Exciting times for Bright: Our latest acquisition and new branding

It’s an exciting day here at Bright, as today we are launching our new Bright branding, as well as announcing our latest acquisition. We’re thrilled to let all our customers know that BTCSoftware are now part of the Bright family. BTCSoftware offer multi-award-winning tax software solutions which help accountants to streamline and simplify tax and compliance work.

The addition of BTCSoftware to Bright makes sense to us as leading providers of software solutions to accountants and businesses. We believe that BTCSoftware’s product offering slots in nicely with our current payroll, HR, bookkeeping, accounts production and practice management software solutions.

This development is the next big step in Bright’s mission to streamline business processes for accountants and businesses, by delivering excellent products that enable automation and integration of core business sectors and functions. This mission is underpinned by offering world class support, a common philosophy which unifies all of Bright’s software solutions. This focus on serving customers above everything else, makes BTCSoftware a perfect addition to Bright, as they pride themselves on their highly rated, responsive customer support.

Same great products, Bright new brand

What’s different?

We now have a shiny new website which can be found at www.brightsg.com. The Bright website will be home to all of our products going forward, and each of our products will have their own pages within the website. Moving all our content and resources to the new website will be a gradual process, and so, the existing BrightPay website is not going anywhere just yet.

Our product logos have also changed from their varying colours to white or navy versions, ensuring all our logos have a uniform look and feel.

Why have we rebranded?

Since forming in 2021, Bright has brought a wide range of products together, and in doing so has integrated teams from across Ireland and the UK. Bright’s software solutions, including BrightPay Payroll Software, Thesaurus Payroll Manager, Surf Accounts Production, AccountancyManager, and now BTCSoftware give us the ability to offer accountants a fully comprehensive solution to their needs. While this range of products, expertise and support, allows us to combine the strengths of each brand, it also requires us to create a more unified voice.

With the launch of Bright, our new logo, and our new website, customers can find all our products under the one name and location. Customers will still see familiar product logos but should in time become used to seeing Bright appear more often, reflecting our future plans.

We hope that our new cohesive branding will help communicate who we are, what we offer, and reinforce our position as a one stop provider of software solutions for accountants and businesses.

Check out Bright’s new podcast

In other exciting news, Bright is introducing its first podcast series, Lightbulb Moments, which features disruptors and thought leaders from the accounting industry, revealing the bright ideas that gave them the power to switch things up for their business, practice and clients.

Learn more

Posted byElaine CarrollinCompany News

Living wage to replace minimum wage in Ireland by 2026

It was announced this week that a new living wage, to replace the current minimum wage, is to be phased in for Irish workers, starting in 2023. A living wage is an hourly rate of pay calculated to be the minimum amount that a worker needs to earn to cover the basic cost of living.

The memo which Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar has brought to Cabinet proposes that the living wage is to be set at 60% of the median wage in a given year. Based on this percentage, if the living wage rate were introduced today, it would be set at €12.17 per hour.

Minimum wage in Ireland

The National Minimum Wage was first introduced in Ireland in April 2000 and was also roughly 60% of the median wage at the time. The minimum wage has increased by around 47% since it was first introduced, but it has not kept up with the average earnings or the cost of living.

Since 1st January 2022, the National Minimum Wage is €10.50 per hour for those aged 20 and over.

Rates for other workers are as follows:

What does the living wage mean for employers?

The national minimum wage will remain in place until the living wage rate is fully phased in, in 2026. The minimum wage rate will increase between now and 2026, closing the gap between the minimum and the living wage. However, the full living wage may be introduced faster or slower than the proposed time frame, depending on prevailing economic circumstances. The Tánaiste has said that the reason the living wage is being introduced gradually is because if it is brought in too quickly businesses could close, or employees could see their hours cut. Leo Varadkar will consult with various interested parties, including employer and worker representative groups, unions and the public on the draft plan.

The living wage is just one of the improvements to workers' rights to be introduced over the coming years. Other changes we are set to see for employees is the introduction of statutory sick pay and automatic enrolment onto pension schemes.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date on legislation changes, webinar events, special offers and other payroll related news.

