Course Curriculum

Click the video for an overview of our payroll course syllabus or see our module descriptors below.

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*All course content is current and up to date as of March 2024.

Certificate in Payroll Management Module 1: Payroll Fundamentals

Introduction
Fundamentals - Part 1
Fundamentals - Part 2
Fundamentals - Part 3
Fundamentals - Part 4
Fundamentals - Part 5
Introduction

This course is divided in to 5 parts to help students maximise their learning potential. Our Payroll Fundamentals course covers all essential rules in the operation of PAYE, PRSI and the USC, including the rights and obligations of employers and employees. You will learn to process and calculate payroll taxes, produce payslips and reports and master the skills required to become a payroll administrator. Phone and email support is available to you throughout your learning experience along with our discussion forum. All course content is current and up to date as of March 2024.

Fundamentals - Part 1

COURSE OVERVIEW

How To Use Your New ELearning Portal

Learning Objectives

 

PART 1: UNIT 1 - INTRODUCTION

1.1: Overview

1.2: The PAYE System

1.3: The Role Of The Payroll Operator

1.4: Government Departments

1.5: Explanation Of Terms

 

PART 1: UNIT 2 - PAYMENTS & PAYMENT TYPES

2.1: Definition Of Pay For Tax Purposes

2.2: Payment Types

2.3: Employee Expenses

 

PART 1: UNIT 3 - DEDUCTIONS & DEDUCTION TYPES

3.1: Explanation Of Gross & Net Deductions

3.2: Pensions & AVC's

3.3: Taxation of Pensions

3.4: Pension-Related Deduction (PRD)

 

PART 1: UNIT 4 - MINIMUM WAGE

4.1: Minimum Wage

4.2: Exceptions To Minimum Wage Entitlements

 

PART 1: SUMMARY

Summary & Document Downloads

 

POST-COURSE ASSESSMENT

Payroll Fundamentals Part 1: Assessment

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

Fundamentals - Part 2

PART 2: UNIT 1 - PAYE SYSTEM OVERVIEW

1.1: Calculating Take Home Pay

1.2: Calculating Gross Pay Overview

1.2: Examples

1.3: Taxable Income

1.4: Tax Credits

1.5: Tax Bands

1.6: Standard Rate Cut Off Point

1.7: Certificate Of Tax Credits

1.8: Summary Of Tax Status

1.9: Tax Credits & Reliefs (Over 65's)

 

PART 2: UNIT 2 - PAYE TAX CALCULATIONS

2.1: Basis For Tax Calculations

2.2: Week/Month 1 Basis

2.2: Examples

2.3: Temporary Basis

2.4: Tax Exempt & Marginal Rate

2.4: Examples

2.5: Emergency Tax

2.5: Examples

2.6: Normal Cumulative Basis

2.6: Examples

 

PART 2: UNIT 3 - PROCESSING NEW EMPLOYEES

3.1: First Time Employees

3.2: Commencements without a PPS Number

3.3: Employer Requirements

 

PART 2: UNIT 4 - PROCESSING LEAVERS

4.1: Overview

4.2: Cessation Process

 

PART 2: SUMMARY

Summary & Document Downloads

 

POST-COURSE ASSESSMENT

Payroll Fundamentals Part 2: Assessment

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Payroll Fundamentals - Part 1

Fundamentals - Part 3

PART 3: UNIT 1 - PAY RELATED SOCIAL INSURANCE (PRSI)

1.1: PRSI Overview

1.2: Components Of PRSI Contributions

1.3: Department Of Social Welfare Requirements & Entitlements

1.4: PRSI Class Summary (Private Sector)

1.5: PRSI Class Summary (Public Sector)

1.6: Determining PRSI Class & Sub-Class

1.7: PRSI Switching

1.8: Pensions & PRSI

1.9: PRSI Overpayments & Refunds

1.10: Examples & Exercises

 

PART 3: UNIT 2: UNIVERSAL SOCIAL CHARGE (USC)

2.1: USC Overview

2.2: Exempt Income

2.3: Exempt Individuals

2.4: USC For Medical Card Holders

2.5: USC For Those Over 70

2.6: Collection Of The USC

2.7: Employer Adjustments

2.8: USC Rates

2.9: Examples & Exercises

 

PART 3: SUMMARY

Summary & Document Downloads

 

POST-COURSE ASSESSMENT

Payroll Fundamentals Part 3: Assessment

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Payroll Fundamentals - Part 2

Fundamentals - Part 4

PART 4: UNIT 1 - PAYE Modernisation 

1.1: Overview (what is paye modernisation?)

1.2: Why have paper forms P45,P60 etc been abolished?

1.3: What are Revenue Payroll Notifications?

1.4: Employment Detail Summary (formerly P60)

1.5: What is real-time reporting?

