Choosing payroll software and services 2014

Transcription

1 Choosing payroll software and services 2014 Chartech Software Product Guide Lesley Meall BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE icaew.com/itfac

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3 Contents 1 Introduction 02 2 Understanding your requirements SECTOR SPECIFICS STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS STATUTORY REPORTING FULLY FUNCTIONAL? 04 3 Spoilt for choice PAYROLL SOFTWARE BUREAUX, MANAGED SERVICES AND OUTSOURCING CONTRACT CONSIDERATIONS 09 4 Compare and contrast IN-HOUSE OR IN THE CLOUD? MANAGED SERVICE? 12 5 Being a bureau IMPLICATIONS OF OPERATING A PAYROLL BUREAU 14 6 Reviews of payroll solutions ACCESS CERIDIAN EMPLOYER SERVICES LIMITED (esl) INTUIT STAR 24 7 Supplier directory 26 8 Useful websites 28 About the author Lesley Meall is a freelance writer and editor specialising in business and technology. Copyright ICAEW 2014 All rights reserved. If you want to reproduce or redistribute any of the material in this publication, you should first get ICAEW s permission in writing. ICAEW will not be liable for any reliance you place on the information in this publication. You should seek independent advice. All publications in the Software Product Guide series, including the product reviews they incorporate, are commissioned by the IT Faculty from independent authors. The overriding principle in selecting the products to be reviewed in each Guide is that the Guide must achieve broad and balanced coverage of the field. Subject to that overriding principle ICAEW may offer software houses the opportunity to pay for reviews of their products to appear in these publications. Drafts of the reviews are sent to the respective software houses for the sole purpose of checking factual accuracy, and this process is identical for all reviews, regardless of whether or not they have been paid for. ISBN

4 1 Introduction As many payroll processing needs are determined by statute, you can reasonably expect all payroll software and systems to reflect the latest regulatory changes and help you to comply with the payment and reporting needs of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and generally they will. But they will not all do so as economically, efficiently or as easily as each other, any more than they will all be equally capable of meeting your particular requirements in areas such as pensions auto-enrolment. So in 3 Spoilt for choice, you can learn more about the various available options. When it comes to automating payroll processes the possibilities include tools from HMRC, spreadsheets, standalone payroll packages, accounting and business systems with payroll functionality, plus cloud-based software and various types and levels of managed services and outsourcing. So this guide also considers their advantages and disadvantages, and draws your attention to thorny issues ranging from set-up and support, to security and service level agreements. There was a time in the dim and distant past when all payroll processes were handled manually, but this was one of the first areas of business to become a focus for software and systems and it s not hard to understand why. Payroll processing requires a lot of calculations and a high degree of accuracy, and ensuring that the right amounts are paid and deducted at the right time can be as tedious and time-consuming as it is complex and costly. However, it is absolutely vital for all employers, hence the wide range of payroll systems and services now available. Unfortunately, you can have too much of a good thing, and when it comes to making a choice, it can be hard to know where to begin. 6 Reviews of payroll solutions, also looks more closely at a number of specific offerings from Access, Ceridian, Employer Services Limited (esl), Intuit and Star. In addition, there is a directory of suppliers, products and services contained in section 7. Accountants who provide payroll services to clients have many of the same basic requirements as other users of payroll software and services. However, they also have some unique needs, and when it comes to features, there are areas where they have very different priorities from the average payroll user. These are the focus in 5 Being a bureau, which looks at the benefits of selecting payroll applications and services that have been designed specifically for those running bureau operations. Payroll software and services can do a lot more than calculate wages and print payslips, so it is important to start out by carefully defining and prioritising your particular requirements. These range from internal needs, such as the required payment intervals and integration with other business systems, to external drivers, such as the need to report Pay As You Earn (PAYE) information in real time. You can read more about how to assess and evaluate your options in 2 Understanding your requirements. Choosing payroll software and services can be as complex as payroll itself. However, with the support of this guide, you should be able to make an informed choice, whether you are in business or practice, looking for a solution you can use in-house, considering a bureau service, or seeking a solution you can use to provide bureau services. Although payroll looks likely to remain one of the most challenging areas of business administration, finding the best system to handle it does not have to be. 2 Choosing payroll software and services 2014

