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Apr 2021

1

BrightPay Customer Update: April 2021

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

TWSS Reconciliation – What you Need to Know

Most employers who availed of the TWSS should now have received a ROS inbox message in relation to the reconciliation process. Find out what you need to know about the TWSS reconciliation process and ensure you meet the June 30th 2021 deadline to accept the reconciliation. 

The Vaccine & The New World of Work  

As vaccines roll out and employee’s return to the workplace employers are looking to form their vaccine policy. Join our employment law experts for a free webinar on April 28th where we will provide you with all the information you need to know about managing COVID-19 in the workplace including the vaccine policy.  

Good Friday – Bank Holiday or Public Holiday? 

As Easter approaches, we remind employers that Good Friday is NOT a statutory public holiday. Easter Monday, on the other hand, is a Public Holiday. In respect of each public holiday, an employee is entitled to a paid day off on the holiday, a paid day off within a month, an extra day’s annual leave, or an extra day’s pay, as decided by the employer.

Take Advantage of BrightPay Connect 

Learn how technology and automation turn daunting payroll tasks into a smooth and profitable process. Join our upcoming webinar on 6th April where we will look at how to address the challenge that most accountants face, over-servicing and under-charging. 

Greener Supply Chain with BrightPay 

Here at BrightPay we take environmental responsibility very seriously and are committed to developing our business towards ecological sustainability at both a company and an individual level. Our new carbon efficient offices will open in 2021. Additionally, we are excited to announce our very ambitious sustainability campaign to become net zero by 2023. To achieve this, we have recently established a passionate Green Team to educate, promote and inspire sustainability to our employees and our loyal customers. Subscribe to BrightPay’s sustainability newsletter to follow our journey.

Find out more
 

Posted byHolly McHughinCustomer Update

Feb 2021

2

BrightPay Customer Update: February 2021

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

EWSS Q&A – Common Questions Answered

As we are back in lockdown, some businesses are just now availing of the EWSS for the very first time. Here we have answered some of the most common queries that our customer support team are being asked. 

Free Webinar: A Recap of Recent Wage Subsidy Scheme Changes 

The past couple of months have seen a number of updates to both the TWSS and the EWSS, including TWSS reconciliation, employee tax bills, EWSS eligibility and subsidy rates. Register for this free webinar to make sure you keep up to date with the most recent updates. 

Coming in February: BrightPay Connect supports two-factor authentication sign in  

With two-factor authentication, you can add an extra layer of security to the employer login on your BrightPay Connect account in case your password is stolen. Instead of only entering a password to log in, you’ll also enter a code or use a security key.  

Working from home with BrightPay 

All BrightPay licences can be activated on up to 10 PCs, meaning you can easily process payroll whether you’re in the workplace or working from home. BrightPay Connect can help you prevent conflicting copies of the payroll, including an ‘other user check’ and a ‘version check’ when opening the payroll.  

Step-by-step guide Find out more 
 

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Jan 2021

12

BrightPay Customer Update: January 2021

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

Revenue announce further changes to the EWSS for 2021

Revenue have introduced further changes to the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme. Join us on 20th January as we recap upcoming changes to the EWSS and what these changes mean for your business. Plus, we will share some of the key lessons learned from processing payroll in a pandemic, and how it prepares us for payroll in the ‘next normal’. 

BrightPay Connect – It's better than ever before! 

We are committed to consistently improving our software to better serve your needs and enhance your customer experience. This year we have introduced many new features to BrightPay Connect, including improved multi-user / working from home functionality and an extra layer of security. 

  • Version checking when opening a payroll file
  • ‘Other users’ checking when opening a payroll file
  • Define and set custom leave types
  • Improved calendar functionality

Pricing Strategies that work – what other practices are doing 

In this free webinar for accountants and payroll bureaus we explore how you can maximise the value of your payroll service offering. Learn how technology and automation turn daunting payroll tasks into a smooth and profitable process. We look at four tried and tested pricing strategies that will help secure your payroll profitability. 

Moving from BrightPay 2020 to BrightPay 2021 

Every tax year we release brand new software in line with the new budgetary requirements. Thus, to move your payroll on to a new tax year, simply download the new tax year version of BrightPay. Your software for the new tax year will contain a seamless import facility to bring across your employee details from the previous tax year.  

Order BrightPay 2021

Updates to EWSS Eligibility and Subsidy Rates 

There has been a change to the EWSS qualifying criteria for pay dates on or after 1st January 2021. The change relates to the periods to be used for assessing the minimum 30% reduction in sales/orders. Where employers have been availing of EWSS in 2020, they will now need to review expected turnover for the 6 months to 30th June 2021 versus the 6 months ended 30th June 2019 (not 2020). The rates of subsidy have also been revised to better support businesses.  

