What’s covered in this guide?
Company File Transfer
Company file transfers allow you to move an employee between company files (PAYE schemes) within the same Workforce.com organisation.
This removes the need to create a new employee profile or manually move payroll data.
Transfer an employee to another company file
To transfer an employee:
Go to Payroll > Staff
Open the employee’s profile
Select Payroll > Transfers
Click Start Transfer
Choose the new company file
Enter the employee’s leaving date
Follow the steps to complete the transfer setup
Click Submit Transfer
📝 Important to note:
If the leaving date is today, the transfer will happen immediately
If it’s a future date, the transfer will process on that date
Transfer options explained
When setting up the transfer, you’ll choose how to handle different payroll items:
Leave balance
Carry over: Leave balances move to the new company file unchanged
Pay out: Accrued leave is paid out in the final payslip and reset to zero
📝 Important to note: Leave will only be paid out if your leave settings allow payouts on termination. Learn more here.
Attachment of Earnings Orders and Direct Earnings Attachment Deductions (AEOs & DEAs)
Keep active: Continue in the new company file
Remove: Removed and must be re-added manually
📝 Important to note: If removed, you must notify the relevant authority and reapply the order.
Pension
Continue: Pension settings remain unchanged
Remove: Pension will be removed and must be set up again in the new company file
📝 Important to note: If transferring between different legal entities, you will need to reassess the employee for auto-enrolment.
Employment start date
Keep original date
Reset to transfer date
📝 Important to note: If transferring between different legal entities, the start date may automatically reset.
Review and submit the transfer
Before submitting, you’ll see a summary of the transfer and any warnings.
Review all details
Check any warnings
Click Submit Transfer
💡 Tip: You can view the transfer at any time to check its status or see if any action is required.
What happens after the transfer
If leave is paid out
If you selected Pay out leave and payouts on termination are enabled:
A leave payout will be included in the employee’s final payslip
This is added automatically and cannot be edited
📝 Important to note: If leave payouts on termination are not enabled, the payout will not be processed.
Complete the transfer
A company file transfer happens in two stages:
Transferred: The employee moves to the new company file on the leaving date
Completed: The transfer is finalised after the final pay run is posted
📝 Important to note: The transfer is not fully complete until the final pay run is posted.
Complete the final pay run
To finalise the transfer:
Go to Timesheets
Click Preview Export
Select the original company file
Create and review the pay run
Click Post Pay Run
📝 Important to note:
Shifts up to the leaving date are paid from the original company file
Shifts after that date are paid from the new company file
After posting the pay run
Once the pay run is posted:
A P45 is automatically generated for the employee
The employee’s year-to-date earnings and tax totals are carried over to the new company file
You must submit your FPS (Full Payment Submission) as usual
Important limitations
📝 Transfers must be in the current tax year
The leaving date must fall within the current tax year.
📝 Transfers cannot be backdated
The leaving date must be today or in the future.
FAQs
Why hasn’t the transfer happened yet?
Why hasn’t the transfer happened yet?
The transfer will only process on the selected leaving date (unless it’s set to today).
Why wasn’t leave paid out?
Why wasn’t leave paid out?
Check your leave settings to ensure payouts on termination are enabled.
Do I need to do anything for pensions?
Do I need to do anything for pensions?
If moving between legal entities, you may need to reassess the employee for auto-enrolment.
Can I backdate a transfer?
Can I backdate a transfer?
No, transfers must be set on or before the employee’s leaving date.