Lion Compatibily

Apple released last year a new version of Mac OSX, version 10.7 named "Lion". For existing Mac users it is a chargeable upgrade rather than a free update, although new Mac's may now be shipped with OS 10.7 pre-installed.

The current version of MacBusiness PAYROLL is NOT compatible with Lion.

We are planning a major upgrade to MacBusiness Payroll, to be released in the second quarter of 2012, which will be compatible with Lion. In the meantime, we recommend you do not install Lion on the computer you use for running Payroll.

We expect MacBusiness POS from version 3 onwards, MacBusiness Job Tracking from version 4 onwards, and MoneyWorks from version 5.3 onwards will be compatible with Lion.

 

Payroll: changes for April 2011

There are just two tax rate changes this year: an increase in the maximum income for the ACC earners levy, and a decrease in the tax rate for Non-residential Seasonal Workers (NSW). No software update is required for changing these rates, you can download our instructions below.

In addition, there are changes to the way leave is managed from 1 April 2011 as a result of the Holiday Amendment Act 2010. From a MacBusiness Payroll point of view there are two main changes:

• Allowing employees to ask to be paid out a maximum of one week of annual leave

• Changes to the calculation of payments for public holidays, sick and bereavement leave. Specifically, for employees who have an irregular work pattern, the 4 week average calculation is replaced with a 12 month average.

There are other changes outlined in the Act, including: transferring public holidays, when to use the new 12 month average rate, proof of sickness or injury, and a definition of discretionary payments. You can find out more about the Holiday Act changes by going to the Labour Department website.

For cashing up annual leave we recommend creating a new allowance. You can download our instructions below for doing this.

For those employers that use the timesheet feature on the Pay Calculation window, there is a minor update available for $49 + GST. This update changes the calculation of Average Hours per Day from the 4 weeks to 12 months. You do not need this update if you do not use this feature. If you want this update, please contact us after 1 April and we will install it for you using remote access.

Click here to download instructions for making these changes to your copy of Payroll.

Christchurch Earthquake

Thanks to the many customers who have contacted us since the earthquake here in Christchurch on February 22nd.

Fortunately MacBusiness Software is not located in the central business district, our premises sustained only moderate physical damage, and most importantly our staff and their families are all safe and well.

While we were out of action for a number of days until essential services were returned, we are pleased to advise that it is now business as usual for us.

We sincerely hope that our Christchurch customers have been as fortunate as we have been, and look forward to providing all of our customers with services as usual.

 

Moneyworks: GST rate increase 1 October 2010

No software update is required, MoneyWorks is designed to handle changes to GST rates.

Because of the out-of-date way Inland Revenue has specified GST is to be reported during the transition period there are some new procedures to follow when creating your GST return from 1 October. Cognito have written a very informative web page on how to change the GST rate and how to report GST from 1 October, which we recommend you view at:

http://www.cognito.co.nz/nzgstchange.php

MacBusiness POS : GST rate increase 1 October 2010

No software update is required, MacBusiness POS is designed to handle changes to GST rates.

The change must be made on 1 October, before entering any sales that day:

1. Click Admin

2. Click Preferences

3. Enter 15 in the field Tax Rate, replacing 12.5

All new transactions from this point onwards will attract GST at the new rate.

If your prices include tax (see checkbox above tax rates) the increase in the GST rate will NOT increase your prices. The GST component of those prices will simply increase. You probably want to make your own decision on changes to price points. However, if you do want to change prices across-the-board, contact us as we may be able to help apply those changes in bulk.

Note: with lay-by sales the correct GST rate to use is the rate applicable when possession of the goods passes to the customer. If you started a lay-by transaction before 1 October and the customer takes possession after 1 October you should adjust the GST rate on the transaction before entering the final payment. Click on the Tax tab on the Sales Details screen and change GST Rate from 12.5 to 15 on each line of the transaction.

*** Special legislation recently passed: if a layby agreement started before budget night (20 May) and was a binding agreement, the option is now available to charge GST at the old rate on payments up to 30 September and GST at the new rate for subsequent payments. To do this in POS the transaction must be split into two. Make the first transaction sale amount match the payments up to 30 September. Make the second transaction for the balance and ensure the GST rate on that transaction is the new rate.

