Meet our Team – Luke Smith
Luke is a Chartered Accountant who began his journey with the Big-4 firm KPMG before taking the lead in developing Purpose, an award-winning accountancy business based in Jersey. Luke is now Managing Director of Offshore Payroll and a Partner in a successful, boutique Private Equity firm that has created a portfolio of local high performing, synergistic, professional services businesses across industry sectors. With over 24 years’ experience in accounting, finance, and business evolution Luke acts as an advisor to the boards of over 30 owner-managed businesses in Jersey with turnovers of £1M
In 2019, Luke spotted a unique opportunity and led the acquisition of Offshore Payroll Limited, determined to assemble a dynamic team that could take the company’s growth and technological capabilities to the next level. His passion for innovation drives him to continuously explore new ways to leverage technology, to streamline and add value to businesses.
Luke believes in the power of technology to reveal the true value of people and resources. By enhancing Offshore Payroll’s cloud platform, he is on a mission to develop tools that help businesses gain deeper insights into profitability, leading to smarter, more informed decisions.
Whether he is advising at board meetings, valuing a small business, or perfecting his golf game, Luke’s commitment to excellence is evident. He regularly provides expert testimony in the Royal Court in Jersey and has an unblemished record—a testament to his expertise and dedication.
September 13, 2024
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Jersey Mini Budget – Changes to Jersey Payroll
An extensive package of measures to address the cost-of-living crisis, which formed part of the Chief Minister’s 100 day plan has been passed.
The aim of this package is to put almost £15 million back into Islanders’ pockets this year and almost £42 million in 2023.
The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Deputy Ian Gorst, said: “This mini budget will help individuals and families with their budgets in this cost of living crisis. I am pleased with the work we have done to help people with these broad measures at this time of need in the community.”
Some of the changes passed as part of the Mini budget will directly impact payroll in Jersey. A reduction from 6% to 4% for employee Social Security contributions, came into effect on the 1st of October 2022 for 3 months (ending on the 31st of December 2022).
Our clients won’t need to do anything, as the update to social security will go through to our databases automatically.
Also approved as part of the Mini budget was an above inflation increase of 12% in Income Tax thresholds and allowances, including Child Allowances, Additional Allowance and Child Care Tax Relief. From 1 January 2023 Income tax threshold for a single person will be raised from £16,550 to £18,550.
We will also be updating Jersey databases to reflect the increase in income tax thresholds from the 1st of January 2023 onward and will let our clients know if any action is required.
You can find more information about the Mini budget through the Government of Jersey website: https://www.gov.je/News/2022/Pages/MiniBudgetQandA.aspx
Source: Government of Jersey News Release.
Meet our Team – Jackie Helks
Jackie is our Customer Experience Specialist with a flair for marketing and design! With over a decade of top-level hospitality experience under her belt, Jackie’s expertise in client relations makes her an invaluable asset to us and our Offshore Payroll clients.
Jackie’s commitment to understanding and meeting client needs is hugely impressive. She is here to make your journey with Offshore Payroll smooth and enjoyable. Her previous experience of technical projects includes launching a cloud-based booking system for a high-profile hotel, rebranding and new website planning, as well as managing onboarding, employee rotas and payroll. Plus, she is certified in Zendesk Agent Support and HubSpot Inbound Marketing, adding to her impressive skill set!
Local Consortium Acquire Offshore Payroll Limited
A group of local companies have jointly purchased Offshore Payroll Limited (OP). OP is payroll service and software business that specialises in processing for jurisdictions that have unique tax and social rules.
The new owners include; recruitment specialists Rowlands, financial strategists Purpose and technology experts Vertix. Together, the group plans to invest in OP’s team and technology to innovate and develop the existing services.
Managing Director of Rowlands, Jeralie Pallot, commented:
‘We believe that this business is an excellent fit for Rowlands and will enable us to provide new, innovative solutions for our clients as OP evolves. I am particularly excited about the potential that OP has to offer deeper insights for employers and efficiencies gained through integration with accounting systems. We believe that with some investment, this is an incredibly useful tool that we will be able to provide to you..’
Managing Director of Purpose, Luke Smith added:
‘My focus when supporting the growth of OP will be to consider innovative ways to use the technology to understand the value of human resources. I believe that we can develop OP’s existing platform to create new ways to understand profitability, which in turn will help businesses to be more intelligent in their decision-making.’
Director of Vertix, Ross Huelin concluded:
‘I am excited to be part of a team that is committed to building on OP’s existing technology in creative and original ways. We are passionate about making complex processes simple, and where possible, automatic, to increase business efficiency and agility. I believe that the development work we undertake will add huge value to existing OP clients, but also open up the technology to have widely useful benefits for global organisations.’
Over the coming months, OP will begin growing its team and rolling out improvements for existing clients, before embarking on a programme of development.
“It has given us peace of mind”
The reporting section is extremely in depth and helpful. We have been using various reports to help create our own management reports which has led us to examine payroll expenditure easily.
Having the widgets to run through step-by-step payroll or adding a new employee ensures nothing is missed. Also, the accessibility due to being Cloud based.
It’s a great system! Easy to use, can be tailored to your specific payroll needs without being overwhelming and if you can’t find something in the extensive user guide then a team of experts is only a click away.
Emma McCaw – Consultant
