4 ways to introduce payroll as a service to clients

More than ever, accountants are under pressure to diversify their service offering as the profits from doing compliance increasingly diminish. To the profession’s immense credit, firms have embraced new ways of working to not only stay afloat but thrive.

But with more competition, it’s become hard to stand out. Offering payroll services has become an overlooked way to set yourself apart. Perhaps understandably: in the past, payroll processing wasn’t a particularly dynamic, easy or, most importantly, profitable service to offer.

Things have changed, however, with the advent of new software that has made offering payroll services more profitable, simpler and innovative.

Thesaurus Connect and Cloud Access

Thesaurus Connect is a cloud add-on that seamlessly slots into Thesaurus Payroll Manager on your desktop. The payroll is still processed on the Thesaurus Payroll Manager desktop application, but the payroll information is stored online on a secure cloud server. By introducing the cloud into your payroll services, you can demonstrate value and power up what you offer to clients.

Here are four ways you can introduce a cloud system with payroll access like Thesaurus Connect to clients:

1. The client self-service dashboard: Clients can see their employer details, employee's contact details and payslips, any outstanding amounts due to Revenue and any reports from the payroll software. It’s a collaborative sort of payroll processing that clients will never have experienced before. 
2. The employee smartphone and tablet app: Not just employers, but their employees too. The self-service app provides a digital payslip platform which employees can access anytime, anywhere. Through the app, your client can offer employees GDPR compliant self-service tools. 
3. Annual Leave Management Tool: It’s not just payroll or payslips. Thesaurus Connect can save your clients money and time with an in-built leave management tool in the self-service portal. Approved leave is automatically added to the employee calendar with full visibility for both clients and their employees.
4. Secure Cloud Backup: Clients will get the safety and security of a cloud payroll backup when you use Thesaurus Connect. The software will securely backup payroll files to the cloud where a chronological history of backups will be maintained which can be restored at any time.

Make your and the client’s life easier 

There’s so much complication in our modern economy. Businesses and individuals are assaulted on all sides by different technologies and demands for their attention and time.

But it’s important to remember that the right tech can also radically simplify peoples’ lives too. Thesaurus Connect, with its suite of HR-centred features, will make payroll processing simple and collaborative.

By empowering your clients via the cloud add-on, you’ll lessen the admin burden on yourself, leaving you to focus on getting the details right. For your client (and their employees), Thesaurus Connect will give them control over their leave and payroll data.

Things can – and should – be much simpler. And with Thesaurus Connect, that’s the new reality of payroll processing. Book a demo of Thesaurus Connect today.

To keep up with the latest payroll news, check out our new Bright website. There, you'll be able to register for any of our upcoming payroll webinars and download our payroll guides.

Posted byZoe ColverinAnnual LeaveEmployee Self ServicePayroll Software

Thesaurus Customer Update: January 2021

Welcome to Thesaurus Software's January update. Our most important news this month include:

• The COVID Heroes of the Accounting World 

• From the support desk: How do I start processing 2021 payroll?

• How to avoid a payroll nightmare during COVID-19

• How your payroll bureau can survive the COVID-19 crisis

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Thesaurus Connect – It's better than ever before!

We are committed to consistently improving our software to better serve your needs and enhance your customer experience. This year we have introduced many new features to Thesaurus Connect, including improved multi-user / working from home functionality and an extra layer of security.

Posted byRachel HynesinNew Features

Thesaurus Connect Calendar Updates

The calendar functionality in Thesaurus Connect has been updated and improved, making it more user friendly and graphically appealing for both employers and employees. Improvements such as calendar and leave view, custom leave types and requesting leave are part of the new enhancements.

Calendar Display

The number of months displayed on the calendar for both employers and employees can be selected, the options available are 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. This can be selected under the Settings tab in the Employer portal, further details can be found here.

On the Employer or Employee Calendar in Connect, the calendar can be displayed for one month or multiple months. One month view can be seen by selecting the '1 Month View' option. The view can be returned to the default number of months view by selecting ‘3 / 6 / 9 / 12 Month View’. On the ‘1 Month View,’ there are new widgets for scrolling up and down through the number of leave entries on a particular date.

Dates with multiple types of events are dotted with the relevant colours. To see the breakdown, simply hover your mouse over the date. By selecting a date on the calendar, a dialog box will open to show all the entries on that date without having to scroll.

Custom Leave Types

Custom leave types are now available in Thesaurus Connect. When a custom leave type is entered, the leave type will be displayed on the calendar for both the employer and the employee to view on their online portal or mobile app. Custom leave can only be entered on an employee’s calendar by a user in Connect. Employees cannot request any custom leave types. Please note: You cannot edit the custom leave types in Thesaurus Connect, they are preset.

Adding/Requesting Leave

When employers are adding leave on an employee’s calendar in Connect or an employee is requesting leave, they are now entered as date ranges simplifying leave dates being selected.

