Navigating Joint and Several Liability: Orbital Payroll Group’s approach to agency compliance

Protecting agencies under the JSL framework starts with rigorous, independently verified compliance.

Orbital Payroll Group holds FCSA accreditation and SafeRec accreditation, two of the most recognised standards for payroll governance and operational integrity. These accreditations provide:

• Strict compliance auditing
• Demonstrable transparency across payroll operations
• Assurance that PAYE and NIC are handled accurately and in line with HMRC requirements

In addition, agencies can access an added layer of protection via ORBIO insurance, available through SafeRec. This provides further commercial reassurance in situations where liability safeguards are essential.

Independent oversight is no longer optional — it is essential.

Orbital Payroll Group is Workforce Assured approved, a standard specifically designed to raise compliance and labour‑management expectations within key sectors such as construction.

This additional auditing framework validates:

• Payroll processes
• Worker engagement structures
• Compliance documentation and governance controls

By committing to multiple external assurance routes, Orbital ensures that agencies benefit from a fully audited and independently verified payroll environment.

Transparency is central to JSL readiness, and agencies must be able to demonstrate that all worker remuneration is processed as employment income.

To enable this, Orbital Payroll Group provides every agency and client with access to The Lighthouse Portal, powered by Octopaye. This portal delivers:

Key benefits:

• Real‑time transparency of worker tax submissions
• Full visibility of PAYE treatment and gross-to-net calculation
• Evidence‑ready compliance trails for agency audit requirements
• Seamless integration with Octopaye for accuracy and data integrity
• Immediate visibility of payments made to HMRC

And importantly:

• This service is completely free of charge to all agency partners.

By providing open access to compliance data, Orbital removes ambiguity and helps agencies demonstrate governance at every stage of the payroll process.

One of the most important aspects of JSL is the ability to provide proof, not just policy.

In addition to the detailed SafeRec reports agencies receive, Orbital Payroll Group uploads HMRC payment receipts directly into The Lighthouse Portal. This allows agencies to confirm:

• Liabilities were calculated correctly
• Submissions were made on time
• Payments were received by HMRC

This approach replaces retrospective checking with real-time validation — giving agencies confidence that liabilities are not only reported correctly, but also fully settled.

Financial health across the supply chain is a key focus under the JSL framework.

SafeRec’s credit‑checking facility allows agencies to assess the financial standing of providers and conduct additional due diligence where needed. Orbital Payroll Group supports this transparency and encourages agencies to make informed decisions based on factual, independently verified financial data.

Being open to financial scrutiny demonstrates our commitment to stability, resilience, and responsible payroll management giving agencies assurance that we can meet all statutory and payroll commitments reliably.