May 2021
4
Thesaurus Customer Update: May 2021
Welcome to Thesaurus Software's May update. Our most important news this month include:
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Thesaurus Software celebrates Earth Day 2021
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Webinar on demand: TWSS Reconciliation & EWSS Changes
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Thesaurus Payroll Manager and working from home
The TWSS reconciliation deadline is fast approaching
According to Revenue, just 28% of employers had accepted their TWSS reconciliation as of last week. By 30th June 2021, employers must have reviewed their reconciliation information, made any necessary corrections and accepted the reconciliation. If no action is taken by 30th June, Revenue will take it that you agree to the reconciliation balance. Any amount owing will be due and payable.
Free webinar: Leaving Lockdown: The End of the Wage Subsidy Scheme?
This webinar will discuss the current state of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). Will it be extended beyond its 30th June end date? Or perhaps a new scheme will be introduced to take its place. Plus, our payroll & HR experts will discuss the dos and don’ts of returning to the workplace.
How to avoid an annual leave backlog
As restrictions are lifted in Ireland, managers will likely be in a situation where many employees will ask to take leave at the same time. It is important that you deal with requests in a way that is transparent and fair. Thesaurus Connect will show you who requested leave and when, and you can check the calendar prior to approving leave to make sure you have adequate staffing levels.
Thesaurus Software celebrates Earth Day 2021
At Thesaurus Software we are committed to a cleaner, greener future for all. Our Green Team celebrated Earth Day 2021 with a number of activities planned throughout the whole week. Here's what we got up to.
Apr 2021
1
Thesaurus Customer Update: April 2021
Welcome to Thesaurus Software's April update. Our most important news this month include:
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Does the TWSS Reconciliation affect me?
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Online Payslips: Their benefits and why you should use them
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1 Year On – COVID-19 & Working from Home
TWSS Reconciliation – What you Need to Know
Most employers who availed of the TWSS should now have received a ROS inbox message in relation to the reconciliation process. Find out what you need to know about the TWSS reconciliation process and ensure you meet the June 30th 2021 deadline to accept the reconciliation.
The Vaccine & The New World of Work
As vaccines roll out and employee’s return to the workplace employers are looking to form their vaccine policy. Join our employment law experts for a free webinar on April 28th where we will provide you with all the information you need to know about managing COVID-19 in the workplace including the vaccine policy.
Good Friday – Bank Holiday or Public Holiday?
As Easter approaches, we remind employers that Good Friday is NOT a statutory public holiday. Easter Monday, on the other hand, is a Public Holiday. In respect of each public holiday, an employee is entitled to a paid day off on the holiday, a paid day off within a month, an extra day’s annual leave, or an extra day’s pay, as decided by the employer.
It's Time to Automate Payroll Processes
Learn how technology and automation turn daunting payroll tasks into a smooth and profitable process. Join our upcoming webinar on 6th April where we will look at how to address the challenge that most accountants face, over-servicing and under-charging.
Greener Supply Chain with Thesaurus Software
Here at Thesaurus Software we take environmental responsibility very seriously and are committed to developing our business towards ecological sustainability at both a company and an individual level. Our new carbon efficient offices will open in 2021. We have also recently established a passionate Green Team to educate, promote and inspire sustainability to our employees and our loyal customers. Subscribe to Thesaurus Software’s sustainability newsletter to follow our journey.
Mar 2021
30
Does the TWSS Reconciliation affect me?
Are you wondering why you now owe Revenue money as a result of The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS)?
For the first 6 weeks of the TWSS back in March 2020, during the transitional phase, Revenue refunded a flat rate of €410 per employee per pay period, regardless of the employees' earnings. In a lot of cases this €410 exceeded the subsidy that the employee was entitled to receive, and it was made very clear from the start that there would be a reconciliation to rectify this overpayment.
The scheme was designed to assist employers and employees impacted by COVID-19, and to encourage companies to keep their workers on the payroll. If you didn’t avail of the TWSS then you won’t have a TWSS reconciliation.
On Monday 22nd March 2021, Revenue advised that most employers can now access their TWSS reconciliation balances in Revenue’s Online Service (ROS). The reconciliation balance is based on the actual information provided to Revenue by the employer.
The TWSS reconciliation period opened on 22 March 2021 and employers have until the end of June to review and accept the reconciliation amounts. Revenue are strongly recommending that employers take the time to read & understand the guidance before accepting the reconciliation amounts.
Approximately 40% of the employers that availed of TWSS are balanced. Revenue have said they will not pursue companies that owe a balance of under €500 as they will be considered balanced.
BrightPay hosted a TWSS reconciliation webinar with guest speakers from Revenue on 24th March 2021. During the webinar, we discussed the reconciliation process and had a Questions & Answers session at the end. Watch the webinar on-demand now.
