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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2023 Updates for Jersey & Guernsey
There are some important changes for Jersey and Guernsey will come into effect from the 1st of January 2023, luckily for Offshore Payroll clients we’ve had these in place since early December and our databases have been automatically updated.
Jersey will see an end to the temporary reduction in Social Security contributions and a percentage rise from 4% to 6% for employee contributions from January 1st 2023.
There have also been annual updates to Guernsey and Jersey tax and social security thresholds, more details of these annual changes can be found by using the following links:
Click here for more information on 2023 Jersey Tax rates, allowances and reliefs
Click here for more information on 2023 Guernsey Tax rates, allowances and reliefs
If you’re considering a change in 2023 and are looking for a new Payroll software provider, then reach out and speak with a member of the team by using this link.

Combined Employer Return (CER) and changes to the 8 hour rule
From January 2022, the Jersey 8 hour rule will be replaced with a financial limit. This limit will be equivalent to 8 hours at the minimum wage that is in place at the start of the year.
For weekly paid employees there will be a weekly threshold based on 8 hours per week at the minimum wage. The employer will need to determine, each week, if the employee has reached that threshold and deduct contributions accordingly.
It is possible that an employee may exceed the threshold in some weeks during a month and not others. The Combined Employer Return (due January 2022) will require the earnings for the entire month to be declared for tax purposes but for contributions purposes only the earnings for the weeks where contributions have been deducted should be reported.
For monthly paid employees earnings will only need to be declared for social security purposes where the monthly threshold is reached.

Meet our Team – Julie Heaven
Julie brings a wealth of financial expertise and over two decades of experience to our team. Qualifying as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) in 2000, she has held several senior financial management roles throughout her career, including her most recent position as Director of Purpose. In this role, she provides strategic financial guidance to owner-managed companies, helping them navigate complex financial landscapes and achieve sustainable growth.
“a modern and progressive payroll package”
Submitting the CER at the click of the button is brilliant!!! My manager could not believe it, no more manual calculations.
Running Jersey payroll is now faster, it generates various payroll reports that we find helpful. I would happily recommend.
Mumba Chomba – Management Accountant

