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Payroll Software: Features You Should Look For

Choosing the right payroll software can streamline payroll processing, improve accuracy, and reduce compliance risks. A well-equipped system enhances efficiency, reduces administrative burdens, and ensures seamless payroll management. Here are the key features to consider when selecting payroll software:

Automated Payroll Processing

Action Points:
• Implement payroll automation to minimize manual calculations.
• Schedule recurring payroll runs to ensure timely payments.
• Regularly audit payroll automation settings to avoid discrepancies.

Tax Compliance & Auto Calculations

Action Points:
• Verify that your payroll software updates tax rates automatically.
• Integrate compliance checks to prevent miscalculations.
• Run trial payrolls before processing to detect errors early.

Integration with Accounting & HR Systems

Action Points:
• Choose software that integrates with your existing accounting and HR tools.
• Map payroll data to financial reporting structures for seamless record-keeping.
• Test system integrations regularly to ensure data consistency.

Employee Self-Service Portal

Action Points:
• Train employees on how to access and use the portal.
• Enable digital payslip downloads to reduce paper usage.
• Regularly update portal features to improve user experience.

Data Security & Cloud Backup

Action Points:
• Use multi-factor authentication to secure payroll access.
• Schedule regular data backups to prevent loss.
• Conduct periodic security audits to identify vulnerabilities.

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Payroll 101: The Ultimate Guide for Small Business Owners

Payroll is a critical function for small businesses, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time. Understanding payroll processing helps maintain compliance and improve financial management.

Understanding payroll processing

1. Understanding Payroll Processing

Payroll involves more than just paying employees. It requires calculating wages, withholding taxes, and following labor laws. A structured payroll system ensures timely and accurate payments, keeping both employees and regulatory bodies satisfied.

To avoid payroll errors, businesses must track employee hours, apply correct deductions, and distribute payments efficiently. Mistakes can lead to financial losses, employee dissatisfaction, and legal issues. Establishing a well-organized payroll system from the start helps businesses stay compliant and structured.

Action Points:

  • Determine Payroll Processing Method: Decide whether to handle payroll manually, use payroll software, or outsource it to a professional provider.
  • Set a Payroll Schedule: Choose a consistent payroll cycle—weekly, biweekly, or monthly—to ensure timely salary payments.
  • Implement a Record-Keeping System: Maintain accurate records of wages, deductions, tax filings, and employee payments.
  • Stay Updated on Payroll Regulations: Regularly review labor laws and tax updates to remain compliant.
  • Ensure Payroll Accuracy: Double-check calculations, tax deductions, and employee classifications before processing payroll.

2. Key Payroll Terms You Need to Know

Understanding payroll terminology is essential for small business owners to navigate the payroll process effectively. Here are some fundamental payroll terms:

  • Gross Pay: Total earnings before any deductions are applied.
  • Net Pay: The final amount employees take home after deductions.
  • Payroll Taxes: Mandatory deductions such as income tax and social security contributions.
  • Overtime Pay: Additional compensation for employees working extra hours beyond their standard schedule.
  • Deductions: Contributions for benefits, taxes, and other obligations deducted from an employee’s salary.

3. Payroll Compliance: What You Must Follow

Compliance ensures that payroll follows national tax and labor regulations. Employers must register for payroll tax, correctly classify employees, and maintain payroll records. Non-compliance can lead to penalties and legal consequences.

Key Compliance Steps:

  • Register for Payroll Taxes: Ensure your business is correctly registered with tax authorities.
  • Classify Employees Correctly: Differentiate between employees and independent contractors.
  • Maintain Payroll Records: Keep detailed payroll records for compliance and audits.
  • Follow Wage Laws: Adhere to minimum wage and overtime regulations.

4. Choosing Between In-House Payroll vs. Outsourcing

Small businesses can either manage payroll in-house using payroll software or outsource it to payroll service providers. Each option has advantages and disadvantages.

Things to Consider:

  • Assess Business Needs: Determine whether your business has the expertise and resources for in-house payroll.
  • Evaluate Payroll Software: Choose software that meets your payroll processing needs.
  • Compare Outsourcing Costs: Consider outsourcing if payroll complexity increases as your business grows.
  • Ensure Compliance: Whether in-house or outsourced, compliance should always be a priority.

