PayCaptain create the first ever Plain Numbers Certified payslip

Less than a year into their three-year Partnership with Plain Numbers, PayCaptain have released the first ever Plain Numbers Certified payslip.

PayCaptain are the only payroll company currently working with Plain Numbers. Certification means the document has been assessed by Plain Numbers and has reached a high standard of clarity in the way numbers are communicated.

In an increasingly complicated financial world and as the cost-of-living crisis continues, it’s hugely important that people can understand the pay in their pockets. The format of payslips has been left largely unchallenged, and because they are overcomplicated, they are rarely engaged with by employees.

If people are to be empowered to achieve their financial goals, presenting these important numbers in a way that can be understood is crucial.

PayCaptain wants to do things differently. For many companies, payroll is putting money into people’s accounts in the middle of the night and sending out a standard, often unintelligible, payslip.  PayCaptain pays thousands of people each month, with varying levels of maths understanding, over a broad number of sectors in the working world. With around half of the UK population having the maths skills of a primary school child, payslips can be a daunting set of numbers to interpret and understand. The 20 million working adults in the UK who struggle with numbers will already face barriers to managing their money – PayCaptain is clear that their payslip should not be one of them.

There are commercial benefits too. Payslips typically generate many queries, putting a burden on an already busy payroll team. By delivering a payslip that is easy to understand, PayCaptain aim to alleviate this pressure and reduce queries.

Key members of the PayCaptain team have taken part in the comprehensive Plain Numbers training process, and these Practitioners have used this new lens and toolkit to re-write the rule book on what a payslip can look like. People need to feel confident that they’ve been paid correctly each month, particularly those paid hourly or variably. PayCaptain’s Plain Numbers Certified payslip strips down the jargon and the numbers to help employees understand the pay they’ve worked so hard for.

Mike Ellicock, Chief-Exec and Co-Founder of Plain Numbers - ‘It’s been fantastic to support PayCaptain in applying the Plain Numbers Approach to such a relevant communication. We all get payslips, yet they’re something so few people really understand, and most people don’t question how they could be better. The changes PayCaptain have made are stark, and I’m confident this work will give employees the understanding they need to enhance their financial well-being.’

Simon Bocca, Founder of PayCaptain - ‘Most people have a payslip that looks like it is from the 1980’s - terribly designed, confusing and totally uninspiring.  PayCaptain is helping thousands of people have real confidence in their income by applying a unique and innovative approach to the payslip. We want people to have the best possible ‘getting paid’ experience so working with Plain Numbers to ensure maximum engagement with a payslip was obvious. PayCaptain goes beyond payroll, and we provide inclusive and accessible tools to support employees in becoming more confident with their money’.

Together, Plain Numbers and PayCaptain are helping thousands of people truly understand their money by applying a unique and innovative approach to their payslip. This will mean a better payroll experience and brighter financial futures for those receiving the payslips.