I pay a week in arrears, where do I process my last week of December pay period which has a pay date of January?

• This will be processed in BrightPay 2027 as the period end date is not relevant. It is the pay date determines the tax year in which the payroll is processed. Please note: BrightPay Desktop will be discontinued on 31st December 2026 upgrade to the cloud version now to ensure a smooth start to 2027. To make the switch, or learn more Click Here.

I run a fortnightly payroll, one week falls into 2026 and the second week in 2027, do I process these separately in the relevant tax year?

• No, the pay date determines the tax year that the fortnight pay period is processed in, regardless of the week ending dates. Therefore if the pay date is a January date, this will be processed in the 2027 payroll software.

Do I have a week 53 in the tax year 2026?

• Only if an employer pays employees on a Thursday and the last pay date of the 2026 tax year is Thursday 31^st December 2026. 

What are the steps do I need to finalise the 2026 payroll?

• When you complete your final pay period for 2026, you simply submit the PSR as normal and that is it completed. There are no extra steps. Employees will be able to view their earnings for 2026 on Revenue’s employee online service, myaccount.ie, under the Job or Pension section. You can download the new tax year from our website.

When are 2027 RPNs available?

• Revenue will release them from 07^th December 2026 so they are ready for processing the payroll for 2027. 

When will 2027 BrightPay be available?

• BrightPay 2027 is scheduled for release in mid-December. We’ll email you as soon as it’s available, so please keep an eye on your inbox.

  In the meantime, you can check our Release Notes page for the latest updates. We’ll also display an in‑product message as soon as BrightPay 2027 is ready to access.

Is it ok to import my data into 2027 BrightPay before my payroll is finished for the 2026 tax year?

• We advise waiting until your payroll is fully completed for the current tax year before importing into the new tax year version. This will ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information is being imported from the previous tax year.