Basic PAYE Tools
Basic PAYE Tools is free payroll software from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for small UK businesses with fewer than 10 employees. It allows users to calculate tax and National Insurance contributions for their staff, submit payroll information to HMRC, verify new employee National Insurance numbers, and submit Employer Payment Summaries. The software is designed as a standalone payroll solution or as a supplement to other payroll packages. It requires registration with HMRC and login credentials for PAYE Online to function.
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1 suggestionThe official HMRC download page explicitly states that macOS is supported on Apple Silicon processors, which indicates the software is designed to run natively on M-series Macs. However, forum discussions suggest that users have experienced compatibility issues with recent macOS releases (notably Sonoma 14), with some reports indicating crashes during data submission. The latest version is 26.1.26134.173934. If you are running an older version of Basic PAYE Tools, download the current build from gov.uk/basic-paye-tools — do not uninstall your existing copy, as that will erase your payroll data. If you continue to experience crashes after updating to the latest version, try changing your default browser to Safari, as forum users have reported browser compatibility issues with other browsers. If problems persist, contact HMRC support directly. Given that HMRC explicitly lists Apple Silicon support, the software should continue to function when Apple removes Rosetta 2 in macOS 28 (late 2027), provided you keep it updated to the latest version released by HMRC.
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