5 benefits AccountancyManager can bring to your business

Accountancy Manager has recently become part of Bright, provider of BrightPay, one of Ireland’s leading providers in accounting and payroll solutions.

AccountancyManager is an award-winning cloud-based practice management software that has taken the accountancy industry by storm. They automate the most time-consuming tasks for accountants and bookkeepers, so you can spend time on more important tasks at hand.

Their fully customisable management solution allows you to automate your admin and easily import and onboard clients in a jiffy. In just five years of business, it has become one of the UK’s leading onboarding and practice management software. Read more about the history of AccountancyManager here.

Due to the fast-paced nature of the industry, on top of the demand for practice management and process automation, Bright will now provide accountants, bookkeepers and businesses with an end-to-end suite of award-winning software.

What benefits does this merger offer accountants and bookkeepers?

This merger will provide AccountancyManager with access to additional resources, allowing them to continue investing and improving their products and services to exceed customer expectations.

AccountancyManager offers a wide scope of features for accountants, bookkeepers and businesses. These include but are not limited to:

1. Automated client emails and texts

With AccountancyManager you can say goodbye to chasing up client emails. All you have to do is create the email templates for the services you provide, and tell the system when and how often you’d like them to be sent. AccountancyManager will do all the work for you by sending them automatically, making sure they go to the right clients, at the right time.

2. Automate task management

Keep your team organised with AccountancyManager’s automatically generated task lists. These task lists are fully customisable and can be tailored to each member of your team. Each task can be broken down further, with the ability to prioritise importance and are track tasks with ease.

3. Onboarding

AccountancyManager automates your entire client onboarding process. This includes automating proposals and letters of engagements, professional clearance emails, AML checks and risk assessments.

4. Client Portal

Your clients will have access to a free online portal when you join AccountancyManager. In this portal, they can upload and sign documents via e-signatures, as well as having the ability to update their personal details and check deadlines.

5. Profitability

With AccountancyManager, you can track staff costs against your client revenue to see which jobs are the most (and least) profitable for your business. This allows you to identify your strongest profit sources as well as providing you with the opportunity to view revenue, cost of labour, hours, budget profit and actual profit.

*Bonus benefit* Notifications

AccountancyManager keeps you fully informed and up-to-date by notifying you when:

• Clients upload or sign documents
• Complete forms or update their details
• Deadlines are approaching
• New tasks are assigned to you
• Any changes made to your tasks

The Client Timeline also keeps a record of every call, text, and email sent, as well as whether or not your client has opened your email.

For further information on the features AccountancyManager can provide your business, please visit the website.

“I have been very impressed with the product offering and the reputation of AccountancyManager and I am delighted that they are joining forces with us. Our respective businesses share the same philosophy; placing the customer journey above all else. Together, we will be well positioned to make that journey even better. I am also delighted to welcome Kevin and James to our highly talented leadership team.”

- CEO of Bright, Paul Byrne

Is AccountancyManager integrated with BrightPay?

This merger won’t be affecting your use of BrightPay payroll software, however now that we are all part of Bright, one of the leading providers of payroll and accounting software in the UK and Ireland, it does present an opportunity for us to explore these options further. So watch this space!

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinNews

The future is Bright: An introduction to Surf Accounts and Surf Accounts Production

BrightPay has a number of integrations with accounting software, the latest of which is Surf Accounts. The addition of Surf Accounts to BrightPay's software integrations was a result of the merger between BrightPay and Relate Software in September last year. Relate Software, a leader in post-accounting, practice management, and bookkeeping software merged with BrightPay to become known as Bright Software Group or 'Bright'. Since formulation, Bright has also acquired practice management software provider, AccountancyManager. Bright is now a leading provider of accounting, payroll and HR solutions to businesses across Ireland and the UK. You can read more about this acquisition here.