Revenue Guidance Free EWSS webinar

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Dec 2020

1

BrightPay Customer Update: December 2020

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

*** Extra Dates Added to COVID-19 Webinar Series ***

Still confused about the Wage Subsidy Scheme? Don’t worry you’re not alone. Due to phenomenal demand, extra dates have been added to our COVID-19 & payroll webinar series. Join us on 9th December for our free webinar: Important Updates to the Wage Subsidy Scheme | Guest Speaker: Revenue

Time to Renew your 2021 Payroll Licence – What's the Quickest Way? 

Due to the impact of the pandemic, our phone lines are busier than ever before which is leading to longer than normal wait times. The quickest and easiest way to purchase your 2021 licence is online. The order process is straightforward and takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. Once your order is complete you will receive your invoice along with your licence key which you will need to activate your 2021 licence.

Please note: BrightPay has not been released yet. We will send you another email once the software is available to download and install.

New improved ‘working from home’ functionality (Coming 2021)

BrightPay 2021 in tandem with BrightPay Connect will allow for completely seamless ‘working from home’ process where there are multiple individuals who work on or require access to the same employer files. This new functionality improves the remote working experience, giving you all the benefits of the cloud while utilising the power and responsiveness of your local device.

Payroll in a Pandemic - Make sure your practice isn't left behind

Accountants and payroll bureaus are urged to plan and prepare for the upcoming challenges COVID-19 brings to their payroll services. Now is the time to plan and future-proof your payroll bureau for survival. This guide highlights practical tips to ensure COVID-19 doesn’t affect your payroll performance.

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Nov 2020

3

BrightPay Customer Update: November 2020

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

COVID-19 Webinar with Guest Speakers Revenue: Wage Subsidy Scheme Explained 

We have teamed up with Revenue to bring you a free webinar where we discuss everything you need to know about TWSS reconciliation and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), including key changes to the scheme, eligibility criteria, processing subsidy claims, and operating the scheme in BrightPay. The webinar will also include a live Q&A session with experts from BrightPay and Revenue. Only 30 places remaining – book your place now.  

COVID-19 & achieving business continuity in the cloud 

In the ‘new normal’, employers and employees expect to access their payroll information in the cloud. Self-service online portals are changing the way businesses interact and communicate with their employees, whilst providing the cloud functionality to get things done smarter and faster. BrightPay Connect enables clients to submit employee hours, approve the payroll run, manage their employees’ leave, run payroll reports and much more.

BrightPay 2021 is coming soon... 

We have some exciting new features coming in BrightPay 2021, including improved cloud functionality with BrightPay Connect. This new functionality gives you the best of both worlds – a desktop-based payroll software but with cloud access capabilities, improving the remote-working experience. Pre-order your BrightPay 2021 licence today!  

How can an employee app improve your payroll processes? 

Traditionally, using a mobile phone in the workplace could sometimes be seen as a complete no-no. But that’s rapidly changing thanks to the myriad of ways that employers are now using mobile technology to streamline their business and boost employee morale. But these apps can do more than make your business a nicer place to work for your employees. They can improve your payroll processes too. 

Reduce payroll overheads to futureproof against the impact of COVID-19  

As businesses look at creative ways to save jobs, many are moving to reduce their business overheads. Savvy businesses have already saved thousands by opting for a payroll provider that does not have an additional charge for PAYE Modernisation or customer support. BrightPay is one of the most competitively priced payroll software on the market with no contract ties. Making simple changes and investing in payroll solutions with integrated cloud access can save money, improve productivity and increase profits.

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Oct 2020

1

BrightPay Customer Update: October 2020

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

TWSS Reconciliation - Upload to ROS before 31st October

As the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme is now closed, to enable an accurate reconciliation between subsidy amounts refunded by Revenue and the amounts of subsidy that employers paid to their employees, Revenue requires employers to report the actual subsidy paid to employees, on each pay date. TWSS Reconciliation files can be created in BrightPay within Employees > Reconciliation CSV File. This file must be uploaded to ROS by 31st October.

How Does Remote Working Affect Payroll and HR?

When employees are working remotely, even the most basic tasks such as distributing payslips, applying for annual leave and internal communication can be more difficult. However, in the wake of COVID-19, many employers have had to adapt and implement working from home and are now looking for clever solutions to overcome the payroll and HR challenges presented by remote working.

Are you entitled to EWSS for July & August? Don’t miss the sweepback deadline

If you are currently eligible for EWSS, you may be entitled to receive subsidies and PRSI credits in respect of employees paid by you during July and August. In order to make a claim, a CSV file must be uploaded on ROS before 14th October. BrightPay includes the ability to prepare the CSV file within the ‘Employees’ menu. It will also calculate the estimated claim value for you. Claims could be quite substantial, so we urge you to run the report and, if applicable, submit your claim as soon as possible.

