Sage Payroll Stationery

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Marc

Last week we explored five great reasons to make the switch from a manual or outdated payroll system to Sage Payroll 2012, and one of the most attractive features of this piece of software is the ability to produce accurate, well presented and professional payroll paperwork directly from the software. Being able to produce a large number of uniformly set out payslips or P60 forms quickly is a real advantage for a growing business, and it’s great to start doing this to make the transition to handling large amounts of payroll data that much easier – especially for a growing business.

sage stationery, sage payroll

Sage produce their own stationery which is designed to automatically align with Sage Instant Payroll and Sage Payroll 2012 software, taking the hard work out of presenting vital salary, tax and other deduction information in an easily readable and professional manner. Sage stationery is also compatible with non-Sage payroll software, and with the correct alignment all businesses can benefit from their modern and well formatted stationery.

sage stationery, sage payroll

Payslips are available in a number of different formats to suit the particular operations of your business. For payslips that are delivered personally to employees, payslip stationery is available in standard and large format depending on the amount of payroll data included in the paperwork. These payslips are available for laser and continuous printers, which may be preferred if a large amount of payroll data is being processed in bulk. Should privacy be a concern, Sage produce standard payslip and payslip plus self-sealing mailers to allow you to secure the information and despatch the paperwork without the need for additional envelopes.

Similarly, P60 forms can be produced straight from Sage Payroll and Sage Instant payroll software with the use of laser, inkjet, deskjet and continuous printers. Summaries of pay and tax deductions for the previous tax year can be distributed to employees internally using the standard Sage P60 forms, or externally using the convenient P60 self-sealing mailer.

Whether you deliver payslips to employees personally or despatch them through the postal service, we have a comprehensive range of Sage Payroll stationery available to buy in bulk so it’s easier than ever to keep a good stock of stationery to meet the needs of your regular payroll tasks. See our main website for more Sage stationery including Sage Accounts stationery and Sage labels and postage stationery.

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May 19th Submissions: Correcting Errors and Avoiding Penalties

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Marc

With the May 19th deadline for P14 and P35 submissions less than a week away now, many of us will have already prepared and sent our employer annual returns to HMRC. It’s easy under the pressure of a deadline, especially if you are processing a large amount of payroll data, to make errors on your forms and submit them without checking properly. Thankfully it is simple to correct these errors.

Should you discover a mistake in your submitted P14 forms and wish to resubmit this information there’s no need to panic, there is still time to amend your submission even if it has already been sent. Any amended forms sent to HMRC should include only the amended information – you shouldn’t file a completely new version of the original form with the revised figures. For example, if the original submission contains a PAYE tax deduction of £150.00 where the correct amount should have been £15.00, another P14 form for that employee must be filed with the difference between the incorrect figure and the correct one – which in this case would be -£135.00. Please also be aware that if a P14 is amended a new P35 for that employee must also be filed at the same time.

It is highly recommended that all submissions are properly checked before submission to avoid incurring costly fines from HMRC or missing those all-important payroll deadlines. Submitting forms online using Sage Payroll makes correcting errors easier and simplifies the submission process; not only for employer annual returns but also for Payroll Real Time Information, which is currently being rolled out over the next eighteen months and will be compulsory for all employers.

To learn more about common mistakes made in employer annual returns and how to avoid making them, HMRC have compiled a useful guide on their website. For more information on Sage Payroll 2012 and how it can make your payroll tasks more efficient and adequately prepare you for future legislative changes, please visit our main Coast Business Solutions website.

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Why Use Sage Payroll: 5 Good Reasons

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Marc

sage payroll, sage 50 payroll 2012

Many of us are currently in the process of collating information and preparing to make our employer annual returns submissions which are due to HMRC by May 19th, and preparing this information can highlight some areas in an existing payroll system where improvements can be made. Should you find that you are dissatisfied with a manual payroll system or existing payroll software package, upgrading to Sage 50 Payroll 2012 can streamline your employee information and PAYE tasks making managing a payroll system simpler and more efficient than ever. Here I have outlined five good reasons why Sage Payroll offers a complete payroll solution for medium to large businesses:

