Frequently Asked 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.

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.

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.

Is the payroll software accredited?

Yes - full accreditation with HMRC (see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ebu/payroll.htm for detail).

We need an in-house HR system. Should we outsource our payroll & have two systems?

Using the Action File HR system in house gives you the flexibility to run our payroll software as well, this arrangement means that you have just one set of employee data within your organisation. However you could outsource the payroll to us which would give you more time and resources in-house.

We are keen to provide a self-service facility for our employees, can you help?

Yes - the web applications allow employees to view their contract details & previous payslips, as well as update, for example, address & emergency contact details.

Do I have to have the software on our servers?

No - Action File provides hosting services for all of its software.

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.

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.

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.

As a multi-site operation how can we achieve accurate absence records?

By installing the web based Absence Management system each manager at each location can view & update 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.

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.

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.

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.

Can I link to my general ledger?

Action File can link to any package that has an import facility.

We use the Pay Data Import facility for importing variable pay data from 20 managers across 7 different sites. We have about 45 different pay batches and this module has proved to be a major time saving facility. It also means there are no keying errors.
Sharon Nicholson,
Jennings Group,
The Jennings Group

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