The merger with Relate Software prompted the development of a direct Application Programming Interface (API) integration between Relate’s most popular accounting solution, Surf Accounts, and BrightPay. The integration allows BrightPay users to seamlessly transfer data from BrightPay into Surf Accounts within a few clicks, streamlining payroll and accounting process. The integration is discussed in more detail below, but first a brief background to accounting software.

What is the current state of accounting software?

Today, accounting software is widely used by businesses and accountants. The traditional days of pen and paper accounting processes have passed, replaced by digital and online systems. Constant updates to accounting software help automate processes and make accountants' lives easier than ever before. In recent years, one of the main updates to accounting systems is the use of cloud technology.

The advantages of cloud accounting software

While many accounting software packages are solely desktop based, the Surf range operates upon a cloud server. Utilising cloud-based software means that users can securely access, edit and share work from any device and from any location, once they are connected to the internet. Cloud access allows users to store and work on data online, meaning fixed workspaces are eliminated as physical servers are no longer required. In essence, users of cloud software can work remotely at no extra burden, should they wish to do so.

A bias tends to exist that cloud software is less secure than their desktop-based counterparts. This stems from the online nature of cloud, as people may be concerned that by using cloud software, their data is at a higher risk of being hacked or leaked. However, this is not the case. Thanks to the use of encryption, cloud software is extremely secure, with recent studies finding that data stored on the cloud is less likely to be hacked or leaked than data stored on physical or internal servers.

So, what are the Surf products?

All Surf products have been designed with the user in mind, aiming to be modern, easy to use, and allowing the user to work as efficiently as possible. Our accounting software and accounts production software are the most popular products amongst our customers.

Surf Accounts

Surf Accounts is an accounting and bookkeeping software which allows you to create and send stylish invoices, manage your sales pipeline, produce reports and reconcile your bank transactions. By using Surf Accounts, you can customise invoices to your brand by uploading your logo and brand colours. You can also set recurring invoices for regular transactions.

The software has some outstanding accounting features, such as in-built CRM and inventory management systems, multi-currency capacities, entity division reporting, customisable dashboards, automatic VAT compliance (inclusive of the return on trading details), and much more. In addition, Surf Accounts has an iOS and Android app which can help you manage your practice from your phone or tablet.

Book a Demo

Surf Accounts Production

Surf Accounts Production is our cloud-based accounts production software. It allows you to create perfectly presented final and statutory accounts in accordance with the latest financial standards. Within Surf Accounts Production, you can easily post journals, invoices, receipts, and payments. In relation to accounting compliance, Surf Accounts Production is top software in the accounts production market for ROI and the UK. With a dedicated compliance team in place, the software provides automatic compliance to FRS 102 Section 1A and FRS 105.

The software has a variety of useful features, including: 1-click iXBRL, an unrivalled variety of fully compliant accounts production formats, reporting and dashboards, trial balance with graphs, entity division reporting, inbuilt checks and balances, and e-signing, to name a few. In addition to these fantastic features, this software is integrated with Surf Accounts, meaning data can be seamlessly shared between the two packages.

Book a Demo

Surf Accounts and BrightPay integration

As mentioned, Surf Accounts is also integrated with BrightPay Payroll Software. The integration allows Surf Accounts and BrightPay customers to send their payroll journal directly from BrightPay to their accounting software, in just a few clicks. This is done through Direct API integration, meaning a seamless data transfer, which can be done in seconds.

In BrightPay, your payroll journal file is customised to Surf Accounts, with compatible files and built-in nominal ledger mapping. Using the integrated system means you can save time as you eliminate the need for double entry between your accounting software and your payroll software; you simply click a few buttons to transfer your data from BrightPay to Surf Accounts.?To see the integration in action, follow the link below.

Learn more

Ultimately, Surf Accounts and Surf Accounts Production are accounting software solutions which help accountants automate their work. Both packages have been designed with features to help reduce the time it takes accountants to complete their work and lessen the associated costs. If you would like to learn more about these packages, why not book a free demo? Surf Accounts and Surf Accounts Production demos are both conducted by a product expert in a live one to one capacity, allowing you to get a full product overview and ask any questions you may have. Book a Surf Accounts Demo or a Surf Accounts Production demo today.

