What’s New In Oracle Patch 25A – HCM & Payroll Highlights UK Payroll Legislative Updates
1. UK Payroll Legislative Updates
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Changes to Tax Codes, Student Loan thresholds, and NI contributions.
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Updates to P60, P11D forms and RTI submission schemas.
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Revised Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and Maternity Pay calculations.
2. Payroll Calculation Engine Enhancements
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Oracle has optimized retro-pay and costing logic to reduce runtime and improve precision.
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Updates to batch processing allow more parallelism—but require validation.
3. Redwood UX Expansions
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Several self-service screens like Absence Entry, Payslip View, and Employee Directory now use Redwood.
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Impacts navigation, personalization, and accessibility testing.
4. Time & Labour Integration Tweaks
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More granular control over Exception Reporting and approval rules.
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Minor schema changes affecting BI/OTBI extracts.
Key Issues Councils May Face After Applying 25A
1. Unexpected Retro-Pay Calculations
Many UK councils report inconsistencies in retroactive adjustments due to changes in element eligibility or payroll formulas. This is especially critical for employees on varied work schedules or with partial FTE status.
Resolution:
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Use PatchGuard or automated regression tools to simulate multiple payroll runs across worker types.
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Validate result sets before promoting to production.
2. Broken or Misaligned Fast Formulas
The 25A patch may deprecate or reconfigure certain seeded formula functions, impacting custom logic used for payroll deductions, pensions, or leave accruals.
Resolution:
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Recompile all key formulas post-patch.
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Perform targeted UAT scenarios for formulas driving reporting or costing.
3. Report Bursting & Payslip Issues
Updated templates or burst parameters might impact delivery of payslips or payroll reports (especially when integrated with third-party systems like CIVICA or iTrent).
Resolution:
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Confirm BI Publisher templates render correctly post-patch.
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Re-validate bursting queries and FTP delivery settings.
4. P60, P11D & RTI Errors
HMRC file format compliance is updated in 25A. Any customizations or pre-submission rules might need refactoring.
Resolution:
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Test submission files in HMRC sandbox or gateway before live submission.
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Ensure digital signature services and outbound integrations are working post-patch.
5. UI/UX Disruption Due to Redwood
Redwood-enabled flows can break personalization and accessibility compliance if not thoroughly tested.
Resolution:
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Run Redwood readiness testing across self-service flows.
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Consider training or change communications for HR staff and employees.
Final Thoughts
Patch 25A is a significant update that improves functionality but also brings potential disruption to highly customized or tightly integrated local council systems. With proactive testing, change control, and use of automation, UK councils can ensure a smooth transition while taking full advantage of Oracle's latest enhancements.
Need help validating your 25A update?
FirstCron's Patchguard can simulate payroll and HCM scenarios across your entire organization—ensuring nothing breaks when you go live.
Visit www.firstcron.com or request a tailored demo.
July 21st, 2025
10 min read
