The 4 April deadline for pay gap reporting is here. By now you've run the numbers, but are they correct and can you defend them? The final checks before publication are where hidden inaccuracies should show up. That could be wrong people in scope, bonus timing issues, salary sacrifice throwing things askew and narratives that don't match the reality of your business.

Think of this stage as an essential quality check, not just an admin task to get through. Here is a step-by-step plan on how to carry out this final review.

Gender pay gap snapshot date errors: who should be included?

Start with your 5 April snapshot. Go through your population line by line. One late leaver you missed or a contractor you've wrongly included can shift your quartiles and affect your mean and median figures. A thorough review now will save you having to issue corrections later and the embarrassment that comes with them.

How salary sacrifice and bonuses affect gender pay gap calculations

Most mistakes at this point aren't in your formulae, they're in the data fed into them. Go back through allowances, location uplifts, overtime and shift pay. Make sure you've handled salary sacrifice correctly, as it can artificially depress hourly rates if it’s wrong.

Bonus timing catches businesses out every year during reporting. Check that your eligibility windows and payments match those you've done before.

You might find that your year-on-year numbers seem unusual. If this is the case, explore the data to make sure you can explain why.

Do your gender pay gap figures make sense?

Your results should stack up against what's been happening in your business, your leadership mix, who you've hired and who's left and how people have progressed over the last year or so. If the data tells a different story, it could be that the numbers are wrong or need an explanation for it.

Your narrative gives you a chance to explain movements in your gap, particularly when positive steps, such as hiring more women into entry-level roles, can temporarily harm your pay gap. It's still a voluntary part of reporting, but employees, unions and the media increasingly expect it.

How to write a strong gender pay gap narrative statement

A good narrative is honest about where your business is standing now, it explains the structural elements (like having more men in senior technical roles), and sets out a clear plan with clear measures of progress. Companies doing this narrative well say it builds trust and cuts down on the internal panic after publication.

To help get the narrative right, try not to be defensive and hide behind jargon. Instead, lead with your headline numbers, say clearly what's driving them and explain what you're doing about it.

Do you need a gender pay gap action plan in 2026?

Action plans are increasingly expected. Publishing a short action statement shows you’re serious about making progress and prepares you for when action planning becomes mandatory.

The action statement should be tied to real interventions like inclusive promotion processes, flexible working, leadership development for underrepresented groups and manager training.

Managing reputational risk in reporting

Your figures will be searchable and comparable. Brief your senior leaders, HRBPs and comms teams on how to answer questions about them, whether these come from the team or external parties. Putting together a short Q&A covering data movements, what you're doing and timelines can be helpful for people to refer to.

The information you share with your employees should match your public story. This consistency of message is particularly important if your median gap is larger than your peers’.

Gender pay gap reporting checklist for employers

Before you submit the report, be sure to walk through these steps one last time:

• Re-check your snapshot population and any late payroll changes.
• Make sure your headline numbers reconcile to last year and to the workforce movements you can prove.
• Confirm your bonus and salary sacrifice treatment matches your methodology notes.
• Get sign-off from HR, reward/payroll, legal and corporate comms, and document it.
• Publish your narrative and action statement alongside your figures.

Beyond compliance: ongoing monitoring and analysis

Companies that move from annual compliance to continuous monitoring not only report with confidence, but also close gaps faster.

This reporting cycle can act as a baseline for a better approach going forward. To help drive change, set up a light-touch analytics rhythm that tracks what's driving your gap, seniority mix, promotion rates, lateral hires and returners, and links them to elements you can measure and change. With Equality Action Plans on the horizon, getting into this rhythm now will pay off.

How we can help with gender pay gap compliance and reporting

We offer tailored support to help organisations prepare for and comply with gender pay gap reporting requirements. This can include:

• Collating, validating and reviewing snapshot data
• Supporting you to develop targeted intervention to close gaps
• Pay gap audits and analysis to identify trends and root cause
• Developing an Equality Action Plan, aligned with business goals and legal obligations
• Menopause policy reviews and training for managers and staff
• Outsourced provider assessments to support supply chain transparency
• HR system optimisation for secure data collection and reporting
• Strategic support on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

For more information, please get in touch with Sharon Broughton or your usual RSM contact.

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