BrightPay Customer Update: May 2022

Welcome to BrightPay's May update. Our most important news this month include:

• Preparing for Auto Enrolment: Everything you need to know 

• How payroll and accounting software integration can enhance your business 

• PAYE Modernisation – why manual payroll doesn’t cut it anymore 

Free webinar: Broaden your service offering like never before [bureaus]

Tedious payroll tasks such as backing up data, annual leave management and payslip distribution can now be more efficient, thanks to cloud technology. In our upcoming webinar, we’ll be discussing how you can use this technology to automate your workflow, broaden your service offering to clients, and most importantly, increase profits.

Register now View agenda

---

Free webinar: Streamline your payroll workflow like never before [employers]

As a busy employer, tedious payroll and HR tasks can now be a thing of the past, thanks to cloud technology. Discover how you can automatically back up your data, breeze through annual leave requests and streamline employee communications, in our upcoming webinar this month.

Register now View agenda

---

Impress employees with an employee self-service app

Improve employee satisfaction and workplace communications with an employee self-service app. The benefits?

• A payslip hub where employees can access their entire payslip history, at the tap of a button.
• Employees can update their personal details, automatically syncing with the payroll software.
• Employees can request annual leave through the in-app company calendar.

Book a BrightPay Connect demo More information

---

It’s time for your bureau to harness the power of cloud technology 

Cloud technology brings your bureau to the next level. Not only does it make it easier to grow your practice by increasing your service offering, but it also saves you money and improves your time efficiency. Learn how to harness the power of cloud technology for your bureau in the free guide below. 

Download guide

---

Streamline time-consuming payroll and HR tasks 

Cloud technology has completely transformed how employers process payroll. This includes streamlining tedious manual tasks such as payslip distribution and annual leave management. Download the guide below to learn how cloud platforms supercharge your payroll workflow today.

Download guide

---

Integrate with Surf Accounts for a smoother and easier workflow 

Send your payroll figures directly to the general ledger in Surf Accounts thanks to the power of API technology. This allows both software to communicate with one another, providing you with a smooth and seamless payroll workflow. Save time, hassle, and unnecessary workloads. Click the links below to register for our upcoming webinar and to learn more about how this integration works.

Register for webinar Learn more

---

Have you heard the latest news on Auto Enrolment? 

Last month, there was an update in the Dáil about Automatic Enrolment, with the system to be set up by 2023 and enrolments to begin as early as 2024. It's important as a business owner to stay ahead of the curve and start preparing for automatic enrolment now. Here’s everything you need to know so far: 

Download guide

 

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinCustomer Update

Offer payments as a service and increase profits

Up until now, calculating the payroll and settling the payroll have always been separate tasks from one another. On top of that, the time it takes to manually upload bank files, submit paperwork to Revenue, and make any last-minute changes to your payment files, can become overwhelming. Imagine if it could be done all in one central location, streamlining the entire payment process for you?

This is all now possible thanks to BrightPay’s integration with Modulr, the direct payments platform. With this integration, you can save time, reduce payment errors and maximise the efficiency of your business.

Please note: to use this integration, users must set up a Modulr account.

Who are Modulr?

Modulr is a direct payments platform that is transforming the way companies do business, by focusing on automating end-to-end payment flows. This allows their partners to embed payment functionality into their software so that customers can have a seamless workflow experience.

Here are three features that BrightPay’s integration with Modulr can offer to bureaus:

1. Pay employees on the same day

With Modulr’s integration, employees can receive payments on the same day, when processed before 2 pm. This is all done within BrightPay itself, by selecting ‘pay by Modulr’ and sending payments instructions straight to Modulr. This instantly eliminates the hassle of more traditional methods of manually uploading bank files and using outdated payment methods that can take up to three business days to land in employees’ bank accounts. To learn more, watch this short four-minute video on how the payment process works when using Modulr within BrightPay.