You can also click here to register for our next webinar, which takes place on 21st April 2021
Related Articles:
Mar 2021
10
1 Year On – COVID-19 & Working from Home
It’s been exactly one year since Thesaurus Software sent all employees to work from home for 2 weeks as a mysterious flu-like disease called COVID-19 began spreading in Ireland. Those 2 weeks have turned in 52 weeks... and counting.
On March 10th 2020, employees were given access to all the tools and resources needed to work from home well in advance of the lockdown panic that came towards the end of March 2020. Thesaurus Software worked with employees to try and strike a balance between ensuring employees could be productive and focused when not in the office, whilst also juggling often hectic home lives as we all adjusted to lockdown. Keeping in-touch and keeping moral up was a key priority.
The company was in a fortunate position to be able to continue employing all members of staff during such a scary and uncertain time. Thesaurus Software’s COVID-19 response plan involved additional staffing and increased hours to assist customers. With payroll being an essential service and part of every business, the show had to go on!
Thesaurus Payroll Manager has been at the forefront for employers and accountants when it comes to COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Schemes and were the first payroll software provider to release software upgrades to cater for the schemes as changes were announced. Thesaurus Software’s overall response to COVID-19 was rated 98.7% in a recent customer survey, and this included payroll upgrades, webinars, online guidance and customer support.
BrightPay won the COVID-19 Hero Award (supplier) at the Accounting Excellence Awards that took place recently. BrightPay is created by Thesaurus Software, and although this was awarded to BrightPay, this is simply what our company is called in the UK - two different names, but the same company and the same 80+ employees behind this award.
Despite all the COVID-19 scheme changes, upgrades and webinars, the developers have been kept busy constantly improving the software and introducing new features. Thesaurus Payroll Manager’s optional add-on product, Thesaurus Connect now supports two-factor authentication sign in. This means you can add an extra layer of security to the employer login on your Thesaurus Connect account in case your password is stolen.
As remote and flexible working are now the new normal, Thesaurus Payroll Manager in tandem with Thesaurus Connect now allows for a completely seamless "working from home" experience where there are multiple individuals who work on or require access to the same employer files. Thesaurus Connect can help you prevent conflicting copies of the payroll, including an ‘other user check’ and a ‘version check’ when opening the payroll.
Let’s hope we all return to a somewhat normal life within the next year, and that I won’t be writing ‘working from home 104 weeks later’ this time next year. Thesaurus Software wishes you the very best as we enter Year 2 of living with COVID-19.
Related Articles:
- BrightPay awarded 'Payroll Software of the Year 2019
- 7 Steps To Rehiring Employees During COVID-19
- Lockdown 3.0 - What have we learned?
Jan 2021
26
Lockdown 3.0 - What have we learned?
Lockdown hasn't been easy for any of us - you could say it's been a bit of a 'coronacoaster'. COVID-19 has made us realise what’s important to us. Whether that be connecting more with family or re-connecting with old friends through the social platforms we are so grateful to have during this time. As we are currently in lockdown 3.0, let's look back on some of the key lessons learned as a payroll processor over the past year during this time of crisis.
Importance of Remote Access
Payroll is one of the core functions of running any business, and so it is something that needs to be completed on time and without errors. When working from home, your staff might not be able to access all the tools and documents that they would normally be able to access, especially if your systems are on-premises solutions and files and documents are physical hard copies.
Due to COVID-19 and having to work remotely from home, it is now a necessity to be able to access your payroll data from home. Your payroll software should easily facilitate remote working with additional user access. Thesaurus Payroll Manager can be installed on up to 10 PCs per licence key, and this means that payroll processing is possible by up to 10 users, or from 10 different locations. This is very handy for if you have a number of employees working from home, all needing access to the payroll software.
We have also introduced new multi-user features that work in conjunction with Thesaurus Connect, our optional cloud add-on, to improve the working from home experience. These new features include ‘version checking’ when opening an employer, and an ‘other users check’ when opening an employer. This new "working from home" integration gives you all the benefits of the cloud while utilising the power and responsiveness of your local device.
Importance of Reliable Software
The past year has been very frustrating for payroll processors. Not only had you the added workload of processing subsidy claims, but you also had to learn about the various schemes and ensure you kept up to date with the latest guidelines. That’s why it’s so important to use reliable payroll software from a reliable company.
We kept Thesaurus Payroll Manager up to date to cater for the relevant scheme changes, and we tried to automate as much as possible in the payroll software to make your life easier.
In a recent survey, we achieved a 98.7% rating for our overall handling of COVID-19 including customer support, payroll upgrades, COVID-19 webinars and online support. We also won a COVID-19 Hero Award, and this is because of our response to COVID-19 and how we have helped our customers throughout the past few months.