5 2 Understanding your requirments Preparation is the key to many endeavours and the selection of payroll software and services is no exception; before you think about talking to suppliers, or evaluating products, it is essential to define and prioritise your requirements. A small business with less than 10 employees will have very different requirements to a medium-sized enterprise with hundreds, or a multinational with thousands, and even organisations of similar sizes, operating in the same sector, can find that they have quite different needs. Therefore, for most organisations, the first part of the preparation process involves looking inwards not outwards. Arming yourself with basic information about the organisation that is going to use the payroll system or service is vital, because this will influence all aspects of the decision-making process. Payroll is yet one more area where the size of the company and the number of employees are crucial factors, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. You will also need information relating to how the organisation is structured, an understanding of the way it operates, and some knowledge of the skills of its employees, and, in the case of owner-managed businesses, its director(s). How much business analysis this process involves depends on the size and type of organisation, and the brief given to (or the inclinations of) the person or people involved. Although it is possible to draw up a relatively simple list looking at business size, business sector, structure, location(s), number of system users, and the business systems already in place, and then use this to inform the features specification process, these areas can be broken down further, and could result in a list with many dozens of criteria. Thus, the process could take a few minutes or a few hours; for a large and complex organisation it could take a few days. At the risk of stating the obvious: the effort should be proportionate. The smaller the organisation, the less likely it is to have the resources to put a lot of time and effort into the process even if it wants to. But when this is the case, it is important to be aware that payroll is an area where there is no direct correlation between the size of the business and the complexity of its needs. Even a very small organisation may have special Choosing payroll software and services

6 requirements that are sector-specific, a reflection of its organisational structure or operational needs, and there may well be an overlap between these and the associated statutory reporting needs. No matter where on the scale between non-existent and well-resourced the payroll admin function is in an organisation, it is important to collect together as much as possible of the necessary background information, before moving on to speak to specialists or look at systems and services. It will inform all of the subsequent discussions and choices, have an impact on the direct and indirect costs associated with the decision-making process, and influence your chances of successfully finding the payroll solution that best meets your needs. 2.1 SECTOR SPECIFICS Many organisations operate in sectors that demand something special from their payroll software or services. Being a recruitment agency, providing financial services, operating in construction, the public sector, plus the not-for-profit and charity sectors can all create requirements that will not be met by every single payroll system or service out there. Although there are plenty of general payroll solutions capable of meeting the requirements of a wide range of organisations, including some of those listed above, opting for specialist software, or outsourcing the job to an external service provider with specialist expertise, could make life easier. 2.2 STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS The structure of an organisation and the operational tasks and activities it undertakes can create special needs when it comes to payroll software and services. Not all systems can support multiple departments, locations, divisions, pay groups, payment frequencies (such as two-weekly), multi-component pay (such as bonuses and commissions), more than one currency, or meet the statutory reporting requirements of multiple countries. Some of the features you require (such as job costing) may be included only in certain versions of a system, available as add-ons, or via links with specialist systems and/or service providers. 2.3 STATUTORY REPORTING Not all payroll systems will support all of the payrelated statutory reporting requirements you could potentially need to comply with. Functions such as National Insurance, statutory sick pay and maternity pay may be universally available in payroll software and services, but not all systems offer all real-time PAYE submission types. Many systems do not provide Construction Industry Scheme functionality, very few offer built-in facilities for P9D/P11D compliance, and the support available for pensions auto-enrolment varies widely. While some software developers have built tools into their basic payroll products (for example, to help with employee assessments and calculations for autoenrolment and to provide reports), others have put their auto-enrolment functionality into an add-on module. Both functionality and how much of this is automated vary widely too, as does the availability of additional tools to help with administration. Procedures and information requirements vary across different workplace pension providers, so their needs must be factored into the selection process for payroll software and services. 2.4 FULLY FUNCTIONAL? It is important to identify the functionality you require. The following list provides some guidance, though it will need modifying to match the particular needs of the organisation, or that of your clients: audit trail and security; ad hoc deductions such as loans and charitable donations; ad hoc payments to employees and HMRC; ad hoc reporting; Attachment of Earnings Order support; auto-enrolment functionality for workplace pensions; automatic overtime calculation; automatic data transfer/integration/interface with other systems (see 4 Compare and contrast); backup and restore support for data online and/or on-premise; 4 Choosing payroll software and services 2014

