Payroll software is a mission critical function to any business, says Sandra Swanepoel, a director of Softline VIP, part of the Sage Group plc. “There is a definitive necessity for any business to ensure that all changes, upgrades or installations of a new or existing payroll system are done in conjunction with a service provider that can deliver,” says Swanepoel.

The relationship between the employer and employee is delicate and can easily be derailed if the payroll system should fail, says Swanepoel. “Making the correct choice is crucial. The company’s software as well as its internal processes will suffer a major setback if the payroll installation is not done correctly. The process needs to be underpinned by thorough training and supported by a concrete change-management process that documents all the procedures that need to be incorporated into the payroll solution.”

The choice of a payroll system should be made with a long-term objective in mind. To make this a reality, the company needs to consider the longevity of their payroll software investment.

It is of cardinal importance to ensure that the software is stable. “It is a very difficult aspect to ascertain during a demonstration. There is however nothing stopping you from asking your prospective payroll software provider to provide you with client names as a reference. This will help you to establish whether the payroll software that you are considering has a history. Also ask them how often their software is updated, too many updates will point to an unstable product,” says Swanepoel.

Another crucial aspect to consider is support. “If you install the product now, will the service provider’s support staff be available during peak times? The company’s financial year-end is generally considered to be the busiest period for payroll administrators. Support staff are normally flooded with queries or requests at these times and you want the assurance of knowing that your service provider is up for the challenge,” says Swanepoel.

Investing in sustainable technology would be wise. “We live in a fast-paced business environment where technology changes rapidly. You will want to invest in something that is up to date and current. A good gauge would be to ask what technology your service provider is using and how often a new product is launched into the market. If the product is versatile and adaptable, you should not have to change or update your payroll software too often,” says Swanepoel.

One of the biggest concerns in the payroll software industry is leave management. “A company can stand to lose a great deal of money if their employee’s leave is not calculated and managed correctly. Ensuring that the company’s payroll system operates its leave policy within the parameters set out by the basic conditions of employment act should be a given. Companies that utilise an employee self-service strategy, often reap the benefits of having an electronic and accurate system that ensures that there are no mislaid leave forms. It also facilitates a timeous leave approval process,” explains Swanepoel.

Having payroll software that is in tune with the country’s statutory changes and legal requirements is fundamental. “Ask whether your service provider keeps track of all the changes in the country’s laws. Making sure that your company is operating within the parameters of the basic conditions of employment and legal requirements, is crucial to the maintenance of amicable employee relations, not to mention the company’s legal standing,” says Swanepoel.

Making the correct choice when it comes to HR and payroll software is crucial. “Keeping these basic guidelines in mind, will ensure that your company makes a decision that it will not regret,” concludes Swanepoel.

Source:http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/98/75333.html

Real Business Solutions , US developer of payroll and 1099 tax products, delivers significant cost and time savings to small businesses and payroll departments around the country. Through Payroll Mate, the payroll system offered by the company, users can prepare payroll, calculate taxes, print paychecks, generate payroll reports, export data to accounting software, and process payroll forms.

“Large U.S businesses can afford to have full time payroll management staff dedicated to paying employees, issuing payroll checks as well as keeping up to date with the ever-changing payroll tax regulations. This is almost never the case for small business owners. This is why we built Payroll Mate, state-of-the-art payroll management software that is easy to use, affordable and always up to date,” says Payroll Mate product manager Nancy Walters.

Payroll Mate is comprehensive payroll system software that fits the needs of accountants and small to medium size businesses. Payroll Mate provides a wealth of features including the ability to automatically calculate net pay, federal withholding tax, social security tax, Medicare, state and local payroll taxes. Payroll Mate also supports different types of payroll pay periods, prints checks, prepares payroll forms 941, 940, 944, W-2, W-3, California DE-6 , California DE-7 , Texas C-3 , Texas C-4, New York NYS-45, Illinois 941 and Illinois UI-3/40. The payroll software allows unlimited tax categories, pre and post-tax deductions and unlimited pay rates per employee making it very flexible and powerful.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/payroll-system-software-from-payrollmatecom-updates-payroll-withholding-calculator-for-2012-2012-01-20

Payroll tax software developer Halfpricesoft.com (http://www.halfpricesoft.com) released the new ezPaycheck software with the updates on Form 940 for employer’s 2011 annual federal unemployment (FUTA) tax return. This new edition also includes the new 2012 tax federal tax tables, state tax tables, new W2 and W3 forms.

This updated version is free for current 2012 ezPaycheck payroll software users. New customers considering ezPaycheck 2012 can download and sample the payroll software without charge or obligation for up to 30 days. The free download, which is available at http://www.halfpricesoft.com/payroll_software_download.asp, includes a sample database, to make it easier for customers to test drive all the features of ezPaycheck 2012 before purchasing a license key.

“We update our ezPaycheck payroll software throughout the year to provide more value to our customers,” said Halfpricesoft.com founder Dr. Ge. “All updates include the latest forms and tax data as supplied by the federal government.”

ezPaycheck payroll system is loaded with intelligent, intuitive features, but not burdened by complicated suites of expensive applications small businesses will never use or need. The main features include:

Up to date tax tables for all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C. and federal taxes
Capability for adding local tax rates

Automatically calculate tips, commissions, federal withholding tax, Social Security, Medicare tax, employer unemployment taxes, and other pre-tax and post-tax deductions

Print paychecks using a standard laser printer on blank computer checks or preprinted checks
Use check-in-middle, check-on-top, or check-at-bottom check stock formats
Able to print MICR numbers on blank check stock to save on pre-printed checks
Print signature image on checks for a customized look
Built-in report functions users can customize
Calculate and print daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly payroll periods
Option for masking employees’ Social Security Numbers on check stubs
Compile and print federal tax forms w2, w3, 940 and 941
Unlimited free technical support

Available for just $89 per year ($59 to renew), ezPaycheck payroll software has remained at that affordable price since its initial release in 2005. It gives small and mid-size businesses more options and flexibility in doing payroll, printing check and filing tax return.

In tough economic times, how to increase business productivity is critical for any company. Computerized payroll is quick and painless with ezPaycheck payroll software.

Source:http://www.prweb.com/releases/small-business/payroll-software/prweb9076930.htm