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MYOB to discontinue Payroll Bureau Services

Oct 16th, 2009 by

Software company MYOB has decided to discontinue providing a Payroll Bureau Service.

Such a move is not surprising considering MYOB is a software company rather than a service provider.  The bureau was started by Comacc as part of their Client Support whereby it could provide temporary cover to Comacc users on a short or long term basis.

If you are a MYOB/Comacc Payroll Bureau User then you should start looking for an alternative supplier sooner rather than later as canceling supply just before Christmas (every Bureau’s busiest time) could mean many are unable to cope with an influx of new clients.

The easiest path for you would be to look for a Payroll Bureau that also uses the MYOB/Comacc payroll package, such as EzyPay who has a link on this site.

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Posted in General Comment | 5 Comments »

National Payroll Professional Day

Oct 8th, 2009 by

Have you thanked your Payroll Professional today?

MYOB is running a National Payroll Professional recognition day so everyone can thank their payroll officer and recognise the very important task that they perform.

You can nominate your Payroll Office online HERE.

There are prizes to one small business and one medium business of travel vouchers to the value of $500, plus a 12 month licence to the MYOB new CRM package – Client Connect Plus valued at $179.00.

Entries close November 16th, 2009.

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Posted in Payroll Comment | No Comments »

New Zealand charaties welcome Payroll Giving legislation

Sep 29th, 2009 by

The Government has passed tax legislation including the introduction of a New Zealand payroll giving scheme, enabling employees to make contributions to charities direct from their pay while immediately receiving a tax credit via PAYE.

Given recent scrutiny on charitable fundraising methods and costs to attract public donations, the advent of payroll giving programmes from early 2010 will provide New Zealand donors with an easy and efficient way to accrue donations to support chosen charities.

Both Australia and the United Kingdom have successively implemented workplace giving. Based on observation of the impact in these markets, New Zealand charities are looking forward to payroll giving as an effective and sustainable donations channel.

Founder and CEO of Givealittle.co.nz Nathalie Hofsteede welcomes the legislation, saying “it is exciting that we now have a practical way for donors to access the tax credit from gifting personal income to charity. Many of the charities registered with Givealittle have eagerly anticipated this legislation and most are organising themselves to take advantage of the changes.”

With nearly 300 charitable organisations registered with Givealittle and many more causes for employees participating in payroll schemes to choose from, the company looks forward to unveiling its payroll giving product after more than 14 months behind the scenes development. “Payroll giving really starts to make sense when you add in the tax credit, provided that as an individual employee you still have personal choice about where your donations go.”

Lead Web Developer at Givealittle, Karl Woollaston comments “our belief is that web systems and tools that make payroll and giving easy will help maximize the uptake of companies to the scheme”. Givealittle CEO also states that “targeted donor communications ensure that individual employees feel connected to the results achieved with their charitable donations as part of a wider company commitment to generosity.

Though the scheme will be limited to employers filing PAYE returns online, Hofsteede believes there is likely to be enough interest from employers currently filing paper returns that some will shift processes online via a number of established payroll service providers in order to access the benefits.

Givealittle are conduction a survey to gauge people’s view on Payroll Giving.  You can complete the survey HERE.  All those who take part go into a draw for Air New Zealand Mystery Break for two.

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Posted in Payroll Comment | 1 Comment »

Do employers have to pay out Alternative Lieu Days on termination?

Sep 24th, 2009 by

The simple answer to this question is Yes!!

Plus if the employee’s Annual Leave balance extends beyond a Public Holiday, the employee is also entitled to be paid for the Public Holiday, even though it has not yet occurred.  The logic behind this is that if the employee was not been Terminated, and was possibly taking Annual Leave, they would be entitled to the Public Holiday if it fell within the leave period.

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Posted in Payroll Comment | No Comments »

Labour Department – what was your experience?

Sep 24th, 2009 by

Hopefully most employers and employees are aware of the Department of Labour and the services they provide, if not then you should be.

The main website provides a range of very useful tools for employers and employees such as:

In addition their other department – Employment Relations provides a range of useful booklets and factsheets.

We would be interested to know how you find the Department of Labour’s website and dealing with their staff, either at the Call Center or involvement with a Labour Inspector.