Related articles:

• Statutory Sick Pay – Preparing for 2022
• Preparing for Auto Enrolment: Everything you need to know
• Auto enrolment for accountants: Lessons learned from the UK

Posted byElaine CarrollinWages

Preparing for Auto Enrolment: Everything you need to know

Automatic Enrolment in Ireland is a subject which has been in discussion for over 25 years now. In 2017, the matter was brought to the forefront again with our Taoiseach at the time, Leo Varadkar, announcing that the scheme would begin in 2021. However, as we all know, delays caused by COVID-19 meant that this didn’t happen as planned. One year later, we are in a much better place and thankfully, details on the planned state pensions Automatic Enrolment scheme were announced on the 29th of March 2022.

What is Auto Enrolment?

Auto Enrolment is being brought in to ensure that those working in the private sector have an income for their retirement, beyond the state pension. The scheme will be phased in over the next ten years. The system is to be set up by 2023 and employee enrolments into the scheme will begin in 2024. All employees aged between 23 and 60, earning over €20,000 a year and who are not already in an occupational pension scheme, will be automatically enrolled. While participation in the scheme will be voluntary, workers will have to opt-out of the scheme rather than opt-in. It is hoped that this model will encourage workers to remain in the scheme.

How much will go towards employees’ pension?

The employee, the employer, and the state will all make contributions towards the employee’s pension pot. Employees’ pension savings will be matched on a one-for-one basis by the employer, up to a maximum of €80,000 of earnings. The state will provide a top up of €1 for every €3 saved by the worker. This means that for every €3 saved by the employee, a further contribution of €4 will be made by the employer and the state combined.

Pension contribution example

Employer and employee pension contributions will be calculated as a percentage of the employee’s income. Rates will start at 1.5% and will increase every three years by 1.5%, until they eventually reach 6% by year 10 (2034).

Pension contribution rates

What does the new Automatic Enrolment scheme mean for payroll processers?

When the scheme is first rolled out in 2024, it will mean a few additional steps in the payroll process. Those processing payroll must ensure that all eligible employees have been enrolled into one of the four retirement saving funds that employees will have to choose from. For employees who do not express a preference for any fund, they should be enrolled into the default fund. After 6 months of participation, employees will have the choice to opt-out or suspend participation. When a person chooses to opt out, they can receive a refund of their contributions. Once opted out, the employee will need to be re-enrolled after two years.

Will there be changes in my payroll software?

Your payroll software provider will have ample time to implement these changes into the software and should be ready to go by 2024. At BrightPay Payroll Software, Auto Enrolment is something that we have already programmed into the UK version of our software, BrightPay UK, since the scheme was introduced in the UK in 2012. Thanks to this experience, we already have the knowledge of how Auto Enrolment in the software should work. Our aim, as is with BrightPay UK, will be to make the Auto Enrolment process as simple for the user as possible.

At BrightPay, we aim to use our experience of the rollout of auto enrolment in the UK to automate Auto Enrolment for you within the software and make the introduction of the scheme as simple as possible, for employers and payroll processers. To find out more about how BrightPay can simplify the payroll process, book your free 15-minute demo of BrightPay today.

Related articles:

• Statutory Sick Pay – Preparing for 2022
• Auto enrolment for accountants: Lessons learned from the UK
• Automatic enrolment delayed until at least 2023

Posted byElaine CarrollinAuto Enrolment

BrightPay and AccountancyManager join forces

It has been an exciting six months since BrightPay merged with Relate Software to become Bright Software Group or “Bright”, as we are now known. Things haven’t slowed down since and we are delighted to announce that Bright has now acquired AccountancyManager, the UK’s leading onboarding and practice management software. The cloud-based software slots in nicely with Bright’s payroll, HR, bookkeeping and post-accounting software products. This is an exciting opportunity for the individual brands to exploit our operational synergies and develop the best products to serve payroll bureaus, accountancy firms and SMEs across the UK and Ireland.

Click here to find out more about Bright.

Who are AccountancyManager?