 

MacBusiness Job Tracking: GST rate increase 1 October 2010

No software update is required, MacBusiness Job Tracking is designed to handle changes to GST rates.

The rate should be changed after you have finished generating invoices for September and before generating invoices for October.

1. Click Admin

2. Click Preferences

3. Enter 15 in the field GST Rate, replacing 12.5

All new invoices from this point onwards will attract GST at the new rate.

If you have entered any October invoices prior to changing the GST rate, you should change the GST rate from 12.5 to 15 on each line of those invoices. If any invoice entered prior to changing the GST rate has the date subsequently changed to October (or later), you should do the same.

Conversely, if you create a September invoice after changing the GST rate, you should change the GST rate from 15 back to 12.5 on each line of the invoice.

Similarly, if you create any credit invoices that are reversing previous invoices dated prior to 1 October, you should change the GST rate from 15 back to 12.5 on each line of those invoices.

 

MacBusiness Payroll: Tax rate changes 1 October 2010

No software update is required. MacBusiness Payroll is designed to handle tax rate changes.

There are a number of tax rate changes to make this October: reductions in the rates for virtually all tax codes, plus an increase in the rate of the ACC earners levy. There are 13 changes in all. Click here to download instructions for applying these changes to your copy of Payroll.

 

Budget Announcements (NZ) May 2010 - Updated 9/8/10

None of our MacBusiness packages, nor MoneyWorks, require software upgrades to accommodate the changes to GST or personal tax rates on 1 October 2010. All the tax rate changes announced can be made via existing settings in the software. We will provide instructions for the appropriate settings on our website mid-September.

We are expecting a minor update for MoneyWorks to help meet Inland Revenue reporting requirements for GST during the transition period, i.e. from October onwards, when there could be a mixture of old and new rate transactions.

Tax changes for April 2010

There are just two tax rate changes this year:  an increase in the maximum income for ACC earners levy and an increase in the rate of the ACC earners levy. No software update is required for changing these rates, see our instructions below.

In addition, Inland Revenue have introduced a new tax code: SB or Secondary Bottom. This is for secondary employment where the total annual income for the employee is not expected to exceed $14,000. If you need to use this tax code you will need to update your software ($62 + GST). Go to our Purchase page to purchase the upgrade with a credit card, or call us for an invoice and direct credit instructions.

Inland Revenue have also changed the ir-File format this year to accommodate payroll giving. If you have the full version of MacBusiness Payroll and use the ir-File Export function you will need to update your software to produce the new format before you submit your return in May ($62 + GST). Go to our Purchase page to purchase the update with a credit card, or call us for an invoice and direct credit instructions.

Instructions for changing ACC rates

The ACC rate changes need to be aplied AFTER the last pay run for the March 2010 tax year has been posted, and BEFORE the first pay run for April 2010. The best time for this change is just before you load your first pay run with a period ending date in April.

Launch Payroll using the more powerful of your two passwords (the one starting with "S", or your own password if you have changed it).

- Click the Setup button, then Preferences

- Click the Tax / ACC/ KiwiSvr tab

- In the field labelled ACC Rate enter 2 (replacing 1.7)

- In the field labelled ACC Max Income enter 110018 (replacing 106,473)

You can now go ahead and process your first April pay run.

Save $100 on Payroll Software!

The price of MacBusiness Payroll software has dropped $100! Now only $699 for the full version and $499 for the Lite version (+ GST). There has never been a better time to buy. Go to our Purchase page to buy now with a credit card, or call us for an invoice and direct credit instructions.

Windows 7 Compatibility

Our tests to date indicate no compatibility problems with all current versions of our applications running on Windows 7.

Snow Leopard Compatibility

Our tests to date indicate no compatibility problems with Payroll running on Snow Leopard (Mac OSX 10.6) so long as Rosetta has been installed.

All versions of MacBusiness POS, except version 3.1, are compatible with Snow Leopard (Mac OSX 10.6). Contact us for a free update if you are using version 3.1

All versions of MacBusiness Job Tracking are compatible with Snow Leopard (Mac OSX 10.6).

Current versions of MoneyWorks accounting packages are all compatible with Snow Leopard (Mac OSX 10.6).