Free Webinar: Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme – Extra Dates Added

After the success of our previous booked-out webinar, we have decided to add another date. Join us on 8th October where we discuss TWSS reconciliation, EWSS sweepback and processing wage subsidy claims. Guest panelist: Sandra Clarke - President of the Irish Tax Institute.

Only 10 places left - Book your place now to avoid disappointment!

BrightPay Connect’s Employee Calendar: Track Attendance at a Glance

The company-wide employee calendar on BrightPay Connect allows managers to see at a glance who is on leave and when, with different display options to suit your needs. The colour-coded calendar highlights the various types of leave, including annual leave, unpaid leave, sick leave and parenting leave, making staff scheduling and managing leave a walk-in-the-park.

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Sep 2020

1

BrightPay Customer Update: September 2020

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

BrightPay now caters for the EWSS 

Although the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) is a subsidy payable to employers only and will not impact employee payslips, several steps need to be performed within BrightPay in order to transition from TWSS to EWSS. BrightPay has now been upgraded to cater for this new scheme.  

Join Revenue & BrightPay’s Free Webinar & Panel Discussion

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) will replace the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from 1st September 2020. We have teamed up with Revenue to bring you a free webinar where we discuss everything you need to know about TWSS Reconciliation and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme.  

Register for EWSS before it’s too late! 

Eligible employers will be required to register for the EWSS via ROS. Employers must hold up-to-date tax clearance to register for the scheme and receive the subsidy payments. Where an employer files an EWSS payment submission without first registering for EWSS, it will be rejected in full. The date of registration cannot be backdated prior to the date of application, and so it is imperative that registration is undertaken prior to the first pay date in respect of which EWSS is being claimed. 

Benefits of employee apps that you never knew (and why employees love them)

BrightPay Connect offers a whole host of additional features, from automatic cloud backup to employee dashboards. However, the employee app is one of the most attractive of these additional features, and for good reason. It enables you to introduce more effective ways of communicating with employees and streamline everyday processes such as annual leave requests.

TWSS Reconciliation - Coming Soon 

During the first few weeks of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (known as the transitional phase), Revenue refunded a flat rate of €410 per employee per pay period, which, in a lot of cases, exceeded the subsidy that the employee was entitled to receive. Revenue are hoping to commence the TWSS reconciliation in October to address any outstanding subsidy refunds or repayments necessary. TWSS CSV reconciliation files will be uploaded to Revenue to enable them to reconcile the amount of subsidy paid to the employee against the amount refunded by Revenue.  

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Aug 2020

13

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme - Important Update

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) will replace the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from September 1st 2020. Revenue are currently working through the finer details of the scheme. Below is some information to help you understand the scheme and to help prepare for it should you choose to avail of it.

The scheme provides a flat-rate subsidy to qualifying employers based on the number of paid and eligible employees on the employer’s payroll. The scheme is expected to operate until 31st March 2021.

  • It is important to note that TWSS will cease on August 31st 2020.
  • Employers wishing to avail of EWSS must register for it via ROS. Revenue are planning to have the registration facility available from August 19th.
  • Employers must hold up to date tax clearance to register for the scheme and to receive the subsidy payments.
  • Employers must be able to demonstrate that their turnover or customer orders between July 1st and December 31st 2020 are expected to suffer at least a 30% reduction as a result of Covid-19. Further information on the qualifying criteria can be found here.
  • Registered childcare providers can avail of the EWSS without the requirement to meet the 30% reduction in turnover or customer orders.
  • Employers must review their eligibility status on the last day of every month to ensure they continue to meet the eligibility criteria, if they no longer qualify they should deregister for EWSS with effect from the following day (1st of the month)
  • Proprietary directors were due to be excluded from the scheme. It is now expected that they will be included where they retain ‘ordinary’ employees on the payroll.

Subsidy Payment:

  • The subsidy will be paid to employers monthly after the return due date (14th of the following month).
  • Any changes made to payroll submissions after the return due date will not be processed for subsidy payments.


Please note, gross pay includes notional pay and is before any deductions for pension, salary sacrifice etc

Payroll:

  • Employers will be required to pay employees in the normal manner i.e. calculating and deducting Income Tax, USC and employee PRSI through payroll.
  • EWSS is a subsidy paid to an employer. It will not show on payslips or in myAccount.

Employer PRSI:

A 0.5% rate of employers PRSI will continue to apply for employments that are eligible for the subsidy. This is expected to work as follows:

  • PRSI will be calculated as normal via payroll e.g. on PRSI class A1. 
  • Revenue will calculate a PRSI credit by calculating the difference between the rate on the normal class and the 0.5%.
  • The credit will show on the Statement of Account to reduce the employer’s liability to Revenue.