2. Payment flexibility

Modulr allows you to schedule payments in advance, meaning you can have payments land in employees’ bank accounts on a day of your choosing. Say goodbye to the panic associated with distributing payments and hello to a more flexible payment approach. The integration grants you the flexibility to make any last-minute changes to your payments if needed, rather than spending hours on the phone to the bank trying to rectify them, taking a serious weight off your shoulders.

3. More secure payments

Not only are you saving an incredible amount of time by incorporating Modulr into your payroll workflow, but you’re also improving the security of your clients’ payments. With Modulr, the network is completely secure and encrypted. You don’t have to leave BrightPay to pay employees either –log in to Modulr directly through the payroll software, and payment details are sent straight to Modulr. This removes risks such as file transfer errors and data duplication.

Once the payments are finalised, the person in the business who authorises payments must log in to the Authy mobile app to approve the payments, before they’re distributed. This login comes with secure two-factor authentication via the authorisation app, Authy, providing an added layer of protection to your payments and ensuring all information is accurate before landing in employees’ bank accounts.

Can I offer this to my clients?

This innovative payment integration with Modulr provides you the opportunity to offer payments as a service to your clients. Learn more about Modulr's payment process in our step-by-step guide here. Interested in learning more about BrightPay? Book a free online 15-minute demo today to see how our award-winning payroll software can enhance your bureau.

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinPay/Wage

PAYE Modernisation – why manual payroll doesn’t cut it anymore

PAYE Modernisation was first brought into effect on the 1st of January 2019. It was created to simplify the payroll process by abolishing the paperwork involved with P45s, P60s, and other related documents.

It was also established to improve the transparency of the PAYE system, ensuring that employees are paid properly with the correct tax deductions and cut-off points applied. This is great for employees as the PAYE Modernisation real-time reporting process means that the correct tax is deducted when an employee is paid, reducing tax inaccuracies across the board for employees.

What does it mean for me as an employer?

As an employer processing payroll, it is now your duty to ensure that employees are being paid properly – that also includes applying the correct tax deductions and cut-off points.

If you’re calculating PAYE Modernisation manually, this can leave space for mistakes and errors to occur. All employers must calculate and report their employees pay and deductions in real time, every pay period. Not only that, but payroll legislation also changed (as we saw in January 2019) and not staying up-to-date with the latest rules and regulations can lead to quite costly penalties.

What are the penalties?

Did you know that if employers fail to engage with Revenue or who persistently breach the PAYE regulations are liable to a €4,000 penalty per offence?

Yes, you read that correctly. Not only that, but there’s also a hefty €3,000 penalty on the company secretary per offence! *gulp*

What’s the solution?

Revenue has recommended for businesses to invest in a payroll software that is integrated with PAYE modernisation to make the process as smooth as possible.

Here at BrightPay Payroll Software, we’ve worked with Revenue to ensure our payroll software is fully compliant with all PAYE Modernisation requirements.

Below are five fantastic ways BrightPay can help your business with PAYE Modernisation:

5 ways BrightPay can help with PAYE Modernisation:

1. Revenue integration

Manually processing your payroll can take a hefty toll on admin work, as you need to create payroll files as well as upload all relevant information to ROS for every single pay period in real time.

Thankfully, BrightPay payroll software is fully integrated with Revenue, making your payroll process smooth and seamless for you. You can retrieve RPNs (Revenue Payroll Notifications) straight from Revenue within our software, and can also send PSRs (Payroll Submission Requests) directly to Revenue in just a matter of seconds!

2. Suitable for all business sizes

Whether you have one employee or 10,000 employees – we accommodate businesses of all sizes here at BrightPay. So, no matter the scale of your business, we have what it takes to fully streamline your PAYE Modernisation process.

We also provide a wide range of resources to help you, such as webinars, guides and video tutorials, along with an incredible support team to guide you throughout the entire process.