AccountancyManager (AM) is an award-winning practice management software that shares the same ultimate goal as Bright; to improve accountants’ day-to-day activities by automating time-consuming tasks, helping them to achieve a better work/life balance and grow their businesses. Founded in 2017 by James Byrne and Alex Hawke, AccountancyManager quickly grew and today is used by thousands of accountants and bookkeepers across the UK and Ireland.

A Bright future for AccountancyManager

James Byrne, co-founder of AM will continue as a shareholder in the combined group and will remain involved with the business as an advisor to the combined board. Kevin McCallum, CEO of AM, will become Chief Operating Officer of the new, combined group as well as continuing to manage AM, working closely with Bright CEO, Paul Byrne.

Here’s what Kevin McCallum, incoming COO of Bright, has to say about the merger: “AccountancyManager joining Bright makes so much sense for many reasons, but for me, the shared values and customer-centric approach are the most compelling. I’m excited to be joining Paul and the wider Bright team in building out the scope and scale of our business and supporting more and more accountants and their clients.”

By partnering with AccountancyManager and combining products and strengths from both businesses, Bright can provide a greater offering to our customers, with scope and backing for further innovation and development. This is an exciting moment in Bright’s journey to delivering a one-stop solution for businesses and accountancy firms. Together we will aim to provide a best-in-class software suite with a clear value proposition to drive efficiency and reduce errors, all with increased flexibility from working with a cloud offering.

Related articles:

• BrightPay Wins AccountingWEB’s Top Payroll Product of the Year 2021
• BrightPay celebrates 10-year anniversary
• BrightPay & Relate Software join forces to create an accounting & payroll software champion

Posted byElaine CarrollinNews

5 mistakes to avoid when running payroll

1. Not complying with Revenue

When you run payroll, once you have finalised your payslips and before you pay employees, you must submit payroll information for each employee to Revenue in real-time. To do so, you can download a file containing the payroll information and upload it through Revenue Online System (ROS). However, a much easier way is by using Revenue compliant payroll software that can communicate with ROS to seamlessly exchange the information in just a few clicks. If you do not report the correct information to Revenue or if you do not submit the information on time, you may be charged penalties.

2. Not complying with GDPR

When processing payroll, you are dealing with a lot of personal information. Using a GDPR compliant payroll software means you and your employees can rest assured that all personal data is stored and managed in a safe and secure manner.

3. Not backing up payroll data

When running payroll, it is highly recommended that you always keep a back-up of all payroll data. It is also advised that this back-up is saved somewhere other than on the hard drive of the computer you use to process payroll. Using a cloud platform or an external device to back up data is the safest option to ensure you never lose valuable information, should something happen to your computer.

4. Having inexperienced or untrained staff run payroll

While using the right software has made processing payroll easier than ever before, it is still not something that should be assumed is easy and straightforward to do. When staff running payroll are inexperienced or untrained, you are leaving your business open to problems like employees being paid the wrong amounts, penalties for non-compliance, time wasted correcting errors and overall damaging your reputation as a business. It is also important that staff keep up-to-date and informed about any changes to payroll legislation or employee entitlements.

5. Inefficiency and human error

Your efficiency when running payroll will depend greatly on the level of automation used. Automation cuts down on the repetition of uncomplicated tasks. Automation not only saves your business time and money by allowing you to process payroll quicker, it also does so by reducing the possibility of human error. A payroll software must be used to automate payroll processes.

Solution:

You have two options when it comes to ensuring none of these mistakes are made by your business when processing payroll.

Option One: Outsource your payroll to a professional.

Option Two: Choose a payroll software that ensures all these mistakes are easily avoided.

While outsourcing your payroll duties to a professional might seem like the simplest option, it may not be the most cost effective one. You can save money while having the same peace of mind that your payroll is being processed correctly by running your payroll in-house with the right payroll software.

BrightPay is a multi-award-winning payroll software that automates payroll processing. BrightPay’s integration with ROS means that you can stay compliant while saving time by being able to send payroll information to ROS quickly and easily. Our integrations with accounting packages allow you to send payroll information from your payroll software directly to your accounting software. BrightPay also has an integration with payment platform Modulr which allows you to pay employees directly through the payroll software, eliminating the need to create bank files.

