With 1 in 4 businesses having never heard of RTI, Sage launches new offering that goes beyond compliance to provide users with the necessary support and guidance to navigate the change

Newcastle, 9th November 2012 - Business software and services provider Sage today removed uncertainty around PAYE changes for business owners with the launch of Sage 50 Payroll RTI Edition, its flagship payroll software for small and growing businesses.  Developed using feedback and insights from over 4,000 Sage customers that participated in the HMRC pilot, Sage’s software has been designed to provide a simple and seamless transition to Real-Time Information (RTI), the biggest change to the PAYE system since 1944.

Introduced from April 2013, RTI will require employers to start providing employee PAYE, National Insurance and Student Loan information to HMRC at point of payment every month, rather than just at year end. RTI represents one of the most fundamental changes to payroll reporting requirements in the past five decades, and despite coming into effect in less than six months, research has revealed that a third of small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) are unsure how it will impact their business* and one in four have not even heard of it yet**.

Sage 50 Payroll RTI Edition contains an unrivalled level of in product support that enables business owners to effectively navigate the move to RTI. The success of RTI for HMRC hinges primarily on the accuracy of the data that employers store about their employees.  In recognition of this Sage has invested extensively beyond compliance and develop new features that help employers meet their responsibility to submit accurate and up-to-date information in the right format. New enhancements include:

    The RTI Centre –The RTI Centre provides users with a step-by-step guide on everything they need to do to prepare for, and move into, submitting RTI returns to HMRC. It also contains a series of tools that help businesses fast track key requirements for successful RTI, such as letter templates that enable staff to check existing employee details.
    Data Health Check – Enables users to check the accuracy of the data they hold at the single click of a button and easily identify any missing information. Ensuring data on the business and employees conforms to HMRC rules it gives user peace of mind.

Designed to help small to growing businesses manage their payroll needs, Sage 50 Payroll can be used for the most basic of payrolls needs as paying employees, printing payslips, and submitting returns electronically to HMRC through to more complicated needs of holiday and absence management, departmental and cost centre reporting ensuring that it is widely used by business owners, office managers and payroll professionals.

Beyond RTI, the latest version of Sage 50 Payroll contains several new features that improves the experience for users and makes it easier for people to manage their payroll:

    Report Browser – Enhanced reporting capabilities allows users to access business critical information quicker and more intuitively. Tighter excel integration makes it easier to share reports an insights
    Show Me How – Designed to help new and existing users get the most value put of Sage 50 Payroll,  Show Me How provides clear signposting of particular customer pain points alongside simple step-by-step instructions for tasks accompanied by bespoke ‘watch and work’ videos.

“RTI represents the biggest change to PAYE reporting for over half a century and it will affect the way every business does things. With Sage 50 Payroll RTI Edition, we’re one of the very first payroll providers to offer RTI compliance, and our support around the transition really sets us apart,” explained Lee Perkins. Managing Director, Small Business Division, Sage UK. “HMRC is currently working hard to put it on the radar of everyone, but if you’ve not heard from your payroll software provider on RTI by now you need to be asking some serious questions about their readiness for it.”

For further information on how Sage is supporting businesses with RTI, please visit: http://www.sage.co.uk/business-resources/real-time-information/index.html