Interested in finding out more about how Thesaurus Connect can streamline your leave management processes? Book an online demo of Thesaurus Connect today.

Posted byDebbie ClarkeinAnnual Leave

Christmas Opening Hours

The management and staff of Thesaurus Software Ltd would like to thank you for your valued custom in 2020 and to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Here are our opening hours for the Christmas period:

Call us on 01 8352074, email us at support@thesaurus.ie or complete our online form.

The COVID Heroes of the Accounting World

Thesaurus Software is delighted to announce that BrightPay has won the COVID-19 Hero Award (supplier) at the Accounting Excellence Awards. 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 75 employees behind this award.

The judges recognised that we went above and beyond to support payroll professionals at a time when they were under pressure with government schemes and trying to interpret scheme guidance. Paying employees was one of the areas most impacted by COVID-19 and we recognised customers would struggle to implement government schemes.

The main challenge for us has been delivering upgrades to minimise the stress for customers. Our COVID-19 upgrades were released in advance of scheme changes being implemented. In most cases, we were first to the market with upgrade releases with other providers taking longer or needing additional software bug fixes, not automating scheme calculations or not implementing functionality for every change.

Our speedy upgrades to the payroll software focused on automation functionality to accurately calculate scheme payments and claims which meant customers were prepared and compliant.  

Our customer support strategy involved additional staffing and increased hours. Our comprehensive webinar, blog and email strategy educated and informed customers about COVID-19 processes and presented demonstrations of how to action these schemes in our payroll products. Our multi-channel approach guided our customers to easily implement government measures.

Speaking at the Accounting Excellence Awards, host extraordinaire Mike Goldsmith said “the judges saw that BrightPay went above and beyond to support their client base and payroll professionals at a time when they were under pressure with furlough claims and interpreting guidance. BrightPay did this through a coordinated strategy that went beyond product enhancement. Their success in this was evidenced by high customer satisfaction and impressive reach with their support material.”

Find out more about our COVID-19 Response Plan and how we have helped our customers throughout the pandemic.

Related Articles:

Payroll in a Pandemic - Make sure your practice isn't left behind
Thesaurus Software’s COVID-19 Response Plan
Free Webinar: EWSS Explained | Guest: Revenue

Posted byRachel HynesinAwardsCoronavirus

Thesaurus Customer Update: December 2020

Welcome to Thesaurus Software's December update. Our most important news this month include:

• National Minimum Wage to increase by 10c per hour

• Thesaurus Software's Response to COVID-19

• Thesaurus & One4all integration: Reward your employee’s this Christmas

• How your payroll bureau can survive the COVID-19 crisis

*** Extra Dates Added to COVID-19 Webinar Series ***

Still confused about the Wage Subsidy Scheme? Don’t worry you’re not alone. Due to phenomenal demand, extra dates have been added to our COVID-19 & payroll webinar series. Join us on 9th December for our free webinar: Important Updates to the Wage Subsidy Scheme | Guest Speaker: Revenue

Places are strictly limited - Register Now

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Time to Renew your 2021 Payroll Licence – What's the Quickest Way? 

Due to the impact of the pandemic, our phone lines are busier than ever before which is leading to longer than normal wait times. The quickest and easiest way to purchase your 2021 licence is online. The order process is straightforward and takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. Once your order is complete you will receive your invoice along with your licence key which you will need to activate your 2021 licence.

Please note: Thesaurus Payroll Manager has not been released yet. We will send you another email once the software is available to download and install.

Pre-Order Thesaurus 2021 Here

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Employee Gift Cards & The Benefits of the Small Benefit Exemption Scheme 

As Christmas fast approaches, employers are looking for ways to show their employees their appreciation for their hard work, especially in these difficult times. Employers can reward employees without incurring taxes by giving them a One4all gift card using the Small Benefit Exemption Scheme. Avoid the post office queues and purchase your gift cards from within Thesaurus Payroll Manager. There is no additional charge to avail of this facility to purchase gift cards. 

Find out more

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Payroll in a Pandemic - Make sure your practice isn't left behind

Accountants and payroll bureaus are urged to plan and prepare for the upcoming challenges COVID-19 brings to their payroll services. Now is the time to plan and future-proof your payroll bureau for survival. This guide highlights practical tips to ensure COVID-19 doesn’t affect your payroll performance.

Get your free copy

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New improved ‘working from home’ functionality (Coming 2021)

Thesaurus Payroll Manager 2021 in tandem with Thesaurus Connect will allow for completely seamless ‘working from home’ process where there are multiple individuals who work on or require access to the same employer files. This new functionality improves the remote working experience, giving you all the benefits of the cloud while utilising the power and responsiveness of your local device.

