Surf Payroll (now BrightPay)

Overview

Surf Payroll has been consolidated into BrightPay under Bright Software Group, the Irish company behind BrightBooks (formerly Surf Accounts), BrightPay, and Thesaurus. Existing Surf Payroll customers should migrate to BrightPay, which is the actively-developed Irish payroll product going forward. BrightPay covers full PAYE Modernisation, real-time Revenue submissions, PRSI and USC handling, SEPA XML support for AIB/BOI/PTSB/Ulster Bank, and is Auto-Enrolment ready for My Future Fund. For current Surf Payroll users, the migration path is handled by Bright Software Group directly. This profile is retained for inbound-link continuity only - new evaluations should look at BrightPay.

Compliance reference

Compliance vocabulary for Surf Payroll (now BrightPay)

Irish terms that shape how this software is bought, configured, and audited.

• Benefit-in-Kind aka BIK

  Tax charged on non-cash perks (company cars, vans, accommodation, low-interest loans) provided to Irish employees. BIK is added to gross pay and taxed via PAYE.

• Payment of Wages Act aka POWA, Payment of Wages Act 1991, Tips Act

  Irish statute governing how wages must be paid, the right to a payslip, lawful deductions, and (since 2022) the rules on tips, gratuities and service charges.

• Universal Social Charge aka USC

  Irish payroll tax on gross income deducted at source by employers via PAYE and reported in real time under PAYE Modernisation. Bands, rates and exemption thresholds are set in the annual Finance Act.

See the full Irish compliance glossary →

Irish grants

Grants that could fund Surf Payroll (now BrightPay)

Irish funding schemes whose remit covers the software category Surf Payroll (now BrightPay) sits in. Eligibility depends on your business size, age, and sector, not the software you choose - always check the funder's own page before applying.

• Local Enterprise Office Priming Grant

  Capital and salary support for a new microenterprise in its first 18 months of trading, up to EUR150,000 toward eligible costs.

  Up to EUR150,000 (50:50 cofunded, max EUR15,000 per job)
• Revenue Commissioners Section 486C Start-Up Corporation Tax Relief

  Up to three years' relief from corporation tax for new companies, scaled by the employer's PRSI paid on staff salaries.

  Up to EUR40,000 of CT relief per year for three years (linked to employer PRSI paid)
• Revenue Commissioners Start-Up Refunds for Entrepreneurs (SURE)

  Income tax refund of up to 41% on cash invested into a new Irish company, claimed back from PAYE paid in the previous six years.

  Refund of income tax paid (typically 41% of qualifying investment, capped by past PAYE)

See the full Irish business grants directory → or find grants you qualify for →

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