 When it comes to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), BrightPay Connect, our optional cloud add-on, helps you stay compliant by offering a secure online portal for employers to share payslips with their employees as well as other HR documents. If you choose to email payslips, they are password protected. Two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security for users logging into BrightPay Connect. A security code will be sent to the user via email or text which needs to be entered to log in to the employer dashboard, lowering the risk of data breaches.

If you or any of your colleagues are working remotely, BrightPay Connect allows for full working from home functionality. When there is more than one user working on the same employer file at the same time, BrightPay Connect will notify you and stop you from creating any conflicting copies that could result in mistakes in the payroll.

While there will be a learning curve with any new software, BrightPay’s user friendly interface and intuitive design makes that learning curve a lot less steep. BrightPay’s website has a comprehensive library of support documentation that takes you step by step through payroll processes. If you cannot find the answer you are looking for here, BrightPay’s support team can be reached by phone or email; offering BrightPay customers free help and guidance when they need it. Other useful resources that can be found on our website are our guides and ebooks, video tutorials, blogs and webinars. Previous webinars can be watched on demand from our website. We also host regular live webinars which often give updates on new payroll regulations. Anyone can join our webinars for free.

Why not book a free demo today and discover how BrightPay can help you avoid payroll mistakes and make processing payroll a breeze.

How can I pay employees?

According to the 1991 Payment of Wages Act, the method which will be used to pay an employee their wages should be clearly stated in their contract of employment. Employers have the option to pay their employees by cash, cheque, bank draft, postal order or by credit transfer to an account specified by the employee. Whether an employee is paid weekly, monthly or whichever pay interval you have set out in the employee’s contract of employment, employers should ensure that employees are always paid on time.

The method by which you pay your employees will not only affect the efficiency of your payroll but depending on which method you choose and how well you use that method, it can also impact your business’s reputation and even employee morale. Listed below are three of the most common methods of paying employees and their advantages and disadvantages.

What is the best method of paying employees?

1. Cash

Some employers may feel that paying their employees in cash is the quickest and easiest option. Paying by cash means employees will have instant access to the funds and there are little to no administrative costs involved. However, while it is perfectly legal, using cash is not always an efficient way of paying employees.

Your payroll software will keep a record of the amounts to be paid to your employees each pay period, including all additions and deductions. However, when you pay in cash you will have no record or proof that the payment has been made. It is advised, when making cash payments, that you have your employees sign a document to confirm that they have received their wages and the amount which they have received. This can mean that there will be more administrative work involved than you may have thought. When paying employees by cash, it is also important that you are aware of the security risk of having a large amount of bank notes on you or at your business premises.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid working has become the norm. This means that in some businesses employees are now working from different locations, with many employees working from their home. If you have employees who are working remotely for part or all of their working week, it may no longer be viable to pay them by cash. And while legally you can send cash by registered post, it is not covered by insurance under the Registered Post service.

2. Cheque

One advantage paying employees by cheque has over paying employees by cash is that once the cheque has been cashed or lodged by the employee, you will have record that the payment has been received. However, employees may not always be happy about being paid by cheque as it means there is a wait period between them receiving the cheque and them being able to access the money. Cheques drawn on Irish banks can take up to 5 business days to clear, meaning employees may not be able to access their wages till up to over a week after pay day. Plus, if you are sending employees their cheques by post, this can lead to further delays and you may end up with some very disgruntled employees.

3. Credit transfer

Perhaps the most common method of paying employees is through a credit transfer. This is when payment is taken directly from the employer's bank account and paid into the bank account specified by the employee.

Paying employees by credit transfer means there will be a complete record of when the employee was paid and the amount which they were paid. The SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) system was first introduced into Ireland in 2014 and had many advantages over the previous system. When using SEPA to transfer payments it only takes one business day to clear compared to the three business day turnaround for older systems.

What is the easiest way of paying employees by credit transfer?

You can now pay employees using SEPA, directly through your payroll software. BrightPay Payroll software now has full integration with payments platform Modulr, providing payroll processers with a quick and easy way to pay employees.