Importance of Cloud Backups
As most businesses are now working remotely for the foreseeable future, it leaves many businesses exposed to data loss. This is why cloud backups are so important.
If you only keep your payroll data on your desktop, you are at risk of losing the information. Have you thought about what would happen if your computer broke down or was hacked? How would you get your payroll data back quickly? Would employees still get paid if the information was lost?
Thesaurus Connect is our optional add-on that works alongside the payroll software. Thesaurus Connect provides a secure and user-friendly way to backup and restore your payroll data on your PC to and from the cloud. It’s simply an added layer of data protection to keep your payroll data safe so you never lose your payroll data again.
Importance of Automation
Whether you’re an employer processing payroll in-house for your business, or an accountant or bureau processing payroll for a number of clients, automation is key. How much time do you spend managing annual leave, answering employee leave balance enquiries, retrieving lost payslips, and communicating with employees in general? Now is the time to eliminate those admin-heavy tasks!
Self-service online portals are changing the way businesses interact and communicate with their employees, whilst providing the cloud functionality to get things done smarter and faster. Thesaurus Connect includes the ability to manage employee leave, communicate with employees, automate payslip distribution, run payroll reports and much more.
Book a demo of Thesaurus Connect today to discover more features that can help you streamline your payroll and HR processes.
Dec 2018
17
One4all Gift Card - Tax-Free Staff Rewards & Benefits
One4all gift cards are a great tax-free gift for staff for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, retirements and is a great way to boost morale and spread a little happiness.
One4all is a multi-store gift card brought to you by An Post. One4all gift cards can be redeemed in a wide range of stores including Argos, Pennys and Easons. It is simple and straightforward to purchase One4all gift cards in Thesaurus Payroll Manager.
Thesaurus Payroll Manager customers can purchase gift cards directly from the payroll software. There is no additional charges on Thesaurus Payroll Manager to avail of this gift card facility. All you need is the employees PPS numbers.
Thesaurus Payroll Manager will prevent you from ordering a card in excess of the exemption limit of €500 and will alert you if you attempt to purchase more than one gift card for an employee in any one tax year.
Please note: Thesaurus Payroll Manager does not share PPS numbers, or any other personal information with gift card companies. The only relevant information transmitted is the information you see on the relevant Thesaurus screen. The last 3 characters of an employee’s PSS number are used as a “works number” to distinguish between any of your employees who may share the same name.
Are you missing out on the Thesaurus newsletter? We will not be able to email you without you subscribing to our mailing list. You will be able to unsubscribe at anytime. Don’t miss out - sign up to our newsletter today!
Nov 2018
22
PAYE Modernisation for Employees
PAYE Modernisation is coming on January 1st 2019. Ultimately, this means that employers will be obliged to report their employees’ pay and deductions to Revenue when or before they pay them.
There are many benefits for you, as an employee:
- The availability of real-time data that is accurate and accessible through Revenue’s online systems
- The ability to maximise the use of your entitlements
- The ability to access clear information about the deductions being reported to Revenue on your behalf
Will PAYE Modernisation affect your pay?
No, there will be no change to how your employer pays you and they will still provide you with a payslip.
However, your employer will now need to connect to ROS before calculating your pay and deductions to ensure they are using your most up-to-date tax credits and cut off points. They will also have to report these deductions to Revenue every time you are paid. You will be able to view pay and deductions on myAccount on the Revenue website.
You will receive your last P60 at the end of 2018. After that, you will no longer receive a P60, as Revenue will issue you with an End of Year Statement.
Thesaurus Payroll Manager | BrightPay Ireland
Related Articles:
- PAYE Modernisation for Payroll Bureaus- The ins and outs of increasing fees without losing clients
- Which is really better - the existing PAYE system or PAYE Modernisation?
- The Death of PAYE ‘P Forms’
Nov 2018
14
Thesaurus will be ready for PAYE Modernisation
Thesaurus & BrightPay are working with Revenue to ensure our payroll software can easily cater for the needs of PAYE Modernisation which will be effective from 1 January 2019. Our payroll features will streamline real time reporting for employers to easily comply with the new PAYE system.
PAYE Modernisation will enable Revenue to ensure employees are receiving their correct tax credits and cut-off points throughout the year. This compares with the current PAYE reporting which is done through P35s on a yearly basis. PAYE Modernisation will be fully integrated with both Thesaurus & BrightPay, allowing employers to simplify the payroll process and reduce the administrative cost.
Our development team have already experienced what it was like to implement real time processing and reporting with our UK payroll software. Our understanding and knowledge will guarantee that our payroll systems offer a seamless and user-friendly PAYE Modernisation process for our customers.
We are currently running PAYE Modernisation demos several times a week. Take a look and see what PAYE Modernisation will look like in 2019.