7 bureau facilities; child support payments; commissions and bonuses; company car benefit calculation; composite year-end routines for multiple companies; Construction Industry Scheme compliance; cost centre support; court order support; data import and bulk data import; directors National Insurance; earning and deduction codes; password protection of ed payslips/p60 forms; pay intervals: weekly, two weekly, monthly; pension and contributions calculation; retrospective payments; self-service capabilities (accessed via intranet or internet); statutory payments (such as adoption pay, maternity pay and sick pay); storing personnel records; student loans management; task reminders; tax compliance (national and/or international). electronic banking; electronic filing of PAYE information to HMRC; employee attendance recording; employee compensation levels; employee mailing lists; expatriate payroll; export data to pension provider or a third party; export/import data and reports to other applications; generate forms such as P35, P45 and P60; HMRC payroll standard compliance; HMRC recognised PAYE software; HMRC reporting and data retention compliance; holiday pay monitoring; IR35; labour and job costing; multi-currency support; multiple bank accounts; multiple payrolls; multi-user; National Insurance Contributions; P9D and P11D compliance and reporting; Choosing payroll software and services

8 Transformative Trusted CLOUD TECHNOLOGY FOR HR & PAYROLL Trusted Results. Transformative Technology. TO USE ANALYTICS & REPORTING TO DO BUSINESS WITH Instant payroll results No more manual reports Switch on. Set up. Go It s mobile just like you IT geeks need not apply You grow. We grow No training required It s mobile. On any device. At any time. Everything you need is in one place. Click of a button report packs Answer the questions you ve never been able to get to. No IT or specialist knowledge required. Upgrades are easy Quick to set up. Future proof. Easy to buy. HR Payroll Pensions Workforce Management Employee Assistance Programme Analytics Mobile Choosing payroll software and services 2014

9 3 Spoilt for choice Approaches to payroll range from the totally manual (which is increasingly impractical) to totally automated (which is increasingly accessible), but most organisations settle on an approach that falls somewhere between these two extremes. Consequently, organisations that want to simplify and/ or streamline their payroll with the help of software and services can choose from a vast array of possible solutions. Statutory submissions of payroll information have gradually migrated from manual to electronic, and the use of some sort of software and the electronic filing of some types of payroll information are now unavoidable for even the smallest organisation. HMRC provides tools aimed at small employers who may not have access to commercial software or services with the required functionality. These include PAYE Online (which can be used for tasks such as submitting forms P46, P9D and P11D) and HMRC s Basic PAYE Tools which can be downloaded onto a computer and used alone or alongside commercial payroll software that does not support certain types of RTI submission, such as the Employment Payment Summary (EPS) or National Insurance Number Verification Requests (NVR). The commercial options range from traditional onpremise packages to the myriad incarnations of payroll software and service now available over the internet and variously described as being cloud, on-demand, Software as a Service (SaaS), managed service and outsourced. Most organisations end up doing some of the work inside the company and getting some of it done outside, depending on how little, or how much, they want to be involved in the payroll administration process. 3.1 PAYROLL SOFTWARE Payroll software comes in a number of guises: as an addon application or module that will interface or integrate with other applications (such as small business accounting and business systems or Enterprise Resource Planning systems), as part of an integrated payroll/ human resources/human capital management system, or as a dedicated stand-alone system (that can potentially be linked to, or integrated with, other systems). Choosing payroll software and services