5. Avoiding Common Payroll Mistakes

Payroll mistakes can be costly. Errors such as misclassifying employees, incorrect tax calculations, and late payments can lead to fines. Using payroll software and automating payments can reduce these risks.

Best Practices to Avoid Mistakes:

  • Double-Check Employee Classifications: Ensure correct categorization to avoid compliance issues.
  • Automate Payroll Processing: Use payroll software to minimize manual errors.
  • Meet Payroll Deadlines: Set up reminders to avoid late payments and tax penalties.
  • Conduct Regular Payroll Audits: Periodically review payroll records for accuracy and compliance.

By following these strategies, small businesses can simplify payroll management, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance. Investing in a structured payroll system ensures employees are paid correctly while reducing risks and administrative burdens.

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The Paymaster People Solutions story: 20 Years of successful payroll processing

The Paymaster People Solutions story: 20 Years of successful payroll processing

Corporate days at Bergers Stores

Back in 1997, Ian Hurst and Karen Morrison worked for Bergers Stores, a large clothing retail chain owned by the Morkels Group. Ian was the Human Resource Manager and Karen was involved in the corporate training department. During that particular year, Ian was tasked with investigating the option of outsourcing the company’s payroll; or, alternatively, converting the existing rather cumbersome payroll for a significantly more streamlined inhouse option.

Bergers opts for a streamlined inhouse VIP Desktop solution

The outcome of Ian’s payroll investigation revealed that there weren’t any outsource companies that offered an easy payroll processing alternative. The only payroll solution proved to be rather complicated and cumbersome: the client was required to submit hand-written forms and documents to an outsource company for processing. In other words, this meant that, what the client ‘put in’ the client ‘got out’: errors and all. Consequently, the payroll solution that was decided upon, was for Bergers Stores to implement a desktop version of VIP. The implementation was successful.

Seeds of Paymaster’s beginnings germinate

It was during this time, the beginning of Paymaster’s history, that the seeds of the fledgling company started to germinate: In 1998 Bergers Stores was sold to Dunns clothing stores. This prompted Ian and Karen’s decision to cease their jobs with Bergers and their involvement in the corporate sphere if business. Instead, they recognised a gap in the market: namely, to use a desktop version of VIP to process clients’ payroll, but also, to add further value to their service offering by ensuring that their own payroll administrators checked for accuracy and compliance. This resulted in a truly unique outsource company being registered and established: An authentic payroll processing company that genuinely understood the importance of all things payroll. At the time, inaccurate and clumsy payroll departments fell guilty of regularly demotivating its employees because payroll-run mistakes and errors where happening during almost every payroll-run.

The Paymaster People Solutions story: 20 Years of successful payroll processing1 March 1999: Paymaster is born

Paymaster’s doors officially opened on 1 March 1999. It took just two months for Ian and Karen to sign their first corporate client with Aries Packaging. Paymaster had taken off and the company’s ascent to new heights had just begun.

Paymaster: Built upon an early well-researched solid foundation

One of Paymaster’s core beliefs was to build its business model upon a solid foundation: it’s founding members wisely took the time to research what was needed to build a solid foundation—A foundation that would ensure that Paymaster was suitably able to service its client base well into the distant future.

Since 1998 Paymaster has achieved consistent year-on-year growth

Since 1998, Paymaster has achieved slow, steady and consistent year-on-year growth. Every time Paymaster signed new clients, Ian and Karen (and the competent team of Paymaster payroll professionals) would patiently and professionally ‘settle them down’ and make sure that they were always happy with their payroll runs. An error-free payroll has always been, and continues to be, the benchmark that Paymaster People Solutions strives to achieve for its clients.

2002: Amber Stynes joins Paymaster

In 2002 Amber Stynes joined the Paymaster team. Amber soon became indispensable to the Paymaster team and in 2011, she was appointed as director. Today Amber heads up the day-to-day operations at Paymaster People Solutions.

2006: Paymaster procures an online payroll software platform

Since 1999 when Paymaster was founded, payroll software technologies continued to rapidly evolve. Accordingly, in 2006 Paymaster’s directors took the strategic decision to evolve with changing technologies by procuring an online payroll software platform. After a year-long investigation, it was finally decided that Paymaster would partner with PaySpace.

Paymaster uniquely branded PaySpace’s online payroll software platform and migrated all of its existing clients to the new online payroll platform. The strategic decision was a huge success. So too was the migration of Paymasters’ clients to the new online system.

