The University of Bristol pays staff and workers monthly in arrears for work completed, with payments usually made on the 26th of each month. Depending on start date in role, this can mean that an individual may work for up to eight weeks before receiving their first payment. The process for payment of staff and workers is clearly stated in the terms and conditions of employment, so the expectation is that individuals agree to this when they sign their contract with the University.
However, the University will consider applications for an advance payment prior to 26th of the month in exceptional circumstances where an individual would face significant financial hardship if this payment was not made. The decision to grant an advance payment is at the discretion of the University, and payment can only be made against hours already worked; if an individual has completed two weeks of work by the date of the request, this is the maximum advance that can be requested. The advance will be made minus the estimated deductions for tax, NIC, pension to ensure that the amount advanced does not exceed the net earnings when the loan is recouped via payroll.
The following points should be noted prior to making or considering an advance payment request:
To make an advance payment request, the individual must email Jayne Oram, the Assistant HR Director outlining why they need the payment and indicating the alternative avenues of assistance they have considered. Individuals are expected to have noted the process for payment of staff when signing their contract and to have made arrangements to cover the period between their start date and payment on 26th of the following month. The individual will need to clearly state the reasons why they are requesting an exceptional payment: advance payments should not be treated as an entitlement and should not be paid regularly to individuals. In the event that Jayne Oram is not available, individuals should redirect their email to one of the following: James Bigwood (Director of People and Organisational Development), Alison Wall (Head of HR Operations) or Claire Buchanan (Chief People Officer)
The Assistant HR Director (or colleague as outlined above) will be responsible for making the final decision on all requests from main staff and workers but may do so in liaison with relevant HR staff, the TSS Manager and the Payroll Manager. Requests must be made by the affected individual; managers or colleagues are not permitted to submit a request on behalf of the individual.
Requests for advance payments must be submitted by the first day of the month for hours worked in the previous month. If additional information is required to make a decision, the individual will be contacted to request this. Individuals will be informed of the outcome of the decision by the Assistant HR Director, and successful requests will be passed to the Payroll team for processing. Advance payments will only be made against hours already worked and will be subject to a deduction of a minimum of 32% of the total gross amount earned to ensure that the amount advanced does not exceed the net earnings when the loan is recouped via payroll.
The advance payment policy does not replace the existing TSS policy relating to advance payments where there has been an error in processing of timesheets by either the TSS or Payroll team. In these circumstances an advance payment will be made to the individual at the earliest possible opportunity. Where the individual or manager fail to meet submission deadlines for timesheets, they will be expected to wait for payment until the next payroll run as they are aware of the requirement to submit timesheets by the last working day of the month. If an individual considers that they would experience significant financial hardship with this delay, they will need to make a request for an advance payment using this policy. Where there has been an error in processing main staff new starters the HR and Payroll teams will work to resolve this as quickly as possible to ensure that the individual receives their outstanding pay.
Advance payments are made at the discretion of the University. The following points should be noted prior to making or considering an advance payment request:
You should submit an email to Jayne Oram, the Assistant HR Director, outlining why you need this payment and indicating the alternative avenues of assistance you have considered. Individuals are expected to have noted the process for payment of staff when signing their contract and made arrangements to cover the period between their start date and payment on 26th of the following month, so you will need to clearly state the reasons why you are requesting an exceptional payment: advance payments should not be treated as an entitlement and should not be paid regularly to individuals. Requests for advance payments must be submitted by the first day of the month for hours worked in the previous month; advances can only be paid against hours already worked.
If your request is successful, you will be provided with an advance payment calculated against the hours already worked in the previous month. As this payment is a loan against the salary to be paid on the 26th via the normal payroll run, the advance payment will be calculated with an estimated deduction for tax, NICs, pension etc and will be a minimum of 32% against the total gross amount earned. This is a necessary deduction to ensure that the amount advanced does not exceed the net earnings when it is recouped in the normal payroll run. The advance is a loan against hours worked and will not affect your tax or NI contributions: the estimated deduction is made to ensure that you do not owe the University money when the advance is recouped via the normal payroll. If the deductions made in the normal payroll run are less than those estimated you will receive the outstanding amount (the difference between the advance and your actual net pay) on the 26th.