10 You can find information on a range of developers in 7 Supplier directory. Ideally, any system you select should simplify the payroll process, save time (and money, potentially), minimise errors, and reduce the need to grapple with complicated tax tables. So you can reasonably expect it to: provide the tools to accurately and quickly calculate all of the figures for pay and deductions; keep comprehensive employee records and a full payroll history; provide (various levels of) analysis and reporting facilities for management; produce any statutory reports required; and submit these statutory reports electronically, where necessary. Payroll software can also do a great deal more, and the details will vary from system to system though the number of available features and the level of expertise needed to exploit them tends to relate to the size of the organisation it has been created for. So a payroll system designed for a business with 10 employees could be very different to a system designed for dozens, hundreds or thousands of employees. Systems aimed at a small business hide the complexities of payroll behind a simple user interface, and where they provide built-in help (as many do) this is aimed at people with no payroll experience or expertise (or very little), and the sorts of interfaces/ integration offered are limited to other small business systems (such as accounting and P11D). Reassuringly, for those with minimal payroll expertise, many software providers now offer lots of self-help tools online, such as videos to demonstrate specific processes and answers to frequently asked questions. You will also find discussion groups on their websites and LinkedIn. At the other end of the scale, you will find products aimed at much larger (and often global) enterprises. These go way beyond the basic payroll needs of any organisation and are often part of product suites that provide extensive human resources management functionality (ranging from talent management to workforce analytics). Although they also conceal a lot of the complexity of payroll from the user, the much broader feature ranges they offer do make them inherently more complex. Users are generally expected to have some knowledge not only of payroll, but also of the system itself. Most payroll systems sit somewhere between these two extremes. You can expect them all to be kept up to date with the latest UK tax rules, rates and limits and provide the core functions any organisation needs from its payroll system. However, there is plenty of variation in terms of basic product functionality, additional functionality, ease of use, flexibility, reliability, integration with other specialist systems (such accounting, tax, practice management, timesheet systems), support, cost, scalability, built in intelligence, and the levels of experience and/or training required to use them. 3.2 BUREAUX, MANAGED SERVICES AND OUTSOURCING Numerous providers offer payroll as some form of bureau service, managed service or outsourced payroll service (see 7 Supplier directory). These range from payroll specialists such as Midland HR, Moorepay and many smaller organisations, to high street banks, such as Barclays and RBS, while most firms of accountants and bookkeepers also offer various types of payroll service. The extent of the services offered can vary widely, depending on how involved the client wants to be and how much involvement the service provider offers. An externally provided payroll service could be as limited as providing payslips (as hard copies or making them accessible online); it could check the payroll data and run the calculations; or it could provide a totally outsourced service that can take over the entire payroll process, from start to finish, effectively becoming the payroll department for each of its clients. Unless the latter option is the case, most scenarios will still require the business to collect and collate some (or all) of the employee data necessary to run the payroll. This could mean calculating overtime, working out National Insurance contributions (NIC) and undertaking the various other payroll-related tasks that are necessary, before this data can be sent using various formats and methods (as a spreadsheet or text file, or input into a specially designed web form, for example) to the service provider, who will then run the payroll and provide various associated services. 8 Choosing payroll software and services 2014

11 It is worth noting that all of the information required by the service provider will need to be delivered well in advance of the date on which the payroll is due to be run or the statutory filing needs to take place and the gap will vary between different service providers and levels of service. For example, the same service provider may request the information it requires to process a payroll three days in advance for some of its bureau services and five days in advance for others. The near-ubiquity of internet access and the growing popularity of cloud-based services mean that most bureau and managed payroll services now feature some type of internet access or delivery component. This is making it increasingly difficult to categorise offerings let alone draw a bright line between them. Many specialist providers now offer a range of payroll solutions, including cloud-based software plus various types of managed/outsourced payroll, with multiple levels of service, designed to meet the needs of clients of different types and sizes. Some offer more flexibility than others, which tends to be reflected in prices. Purpose-built service packages aimed at small organisations with few employees and/or relatively uncomplicated requirements, generally cost less than more flexible tailor-made offerings. As technology is changing fast, so are the terms of reference used to describe it and the services it underpins. So, while some providers still market their services using well-established terms of reference such as payroll bureau and fully managed service, others are actively trying to avoid such distinctions. This makes payroll an area where terms of reference for services (and the associated technology) can be confusing and unhelpful. There is no point in getting too hung up on the semantics, since the actual service details are much more important when you are considering a number of offerings. 3.3 CONTRACT CONSIDERATIONS Before putting any payroll processing in the hands of an external supplier, a contract and service level agreement must be in place. They will define the level of service that can be expected (ranging from support to processing timescales), the consequences of not meeting these standards, and exactly how the relationship between the service provider, the client and its employees is going to work. These can be complex and detailed documents both technically and legally, so you must seek specialist help and advice. Be sure that you understand the content and implications of the details in the contract and service level agreement, which should, as a minimum, specify: exactly what is covered by the charges; any potential additional charges; that the service provider will meet mandatory requirements within the required regulatory timescales; that the service provider will calculate tax and deductions accurately; the timescales for making these deductions and other financial transactions; the provisions and timescales associated with penalties for not meeting the agreed standards and timescales; and the provisions (if any) for any future contraction or expansion of the client s business. But before you sign on the dotted line, and hand over all (or even some) of your payroll processing, it is important to check on a number of things (see box on the following page). Also, pay attention to the fine print, particularly where cost and service level guarantees are concerned or the solution that is supposed to simplify your payroll processes and/ or reduce the associated costs, could end up doing exactly the opposite. Choosing payroll software and services