3. Saves you time

Ensuring that Revenue has the most accurate, up to date pay information for your employees can really be such a monotonous and lengthy task, but it doesn’t have to be that way!

BrightPay payroll software can:

• Retrieve RPNs by the click of a button
• Automatically apply tax credits and cut off points in real time
• Send PSRs straight to Revenue in just one click

Not only does this save you time – it also increases the efficiency and running of your business – allowing you to attend to more important business tasks at hand. It also increases your Revenue compliance, ensuring the correct payment details are being sent to Revenue.

4. Update Employee Details

Has your employee’s tax credits or cut off points changed? Not a problem – BrightPay retrieves the latest RPNs for you and identifies any changes needed to correctly calculate employees’ pay and deductions, all updated by the click of a button!

This is also the case for new employees, where you can request and create RPNs for new employees within the software.

5. Corrections made easy

Made an error in your payroll submission?

Mistakes happen and are bound to crop up now and again – but these can be resolved quickly by simply sending a correction submission. This gets sent directly to Revenue within BrightPay and allows you to make adjustments accordingly.

*Bonus Tip*

Did you know that if you also sign up to BrightPay Connect, the optional cloud add-on to BrightPay payroll software, you can have the added benefits of:

Complying with other laws such as GDPR, by storing your payroll data in a secure and remote location.

Automatically backing-up your payroll data every 15 minutes, so there’s no more fear of losing your payroll information.

Managing your employee’s annual leave in a simple user-friendly format.

BrightPay is award-winning software, and was awarded ‘Payroll Software of the Year’ in 2018, 2019 and 2021 along with winning the COVID Hero Supplier Award in 2020. With over 330,000 businesses across Ireland and the UK using our software and a 98.8% customer satisfaction rate, you know you’re in safe hands.

Take the nuisance out of PAYE modernisation and book a demo with us today!

Looking for further information on PAYE Modernisation? Download our free guide that covers how PAYE Modernisation affects your business. Click the button below to receive your guide.

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinPAYE Modernisation

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 Customer Update: April 2022

Welcome to BrightPay's April update. Our most important news this month include:

• 5 mistakes to avoid when running payroll

• What is the best method to pay employees?

• Yikes, is your business GDPR compliant? (+ 3 simple GDPR tips)

Posted byHolly McHughinCustomer Update

How payroll and accounting software integration can enhance your business

Are you fed-up of the repetitive and tedious task of uploading all your payroll information into your accounting software?

We get it – not only is it time consuming, but as an employer, it also leaves room for human error – whether it's from duplications of data or inputting the wrong employee details. This leads to more time being lost in identifying and resolving these errors, which in turn can damage your employee morale, as well as the efficiency of your business across the board.

What can be done to resolve this?

Here at BrightPay, we have recently integrated with Surf Accounts, a cloud-based accounting software that helps businesses, whether you’re an employer or an accounting firm, to take charge of your accounts.

Together, BrightPay and Surf Accounts can streamline the entire payroll process for you, eliminating the need to export your payroll information from BrightPay and import it to the accounting software manually. This is all thanks to API, which stands for Application Programming Interface.

What does an API do?

An API simply allows two applications to communicate and work together with one another.

This means that APIs work almost like a middleman, placing information conveniently all in one place, with the ability to send information to other systems.

BrightPay does this with many applications, such as Revenue for example. BrightPay communicates with Revenue to retrieve the latest RPNs to ensure that employees’ correct tax deductions and cut-off points are applied.

This also comes into play when BrightPay automatically creates the Payroll Submission Request (PSR) which is ready to be sent directly to Revenue from within BrightPay’s software, once the payroll is finalised. This allows you to save an incredible amount of time, while also ensuring you don’t forget this important payroll step and reducing the possibility of uploading issues.

We use APIs every day without even realising it. APIs are working behind the scenes to make our lives as convenient as possible. For example, Google and Apple use APIs to display weather data in their systems. They don’t run weather stations, but instead simply allow the data from these weather providers to be displayed within their software, simplifying the process for you.

