate — Xero Payroll Basics
Advanced training
Syllabus
- Refresher: payroll settings & RTI
- Leave management: entitlement, requests & approvals
- Timesheets and hourly-pay processing
- Advanced pay items: overtime, bonuses, commission, BIK overview
- Statutory payments overview: SSP, SMP, SPP
- Payroll across multiple pay calendars
- Payroll & the general ledger: reconciling the journal
- Correcting mistakes & resubmitting RTI
- Case study: multi-employee, multi-frequency business
Assessment & certificate
- Scenario exercise: process leave, run a mixed pay run, reconcile
- Written short-answer test
- TaxCare Academy Certificate — Xero Payroll Advanced
Professional training
Syllabus
- Bridge from Level 2: complex pay scenarios
- Auto-enrolment: assessment, contributions, opt-outs, re-enrolment
- Salary sacrifice: setup, use cases & NIC impact
- Director's NI & non-standard categories
- Processing leavers: final pay, holiday pay, P45s
- Year-end: final submissions, P60s, new tax year
- Benefits & P11D awareness — and when to escalate
- Multi-company / multi-client payroll in Xero
- Troubleshooting: RTI rejections & HMRC discrepancies
- Preparing for Xero's official Payroll Certification
- Capstone: a full quarter of payroll
Assessment & certificate
- Capstone practical case study
- Scenario-based written assessment
- TaxCare Academy Certificate — Xero Payroll Professional
- Positioned to sit Xero's official certification afterwards
Live delivery, real practice
Consistent across every level — designed so you leave able to do the job, not just describe it.
Live on Zoom or Teams
Tutor-led sessions with screen-share. Ask questions in real time — no pre-recorded videos.
Small groups
Capped at 8–12 (max 5 at Level 3) so there's room for your questions and scenarios.
Real demo company
Run genuine pay runs in a shared Xero sandbox — never touching live employer or client data.
Take-home materials
A training manual per level plus starter, leaver and year-end checklists you'll keep using.
One month of support
Email support after each level, so questions that come up back at work still get answered.
Daytime or evening
Level 1 can split into two evening sessions, so working learners can attend without taking leave.
More than a free Xero webinar
Xero’s own certification is free but self-paced with no tutor. Here’s what a live, payroll-specific course adds.
A named tutor to ask
Practising UK accountants answer your questions live — on your actual scenarios.
Compliance-first
RTI, FPS, auto-enrolment and year-end taught as the compliance duties they really are.
A real progression path
Basics to Professional mirrors Xero's certification logic, so nothing is wasted repetition.
Assessed & certificated
Hands-on assessment and a certificate you can show employers , structured to support a CPD-hours claim.
progressive levels — Basics, Advanced and Professional — that take you from your first pay run to running multi-client payroll.
learners per class, so you get room to ask questions and work through your own real-world scenarios.
hands-on in a live Xero demo company — you practise on real pay runs, never on client data.
Xero Payroll training FAQs
How do I learn Xero Payroll in the UK?
Choose a reputable provider such as TaxCare Academy, enrol on the level that matches your experience, and attend live tutor-led sessions on Zoom or Teams. You practise on a Xero demo company, complete a short assessment, and receive a certificate. Beginners start at Basics; the full Basics-to-Professional pathway takes you to independent, multi-client payroll.
Do I need prior payroll experience?
No. Level 1 (Basics) has no prerequisites beyond basic computer literacy — it’s designed for complete beginners. Levels 2 and 3 build on the level before, but you can join a higher level directly if you can demonstrate equivalent working knowledge through a short competency check.
How much does Xero Payroll training cost?
Individual levels are £149 (Basics), £229 (Advanced) and £279 (Professional). The complete Basics-to-Professional bundle is £429, saving roughly 30% versus booking each level separately. Every level includes live tutor-led sessions, a training manual, checklists and a completion certificate.
Is this the same as Xero's official certification?
No. Xero runs its own free, self-paced Payroll Certification. Our courses are live, tutor-led training that teaches you to run payroll confidently and prepares you to sit Xero’s official certification independently afterwards. You receive a TaxCare Academy Certificate of Completion for each level.
Accordion TitleWhat does the training cover on RTI and auto-enrolment?
RTI (including the Full Payment Submission) is introduced at Basics and revisited throughout. Workplace pension auto-enrolment assessment, contributions, opt-outs and re-enrolment is covered in depth at Professional level, alongside year-end submissions, P60s and P45s. Statutory rates are always demonstrated against current HMRC and Pensions Regulator guidance.
How long does it take?
Level 1 is about 3 live hours, Level 2 is 6 hours over two sessions, and Level 3 is 6–9 hours over two or three sessions. The full pathway is roughly 15–18 live hours. Sessions run in daytime or evening slots, and Level 1 can be split into two shorter evenings for working learners.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes. After passing each level’s practical assessment and knowledge check you receive a TaxCare Academy Certificate of Completion for that level. The content is structured so that completion can support a CPD-hours claim for members of accountancy bodies.
Run Xero Payroll with
confidence
Book a single level or save with the full pathway. Not sure where to
start? Talk to a course adviser and we’ll help you choose.