Find out more Book Connect Demo

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Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

A Thank You Note

A thank you note,

Well where should I start? When the whole country went into lockdown back in March, I was faced with the new task of working from home with my three young children.

So overnight I became a work/stay-at-home mom and a teacher all at once! It was definitely a huge challenge which was very stressful at times; trying to find a new routine that we could all settle into but we managed for the most part.

Working on the phones during this time has also been a huge task as everything about how payroll was processed had changed in both Ireland and the UK. All the different rules and processes that we had to learn about as all our customers were coming to us looking for answers was another hurdle in itself. We had a number of software upgrades that were released based on changes made by Revenue which also had to be tested before being released.

My children are aged 9, 6 and (just turned) 5 so the younger two don’t understand the concept of being quiet and would be hurtling through the house playing games with each other, making as much noise as they possibly could! And then my dogs would start barking wanting to join in on all the fun! Always the way when you want them to be quiet. But every single person I spoke to on the phones was so understanding and compassionate with me always telling me to tend to them first and not to worry.

All of our customers themselves were under an enormous amount of pressure because, let’s face it, they are the ones that have to process payroll at the end of the day and are the ones answerable to all their employees if something isn’t done right. Payroll during this pandemic was crucial and even though themselves were under pressure they always related back to my situation with understanding. So thank you, each and every one of you.

I also wanted to say another huge thank you to my managers and colleagues. Everyone has been so supportive of one another. We can no longer see each other to bounce queries off each other so we now communicate through Teams which has been a lifesaver. Anytime anyone mentioned that they were having a rough day or morning they would always tell you to go off the phones to make yourself a cuppa and come back when you’ve managed to breath - that they would man the phones and not to be worrying. This in itself was massive.

I just wholeheartedly wanted to say thank you to everyone for all your understanding and support as the last 8 months wouldn’t have been possible without it!

Posted byCaoimhe ByrneinPayroll

National Minimum Wage to increase by 10c per hour

The National Minimum Wage is going to increase from €10.10 per hour to the new rate of €10.20 per hour and this comes into effect from 1st January 2021. This increase will affect around 122,000 employees, increasing their national minimum wage by 0.9%. An employee working 40 hours a week will see their gross wages increase by €4.00 per week.

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys advised the minimum wage has increased by approximately 18% from the rate of €8.65 per hour in 2016 to the new rate of €10.20 per hour for 2021. She also assured that the PRSI thresholds would be changed in order to reflect the increase in the Minimum Wage.

Heather Humphreys stated that:

“I also want to ensure that the increase in the minimum wage does not result in employers having to pay a higher level of PRSI charge solely due to this increase. I will make regulations that will increase the employer PRSI threshold from €395 currently to €398 from 1st January 2021.”

The General Secretary of the retail union Mandate, Gerry Light, and the General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Patricia King, resigned from their positions in the Low Pay Commission as they felt the 10c increase in the National Minimum Wage was not sufficient in meeting the needs of the minimum wage employees.

Make sure you keep up-to-date with the latest legislation changes. Subscribe to our newsletter today. 

BrightPay Payroll Software | Thesaurus Payroll Manager

Posted byDebbie ClarkeinPay/Wage

Free webinar - Wage Subsidy Scheme with Revenue

We have teamed up with Revenue to bring you a free webinar where we discuss everything you need to know about TWSS reconciliation and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). 

Wage Subsidy Scheme with Revenue

10.30am | 19th November

Register Now

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) gives employers impacted by COVID-19 a subsidy payable per employee to help keep them in employment. This scheme has replaced the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from 1 September 2020 and will run until 31 March 2021. 

Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme | Guest: Revenue

What you’ll learn:

• What is TWSS Reconciliation
• The Key Points of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme
• Employer & Employee Eligibility Criteria
• Operating Payroll & Processing of Subsidy Claims
• Operating EWSS with BrightPay & Thesaurus Payroll Manager
• Q&A Panel Discussion

Hear from Payroll Experts

Q&A Panel:

• Paul Byrne, Managing Director at Thesaurus Software?
• Audrey Mooney, Customer Support Manager at Thesaurus Software?
• Laura Murphy, HR Manager & Employment Law Expert at Thesaurus Software?

From the Revenue Commissioners:

• Karen Byrne,?Assistant Principal (Personal Division)
• Siobhán?Gilbourne,?Higher Executive Officer (Personal Division)
• Gearóid Murphy,?Principal Officer (Personal Division)
• Anne Dullea, Principal Officer (Medium Enterprises Division) & business owner of the EWSS?
• Laura Glancy, Assistant Principal (Personal Taxes, Policy and Legislation Division)

Even if you can’t make it, register now and we’ll send you a recording.

Related Articles:

Thesaurus COVID-19 Resource Hub
Blog: Customer update October 2020
On-demand COVID-19 Webinars 

Posted byZoe ColverinEmployment UpdatePayrollPayroll Software