THE introduction of auto-enrolment legislation has seen a rapid expansion in the payroll portfolio of Garbutt & Elliott, accountants and business advisers.

In 2011 the York and Leeds based business had 160 companies on its payroll books – today the number has increased to 320.

Lorraine Young, head of payroll, said: "One of the reasons is the introduction of auto-enrolment legislation, which requires companies to set up a pension scheme for their employees in line with rules laid out by the Government. Employers must contribute to the scheme, but employees can opt out.”

She said the need for both companies and individuals to take professional advice had never been greater.

"The new regulations affect all personal pensions and defined contribution company schemes, to which both employer and employee contribute to ensure a set level of pension on retirement,” she said.

“We are fortunate to have an in-house team of independent financial advisers, which means we are in a unique position of being able to cover all angles of the pensions maze, from overseeing the payroll to sorting out the best pension for the employer and looking at tax-efficient options for employees."

Their clients cover a wide range of sectors including construction and engineering, hotels, residential homes, charities and tourism.

Gillian Wagstaff, group financial controller for Plasmor Ltd, ha signed up with Garbutt & Elliott . She said: "With the ever changing legislation, such as real time reporting and the auto enrolment of employees into a pension fund, they have taken away the fear that things might not always be done as they should. I can relax knowing that they have all the statutory and legal requirements under control for me."