Stay audit ready
Keep decisions, approvals and supporting records together, with a clear history when you need to evidence what happened.
Self-service HR software for Direct Payment employers
Your PAs.
Your records.
Your HR system.
Manage PA records, holiday, timesheets, working hours and employment documents in one secure place. Your PAs get their own portal, while you stay informed and in control.
You stay the employer — in control of your funding, your PAs and your payroll relationship.
Built for UK Direct Payments Works with your payroll provider
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Self-service software that keeps you in control of your PAs, your records and your admin.
Self-serviceYou stay in controlWorks with your payroll provider
Why it matters
Employing a PA makes you an employer.
Direct Payments give you choice and control. But if you employ your PA directly, you also take on responsibilities for employment records, working hours, holiday, absences and right-to-work checks. Direct Payments HR gives you a straightforward system for keeping that information organised, up to date and ready when it's needed.
Keep everyone organised
Bring PA details, timesheets, holiday, cover arrangements, expenses and documents into one dependable routine.
Prepare for payroll
Turn approved hours, holiday and expenses into clear, exportable information — you choose when to send it to your payroll provider.
For your PAs
Give every PA their own portal.
Your PAs can access a simple portal from their phone to:
Clock in and out
Submit timesheets
Request holiday
See whether requests have been approved
View their holiday information
Access relevant employment documents
You review and approve everything from your employer dashboard, creating a clear record for both you and your PA.
Less chasing. Fewer paper forms. A clear record for everyone.
One organised record
Ready when the review request arrives.
Build your evidence as the work happens, rather than reconstructing it later. Status history, approvals and documents stay connected to the people and processes they belong to.
Timesheet and approval history
Holiday and cover records
Expense decisions
Employment documents
Audit exports
Workflow notifications
Employment records
Know what to keep, and for how long.
Different employment records must be retained for different periods. Direct Payments HR helps you keep the HR information needed to support those responsibilities.
Holiday and holiday pay
Since 6 April 2026, employers must record holiday taken, holiday carried over, holiday pay and payments in lieu, and retain those records for at least 6 years.
Minimum wage
Employers must keep records proving minimum-wage compliance for at least 6 years. Working-hour records can form part of that evidence.
PAYE and payroll
Payroll records must generally be kept for 3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to. Your payroll provider produces these, and Direct Payments HR keeps the supporting HR records organised alongside them.
Right to work
Evidence of a right-to-work check must be kept throughout employment and for 2 years after employment ends.
Other personnel records
Retention depends on the type of document, its purpose and applicable data-protection requirements — there is no single rule for every record.
Direct Payments HR supports your record keeping and administration. See our FAQs for how legal advice and compliance fit in.
Scope
A platform that keeps you in control.
Direct Payments HR helps you
Manage PA employment records
Record hours, timesheets and absences
Receive and approve holiday requests
Store employment documents
Maintain leaver records
Prepare approved information for payroll
Find and export records when requested
Curious exactly where the boundaries sit, such as funding, payroll and legal advice? Our FAQs cover it.
How it works
A clear route from work done to provider informed.
Your PA uses their portal
Hours, holiday requests and expenses enter one shared workflow from their phone, instead of arriving across messages and paper.
You review and approve
See what needs attention, make decisions and keep a dated record of each step.
You export to your payroll provider
Approved information can be exported and sent to the payroll contact you already use — your provider still calculates wages, tax and National Insurance.
Employer guides
Straight answers for Direct Payment employers and support teams.
Evidence-led guidance on the employment administration behind a Direct Payment, from timesheets and holiday records to council reviews.
Employer guide
Employing a PA with a Direct Payment: the complete employer checklist
A step-by-step guide to what needs to happen before a personal assistant starts, every pay period and throughout the employment.
Read the guideRecord keeping
Direct Payment reviews: the records to prepare and how to organise them
A practical evidence-pack checklist for council monitoring, with a clear explanation of which requirements are standard and which are set locally.
Read the guideCouncil practice
Reducing Direct Payment employer burden: a practical council model
Ten service-design actions councils can use to reduce avoidable administration while preserving choice, control and proportionate oversight.
Read the guideFrequently asked
Clear answers, from the start.
Direct Payments HR works alongside the services you already rely on.
Is Direct Payments HR a managed HR service?+
No. Direct Payments HR is self-service software that you use to organise and manage your own HR administration. You remain the employer and stay in control of decisions relating to your PAs.
Do you manage my Direct Payment funding?+
No. We do not hold, manage or advise you how to spend your Direct Payment funding. The platform is specifically for HR administration connected with employing PAs.
Do you process payroll?+
No. Your existing payroll provider continues to calculate wages, tax, National Insurance and deductions. Direct Payments HR helps you record and approve the hours, holiday and other HR information your payroll provider may need.
What can my PAs do in their portal?+
PAs can clock in and out, submit timesheets, request holiday, view the status of requests and access relevant information and documents.
Does Direct Payments HR help with employment records?+
Yes. It provides one organised place for PA records, holiday, working hours, absences, timesheets and documents, making information easier to find, review and export when it's requested.
Does using the platform guarantee legal compliance?+
No software can guarantee compliance in every individual situation. Direct Payments HR helps you maintain organised records and follow consistent HR processes, but it does not provide legal advice.
What happens when a PA leaves?+
You can mark the PA as a leaver while retaining the records that need to be kept. Their portal access can be removed without deleting your historical records.
Can I use it with my existing payroll provider?+
Yes. Direct Payments HR is designed to work alongside your payroll provider. Approved information can be exported and sent to the payroll contact you already use.
Less chasing. More clarity.