Cintra iQ Release Notes (2025)

• Cintra iQ update: 2025–2026 Tax year changes now live
• Enhanced pay date rules now available in Cintra iQ
• Account Mapping Report
• New Starter Declaration (P46) Import Interface
• Streamlined Process for Death in Service in Cintra iQ
• Further Education Workforce Data - submission file import
• New P11D Vehicle Validation Interface

March 2025

Cintra iQ update: 2025–2026 Tax year changes now live

Statutory changes for the 2025–2026 tax year have now been released in Cintra iQ. This update includes adjustments to Employer National Insurance, Employment Allowance, and Small Employers' Relief, along with support for the new Statutory Neonatal Care Pay and Leave.

What's new?

Employer National Insurance:

• Threshold reduced from £9,100 to £5,000.
• Main rate increased from 13.8% to 15%.

Employment Allowance:

• Increased from £5,000 to £10,500.
• Removal of the £100,000 NIC liability restriction.
• Enhanced support for eligibility handling in Cintra iQ.

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay and Leave:

• Up to 12 weeks of leave for parents of babies in neonatal care.
• Leave is a day-one right; pay requires continuity and earnings test.
• Leave and pay entitlements are not shared between parents.

Small Employers' Relief:

• Compensation rate increased from 103% to 108.5% for Statutory Parental Payments.
• Applies to employers who paid £45,000 or less in Class 1 NICs (excluding Employment Allowance).

What are the key benefits?

These updates ensure Cintra iQ remains compliant with HMRC regulations and supports:

• Accurate payroll processing for the new tax year.
• Improved handling of statutory pay and leave scenarios.
• Enhanced automation and validation for employer reliefs and NI categories.

What next?

All changes are now live in Cintra iQ. For more information, see Statutory Changes for New Tax Year (2025-2026) in Cintra iQ.

March 2025

Enhanced pay date rules now available in Cintra iQ

Cintra iQ now automatically adjusts the payment run due date when your scheduled pay date falls on a non-banking day (e.g. weekends or bank holidays), removing the need to manually override the due date when creating a payment run.

By default, the system ensures the payment due date falls on or before the scheduled pay date. However, you can choose an alternative rule if you prefer the due date to move forward or remain unchanged.

What are the key benefits?

This update helps payroll teams:

• Avoid missed payment deadlines due to non-banking days
• Reduce manual corrections during payroll processing
• Maintain consistency and compliance with payment schedules

What next?

This feature is already live in Cintra iQ. For more information, see Statutory Changes for New Tax Year (2025-2026) in Cintra iQ.

January 2025

Account Mapping Report in Cintra iQ

A new reporting feature is now available in Cintra iQ, allowing users to generate a detailed Account Mapping Report. This report provides a structured overview of your accounting configuration, making it easier to share and review financial mappings across your organisation.

What's new?

• The report mirrors the tabs in the Account Mapping window, making it easy to navigate and review.
• Simplifies the process of sharing accounting details with finance teams or auditors.

What next?

The new report is ready for you try! See What are the account mapping details within Cintra iQ?

January 2025

New Starter Declaration (P46) Import Interface in Cintra iQ

Cintra iQ now supports importing New Starter Declaration (P46) data via CSV file. This feature is designed to streamline bulk onboarding processes.

What's New?

• New interface available for P46 Bulk Import.
• CSV upload functionality with template support.
• Step-by-step processing workflow including file loading, processing, and log review.
• Interface History window for audit tracking.

What are the key benefits?

This feature is designed to make onboarding new starters faster, easier, and more reliable:

• Simplifies bulk entry of new starter data.
• Reduces manual input errors and improves compliance.
• Provides clear visibility into import status and outcomes.

What next?

The p46 feature is ready for you to use. For more information, see Cintra IQ Standard Interface (Non-Education) and the information below.

1. Navigate to the Interface Definition window:  Go to Cintra iQ: Tools>Interfaces
2. Enter “P46” into the Search box
3. Select P46 Bulk Import from the IN section.

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4. Click Open button to see the interface History window
5. Select Load File button

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6. Navigate to find your CSV file with the New Starter Declaration Data (see the template attached at the bottom of this article).
7. The file is imported into the Cintra iQ database awaiting processing.
8. Click the Process Unprocessed Files button. The file is processed

Click the File Processing Log button to view the details of the file's processing.

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        9. Click the Close button when finished. You are returned to the Interface Definition window.

January 2025

Streamlined Process for Death in Service in Cintra iQ

To support users during sensitive times, Cintra iQ now includes improvements to simplify payroll updates following employee bereavement.

What's New?

Users can now enter the Date of Death and update the NI category to X directly within the National Insurance tab of the Tax and NI window. A new validation check prompts users to update the NI category and leaving date when a date of death is entered.

What are the key benefits?

These changes are designed to reduce administrative burden and prevent common errors:

• Helps avoid the accidental generation of a P45.
• Prevents NI contributions on the final payslip.

What next?

For more information, see How do I make changes to a national insurance category?

January 2025

Further Education Workforce Data - submission file import in Cintra iQ

Cintra iQ now supports importing XML files from previous Further Education Workforce Data (FEWD) submissions. This feature was introduced to assist onboarding clients with historical data migration.

What's New?

• Users can upload a previous year’s FEWD XML file directly into Cintra iQ.
• The system automatically extracts and maps the data to the relevant payroll fields.

Important: This import function is designed for clients onboarding to Cintra iQ who already have a previous year's XML submission file. Please be aware that importing an XML file will overwrite any existing teaching data currently stored within Cintra iQ.

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For more details regarding FEWD, see Checklist ✔ - Further Education.

January 2025

P11D Vehicle Validation Interface in Cintra iQ

Cintra iQ now includes a new interface to help users validate company car and van data for P11D submissions. This feature was released to support compliance with HMRC requirements.

What's New?

• Identifies vehicles within the 1–50g/km CO₂ emission range that are missing the mandatory Zero Mileage Range.
• Provides a clear list of non-compliant vehicles for review.

What are the key benefits?

P11D reporting is mandatory. The new interface:

• Reduces risk of non-compliance with HMRC regulations.
• Saves time by automatically flagging missing data.

What next?

1. Go to the "Tools" menu. 
2. Select "Interfaces". 
3. In the "OUT" section, search for "P11D Vehicle Validation".

The interface will list the vehicles that are not compliant. 

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For more information, see Cintra IQ Standard Interface (Non-Education).