12 THINK BEFORE YOU INK Before putting any payroll operations in the hands of an external service provider there are a number of points to check and questions to ask. These include (but are not limited to) the following. Can its services meet your business needs? For example, how much auto-enrolment functionality is provided? How much of this is automated? Will this enable you to meet the needs of your pension provider and comply with the requirements of The Pensions Regulator? Will the service meet your statutory reporting requirements? Is it recognised by the HMRC PAYE Recognition Scheme? (see 8 Useful websites) Does it have experience of your size and type of organisation (and if so, how many years)? Does it offer a flexible range of payroll solutions? What are the charges for system set-up, administration and support? Are you paying only for what you use? What level of service is guaranteed? Do the fees include all types of deduction? What are additional fees charged for? What happens if a filing error is made? How quickly, easily and cost-effectively can the service be scaled up or down to meet your changing needs? How and when are the funds for net pay and taxes transferred from the employer to the service provider and/or HMRC and employees? During what hours is helpdesk support available and how is this provided? Will support and queries be dealt with by smart software or people? Is there a unique point of contact and will this always be the same person? Are staff fully qualified through an organisation such as the Institute of Payroll and Pensions Management? What software is used to provide the payroll service? Is it compatible with your existing systems? Is it HMRC accredited? Is the service provider an established organisation with a good reputation? Have recognised frameworks such as the ISO 9000 family, ISAE 3402 or ICAEW s AAF 01/06 been used to demonstrate good internal quality management? Does it have ISO to demonstrate good information security? Is it compliant with the Data Protection Act? What are its disaster recovery plans? 10 Choosing payroll software and services 2014

13 4 Compare and contrast Choosing from the immense range of options for payroll software and services requires the consideration of a number of factors, just how many will be determined by what your organisation is hoping to achieve. So it is important to be clear about your aims and priorities. Some choices preclude others. If you need a payroll software application or service that can meet the auto-enrolment information requirements of a particular pension provider, or want a service that can automate specific processes associated with your responsibilities as an employer, some offerings will not make the grade. If an employer wants to minimise their involvement with payroll processing, then a system that simply produces payslips probably isn t an option; instead, they will need to choose from the various outsourced and managed services available, or use a payroll system (with external support) and then pay a bookkeeper (or another qualified individual) to handle all of the associated processes. Because the software used to do this can be either on-premise or cloud based, a choice may need to be made between the two (see following page), or the approach may be dictated by the external adviser chosen. Different choices will have varying implications. For example, whether an organisation is using a payroll system to handle its own payroll in-house, or paying a specialist to do this, somebody will need to take responsibility for the installation, maintenance and upgrade of the system (although these requirements can be virtually eliminated with a cloud-based solution). All of this must be factored into the decision-making process, along with the associated demands in terms of time, cost and expertise both inside and outside the organisation that will be using the software. In many scenarios, the considerations will be common to any decision-making exercise where the effectiveness of a business critical process (or processes) is going to be determined by the performance of an externally-provided product or service. For example, it may be necessary to consider the implications of opting for a highly specialised supplier or one with a range of software and services on offer, and to review the capacity of the system or service to integrate or interface effectively with other Choosing payroll software and services

14 systems, ranging from accounting, through timesheet management and practice management, to human resources. Which non-payroll systems will depend on the structure of the organisation, the systems already in place, and those being used by external service providers (such as agents and accountants). No matter which approach is taken, there are also a number of other factors which should be taken into consideration, such as the history, reputation, reliability and financial security of the software developer or service provider, its size, and how easy it will be to find and/or train staff to use the system or service. There are numerous providers of payroll software and services out there and finding the right one for any particular organisation is not easy. This is one of the reasons why some employers choose to involve specialists in the selection process. For a small entity, this may mean asking the advice of an external accountant or bookkeeper, or following the lead of the organisation that is providing your workplace pension scheme; a larger organisation may involve a specialist consultant, or put together a project team. Myriad factors can potentially impact on your choices, not least those listed above and in 2 Understanding your requirements. It is important to recognise that each of these approaches, or each combination of approaches, will create its own quite different list of perceived advantages and disadvantages, because of the unique nature of each organisation. 4.1 IN-HOUSE OR IN THE CLOUD? At the simplest level this is a choice between software applications which live on your computer systems (along with the associated data) and software and data that live in the cloud on computers operated by a third-party service provider. As with other cloud services there are myriad potential scenarios involving third-party providers. They include payroll software applications that are made available on-demand using the SaaS delivery model: software is licensed to multiple users on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted in a public cloud by the developer. It is also possible to access payroll software in a private cloud : software licensed to you is installed on servers that belong to you or to the service provider, which then operates these on your behalf providing varying degrees of service. There are also other variations on the cloud theme. Whichever approach you opt for will require some effort (and input) from within the company, but because payroll must be regularly and repeatedly updated to reflect legislative changes (unlike many other types of business software), this increases the house-keeping burdens associated with on-premise applications. In any scenario it is important to ensure that the personal data collected by the payroll system is treated in a manner that complies with the Data Protection Act As approaches to payroll processing and the information that is collected and stored change, so do the associated data protection responsibilities. For example, The Pensions Regulator requires employers to keep auto-enrolment information for six years and opt-out information for four years, and to make these records available to the regulator if requested. While this will not result in a breach of the Act, employers should obtain employees consent to transfer personal data and auto-enrolment information to external pension scheme administrators. (You can learn more about your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and what these entail at ico.org.uk/for_organisations/data_protection.) Like other people-related processes, payroll is an area where data protection compliance is rarely easy, but it may be more difficult to manage with some public cloud offerings, as your ability to ensure and enforce the necessary procedures and precautions is dependent on the behaviour of a third-party service provider. 4.2 MANAGED SERVICE? Many factors can influence the decision to choose either an in-house or managed service approach to payroll processing. Handled properly, the latter will almost certainly remove many of the administrative and compliance burdens associated with payroll. Equally, if handled properly, so will in-house payroll software and the relative cost benefit analyses are going to vary in each scenario. 12 Choosing payroll software and services 2014

