Wow, how do we begin to discuss the National Payroll Week (NPW) celebrations of 2025? I think we can safely say that this year was the biggest and best yet.

All you needed to do was take to LinkedIn last week to see social media set alight with organisations celebrating their payroll professionals, influential figures attending networking events to raise the profile of payroll and, of course, pizza and cakes galore!

Payroll professionals often say they’re under-represented and undervalued, which is why NPW is such an important period in the payroller’s calendar. This is the opportunity for those in the pay profession to shout loudly and proudly about all the hard work they carry out, often quietly and behind the scenes, to get others paid accurately and on time, every time.

The week always kicks off with a launch event, which has been held at the Sky Garden in London for the past few years. The positive energy and celebratory atmosphere are always palpable. Those in attendance heard from the CIPP’s Chief Executive Officer, Jason Davenport and Chair of the Board, Clare Warrington, and got the opportunity to network with others in the industry and to discuss all things pay-related.

Tuesday brought with it the Payroll Services Summit, which the CIPP recently took over from Experian, who have done a fabulous job of building the reputation and structure of this event. The day was put together with the aim of providing important and informative content to those pay professionals who work in a bureau environment. There were over 200 individuals in attendance, and the feedback from the event was that it was a massive success and was delivered from a beautiful venue. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the exhibitors in their support of the first event of its kind under the CIPP’s leadership.

While all this was going on, throughout the week, there were a range of informative webinars, which were all free to attend for all pay professionals, not just our members. There were more than 4,000 registrations to those webinars, which goes to show the sheer volume of many people who got involved this NPW. A standout moment came when the policy and research team shared key findings from the new Payroll Insights Survey, timed with the release of the accompanying reports. These insights are helping shape the future of payroll by giving the profession a clearer voice.

Additionally, we ran a #PayrollChampion competition. We asked for individuals to nominate their payroll champion – someone who goes above and beyond in their role and who deserves to be recognised for their dedication and knowledge. We had an unprecedented number of responses, which is what it’s all about – shining a spotlight on those amazing payroll professionals who go above and beyond in their roles every day.

Although the celebrations may be over for another year, we encourage those in the pay community to keep celebrating their successes and remember what an important job they do. We’re already turning our attention towards NPW 2026 and how we can continue to make it bigger and better.

And we couldn’t wrap up without mentioning our amazing headline sponsor – Portfolio Payroll. A massive thank you to you!