Post your feedback below.

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Posted in Labour Department | No Comments »

Student loan changes to Proceed

Sep 18th, 2009 by

Cabinet has given the go-ahead to proceed with legislation to simplify the administration of student loan repayments, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne announced today.

The impact of the proposed changes on borrowers was the subject of extensive consultation in June, in which people’s views were sought through an online forum and written responses to a government discussion document.

“As a result of hearing a wide range of views, the government has modified one of the main proposals that were presented for consultation a couple of months ago,” Mr Dunne said.

“The most controversial change in the original proposals was to deduct loan repayments from students’ holiday pay if they earned over $367 a week. Everyone disliked that one – emphatically, and it has now been rejected, which demonstrates that the government does listen.

“Instead, full-time students who earn below $19,084 a year will not have to make student loan repayments while they are studying,” Mr Dunne said.

“Nearly everyone agreed with the idea of Inland Revenue moving away from paper-based management of student loan repayments, towards electronic management and communication. That was, in the words of one respondent, a ‘no brainer’.

“Borrowers living overseas were particularly keen on having enhanced online services available at any time and from anywhere in the world.

Other main features of the reform are:

  • Borrowers who live in New Zealand and whose income is virtually all from salary and wages will have their repayments deducted from their pay, on a weekly or fortnightly basis, through the PAYE system. For these borrowers there will be no more end-of-year assessments and square-ups.
  • For all borrowers, the late payment penalty, equivalent to 19.56% a year, will be replaced with a late payment interest rate of 10.8% a year for borrowers based overseas, and 6.8% for those living here.
  • There will be less administrative focus on minor over-deductions and under-deductions, to reduce both compliance costs and administrative costs.
  • Borrowers who receive interest, dividends and Maori authority distributions of less than $1500 a year will not have to make repayments on that income.
  • Student loan penalties will be aligned with income tax penalties for greater consistency.

“The changes will be incorporated into a bill to be introduced later this year and are expected to apply from 1 April 2011,” Mr Dunne said.

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Posted in Inland Revenue | No Comments »

Meal Allowances and Relocation Payments

Sep 18th, 2009 by

The following legislation has just been passed.

Employer payments and allowances: The law has been clarified to ensure employer payments for relocation and overtime meal allowances are tax-free, thus removing long-standing uncertainty in the law and saving time and money for everyone involved.

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Posted in Inland Revenue | 2 Comments »

Kiwisaver Change on death of member

Sep 18th, 2009 by

An update to Kiwisaver legislation has also been passed.

“A change to the KiwiSaver law allows families of members who die to have quick access to funds in the dead member’s account. With effect from 1 July 2007, up to $15,000 from a dead member’s account can be paid out directly to nominated persons, without their having to await probate if the member left a will, or letters of administration if the member died intestate,” Mr Dunne said.

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Posted in Kiwisaver | No Comments »

Payroll Giving Law Passed

Sep 18th, 2009 by

The Government has just passed legislation allowing for Payroll Giving.

“The eagerly awaited payroll giving scheme for charitable donations, which will operate through the tax PAYE system, will come into being three months from the date the new legislation receives Royal assent, which probably means before Christmas. Under the scheme, people whose employers sign up for the scheme will receive the tax benefits of their donations each payday, without having to present donation receipts”.

“The new legislation also makes life easier for volunteers and community groups by clarifying the tax treatment of reimbursements and honoraria, to make it easier for volunteers to meet their tax obligations and reduce the associated compliance costs. Those changes will apply from 1 April 2009”

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Posted in Inland Revenue | No Comments »

ACC is your friend!

Sep 10th, 2009 by

We have been doing a bit of research with ACC lately and have discovered there is a lot about them that we don’t know, especially in relation to what we are entitled to.

Over the next few weeks we will be discussing different aspects of the ACC Corporation, how they are their to help us and how we can best take advantage of them.

We will be looking at aspects such as:

  • Funeral Expenses
  • Payments to dependent spouses and children on accidental death
  • Accidental Travel Insurance
  • Cover + for the Self-Employed

If you have any questions in relation to ACC then submit your response against this post.  Watch this space!

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Posted in ACC | No Comments »

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