Why is there a week 53
Week 53 occurs when 1 January and 31 December are paydays and a total of 53 paydays arise between those dates. Similarly, in a leap year, week 53 occurs where a payday falls on 1 or 2 January and 30 or 31 December and there are 53 paydays between these dates.
In the case of week 53, a new pay period is created in Access Pay & Bill to account for the start of the new tax year.
This article explains how to create an extra payroll period and session.
📌 Note: Only create an extra period if you're sure it's required.
Create a new period
Click Setup then click Employer Maintenance.
Click the Details tab then press Ctrl+M on your keyboard to enter modify mode - This allows you to modify the Employer Maintenance screen.
Change the value in Periods in Year from 52 to 53 and click Exit.
Click Payroll then click Period Maintenance.
To insert a new period, press Ctrl+I on your keyboard.
Complete the information for your extra period in the current tax year.
📌 Note: Ensure the dates don't overlap with an existing period record.
You've now created a session one record. You can check this within Session Maintenance.
Create a new session
Click Payroll then click Session Maintenance.
To modify the record, press Ctrl+M on your keyboard.
Enter the required payday for the extra period.
🤓 Tip: A payday after 1 January won't be in the current tax year.
You've now created a new session.