To use this new functionality, you first must sign up to a Modulr account and pay any associated fees to Modulr. Then, once a payroll has been finalised, you simply choose the “Pay by Modulr” option in the payroll software. From there you log into your Modulr account and you will be asked to authenticate your login using your mobile device. Once logged in, simply follow our online guide and you will be able to pay your employees quickly and easily with only a one-day turnaround.

What are the benefits of paying employees directly through BrightPay?

Paying your employees by credit transfer using our new integration has the most benefits for employers when compared to other payment methods, including:

• Little administrative work
• A one-day turnaround
• Flexibility to change payments up until the day before
• Fully traceable and secure

To learn more about BrightPay’s new direct payments feature, why not book a free online BrightPay demo today. Or, you can watch our webinar discussing how our new integration can benefit your business.

EWSS Update: Changes from 1st February

On the 21st January 2022, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe announced changes to Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) subsidy rates from 1st February.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions which were brought in last December, the enhanced rates of the EWSS were extended for all businesses for December 2021 and January 2022. As well as this, the scheme was reopened in December for certain businesses who were previously registered for the EWSS and experienced a reduction in turnover as a direct effect of these new restrictions. With these restrictions now lifted from 21st January, many businesses have returned to normal, and the EWSS rates are now changing in line with this.

Changes to the EWSS from 1st February

From 1st February we will begin to see a gradual reduction in subsidy rates up until the scheme ends for all businesses in May. The EWSS rates which businesses are eligible to receive will depend on whether or not they were one of the businesses that were directly impacted by the COVID-19 regulations which were introduced in December.

The reduced rate of employer’s PRSI of 0.5% will continue to apply to wages paid before 1 March 2022 in relation to those who are eligible for the subsidy payment. The full rate of employers’ PRSI will be reinstated with effect from 1 March 2022 for all businesses.

Rates from 1st February for businesses directly impacted

For businesses that were directly impacted by the COVID-19 regulations that were introduced in December 2021, they will continue to receive the enhanced EWSS rates for the month of February, as outlined in the table below. For the month of March, the EWSS rates will revert to the original two-rate subsidy of €151.50 for employees with a gross weekly wage of between €151.50 to €202.99 and €203 for employees with a gross weekly wage of between €203 and €1461.99. For the months of April and May, businesses will receive a flat rate of €100 per employee. The scheme will eventually end for these businesses on 31st May 2022.

Rates from 1st February for other businesses

For businesses that were not directly impacted by the COVID-19 regulations that were introduced in December 2021, the enhanced subsidy rate will end on 31st January, and they will receive the two-rate subsidy for the month of February. For the months of March and April, these businesses will receive a flat rate of €100 per employee. The scheme will then end for these businesses on 30th April 2022.

Note: Revenue are working on updating their systems to cater for these changes. A BrightPay upgrade will also be released in line with these new changes.

EWSS Webinar

On February 4th, BrightPay will be holding a free online webinar where we will be joined by representatives from Revenue to discuss recent EWSS changes and the updated guidance for employers. We will also have a questions and answers section at the end of the webinar where we will answer any questions you may have regarding the scheme.

Posted byElaine CarrollinEmployment UpdateWages

How to avoid employees carrying over their annual leave

For most employers in Ireland, their annual leave year runs from January to December and an employee’s annual leave entitlements will depend on how much they’ve worked that year. As we get closer to the end of 2021, you may notice some employees who still have days or maybe even weeks left to take. Depending on what type of business you’re in, this could be a real headache to deal with. For example, if you are in retail, giving employees time off at Christmas could be impractical.

Some employees may ask if they can carry over their leftover leave into 2022. According to Citizen’s Information, annual leave should be taken within the leave year it was earned. Whether or not an employee can carry over annual leave entitlements will depend on the policy you have in place. Some employers will agree to allow employees to carry over untaken annual leave within 6 months of the relevant leave date, while others may allow employees to carry over leave even further. It is important to note, if an employee is on extended sick leave, then legally, they are allowed to carry over any unused leave for up to 15 months after the end of the year it was earned.

