Career Progression in Payroll
National Payroll Week was established in the UK by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) in 1998 to celebrate the payroll profession and to give them all the recognition they deserve.
We also want to celebrate the achievements and promotions within our own payroll team – a team who are accredited to the prestigious Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) Payroll Assurance Scheme (PAS) and who work hard to maintain the very highest of standards within a constantly changing legislative environment.
We catch up with Lee Duncanson, who we met last year, and who joined Thomson Cooper from high school via a Modern Apprenticeship in business and administration.
Career update
As of 1st September 2025, I was promoted from Payroll Assistant to Payroll Administrator. I also celebrate my 3-year anniversary with Thomson Cooper on the 5th September. I’m proud of both achievements as I see them as important moments in my career. I really appreciate the support I’ve received from Thomson Cooper and the payroll team for their continued assistance in the growth of my career.
Developing Skills
Over the last year I have learned more regarding payrolled benefits (company cars, medical insurance, etc) due to payrolling benefits being mandatory from tax year 2027/28. I have also learned a lot regarding minimum wage checks and the legislation surrounding it.
Exposure to larger clients
Over the past year, I have started working on larger clients with more complex requirements, including benefits and the Early Wage Access schemes which are becoming increasingly popular. I have a mix of weekly, fortnightly, four weekly and monthly processing, so its crucial to plan ahead and have good time management to ensure all the work is done on time but also to a high accuracy.
In the driving seat
I finished my CIPP Course at the end of April there, and so I don’t currently have any qualifications I am working towards. I am trying my best to focus on one thing at a time; therefore I am currently taking time to focus on my driving test. I plan on continuing with the CIPP courses at a later point, however it does feel great not having to worry about exams.
Future plans
I plan on doing the Advanced Top Up of the Payroll Technician Course. Once I have that completed, it will open up more opportunities and routes within the CIPP, so I will look at my options at that point and decide what is the best course of action for me and my career.