15 The Professionals Choice Payroll Professional Designed from the ground up as a bureau solution, Star Payroll Professional delivers everything you would expect from a payroll solution and more. Options include: Bureau Management System Auto-Enrolment module Web-based epayslips for secure self-service payslips, P60s and P11Ds Unique expatriate functionality Specialised Pay Spine solution for the Education sector Today, Star Payroll Professional is used by over half of the Top 100 Accountancy practices, and 100s more, to process the payrolls for over 70,000 organisations. It is the payroll professionals product of choice. Make it your choice too STAR COMPUTERS40 TH ANNIVERSARY EST Call us today on: sales@starplc.com or visit our website:

16 5 Being a bureau 5.1 IMPLICATIONS OF OPERATING A PAYROLL BUREAU Many accountants offer payroll services to their clients. Some firms do this by putting all or some of the process into the hands of a third-party expert (in the same way as their clients could), while others opt for specialist software. It is possible to provide payroll services to clients using any one of the many payroll systems out there, but it can make life a lot easier if you use one of the packages that have been designed specifically to meet the needs of a bureau, as it will offer extra administration and reporting facilities. However, because of the range of payroll needs an accountancy firm will find among its clients, the software for running a payroll bureau needs to be highly flexible and offer a very broad range of features (see 2 Understanding your requirements). Some clients (and hence some firms) will need to handle payrolls not just for the UK, but also for Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and/or multiple international regions. Some companies will need software that can handle specialist payrolls for areas such as construction, educational establishments, public sector bodies and doctors surgeries. Integration between payroll software and other applications can also be important. Pension auto-enrolment is creating additional complexity for employers and the firms providing their payroll services; they must all decide how much of the burden they are going to take on and find out what payroll software and services can do to help. Although many payroll providers offer functionality for auto-enrolment assessment and communication, approaches to data management and segregation vary as do capabilities. Most payroll software and services can meet the needs of NEST and NOW: Pensions; other providers are less well served. Because of the need to run multiple payrolls, there are also a number of other significant features that need to be considered, and these are summarised in the box on the following page. 14 Choosing payroll software and services 2014

17 The way that the software is licensed can make a big difference to how much it costs to use it as the basis for a bureau service, so this also needs careful consideration. Some (but not all) software developers charge on the basis of the number of employees or payroll clients, so even if your bureau has only a handful of users today, you need to think about tomorrow. The availability of support, the way it is provided, the experience and skill of those providing it, and the associated costs also merit careful consideration. Therefore, it is worth asking associates at other firms about their experiences, getting reference sites from any software or service providers you are considering, and checking social media for insights into the pros and cons of various products, services and providers. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Accountants who are using payroll software to run a bureau can benefit from a number of cost-cutting and labour-saving features such as: ability to process multiple clients simultaneously; ability to process tasks simultaneously across all clients; a comprehensive but flexible range of reports and formats; administrative support for pensions autoenrolment; bulk import of payroll data; composite year-end routines; import and export of CSV files from and to accounting systems and spreadsheet-based management reports; export to, or integration with, multiple providers of pensions and other providers of auto-enrolment products and services; links to other systems such as accounting, tax and practice management; multiple payslip formats and delivery mechanisms; multi-user capabilities; rapid integration of legislative updates; unlimited employees; visibility of multiple pay periods; wide range of utilities (including data conversion). Choosing payroll software and services

