Apprentice Payroll Administrator
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Company: Halton Borough Council
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Location: Widnes, WA8 7DZ
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Type: Apprenticeship
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Salary: £19,461.00 per year
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Sector: Legal, finance and accounting
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Ref: NAS-2000037474
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Application Deadline Date: 05/07/2026
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Start Date: 10/08/2026
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Positions Available: 1
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Working Week: Monday - Friday, typical office hours i.e. 9.00am - 5.00pm.
Brief Description
The pay and pensions team at Halton Borough Council delivers 11 monthly payrolls to both internal and external payees, paying around 8,000 people each month. We are now looking to employ an apprentice on the team, and this opportunity will be a chance for the apprentice to learn all there is to know about a career in Payroll.
Training to be Provided
Training will take place online via 1:1 tuition and group sessions with MBKB Group.
Future Prospects
As you approach the end of your apprenticeship, you will receive guidance and support from our dedicated Apprenticeship Officer in applying for opportunities within Halton Borough Council. We are eager to ensure that anyone that joins us as an apprentice, is given every chance to secure permanent, long-term employment with us.
Vacancy Detail
You’ll be involved in all manner of payroll activities, with support and encouragement from our experienced team.
More specific responsibilities include:
- Data entry into service specific IT systems to ensure that employee pay is calculated and paid correctly, within prescribed policy and procedure, meeting legislative requirements and all statutory regulations
- Administrative Support to process contractual documentation for amendments and changes to existing posts (leavers and variations), within the scope of legislation, HMRC guidance, pension regulations, and Council policy
- Assistance in the preparation, calculation and maintenance of pay and allowances for all external payees, including variations to pay, deductions and recoveries, cheque preparation, distribution of payslips and P45s, in line with Service Level Agreements (SLA) and working to multiple deadlines, in order for payees to receive monthly salaries
- Support with the production of payroll reports for all payrolls following the gross to net calculation, acting upon and reconciling any discrepancies prior to final calculation
- Support with the preparation of costing and cheque reconciliation reports to record payment of monies collected from employees to statutory agencies, pension providers, etc., completing all tasks associated to each payment so that employees’ records are accurate and any financial liability on the Council is minimised
- Support with the production of monthly payroll reconciliation reports, investigating and correcting any anomalies to enable accurate completion of statutory and other returns
- Assisting with the administration of financial transactions, including placing orders, good receipting and dealing with enquiries
- Support with the completion of all statutory returns using various statistical reporting / analysis tools (annual and monthly) ensuring the Council meets all of its obligations in relation to legislative, statutory and pension scheme regulations
- Support with the reconciliation of pension information for schools that use external HR / pay providers, following up anomalies and taking corrective action to facilitate accurate reporting and returns
- Respond to service specific enquiries, assess the urgency of enquiries, and handle appropriately
- Carry out system testing of new enhancements of the computerised HR / Pay system and produce appropriate guidance to both internal and external users
- Provision of general administrative support as and when required including filing and photocopying
- Undertake any other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time, which are commensurate with the grade of the job