Questions
Answers How long to take over my payroll? The average time is about a month allowing for parallel runs. However due to the experience of the bureau team & superb software tools, implementations have been achieved in less than a week. Back to top What size of clients do you have? Bureau clients range from 2 to 2,500 employees. Product customers range from 20 to 6,000 employees. Back to top How long has the company been trading? The company started in 1980 and developed the first version of the payroll software in 1982. Some customers have been using the software for more than 20 years. Back to top Is the payroll software accredited? Yes - full accreditation with HMRC (see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ebu/acclist.htm for detail). Back to top We need an in-house HR system. But wish to outsource our payroll do we need two systems? No – Using our ActiveHR system data changes will be integrated with Action File’s bureau software, eliminating need for duplication of data entry. You can also upload spreadsheets and other documents to the Bureau team using ActiveHR. Back to top We are keen to provide a self-service facility for our employees, can you help? Yes – The ActiveHR package will allow employees to request holidays, make changes to their address and bank details and view historical payslips and contract details. Back to top Do I have to have the software on our servers? No - Action File provides hosting services for all of its software. Back to top What is the relevance of bespoke? Action File are experts at adding in extra functionality to the software for individual customers without impacting on the standard or ability to maintain it. Back to top Can the payroll department handle payments to HMRC, CSA, Unions & Pension companies? Yes - if authorised your payroll manager or our bureau team can handle all of these payments sending to each recipient a detailed remittance advice, using the Third Party Payment software. This can save hours of work for the accounts department. Back to top Can I compare overtime this year with last years? Yes - using the ODBC facility you can create a pivot table with totalling by location & department of both hours & amounts, with the ability to scroll down to individuals. Back to top As a multi-site operation how can we achieve accurate absence records? By installing ActiveHR each manager at each location can view, update and authorise absence records for their team including holidays . The end result is that HR will have access to accurate absence records across the whole business and the manager will be in control of their staff. Back to top Can I have weekly timesheets for monthly paid staff? Employees can complete their timesheet daily & then submit them weekly for authorisation. The payroll department can then access timesheets for 4 or 5 weeks. Back to top Can I switch an employee from weekly pay to monthly pay without filling out a P45? Yes - there is a special function for this purpose. Back to top Will the system cope with an employee whose NI letter should have changed several months ago? The system will calculate the correct back-dated contributions for the employee in the next pay run. Back to top Can I link to my general ledger? Action File can link to any package that has an import facility. Back to top I am about to employee employees for the first time. What do I need to do? Just contact Action File about our outsourced payroll service, we will do all the setup for you, including registering with the HMRC. Back to top Can I switch to outsourced payroll in the middle of the tax year? Yes – We just need year to date information from your current system in CSV or excel format Back to top How often do I receive payroll updates? These are normally issued in conjunction with Statutory changes, normally this is twice a year in March and May. Back to top