Mar 2014

Windows XP support to end – Time to upgrade?

As of the 8th of April 2014 Microsoft will cease support of the Windows XP OS (Operating System). Originally launched in 2001 it has been Microsoft’s most successful operating system. They tried to convince people to upgrade to Windows Vista in 2005 but many had upgraded to XP service pack 2 around the same time so didn’t want to incur extra cost or the hassle of having to change their OS.

What does support ending mean?

It means there will be no more upgrades. Patch Tuesday (the day of the week Microsoft release their updates and patches) will be no more. It means that XP machines will no longer receive security patches, meaning they will face greater risks of targeted hacking attacks.

It also means that when companies such as Thesaurus Software and banks update the security certificates (which are renewed every few years) for their websites, XP users will not receive these new patches from Microsoft. Therefore, when users visit these sites they will get security warnings, or could be blocked by their computer altogether.

When should you upgrade?

Like with windows 95, 98 and 2000, your existing programs will continue to work as normal, your computer will not suddenly stop working just because Microsoft stops supporting it! However as technology moves on XP will become eventually obsolete. Couple that with the fact that as a machine gets older it inevitably slows down and becomes less reliable. So while there is no major rush to go out and buy new machines a plan should be put in place to upgrade your systems in the near future.

Will my payroll program still work on XP?

Both Thesaurus Payroll Manager and BrightPay will continue to work on XP and they will continue to work for the foreseeable future. We at Thesaurus will continue to support our programs and assist customers who use XP. However as Thesaurus and other companies update their digital certificates some XP users may experience difficulties using certain aspects of the program (Creating bank files, upgrades etc).

Posted byAlan KellyinPayroll Software

Mar 2014

Google Maps – Local Property Tax (LPT)

The Revenue Commissioners has announced a system for checking to see if people have deliberately undervalued their homes to reduce their Local Property Tax (LPT) below what they should be paying. Officials will use a system that is based on Google Street View and Google Maps to highlight properties where home owners have reduced the value significantly below their neighbours. "If we find properties like this we will look at it and see if we should challenge it," said Revenue's economist Keith Walsh.

Only officials working with Revenue will have access to the maps and the public will have no access. The maps will show the average value of homes sold on any street and the values other homes owners have attributed to their own properties. It will also show the identity of the homeowners, their PPS number and whether they have paid the LPT and household charge. "If people think they have undervalued they will have an opportunity to correct the value online," Mr. Walsh said. If property owners correct the value before 31st March 2014, they can avoid interest and penalties.

Revenue expects to write to people who have deliberately undervalued their home next month.

Posted byAudrey MooneyinLPT

Mar 2014

Fathers to get chance to share two weeks of maternity leave

New mothers would be able to gift two weeks of their maternity leave to their child’s father under legislation being considered by the government. Kathleen Lynch minister of state at the Department of Justice said it is “actively” working on proposals to allow fathers to share some of the statutory 26 weeks leave given to mothers. Another option being considered is allowing parents to “step in and out” of the 26 weeks leave, to allow them to share the time more equally. “We hope to have serious proposals prepared before end of 2014” says Lynch. – “in terms of the bill itself, we would be ensuring the power to decide on the parental leave is always vested in the mother.

The Justice Department has had discussions with interested parties such as employer’s representatives, women’s groups, and other government departments. She said many people had expressed concerns at the implications of introducing paternity leave, such as the cost for employers and reduction of maternity leave for women.
Children’s Minister, Frances Fitzgerald said she was in favour of increasing maternity leave to 52 weeks over a five year period. She also wants fathers to share in this leave. This would bring Ireland in line with Britain. There a woman is entitled to 52 weeks’ maternity leave while the father gets up to two weeks leave when the child is born and can also share up to 26 weeks of the mother’s leave when she returns to work. A Paternity Leave bill is before the Seanad at the moment.

Posted byAnn TigheinPayroll

Mar 2014

Compliance Code for Irish PAYE Taxpayers

Revenue published a new Compliance Code for PAYE Taxpayers. This new Code describes Revenue’s PAYE compliance programme and the nature and scope of PAYE compliance interventions. This Code is effective from 18 November 2013 and all PAYE compliance interventions undertaken by Revenue will be made under the terms of this Code.

The Code can be downloaded here.

Posted byCaroline MaloneinPAYE

Mar 2014

ROS Digital Certificate Expiry Notice

ROS Certificates issued by Revenue normally have a two-year validity, after which time customers must renew the Certificate to retain access to ROS.

However, as part of its ongoing security measures, Revenue updated the ROS Certificate Authority on 13th January 2014 and all Certificates issued by the old Authority will now expire on 27th March 2014.

From February 24th/25th 2014, customers will be presented with the Certificate Renewal screen when they login to ROS. Customers should renew their Certificate when presented with this opportunity to ensure continued access to ROS. Step by step instructions are provided and this procedure will take less than 2 minutes to complete. The digital certificate renewal process applies to all digital certificates.

WebServices Users:

If you are using a ROS Certificate within an application, then it is important that you plan to renew this Certificate before 27th March. As there is no option to renew from within your application, you will need to login to ROS with that Certificate in order to complete the renewal and then replace the old Certificate used by your application.

Posted byAlan KellyinOnline filing

Mar 2014

How to Roll out Contracts & Handbooks to Existing Staff

Introducing a contract of employment or a handbook for the first time to current employees, can be a difficult, tricky matter for many employers.

It is an area that many employers put on the long finger, or avoid doing until they have to.

Common reasons for not implementing employee documentation include:

• Lack of time
• Fear that employees will refute the terms of the documents and refuse to sign
• Anxiety that documentation will harm the relationship between management and staff, if the employees feel a new set of rules are being entrust upon then
• A false belief that it will restrict how management deal with employees

However, this does not have to be the case. It is possible to introduce new documentation without spending huge amounts of time, alienating your work force, or causing disruption.

The answer lies in good communications.

To help employers introduce employee documentation, we’ve created a short video outlining our four step guide to rolling out contracts and handbooks.