Global Payroll, Compliance, and Tax News: March Round-Up

Welcome back to our monthly Global Payroll, Compliance, and Tax News Round-Up! In this edition, we bring you the latest updates from across the payroll and tax landscape, covering everything from key headlines that made waves this month to crucial regulatory changes to emerging job opportunities and upcoming industry events.

Rippling Files Lawsuit Against Deel, Accusing Corporate Espionage

Rippling has filed a lawsuit against Deel, accusing the company of corporate espionage. The lawsuit, filed on March 17 in California, alleges that Deel hired a mole in Rippling’s Dublin office to steal trade secrets and access sensitive information. Rippling claims it uncovered the mole through a "honeypot" trap and discovered communication between the employee and Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz. Deel has denied the allegations.

Read more here.

Ireland’s HSE Issued Overpayments to Staff Reaching Almost €15M

An audit has revealed that Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) overpaid staff by nearly €15 million by the end of 2023, with some payments going to former or deceased employees. The overpayments increased from €10.5 million in 2022 to €14.7 million in 2023, despite recovering €8 million. The audit found weaknesses in the HSE’s payroll system, including errors related to employee status changes and pension overpayments.

Read more here.

Australia's Largest Industry Superannuation Provider Fined $27 Million

Australia's largest industry superannuation provider, AustralianSuper, has been fined $27 million for failing to notify members of duplicate accounts, which contravened the Superannuation Industry Act. The Federal Court ruled on February 21 that between July 2013 and June 2022, over 90,000 members incurred approximately $69 million in losses due to multiple accounts, resulting in excess administration fees, insurance premiums, and lost investment earnings.

Read more here.

Email Mistake Exposes Payroll Information of 450 Salem City Employees

A clerical error by the City of Salem resulted in a former employee receiving payroll information for 450 current and former city employees. The incident occurred on January 21 and involved payroll details for March 2024, including home addresses, pay earnings, deductions, and bank names, though no sensitive personal information like Social Security or bank account numbers was included. The affected employees were notified on February 21 after an investigation.

Read more here.

EMEA: Bulgaria Increases Maximum Monthly Social Security Basis

On 19 March 2025, Bulgaria's parliament passed the Social Security Budget Bill for 2025, which raises the maximum monthly contribution base from BGN 3,750 to BGN 4,130 starting 1 April 2025. Originally, this adjustment was scheduled for 1 January 2025. Additionally, the legislation increases the minimum monthly contribution base for self-employed individuals from BGN 933 to BGN 1,077, also effective from 1 April 2025.

Read more here.

North America: Canada Announces Minimum Wage Increases for 2025

Several minimum wage increases will take effect across Canada in 2025.

• Federal Minimum Wage: Effective 1 April 2025, the minimum wage for federally regulated employees will rise by 2.4% to CAD 17.75 per hour. 

• British Columbia: Starting 1 June 2025, the general minimum wage will increase from CAD 17.40 to CAD 17.85 per hour, with app-based ride-hailing and delivery workers receiving the same 2.6% increase. 

• Nova Scotia & New Brunswick: On 1 April 2025, Nova Scotia’s minimum wage will rise from CAD 15.20 to CAD 15.70 per hour, while New Brunswick’s will increase from CAD 15.30 to CAD 15.65 per hour.

Read more here.

LATAM: Brazil Launches Payroll-Deductible Loans Initiative

On 12 March 2025, Brazil introduced new regulations to expand payroll-deductible loans for private-sector workers through a digital work card app. This initiative aims to provide more affordable credit options, potentially reducing interest rates by half. The program, effective March 21, is expected to generate up to 120 billion reais in loans over four years, benefiting approximately 19 million workers.

Read more here.

APAC: Hong Kong Proposes New Statutory Minimum Wage Rate

The Chief Executive in Council has accepted the Minimum Wage Commission's proposal to increase Hong Kong's statutory minimum wage from HKD 40 to HKD 42.10 per hour. The revised rate is set to take effect on 1 May 2025, pending approval from the Legislative Council. If approved, the monthly monetary cap requiring employers to record employees' total hours worked will also rise from HKD 16,300 to HKD 17,200, effective the same day.

Read more here.

Belgium’s new government has proposed significant changes to labor laws under its Federal Coalition Agreement. Key measures include mandating employer-provided occupational pension benefits, reforming company car mobility budgets, and introducing a framework for flexible compensation systems. The agreement also simplifies working time and overtime regulations, capping severance pay and linking unemployment benefits to years worked.

Additional changes include measures to address absenteeism and long-term sick leave, such as mandatory reintegration processes and penalties for non-compliance. The reforms aim to raise net wages for low and middle-income earners and modify social security retirement benefits.

