Download HMRC's Basic PAYE Tools

Basic PAYE Tools is free payroll software from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

What it does

The software allows you to perform most payroll tasks, including working out the tax and National Insurance for your employees and sending this information to HMRC.

If you have payroll software that cannot do certain tasks, you can use Basic PAYE Tools alongside it to:

  • check a new employee’s National Insurance number (NVR)
  • send an Employer Payment Summary (EPS)
  • send an Earlier Year Update (EYU) - for the 2019 to 2020 tax year and earlier

Basic PAYE Tools has some limitations. It is not designed for agents or bookkeepers with more than 3 clients. Other payroll software is available.

Before you start

You must be registered with HMRC as an employer and have a login for PAYE Online before you can use Basic PAYE Tools.

Use HMRC’s guide to downloading and installing the software if you need help getting set up, or want to check if your computer can run Basic PAYE Tools.

Updating the software

The latest version of Basic PAYE Tools will check for updates automatically, usually when the tax year changes or new rules come in.

The latest version is 23.1.23352.272. The number displays in the bottom-left corner of the tool.

Do not uninstall the version of the software you’ve been using because you’ll lose payroll data.

Download the latest version of Basic PAYE Tools

The software will work with most newer computers and up-to-date browsers.

The guide to using Basic PAYE Tools explains how to use the software to start sending payroll information to HMRC.

Supported operating systems

The following operating systems are supported:

  • Windows 10 and 11
  • macOS version 12 ‘Monterey’ and 13 ‘Ventura’
  • Ubuntu Linux version 20.04 LTS and 22.10

Only 64-bit Intel/AMD compatible versions of these operating systems are supported.

Supported browsers

You can use the following browsers if you need assistive software support:

  • Microsoft Edge (Windows only)
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Apple Safari (macOS only)

Using with other payroll software

You can download and use Basic PAYE Tools for specific tasks if your payroll software cannot do them.