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Software functionality - good payroll software should:
Have high functionality
Have the functions included within the software, rather than as add-ons
Perform the payroll functions:
- required by your organisation
- the vendor claims the payroll software performs
- required by statute / regulatory authorities
Provide the following payroll and system wide functions (depending upon your requirements)
Core payroll software functions:
- multiple payroll types and frequencies eg weekly, monthly
- mixed payroll frequencies
- multiple companies
- multiple hourly rates for same employee
- multiple payments and allowances, bonuses, holiday pay methods, profit related pay
- support flexible / cafeteria pay packages
- backdated pay awards
- statutory maternity, adoption and paternity pay (SMP, SAP, SPP), sick pay (SSP)
- gross to net and net to gross calculations
- multiple income tax calculations (UK PAYE and National Insurance)
- multiple deductions / attachments of earnings eg decreasing balance loans, student loan calculations, payroll giving
- expatriate payroll
- configurable rules based payroll calculations and processes
- multiple payment currencies and methods eg EFT, BACS
- payroll management / control reports, including payslips, gross to net reports
- end of year returns and online filing
Additional public sector payroll requirements:
- pay spine grades / spine points
- grade reviews
- spine uplifts
- public sector reports
Employee expenses:
- flexible system configuration
- expenses processing / automation
- payments
- e-expenses
- corporate credit / payment cards
- e-travel
P11D (UK only)
- P11D automation
- data capture and adjustments
- P11D calculations
- reports, forms and submission to the UK HMRC
System wide functionality:
- fully web enabled, to operate over the internet / intranet
- employee self service (ESS) / manager self service (MSS)
- employee portal
- workflow enabled
- alerts
- document image processing (DIP)
- euro compliance
- complies with Sarbanes Oxley
- support multiple Windows versions
Be a fully 'open system'
Be written in a widely used programming language
Be fully integrated, or easily / seamlessly integrated with other relevant systems (if stand alone modules)
Provide links to other systems eg HR, time recording, accounting, job costing and desktop software
Have the scope to grow with the business
Be flexible to accommodate changing user or business requirements
Support good payroll practice
Management information - good payroll software should have:
Full online enquiry and drill down / around capability
Multiple search and select facilities
A suite of ready-to-use standard payroll system reports / screen enquiries
Standard reports and documentation (eg payslips) that can be tailored to the user requirements, saved and then reused when required
Interactive graphics
Reporting across modules
E-reporting and documentation ie reports and documents that can be prepared, reviewed and sent over the internet
Easy to use, flexible report writer either from within the payroll software or provided by third party software
For additional ‘key software criteria’ visit: Software efficiency criteria / Vendor criteria or for the current payroll software trends visit: payroll software trends
For other software criteria, click: Accounting software criteria / CRM software criteria / HR software criteria
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