1.6: Submitting returns to Revenue

1.7: How to Process Starters and Leavers

 

PART 4: UNIT 2 - MATERNITY BENEFIT

2.1: Maternity Entitlements & Benefits Act

2.2: General Requirements

2.3: Employees Covered & Entitled To Maternity Benefit

2.4: Value Of Payment

2.5: Taxation Of Maternity Benefit

2.6: Additional Rules, Benefits & Leave Entitlements

 

PART 4: UNIT 3 - ILLNESS BENEFIT

3.1: Illness Benefit Overview

3.2: Illness Benefit Rules & Rates

3.3: Tax Applicable To Illness Benefit

3.4: Taxation Of Illness Benefit Payments

 

PART 4: SUMMARY

Summary & Document Downloads

 

POST-COURSE ASSESSMENT

Payroll Fundamentals Part 4: Assessment

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Payroll Fundamentals - Part 3

Fundamentals - Part 5

PART 5: UNIT 1 - EMPLOYMENT, LABOUR AND EQUALITY LAW

1.1: Employment & Workplace Services

1.2: Terms & Contracts Of Employment

1.3: The Working Time Act

1.4: Holiday & Public Holiday Entitlements

1.5: Treatment Of Part-time Employees

1.6: Treatment Of Fixed Term Employees

1.7: Employment Children and Young Persons

1.8: Employment Children and Young Persons (clone)

1.9: Employees Entitlement To Carer’s Leave

1.10: Pay/Wage Entitlements

1.11: Termination Of Employment

1.12: Employment Equality

1.13: Other Relevant Provisions

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Payroll Fundamentals - Part 4

Certificate in Payroll Management Module 2: Computerised Payroll
Introduction
Computerised - Part 1
Computerised - Part 2
Computerised - Part 3
Computerised - Part 4
Computerised - Part 5
Introduction

This course is divided in to 5 parts to help students maximise their learning potential. The course provides a firm understanding of the basic principles of SAGE Payroll Software, from navigation through to setting up employees, adding payments and deductions, processing weekly and monthly payrolls, absences, holidays, starters and leavers, issuing payslips and reporting. It is essential your computerised payroll system is setup correctly, not just from a technical view point, but most importantly from a statutory one. Implementing a process from the beginning greatly reduces problems later on, such as incorrect employee and/or employer returns. All course content is current and up to date as of March 2024.

Computerised - Part 1

Learning Objectives

 

PART 1: UNIT 1 - INTRODUCTION

1.1: Download & Installation

1.2: Setting up your user name and password

1.3: Logging in

1.4: System overview

1.5: Navigation and system setup

1.6: Essential system requirements before proceeding

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Module 1 Payroll Fundamentals: Parts 1-5

Computerised - Part 2

PART 2: UNIT 1 - Company Setup

1.1: Company setup overview

1.2: Company cost centres

1.3: Company departments

1.4: Company payments

1.5: Company deductions

1.6: Annual payroll calendar (weekly/monthly)

 

PART 2: UNIT 2 - Employee Setup

2.1: Setting up your first employee overview

2.2: Adding personal & compulsary details

2.3: Adding Tax & PRSI details

2.4: Adding USC and LPT details

2.5: Adding payments & deductons (salary, hourly, pensions etc.)

2.6: Setup payment methods, bank details and payslip preferences

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Computerised - Part 1

Computerised - Part 3

PART 3: UNIT 1 - Processing your first payroll

1.1: Processing your first payroll overview

1.2: Set the payroll pay period

1.3: Update employee records (if necessary) and check financial balances

1.4: Process and save employee timesheets (salary, hourly, overtime, deductions etc)

1.5: Produce a payslip (print & email)

1.6: Produce a bank file for electronic money transfers (EMT)

1.7: Process your end of period and submit employee pay, tax and deduction details to Revenue (also see unit 2)

 

PART 3: UNIT 2 - PAYE Modernisation

2.1: What is PAYE modernisation

2.2: How does it affect payroll processing procedures

2.3: How does PAYE modernisation work

2.4: How to setup and process these procedures

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Computerised - Part 2

Computerised - Part 4

PART 4: UNIT 1 - Payroll Reports

1.1: Payroll reports overview

1.2: Essental payroll reports (financial balance checks)

1.3: Print/Email/Export reports

1.4: Setup and print/email payslips

1.5: Produce a payslip (print & email)

1.6: Process and upload your period reports to Revenue

1.7: Past period reporting

 

PART 4: UNIT 2 - Advanced Payroll Processing

2.1: Process leavers

2.2: Suspend employees, reinstate and delete employees

2.3: Setup a new employee mid-year

2.4: Setup and process Maternity Benefit

2.5: Setup and process Illness benefit

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Computerised - Part 3

Computerised - Part 5

PART 5: UNIT 1 - Advanced System Setup

1.1: CSO Earnings Hours and Employment Costs Survey setup

1.2: Processing a bonus run

1.3: How to process redundancy payments

1.4: How to use the multi timesheet function

1.5: How to use the automatic timesheet function

1.6: Holiday/Absence setup, processing and reporting

1.7: Working paterns and public holiday report

 

Completion rules

All units must be completed

 

Prerequisites

Computerised - Part 4

Course Summary

Who is this course for?