Read more here.

Payroll Guide

The Complete Payroll Guide for Belgium

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With the current payroll talent shortage, there are plenty of exciting opportunities for payroll professionals. Here is an overview of some current payroll and compliance job openings.

Global Payroll Lead - Kantar Media

Kantar Media is hiring a Global Payroll Lead for a full-time, permanent, hybrid position in London. The role involves developing and implementing a global payroll strategy, ensuring compliance and standardisation across multiple countries. The Global Payroll Lead will manage vendor relationships, drive process improvements, and oversee payroll analytics.

Find more details here.

Global Payroll Operations Specialist UK - Rippling

Rippling is looking for an experienced Global Payroll Operations Specialist focusing on the UK and Ireland. This role involves managing payroll filings, tax issue resolution, and working closely with government agencies. The specialist will collaborate with the R&D and product teams to ensure payroll software meets regional tax and compliance requirements. Key responsibilities include payroll audits, issue resolution, and driving automation for process improvements.

Find more details here.

International Payroll Specialist - Primark

Primark is seeking an International Payroll Specialist to join its team. The role involves supporting the payroll team in the production of payrolls, ensuring deadlines are met, and collaborating on system file uploads and software improvements. Responsibilities also include handling statutory returns, pension obligations, and year-end processes, while maintaining positive relationships across teams.

Find more details here.

Payroll Specialist - Magna International

Magna International is searching for a Payroll Specialist to join its Shared Service Center in Sailauf. The role involves managing payroll processing for multiple locations, including maintaining employee data in SAP HCM, handling tax and social security queries, and liaising with authorities such as tax offices and health insurance companies. The specialist will also support audits, assist with payroll-related projects, and improve processes.

Find more details here.

Payroll is all about numbers. Here are some interesting facts and statistics from the global payroll space.

• The number of issues per 1,000 payslips has reduced by 35% since 2019, indicating progress in data quality and payroll processing (Source: Cloudpay).

• As reported by the Office for National Statistics, the UK's annual wage growth remained steady at 5.9% in January (Source: Financial Times).

• A January 2025 survey revealed that over 40% of respondents face significant challenges with their payroll technology (Source: Businesswire).

Meet Lano at HR Technologies in London

Lano will be attending this year’s HR Technologies event in London. Join us on April 27 for the UK’s only tech-focused event in the HR marketplace. Catch Aurel Albrecht, Founder and CEO at Lano, and Russell Webb, Business Development Manager at Phase 3 Consulting, for an inspiring talk on how to find the best global payroll model for your business.

Read more here.

PayrollOrg Congress 2025

The 43rd Annual PayrollOrg Congress, taking place from May 13-16, 2025, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, is the premier event for payroll professionals. This flagship event features educational workshops, keynote addresses, and an expo showcasing the latest payroll technologies. Topics such as global payroll management, tax compliance, technology innovations, and professional development will be covered.

Read more here.

GPA Webinar: Building A Business Case for Payroll Transformation

The Global Payroll Association (GPA) is hosting a webinar titled "Building A Business Case for Payroll Transformation: A Step-by-step Guide" on April 8, 2025, at 3 pm. Led by Cloudpay Solutions Consultants, Mary Castro and Matthew Gray, the webinar will explore the essential strategies for building a global payroll transformation business case.

Read more here.

Lano Blog

Top payroll conferences and congresses to attend in 2025

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PayrollOrg: Inspiring Publication on Empowering Women in Global Payroll

In an inspiring article published on Payroll.Org, Carolyn Hayden-Garner explores the key challenges that contribute to the glass ceiling that women face in payroll and highlights several methods that can help break down these barriers and promote gender equality in the workplace.

Read the full article here.

Payroll & Pastries Special: In-House vs Outsourced Payroll

In a special edition of his Payroll & Pastries Newsletter, Russell Webb, Payroll Influencer and Business Development Manager at Phase 3 Consulting, dives deep into the respective pros and cons of in-house vs. outsourced payroll, including a direct cost comparison and checklists for choosing suitable solutions for both approaches.

Read the full newsletter here.

Anita Lettink on the Dangerous Shortcut Between Job Titles and Equal Pay

In her latest biweekly deep dive on pay transparency, international keynote speaker and HR & payroll advisor Anita Lettink sheds light on the dangerous shortcut of using job titles to define equal work and explains why the ‘same title, same pay’ approach creates more problems than it solves.

Read the full newsletter here.

Have you recently written or read a great article or discovered another great resource we should know about? Write to us and we will include you in our next Global Payroll and Compliance News Update.