Register for our free 10 minute demo!
Free Guide for Payroll Bureaus
PAYE Modernisation: The ins & outs of increasing frees without losing clients.
Click here to register and find out more about our upcoming PAYE Modernisation webinars.
Related Articles:
- The Existing PAYE System VS PAYE Modernisation: Which is really better?
- PAYE Modernisation for Payroll Bureaus- The ins & outs of increasing fees without losing clients
- BrightPay Customer Update: GDPR & PAYE Modernisation Special Edition
- How will PAYE Modernisation impact on your payroll?
Thesaurus & BrightPay Newsletter - Are you missing out?
We will not be able to email you about webinar events, special offers, legislation changes, other group products and payroll related news without you subscribing to our newsletter. You will be able to unsubscribe at anytime. Don’t miss out - sign up to our newsletter today!
Nov 2018
5
How do you submit payroll information with PAYE Modernisation?
Ensure that you’re PAYE Modernisation ready, no matter how you currently manage or run your payroll.
Processing Payroll software In-house?
Ask your payroll software provider if they are PAYE Modernisation ready. It’s up to you to make sure you are using software that is legally compliant with the new PAYE system and that you have access to the support you need to submit PAYE information in real time. BrightPay is working with Revenue to make sure our payroll software can easily cater for the needs of PAYE Modernisation processing. Our software will streamline real time reporting so that employers can easily comply with the new PAYE system. In the UK market, we have already experienced what it was like to implement real time processing and PAYE reporting with BrightPay UK, meaning we have been down this road before and are experts!
Outsourcing Payroll?
Be mindful if you outsource your payroll processing as it is still your responsibility to comply with PAYE Modernisation. Ensure you understand how your payroll processor is complying with PAYE Modernisation and if you will need to make any changes to your business processes.
Manually Processing & Uploading?
Revenue are providing a facility for employers to manually upload payroll submissions which will be a time-consuming and error prone process. Revenue have strongly recommended that employers use payroll software. Using a manual approach, employers would need to login to ROS and enter all of the required details for all of their employees, a bit like manually completing a P35 each pay period. Also, before processing the payroll in any week, employers would need to religiously log in to ROS to get details of tax credits and cut-off points. This facility in ROS will only be available for employers with 5 or less employees. It should also be noted that the manual ROS input screens will not calculate taxes.
Are there any fines and penalties?
Non-compliant businesses can expects Revenue intervention. More information on penalties is expected to be confirmed in the coming months.
Click here to register and find out more about our upcoming PAYE Modernisation webinars.
Related Articles:
- The Death of the Irish PAYE System
- Which is really better - the existing PAYE system or PAYE Modernisation?
- Meet the experts behind PAYE Modernisation!
- PAYE Modernisation: What you need to know
Aug 2018
15
How will PAYE Modernisation impact on your payroll?
In late 2016, Revenue issued a consultation document outlining their vision for the introduction of Real Time Reporting (RTR) or PAYE Modernisation in Ireland.
This will modernise the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system, and mean that employers will be required to report pay, tax and other deductions, as well as details of employees leaving the organisation, at the same time as they run their payroll.
The new obligations for employers are due to take effect from 1 January, 2019, meaning businesses have a limited amount of time to prepare their payroll systems to be compliant with the new RTR / PAYE Modernisation rules.
Do you use payroll software? If so, there are two methods of reporting payroll in real time:
- Direct Payroll Reporting - allows your payroll software to communicate seamlessly with Revenue Online System (ROS) and exchange the required information.
- ROS Payroll Reporting - you can upload files created by your payroll software to ROS.
Payroll software companies have been working with Revenue to ensure that the software will be compatible with Revenue’s requirements. We would advise that you use payroll software, but if you don’t, you will be able to retrieve Revenue Payroll Notifications and complete a form through ROS. This reporting process will eliminate the need to file:
- P30
- P35
- P45
- P46
P60s
You will no longer be obliged to produce a P60 for your employees. Revenue will produce an end of year statement for all employees.
Information you will report to Revenue
You must provide Revenue with payroll information for each employee, including:
- Payment date
- Amount of pay
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Amount of Income Tax, Universal Social Charge (USC) and Local Property Tax deducted.
Upcoming free online webinars:
PAYE Modernisation for Employers - Understanding and implementing the new legislation
- 4th September @ 11.00 am
- Find out more | Register here
PAYE Modernisation for Payroll Bureaus - Understanding and implementing the new legislation for your clients
- 6th September @ 11.00 am
- Find out more | Register here
Related Articles:
PAYE Modernisation: How successful was it in the UK?
PAYE Modernisation - List of Employees
PAYE Modernisation - The Facts
PAYE Modernisation - Understand how your payroll processing will change
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