BrightPay integrates with five different accounting software  to streamline your payroll process even further. Other examples of APIs in our software are our integration with payment platform Modulr, and pension providers.

Watch this quick three-minute video on a brief overview on BrightPay’s seamless API integration with Surf Accounts.

How does this help my business?

Payroll and accounting software have always been separate systems, never communicating with one another. Employee salary details have always needed to be entered manually into both software, which is an extremely time-consuming and repetitive task for employers.

With the BrightPay and Surf Accounts integration, your payroll information is now sent from the payroll software straight into the accounting software, eliminating the need for you to manually upload these details.

BrightPay simply produces a payroll journal which can be viewed and downloaded. You can then send this journal into the general ledger in Surf Accounts, directly through BrightPay.

This ensures your payroll information is accurate and correct, preventing errors across the board and improving the efficiency of your business.

Some of the main benefits include:

• Streamlining your entire payroll process from start to finish
• Allowing you to spend more time attending to more productive business matters
• Submitting data in just a few clicks
• Eliminating costly mistakes, saving you hours of time
• Improving the efficiency of your workflow

How does it work?

Simply click into the journal button on the menu bar within BrightPay’s payroll software, and click into Surf Accounts. After that, you choose a date range and BrightPay will retrieve your nominal accounts from Surf.

Next, all that’s left is to choose your nominal ledger mapping (where you want to post your data within the accounting software, adding any necessary variations). The nominal ledger mapping is saved, so you don’t need to redo do it each pay period. The information you submitted is then found in the journals section within Surf Accounts, ready to be processed.

Please view our short guide on how to use Surf Accounts’ API within BrightPay’s software.

Why should I use BrightPay?

Here at BrightPay, we are constantly developing our software to solve problems for payroll processors, whether you’re an employer, an accountant or a payroll bureau. We are an award-winning software, recently winning top payroll product at AccountingWeb’s Software Excellence Awards in 2021.

Our payroll software includes full functionality for PAYE modernisation and is fully Revenue complaint. We provide free phone and email customer support, with over 330,000 businesses using our software across Ireland and the UK, and a 98.8% customer satisfaction rate.

We also provide a range of online resources, including webinars, guides and video tutorials that are completely free for you to access from anywhere, at any time.

“I find BrightPay to be very user friendly and has all the features required to run payroll efficiently for an SME. The updates and customer support are excellent.

I recommended BrightPay to another SMB that I work for and they switched from another market provider in 2016 with ease and are very satisfied with BrightPay now.”

- Lorraine Walters , Acara Energy Ltd

Where can I find more information?

We recently hosted a live webinar covering a more in-depth analysis on how BrightPay’s integration with Surf Accounts works.

The webinar includes the following:

• The Importance of Automation
• What Payroll Journal Integration is
• How BrightPay’s Integration with Surf Accounts can help you
• The Benefits of Integrated Payroll & Accounting Systems
• Other API Integrations in BrightPay

Watch a recording of the webinar here.

Our cloud extension

Here at BrightPay we also have a cloud extension, BrightPay Connect, that allows both you and your employees to access payslips and HR information through a secure online self-service portal.

BrightPay Connect also backups up payroll data to the cloud every 15 minutes, to a fully secure remote location. This means that there’s always a backup available and ready to download, should a crisis arise.

Other BrightPay Connect features include:

• Annual leave management
• GDPR compliance
• Company calendar
• Interactive employee app
• Document sharing with emeployees
• The ability for employees to update their personal information

If you’re interested in BrightPay Connect, sign up for a free 15-minute demo to see how BrightPay Connect can work for your business.

Related articles:

• Seamless integration at your fingertips
• “It’s just so easy to use” – What customers have to say
• 7 reasons why you should process payroll in-house

Posted byEleanor Mc GuinnessinAccounts SoftwarePRSI

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.