  1. Integrated Management of All Aspects of Payroll Information and PAYE Tasks. The new edition of Sage Payroll offers many improved features that are designed to streamline all of your essential payroll tasks; and offer an integrated management system of pre and post-tax payments and deductions, employee information, Payroll Year End, pension sacrifices and e-banking. Managing all of this information is made easy, and Sage Payroll keeps it all in one place for ease of access and efficient processing whilst remaining flexible for a variety of business needs. Whether your employees are full-time, part-time, contracted or temporary; handling everything from P46 and P45 forms to holiday entitlement is made fast and efficient.
  2. User Interface. The new edition of Sage 50 Payroll for the 2012/13 tax year has adopted a refreshed user interface which offers a simple and consistent user experience, and introduces all CSV import/export templates to both the standard and professional variants of the software. An additional user support feature is the Support Home Page, which collates all of the customers’ data regarding their software to allow Sage technicians to execute effective customer support when it is required.
  3. Produce Accurate and Professional Payroll Paperwork. With the use of Sage Stationery, payslips, P60 forms and self-sealing mailers can be accurately and uniformly produced from the software resulting in a consistent and professional paperwork for employees.
  4. Electronic PAYE Updates and Online Submissions.  Full product updates, PAYE packages and legislative updates can be delivered electronically to the end user via Sage Payroll. This gives users of the software full confidence that the most recent regulation changes from HMRC are adhered to. In addition to electronic compliance updates; Sage Payroll 2012 also allows P46, P45, P60 and other essential forms to be delivered to HMRC online helping the user meet those important deadlines.
  5. Full HMRC Compliance and Future Proofing. Over the next 12 to 24 months we are to expect two major legislative reforms that will have a direct impact on the payroll tasks of every employer. Sage 50 Payroll has now moved to a single annual release which combines new features and legislative updates, allowing Sage more time to develop and test the next version and provide users with better than ever compliance and future proofing features. The best way to prepare your business for the Payroll RTI and Workplace Pension Reform pilots is by updating your payroll software package to Sage 50 Payroll 2012.

For more information and great reasons why Sage Payroll 2012 is a superb payroll solution for medium to large businesses visit our main website where you will find a full run down of all the key features. Don’t forget our completely free ‘Test Drive’ service is available for Sage Payroll, and we also have a number of training options to make the switch to this payroll software simple.

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Social Media with Coast Solutions

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Marc

Here at Coast Business Solutions we like to stay connected with our clients and the latest industry news and product releases from Sage. We have healthy Twitter, Facebook and Google+ accounts where we post the most recent news, reviews and questions to our followers.

Views to share? If you’d like to let us know what you think of the Sage 50 Accounts Mobile Application, or share some top tips of how you have prepared yourself for the latest PAYE deadline – get in touch with us! We would love to hear from you and share your interesting or useful information with our other followers.

Coast on Twitter: @coastsolutions

Coast on Facebook: facebook.com/coast-business-solutions

Coast on Google+: gplus.to/coast

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Sage 50 Forecasting

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Marc

sage 50 accounts, sage payrollPreviously we have blogged about the importance of good cash flow management, and what it means for a small business to stay ahead of business trends and reports to ensure effective finance management. Sage 50 Accounts now has an application in the form of Sage 50 Accounts Mobile that can help you to do this, but Sage also offer a software package that is dedicated to simplifying cash flow and performance management.

Sage 50 Forecasting handles data from Sage 50 Accounts, Instant Accounts, Sage Payroll, or even your own data from Microsoft Excel; and produces accurate and professional forecasts allowing you to present these reports and make the most of new business opportunities and investments.

Effective cash flow management is essential for the growth of businesses of all sizes, and Sage 50 Forecasting allows you to make accurate forecasts for up to 50 years into the future without losing important budget information. Play out potential decisions such as new ventures, price rises and expansion to see the impact they may have on business funds – this not only helps you make the right decisions, but also highlights any potential pitfalls or problems before they occur.

Easy to learn and extremely user-friendly, Sage 50 Forecasting also comes with 45 days free Sage Cover and support to make the transition to this forecasting software simple. For more information on how this package can help you make the best possible decisions for your business, and for a free ‘Test Drive’, visit our main website.

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Customer Management with Sage

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Marc

Sage 50 Accounts and Sage Payroll can help effectively manage the finances and payroll tasks of a large business; and for customer information, sales data and even social media, Sage have another software package that is great for managing these tasks for medium to large businesses.

Sage ACT! has more than 2.8 million users internationally and provides a complete customer relationship management (CRM) system for communication, contact information, meeting notes and social media profiles in one piece of software. Not only an indispensable organiser for a business, Sage ACT! allows you to automate routine tasks; making regular sales, customer service or marketing tasks more efficient than ever.

Stay ahead of your business performance with this software’s intuitive reports, which clearly display marketing trends and sales results from the easily navigated dashboard. There may be a huge range of features and tasks that Sage ACT! can perform, but this doesn’t mean it is difficult to set up and use. To help you get started, Sage ACT! comes with 45 days of free SageCover support and integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Excel for easy importing of your client contact information.

Additionally, a subscription to Sage ACT! Mobile Live allows you to access all of your vital CRM information when you are away from the office from an internet enabled mobile device – perfect for business professionals who are always on the go. For more information on this superb piece of CRM software visit our main website.

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Registering Online for the May 19th Deadline

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Marc

Yesterday I blogged about the next big deadline for Payroll Year End coming up: the May 19th deadline for your Employer Annual Returns. It is now a requirement for all employers with more than one employee to submit P14 and P35 form online to HMRC on or before the 19th, so it’s important to know how to register with HMRC’s online submission system.