While in most cases allowing an employee to carry over annual leave shouldn’t be a problem, it can become impractical, especially when you have a lot of employees wanting to do so. Making sure your employees take their annual leave within the year it was earned can help avoid employee burnout as it encourages them to take more regular breaks. It also prevents employees saving up their annual leave and using it all in one go which could result in your business being short staffed for a long period.

Whatever you decide, it is important that you have an annual leave policy in place which clearly outlines whether employees can carry over leave from one year to the next. If you would rather a “use it or lose it” policy where employees must take their leave within the year it was earned, then it is important that you carefully track employees’ leave taken and remaining. Doing this will help you avoid having employees on leave, when you may need them most.

If you would like a ready-made annual leave policy which you can tailor to your own needs, visit our sister company Bright Contracts to find out more, or book a free online demo with a member of their team today.

How can I keep track of employees’ annual leave?

If you have a lot of employees, it can be difficult to keep track of everyone’s annual leave. Luckily, your payroll software can help. BrightPay Payroll Software used alongside our optional cloud add-on BrightPay Connect has an annual leave management feature which allows employers and employees to keep track of annual leave taken and remaining.

1. View a company-wide calendar of employees’ past and scheduled leave

When you open up BrightPay Connect’s employer dashboard, from the calendar tab, you can view a company-wide calendar which shows all your employees past and scheduled leave. This calendar is automatically updated when you add leave for an employer in the payroll software. The calendar makes it easier for you when you need to decide whether or not you will approve an employee’s request for time off.

2. Let employees request leave through their phone

BrightPay Connect also includes an employee smartphone app which the employee can use to request leave. From the app the employee simply selects the days which they would like off, the type of leave (paid or un-paid) and the times (eg. a half day). Employees can request leave anytime, anywhere, even on the go.

3. Have approved leave automatically update in your payroll software

Once the leave request has been sent, the employer will receive a notification on the employer dashboard asking them to either approve or deny the request. If the employer approves the request the annual leave will automatically flow through to BrightPay.

4. Let employees know how much leave they have remaining without having to ask you

Another great feature of the BrightPay Connect’s employee app is that when an employee opens the app, they can see how much leave they have used so far that year and the amount of leave they have remaining. When an employee can easily keep track of the amount of leave they have used it means they will be less likely to have leave left over by the end of the year.

While some employees will still need an extra nudge to remind them to take their full annual leave entitlements before the end of the year, BrightPay Connect can greatly help payroll processers in keeping track of who has leave left to take. This can help avoid employees carrying over annual leave days and having too many employees requesting to take leave at the end of the year.

To learn more about how BrightPay Connect can help you manage your employee’s annual leave, why not book a free online demo today.

Related articles:

• No cost, no commitments: try BrightPay for free for 60 days
• Sharing a hybrid working policy with employees
• Payroll App – What your employees can and cannot see

Posted byElaine CarrollinAnnual LeaveBrightPay Connect

No cost, no commitments: try BrightPay for free for 60 days

Procrastination is something which we can all be guilty of in different areas of our lives. Whether it’s making a phone call or getting new tyres for your car, we can all fall prey to putting things off or leaving things to the last minute. “Procrastination is the thief of time” is a phrase from a 1742 poem that is still very relevant today. And this saying couldn’t be more true when it comes to switching payroll software provider. We usually procrastinate tasks that we perceive to be difficult or unpleasant and it is understandable that you may feel this way about trying a new payroll software. However, this doesn’t need to be the case.

You may have been thinking about switching your payroll provider for some years now. You’ve been delayed, perhaps because, in previous years you were busy and didn’t get around to doing it. Before you knew it, the new tax year was looming, and you decided it’s easier to just stay put with your old provider. This is a common mistake often made by payroll processers and one that can turn into a vicious circle that goes on for years. Meanwhile, you may be wasting time and money by using a subpar payroll software.

When is the best time to switch payroll software provider?

NOW is the time to do your research and make the important decision as to which software is best suited to your needs. When it comes to switching your payroll provider, the worst thing you can do is to leave it until the last minute. The beginning of the new tax year is of course the most common time people switch, mainly because they want to get their money’s worth from their previous software subscription, and they don’t want to have to pay for a whole new subscription that will only be used for a few months. However, waiting until then to make your decision is not advisable. If you wait until December, you are not leaving yourself enough time and chances are you’ll end up putting it off for another year.

