March has a habit of creeping up quietly… and then suddenly it’s the end of the tax year. While finance teams are focused on year-end reporting, this is also a brilliant checkpoint for HR. A moment to pause, tidy up loose ends and make sure you’re stepping into April organised with your ducks all in a row. Here are five practical HR tasks we’d recommend ticking off before 31 March 2026.

1. Payroll Check-in

Before March closes, take a moment to review:

• Have all salary increases been processed correctly?
• Are bonuses and commission recorded accurately?
• Are pension contributions aligned?
• Are benefits in kind up to date?
• Is everything ready for P60s?

Even if you outsource payroll, the responsibility still sits with you as the employer. A quick review now can prevent those awkward “we just need to correct something…” conversations later.

2. Prepare for National Minimum Wage Changes

April brings updates to National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates.

Now is the time to:

• Identify who will be affected
• Review salary banding and pay differentials
• Plan for the financial impact on your wider payroll
• Think about how you’ll communicate changes
• Minimum wage increases are straightforward. The ripple effect sometimes isn’t.

Taking a quick look at the wider pay picture keeps everything balanced.

3. Review Annual Leave Before the Rush

If your holiday year follows the tax year, March often triggers a sudden burst of leave requests.

Before that happens:

• Check outstanding holiday balances
• Remind employees about booking deadlines
• Confirm your carry-over rules are in line with legislation
• Encourage managers to actively manage leaveIf leave is stacking up, it’s worth getting ahead of it early. A simple reminder and a bit of planning keeps things manageable for everyone.

4. Give Your Handbook a Proper Spring Clean

When did you last properly review your Employee Handbook?

March is a great time to:

• Check disciplinary and grievance procedures
• Review absence and sickness policies
• Update flexible working guidance
• Confirm family leave entitlements
• Review your policies against upcoming legislative changes taking effect in April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025, including updates to paternity and parental leave, Statutory Sick Pay, and expanded whistleblowing protections

Policies don’t update themselves (unfortunately). A regular refresh keeps everything current and avoid a last-minute scramble when legislation changes. And if managers can actually find the documents? Even better.

5. Lift Your Head and Look at the Bigger Picture

The end of the tax year can also be a natural planning point.

Take a step back and consider:

• Have all probation reviews been completed properly?
• Are appraisals meaningful, or just diary entries?
• What training does the business actually need?
• Are any fixed-term contracts ending soon?
• Do you have upcoming recruitment needs?

HR isn’t all firefighting. When it’s working well, it makes management easier and teams steadier. March just happens to be a handy checkpoint before April arrives.

A Final Thought

A lot of HR pressure comes from timing rather than difficulty. Treating March as a quick check-in means you head into the new financial year organised rather than reactive.