HMRC have a full guide posted on their website, so take some time to read and understand the process and be sure to allow yourself the necessary time to complete registration and still meet that all important deadline. HMRC will send an activation code to you once the registration process has begun, and for security reasons this will be sent via Royal Mail. Though this may hold up the process by a week or so, it is a necessary measure.

Once everything is set up with HMRC you can begin to benefit from the secure and efficient way of submitting your annual returns online. In addition to this, HMRC distribute updates and notices to registered employers through this service, so you can be confident knowing that you are aware of the latest changes in legislation and aware of the next deadline.

Integrating with HMRC’s online gateway, Sage Payroll can help you collate the necessary information and complete the P14 and P35 forms ready for submission on May 19th. For more information on how Sage Payroll 2012 can help you complete all of your payroll tasks visit our main website.

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Employer Annual Return: 19th May Deadline

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Marc

It’s amazing how quickly it has come around, but the deadline for submitting P35 and P14 forms to HMRC is fast approaching. If you have had to maintain a P11 for one or more employees over the tax year, even if you have had to make no PAYE tax or NIC deductions for you employees, you must complete and submit your employer annual return no later than 19th May.

These submissions must be completed online, and if you are already a user of Sage Payroll you can complete them directly from the software, making completing this necessary payroll task easier than ever. The only employers who may file their employer annual returns on paper are:

  • Employers entitles to operate PAYE using the Simplified Deduction Scheme for domestic and personal employees
  • Practicing members of religious societies whose beliefs are not compatible with the use of electronic communication.
  • Those who employ someone to provide support or care services from their home
  • Limited companies filing an employer annual return solely to report ‘CIS deductions suffered’.

Sage PayrollIf you are currently using a manual payroll system, or are thinking about making the switch to new payroll management software, consider Sage 50 Payroll 2012. The latest version of Sage’s award winning software, it is a complete solution to streamlining employee records and making PAYE tasks more efficient in a user friendly and fully supported software package. For more on the new features of Sage Payroll 2012 visit our website.

The next payroll deadline is 6th July for P11D, for more on the deadlines and penalties you can incur from missing them visit HMRC’s website.

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PAYE Real Time Information: A First Impression

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Marc

Yesterday Sage Payroll expert Neilson Watts posted a superb exploration of the new Real Time Information (RTI) system that HMRC will be rolling out to all businesses over the next eighteen months or so.

Making the first RTI submission, Watts found that his initial concerns about the complexities of the process and the time it would take to make the submissions were unfounded:

“Not only was it straightforward, it was no different really to how I submit my payroll year end returns.  It was only literally just a few extra clicks of my mouse to the normal weekly and monthly payroll process.”

Sage are working tirelessly to make the transition to this new payroll process as easy as possible for the users of their software. Understanding that it is a big change, the aim is to make RTI submissions part of a normal routine of payroll tasks. It seems from this initial report that through staying up to date with the roll out as it happens and keeping accurate payroll records, the transition to RTI will be an easy one to make.

To read the full account on RTI visit the Sage UK blog, and for more information on how Sage Payroll 2012 can help your business make the transition to this new system and receive news on the latest changes as they happen see our main website.

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Sage 50 Accounts 2012

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Marc

As regular readers of this blog may know, Sage Instant Accounts and Sage 50 Accounts 2008 reached the end of their lifecycle yesterday, so Sage no longer offer support and updates for these versions of their accounting software.

Why have Sage done this? Well, as they set out in their Software Lifecycle Statement;

‘When support is withdrawn on 30th April 2012 Sage 50 Accounts and Instant Accounts v12 will be more than five versions behind the latest release.  It is standard industry practice for technology companies to withdraw support from older versions of software. Every year we invest in research and development to improve our software and services. We do this in line with regular customer feedback, and take into account new technology and changes in legislation. We believe that using the latest software is the best way for us to help you run your business effectively. By concentrating our resources on looking forward, we can help your business move forward too. We also want to ensure that we continue to offer the best level of support for our software that we can.’

The end of lifecycle doesn’t mean that your software will stop working, and you can continue to benefit from the existing features it has, however upgrades, legislative updates and support will no longer be available.

It is recommended that you upgrade to the latest version of Sage Accounts to continue to benefit from the latest features that Sage have included with their 2012 package. For a full list of the latest features of Sage 50 Accounts 2012 see our main website. Having the most recent release of your accounting software helps your business stay ahead of the latest legislative reforms from HMRC and stay fully up-to-date with the latest technology – for example Sage 50 Accounts Mobile, which can enable you to get at-a-glance updates on your business when away from the office.

If your Sage software has reached or exceeded its end of lifecycle, please contact us for more information on upgrading to the latest version of Sage 50 Accounts.

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