18 6 Reviews of payroll solutions Access TARGET MARKET Access Group provides a wide range of payroll and human resources solutions, including Access SelectPay software and Access Payroll Services, its bureau and managed services offering. Access payroll solutions can scale to meet the needs of small and larger businesses and non-profit organisations, ranging from around 10 employees to more than 10,000 employees. All of Access s payroll solutions offer comprehensive payroll preparation and processing functionality with extensive management and statutory reporting facilities, plus a lot more such as electronic payslips, P11D processing and integration with other Access software and services. Access SelectPay and Access Payroll Services can both unite payroll with web-based human resources functionality through SelectHR (for medium-to-large organisations) and acloudhr (for small businesses). The Access suite of integrated business management software also includes, enterprise resource planning, finance, business intelligence, professional service automation, and supply chain solutions. USER BASE More than 130,000 employees get paid with SelectPay. More than 1,700 organisations pay their employees with Access payroll solutions, including Access Payroll Services. COST Prices are available on request. CONTACT DETAILS W theaccessgroup.com and accessacloud.com T +44 (0) Choosing payroll software and services 2014

19 OVERVIEW Access Group began more than 20 years ago as a developer of entry-level accounting and business systems; now its suite of integrated business management software ranges from customer relationship management, through finance, to professional service automation. Access human resources and payroll solutions include SelectHR, acloudhr, PayrollSE and SelectPay. In May 2014 this range was extended with Access Payroll Services, which was created after Access acquired Action File, a long-time partner and provider of payroll bureau and managed services. Access SelectPay and Access Payroll Services both provide tools to help employers automate core payroll calculations and deductions and streamline many of the processes associated with payroll preparation, administration, and statutory compliance, so that users can input and output the required data quickly, easily and accurately. All Access payroll solutions are recognised by HMRC for their PAYE real time information (RTI) functionality, which includes full payment submission (FPS), the employer payment summary (EPS), and NINO Verification Requests (NVR). Access has enhanced its payroll solutions to provide employers with tools to support workplace pension auto-enrolment. SelectPay automatically identifies employees who are eligible to be auto-enrolled onto a qualifying pension scheme, and helps employers to handle other related activities such as postponement, opting out and re-enrolling. A SelectPay module exports files in the format that NEST needs for upload, and opt-out files from NEST can be imported into SelectPay; support for other providers of workplace pensions will follow. As well as providing core payroll functionality, SelectPay goes beyond remuneration to decrease administration, by streamlining and simplifying many key payroll processes. For example: there are user-friendly wizards to guide users through activities such as adding new starters; the ability to preview the effect any calculation has on net pay, at any time, and the option to send payslips (and forms such as P60s) via . It also has a comprehensive collection of monthly (and exception) reports and statutory declarations, which can all be output to print, screen, spreadsheet or fax. support for RTI and download of notices from HMRC; customisable data input spreadsheets; internal checking of payroll before submission to client; BACS payments; payslips; access to the enquiry and reporting tool Explorer View, plus a suite of standard payroll reports and up to three customised reports in Microsoft Excel format. Access Payroll Services and SelectPay both integrate with acloudhr (a web-based HR solution for small businesses) and Access SelectHR (a configurable webbased solution for medium-to-large organisations). Dynamic links between payroll and HR and other Access solutions can reduce duplication and improve the accuracy and timeliness of information in many areas. For example: timesheet information can be imported directly into SelectPay from an integrated project costing module; periodic payroll data can be updated to the nominal ledger in full detail or at summary level. CONCLUSION A payroll solution that is part of an integrated suite of products and services has the potential to deliver many benefits to the payroll function and beyond improving the quality of information throughout an organisation and this combines with the range of Access payroll solutions and delivery mechanisms available to give customers a very wide range of options. As SelectPay is built on Microsoft technology it uses the scalable SQL server platform and incorporates the intuitive Ribbon interface it is well-positioned to adapt and take advantage of advances in technology. So employers can be reassured that as their organisation grows and changes, their Access payroll solution has the functionality, flexibility and scalability to do so too. Some SelectPay functionality can be accessed online, as the software can be installed on the client s own servers or be hosted by Access (in a shared or dedicated cloud environment). SelectPay uses online portals for payroll data capture and presentation, with further online portals available for payslips and expenses. Organisations that want to access all of their payroll functionality online may prefer the bureau and managed services solutions offered by Access Payroll Services which also supports data output for multiple providers of workplace pensions. With Access Payroll Services and a web-browser, authorised users can input and access payroll data and reports anywhere, anytime, while Access handles software updates and maintenance and takes care of data security with regular backups and disaster recovery. Features include: full Choosing payroll software and services

