I have been asked to provide payroll services for a client and, while it is something that I have done in the past (both using Sage and also previously manually), I am unsure if it something that I should/could provide. Someone once mentioned a cheap and easy payroll package but I can't remember what it was called! If I go down the manual route (meaning I will have to obtain the HMRC calculation tables and also dust off my memory of how to do it), I am left with the problem of producing acceptable payslips. Does anyone out there provide payroll as an additional services and what do you use?
Although I've not used it - from word of mouth amongst the accounting community an extremely popular choice is Moneysoft Payroll. It's quite cheap and apparently very user friendly.
We do provide outsourced payroll support services, currently using Sage Payroll but I expect we'll be switching over to Moneysoft Payroll very soon.
I use Moneysoft payroll and have done for a number of years. If your client doesn't have meny employees, you can use the payroll software on the HMRC CDROM.
Thanks for the replies....I will look at the Moneysoft package, but am also intrigued by the HMRC CD-ROM. In a previous job, I had built up a collection over the years of these packs (laterly including the CD's) and probably didn't even look twice at them!! The client has one so I will take it away with me next time I am in! The software I was told about may well have been Moneysoft...although I was inclined to think it was something like Payroll Calc (??). Perhaps I am getting confused with Tax Calc.
Hi I have found that using the HMRC cd's is fine if you are doing a very small payroll as don't think that it has the facility to print payslips, it does all the calculations and you fill in the payslip, so it is fine for 1 or 2 employees but not much else imho. I have looked at 12pay which is quite popular and has the option of downloading a free version, which has all of the facilities you require the company website is www.12pay.co.uk and the link which show a comparison between their paid and free products is http://www.12pay.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=56
If you are a member of a accounting/bookkeeping body with practising certificate, check first that you can offer payroll services.
There was a discussion I read on another forum where someone was with one of the bookkeeping bodies with membership/practising certificate and had not done the payroll exam - they were told that they could only offer payroll services if they took this exam.
I personally think Sage payroll is the easiest software to use but a lot of people have recommended to me 12pay or moneysoft (for when I don't have the sage update disk provided to me by sage, I got my sage at the right time so got update disk sent for this year as part of the 45 day trial).
Moneysoft is a very user friendly piece of software ... the fact that you can PDF documents to your clients saves on both time and money. The HMRC is very good but the obvious draw back is that you can't print wage slips / reports from it - or you couldn't when I sued it last.
Andrew
-- Edited by Fernhurst Accountancy on Thursday 28th of May 2009 02:38:18 PM