Another worry for payroll processors is moving the payroll data from one software to the other. However, the new tax year will be the busiest time of the year for payroll software providers’ migration and customer support teams. By deciding to move now, you can avoid the rush, and will also receive extensive support in migrating your payroll data.

BrightPay are offering a 60-day free trial of our software where you can experience the full functionality of BrightPay at no cost and with no commitments. 60 days gives you plenty of time to try out our software, make an informed decision and migrate your data with the help of our experts, all before the beginning of the new tax year. By utilising our free trial, you can copy over your data and run a dummy payroll on BrightPay alongside your current software. Doing this allows you to discover the advantages BrightPay may have over your current provider before you fully switch.

By downloading our free trial, you won't be left asking yourself “what if?". You have nothing to lose, and it means getting something else ticked off the to-do list. Even if you think you are happy with your current software, a free trial allows you to discover what you may not even know you are missing.

Click here to begin your 60-day free trial today. The free trial is fully featured with all functionality.

Related articles:

• The hassle-free way to maximise your profits from processing payroll
• Sick pay comes to Ireland: How does this affect employers and payroll processors?
• Report calls for pension reform

Posted byElaine CarrollinPayroll Software

New Feature: Introducing direct payments through BrightPay

BrightPay has partnered up with payment platform Modulr to give payroll processors a fast, secure and easy way to pay employees directly through BrightPay Payroll software. Up until now, when you wanted to pay employees through credit transfer, you needed to create a bank file that would then need to be uploaded to your online banking account. This can be quite a manual process that is prone to human error. This new method of paying employees cuts down on admin work and eliminates manual entry errors, saving you time.

To use this new integration, first, ensure you have created a Modulr Account. You will also need to download a mobile app called Authy which you will use to authenticate user logins and payments. The Authy app is a second layer of security that will help protect your account from hackers or data breaches.

How does BrightPay’s new direct payments feature work?

1. Once you have finalised the payslips, under the pay tab choose Modulr.

2. A box will then appear on screen asking you to log into your Modulr account.

3. Once you have entered your details, you will authenticate your login through the Authy app on your mobile device.

4. Once set up, your payroll information in BrightPay will automatically synchronise with your Modulr account. In the pop up, any employees whose payment method is set to credit transfer will be listed along with their IBAN and the amount they are to be paid for that period, a reference can also be added here.

5. Next, simply select the account you would like to make the payment from and choose a payment date.

6. After clicking continue, you will be shown a summary of your payment request submission. Once you have reviewed the payment request you can click “Send to Modulr.”

7. You will need to authenticate the submission by once again using your Authy app. The following screen will be displayed to let you know that the transfer has been successful:

8. The final step is for the authorised person to log into their Modulr account and approve the payment request submission. This may be the payroll processor themself or if you are processing payroll for a client then this task can be assigned to the client, giving them control by allowing them to give the final approval on the payment of employees.

For more detailed instructions on how to use Modulr with BrightPay, view our help guide or watch our video tutorial.

What are the benefits of using BrightPay’s Modulr integration to pay employees?

1. Improved workflow and less chance of errors

Paying employees directly through BrightPay using our new integration with Modulr means that you can save yourself time by cutting down on admin work and eliminating the risk of manual entry errors.

2. Secure payments and peace of mind

Encrypted communication between parties and authentication using your mobile means payments made through Modulr are secure and fully traceable, giving you peace of mind.

More flexibility with same day payments

BrightPay and Modulr’s integration allows you to pay employees using SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area). With SEPA, if you authorise the payments before 2 PM the money will land in employees’ bank accounts that same day. If the payments aren’t authorised until after 2 PM then it will go through the next business day. This quick turnaround means that you have the flexibility to change payments up until the day before or even the morning of pay day.

Register for one of our free webinars where we will discuss how our new integration can benefit your business.

To learn more about BrightPay’s new direct payments feature visit our webpage or book a free online demo of our payroll software today.

Posted byElaine CarrollinSoftware Upgrade