20 Ceridian payroll solutions TARGET MARKET Ceridian provides a range of integrated cloud payroll and HR software and managed services. They aim to meet the payroll needs of a wide cross-section of organisations, ranging from micro-businesses with just a handful of employees, through small- and medium-sized entities, to major corporates with hundreds of thousands of employees, and international organisations with operations in multiple locations and countries. Ceridian s integrated HR and payroll cloud solution HRevolution offers modules in payroll, HR, workforce management, pension autoenrolment, analytics, expenses, mobile apps and support for employee assistance programmes (EAP). USER BASE Ceridian has been providing payroll services in the UK for more than 50 years (and was previously known as Centrefile). Globally, it services more than 130,000 customers and 25 million employees, in 50 countries. In the UK it pays over 2 million employees per month and processes 24 million payslips a year. COST Prices for Ceridian HRevolution and other Ceridian payroll solutions are available on request. CONTACT DETAILS W ceridian.co.uk T +44 (0) Choosing payroll software and services 2014

21 OVERVIEW Ceridian has been providing payroll software and services for decades and this is evident in the breadth of functionality, and the flexibility and scalability on offer. Its cloud-based SaaS payroll and human resources solution HRevolution boasts a suite of integrated modules for payroll, human resources, workforce management, pension auto-enrolment, analytics, expenses, mobile apps and EAP. It is available on any device (including tablets and mobile phones) at any time. HRevolution offers employers the opportunity to retain control of their payroll and operations (in-house) but wave goodbye to (what can feel like) relentless software upgrade cycles, and rely on Ceridian to manage the servers where the payroll data and software reside (securely) and take care of legislative and functionality updates with support from a dedicated team of payroll experts. HRevolution is also used as the basis for Ceridian s cloud-based payroll services, which provide a broad range of managed services and outsourcing for organisations of all shapes and sizes. So employers and employees using Ceridian payroll solutions always use the most up-to-date version. HRevolution provides core payroll functions such as earnings, deductions and taxes, plus the online RTI reporting which is now a normal activity for almost all employers. In addition, the software can be tailored to meet special needs, such as paying employees in a non-standard manner. Results are available instantly for payroll changes effective from any time and there is flexibility around when you run the payroll (this allows you to deal with late notifications and changes). The input and output of data and the retrieval and viewing of payroll records and reports are simple. The library of payroll reports provides summary data at company level, with the option to drill down into the detail (for departments and employees, for example), and to analyse figures for and across single or multiple payrolls and data can be exported using various methods and formats. Other strong areas of functionality include online payslips and P60s with helpful interactive tooltips to explain the pay elements (this can reduce the number of queries from employees), easy salary sacrifice set-up, payment to Channel Islands employees as standard and the ability to make automatic payments to third parties. of needs, priorities, budgets and IT infrastructures to meet their core payroll needs and comply with related regulatory demands; it has optimised its products and services so that they can be accessed from any mobile device, meaning workers can access payroll-related data and perform payroll-related transactions on the go. Employees can, for example, view (and print) present and past payslips there s even a video on YouTube showing how to do this. CONCLUSION Ceridian was one of the first providers of outsourced UK payroll, one of the first to integrate HR software and services and one of the first to adopt the cloud delivery model. Its products and services reflect the way that technology evolution and increased regulation are transforming the workplace. As Ceridian customers can choose which payroll (and HR) processes they want to handle in-house, using HRevolution, and which they want to hand over to Ceridian, its solutions seem flexible enough to meet employers needs today and tomorrow. So, if you are uncertain about which approach to payroll (and/or HR) is right for your business, you anticipate your needs changing some time soon, or you want to make the most of emerging technologies, a Ceridian solution could provide the answer. Ceridian was quick to address pensions auto-enrolment (AE), working with some of the UK s largest employers to develop solutions to minimise the impact of the AE legislation. Following on from this, it has developed a streamlined SME version of its off-the-shelf AE solution, which has been designed to be set-up and switched on quickly and easily and help employers to cost-effectively meet the needs of their pension providers. As payroll data holds much of the information required to determine the AE status of workers, and calculate pension contributions and deductions for eligible workers, this SME solution is delivered through HRevolution. Ceridian has a history of embracing technology and using it to improve its payroll products and services. It has used the cloud-delivery model and browser-based access to enable organisations with a broad range Choosing payroll software and services