Online payroll software platform an absolute winner

Paymaster’s online payroll software platform has been and absolute winner—An excellent move it has certainly proved to be. Online payroll allows Paymaster to offer its clients a rich assortment of online-specific benefits and features. Now, not only do Paymaster People Solution’s clients have full online access to their own payroll data and information, but they also benefit from being able to access and manage human resource functions such as leave, training and disciplinary action records.

2016: Paymaster rebranded to Paymaster People Solutions

Over subsequent years, Paymaster continued to show excellent growth of its client base. For this reason, in 2016, Paymaster was rebranded to Paymaster People Solutions. This change suitably represented the significant growth that had taken place in the rich collection of additional benefits and services that Paymaster was now offering its many happy clients.

2019: Paymaster People Solutions celebrates its 20th Birthday

This year, Paymaster People Solutions proudly celebrates its 20th birthday!

The staff team consist of 18 full-time employees servicing more than 700 clients. These many satisfied clients make use of a combination of payroll solutions: from fully outsourced ‘we-do-it-for-you’ services, to the basic ‘you-do-it-yourself’ online package. Additionally, over 80% of Paymaster People Solutions’ clients sign up for the empowering self-help Employee Self-service module.

Looking ahead: the next 20 years and beyond

Ian Hurst, CEO of Paymaster People Solutions believes that the payroll service and function will always be central to the success of any company or organisation. Hurst maintains that “the ongoing success of the companies that we offer services to, is based on the our ability to keep up with technology, whilst also being able offer our clients customised levels of service that they require in order to efficiently manage their payrolls.”

As Paymaster People Solutions looks forward to the next 20 years, Hurst believes that there will always be ongoing changes to legislation, changes in software technology, and changes to the way in which payrolls are processed. “What won’t change however” says Hurst, “is the expectation that to be successful we will resolutely and proudly continue to deliver exceptional customer service to our many happy and valued clients.”

NEWSFLASH — South Africa: TAX AND RETIREMENT REFORM

 

ANNOUNCEMENT! Employers note the following:

 

TAX AND RETIREMENT REFORM — ‘COMPULSORY ANNUITISATION’ TO BE POSTPONED FOR 2 YEARS

The Minister of Finance, on the 17th of February 2016, confirmed the postponement of certain elements of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2015 which was set for implementation on 1 March 2016 (‘T’ day). He outlined that he wanted a way forward, and stated that Government was willing to be flexible on the implementation of annuitisation.

The Minister proposed the following points as the way forward

National Treasury is now proposing that the ‘compulsory annuitisation’ element affecting provident funds and the tax-free transfer between pension and provident funds (points 2 and 3 above) be postponed for two years. The postponement is in response to some stakeholders’ call for a deferral of implementation of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act.
The Minister, in a proposal document dated 16 February 2016, proposed the following points as the way forward:

Social Security Reform Paper

The Minister noted that SA does have a social safety net, but it has some gaps in it. He agreed that the social security reform papers are to say what is possible when as there are certain gaps. He noted that this paper was ready to be published at the end of his last term and will contact Minister Dlamini (who co-chairs the inter-Ministerial with him) on its status. The broad thrust of retirement reform remains in place and will continue.

Annuitisation

Government is flexible on the implementation of annuitisation for provident funds and proposes to postpone implementation for two years, from 1 March 2016 to 1 March 2018. With the postponement of the annuitisation requirement, to prevent tax abuse, it is proposed that no tax-free transfers from pension funds to provident funds be allowed for the next two years.

Tax deduction

Government will look at a technically appropriate way to allow the tax deduction to provident fund members for two years. All tax related measures, including the harmonised 27.5% tax deductions (up to R350 000 per annum) on contributions to any retirement fund, will be implemented for all retirement funds from 1 March 2016. If by the end of the two years there is no agreement between stakeholders and Government, the tax deduction for provident fund members will fall away.

Means Test

Government will review the Means Test and ask the Department of Social Development and National Treasury to consider this proposal and take it forward. The next step for Government is to make a formal announcement in the Budget Speech and to then make the necessary changes to the legislation, which will need to be fast-tracked.

Technical provisions

This has to be in place to prevent tax abuse. For example, with the postponement on annuitisation for provident funds, no transfers from pension funds to provident funds can be allowed for the next two years to avoid weakening the current pension system.


Courtesy credit: news flash originally featured by www.crs.co.za