July/August 2020

TWSS and EWSS will run in parallel from 1st July to 31st August. Employees already on TWSS must remain on TWSS until the end of August. Employers wishing to operate the scheme from July 1st i.e. for employees not eligible for TWSS, should process the payroll for these employees in the normal manner and Revenue will review these cases at a later date and refund the subsidy due.

Revenue plan to cater for this via myEnquiries. This will require employers to provide Revenue with the employee details etc. Payment should be made to employers in September.

Publication

A list of employers availing of EWSS will be published in January 2021 and April 2021 to www.revenue.ie.

Software Upgrades (to cater for EWSS)

We plan to release upgrades for Thesaurus Payroll Manager and BrightPay in the week commencing 24th August. Revenue are still fine tuning the details of the scheme and how it will interact with PAYE Modernisation. Therefore, unfortunately, we will be unable to release upgrades any earlier than this.

Posted byPaul ByrneinCoronavirusCustomer Update

Aug 2020

7

BrightPay Customer Update: August 2020

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

Free COVID-19 & Payroll Webinar

Join BrightPay on 13th August for a free COVID-19 & Payroll webinar. In this webinar, we explore the key changes to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and what we know so far about the new Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme. The EWSS will run in parallel to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme from 31st July. Places are limited. Click here to book your place now.

Automate Annual Leave Management with BrightPay Connect

After months of lockdown, many people are embracing the idea of staycations in a bid to save what’s left of the summer. For employers, however, managing employee leave can be far from relaxing if it is a manual process. BrightPay Connect’s online leave management tools eliminate cumbersome people management tasks. It’s more than just payroll software, it’s a ready-to-go, easy-to-use HR software solution. The staycation trend should be a reason to be excited, not an admin nightmare.

Processing Employee Hours Made Simple With BrightPay Connect

We’re always keen to hear what the biggest challenges are for payroll bureaus and how we can help make their job easier. One of the most common issues we understand is that requesting payroll information from clients can be an inefficient, time-consuming and often, frustrating process. The good news is that BrightPay Connect makes this process so much simpler. It has become a must-have tool for bureaus who want to streamline their payroll process and increase efficiency.

July Jobs Stimulus Plan – Employer Focus

Newly appointed Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced the July Stimulus package worth €5.2 billion which included 50 new measures to help businesses and in turn help with the recovery of our economy. Here we have summarised the major employer-related measures introduced in this package.

Wage Subsidy Scheme Reconciliation and Repayment to Revenue

Details of both the reconciliation process and the process for employers to follow when returning excess Wage Subsidy Scheme funds to Revenue will be published in due course. In the interim, to assist in their future reconciliation, employers should continue to retain records of subsidy payments made to employees, records of subsidy refunds and tax refunds received from Revenue and hold any excess of the subsidy payments received for offset against future subsidy payments or for future repayment to Revenue.

Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

Jul 2020

2

BrightPay Customer Update: July 2020

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

3 Important Changes to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme

As the economy slowly recovers and many businesses reopen their doors, new changes to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme have been introduced. It’s essential that employers keep up-to-date with these changes so that they know best how to manage their payroll as they bring employees back to work. 

What you need to know about Rehiring Employees

Where an employee previously laid off has been re-hired, the employee will qualify for the Wage Subsidy Scheme if their DEASP claim is ceased. Once you've added the employee back onto the payroll, you need to request an RPN for this employee the day before processing the payroll. As well as retrieving the employee’s tax credits and cut-off points, this will also inform Revenue that the employee has been rehired. Revenue will therefore know to issue an amended TWSS instruction, which needs to be downloaded from ROS again and re-imported into the payroll software.

7 Steps To Returning To Work After COVID-19 

On the 9th of May 2020, the Government published the Return to Work Safely Protocol. This sets out a number of steps for employers and workers to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. Here we have pulled out and summarised the key points that you need to be aware of moving forward.

BrightPay Connect: Streamlining Remote Working & Payroll Processing

The productivity and efficiency of your team are only as great as your remote working process, especially when it comes to payroll. With more employees continuing to operate from home, there are increased expectations of cloud access to payroll information.

BrightPay Connect’s user-friendly employee app is available to download on Android and iOS devices and allows employees to:

  • View their payslip library
  • Request annual leave on the go
  • Check their leave balance remaining
  • View past and scheduled leave
  • Access payroll & HR documents
  • Update personal details

COVID-19 Webinar - Did you miss it? Watch on-demand now 

During our most popular webinar, we looked at recent changes to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and the payroll implications of rehiring employees. We also broke down the Return to Work Safely Protocol and summarised it into 7 key points that employers need to be aware of. 


Posted byRachel HynesinCustomer Update

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