Payroll Software

[Payroll4SA]

Hi there,

I am using Pastel Payroll and would recommend them.

One of their pro's are the call centre that can assist you in any query you may have, especially if you are only starting out.

You could also get a payroll qualification through them as I did, being "Certified Senior Payroll Administrator".

You can also register with the ICB (Institute for Certified Bookkeepers) and use their designation on business cards and letterheads.

Hope this might help!

[BusFact]

Kim, or others, are you still happy with SimplePay?

Looking at using one for my new year which starts soon.

[CLIVE-TRIANGLE]

Another really good alternative is intercode payroll. Free download & 30 day trial from their website. I run a full bureau on it

https://www.intercode.co.za

[KimH]

Busfact - I am certainly still happy with Simple Pay.

Out of curiosity I downloaded Intercode's free trial (thanks Clive) and find it to be a very robust package and exceptionally cost effective for someone like me who runs a multitude of companies payroll.
So, both are great - what it boils down to at the end of the day is whether you want a web based system or software that's actually loaded on your system.

Both have free trials - my advice would be to try them both and see which one works best for your needs.

[BusFact]

Thanks Kim. I needed the assurance they were still ok, as the website doesn't give much confidence in their real world infrastructure. Its a simple product at low cost, so I can hardly expect Sandton offices and a 24/7 call centre , but I did need a 3rd party to vouch for them. I've started their trial and so far it seems to offer all I need. Plus it looks reasonably simple to operate, which is a major requirement in my mind.

Thanks Clive. I'd noticed intercode from your earlier post, and they certainly appear to be more established than Simplepay. They also create a more professional image which can be important for this type of product. It would be most inconvenient for example if the EMP501 reports were wrongly submitted. I've book marked them and will down load the demo.

As its stands, I would much prefer the online option, so that I can delegate this type of work to an off site book keeper. So Simplepay have their nose in front at the moment.

[pedrob]

I have been using Simplepay for about 18 months now, two seperate businesses, one with 7employees, the other with 15 employees. With regard to their back up, i must say they will suprise a lot of people, as im not their biggest client by far they still go out of their way to attend to a query very quick and efficiently.
I have used the exporting into easy file employer and must add thats its a life saver and extremely easy.
Will not change anytime soon.

[Dave A]

To quote a movie line, "there can be only one..." Intercode Payroll. I have used the lot and for it's price..... well I can't fault it at any price actually. This is how real software is supposed to work.

http://www.intercode.co.za

Based on your recommendation, I'm giving this a go this year. I'm sooo tired of dealing with Quick Payroll and its quirks.

The only thing I'm not looking forward to is capturing all the employee profile data...
But so worth it if it's plain sailing from there.

[Mike C]

But so worth it if it's plain sailing from there.

Please keep us updated in a month or so Dave.

[Dave A]

Mike, it's exactly as Clive said - this is the real deal. There's clearly been a lot of thought and attention to detail that's gone into this package.

So far there are only two aspects that I can be critical of -

• There isn't an option to password protect access to the software (i.e. there's no user login to the software, the only protection is the OS user profile login - something I'm not used to when it comes to business software security)
• To update an employee's bank account, you can only get to edit the banking details using the employee setup wizard. Same "problem" also applies to some of the other employee personal information fields.

For anyone who is even vaguely aware just how complex setting up payroll software can be, you'll recognise these "deficiencies" are trivial compared to what can go wrong.

I'm seriously impressed so far.

[CLIVE-TRIANGLE]

There isn't an option to password protect access to the software (i.e. there's no user login to the software, the only protection is the OS user profile login - something I'm not used to when it comes to business software security)

Dave, have you perhaps mailed Deon at support about this? I am unaffected but I can imagine this is an issue for some.

To update an employee's bank account, you can only get to edit the banking details using the employee setup wizard. Same "problem" also applies to some of the other employee personal information fields.

This pains me too, but I live with it.

[CLIVE-TRIANGLE]

Dave, go file then set password.

I've been using it for 5 years and only saw it now

[Dave A]

Done. Thanks Clive.

[TravisZA]

I'm tired of struggling to get hold of support on Pastel Payroll. Definitely going to give intercode and SimplePay a closer look

[cagenuts]

We use Simple Pay and whilst it doesn't have all the fancy stuff, for a staff complement of say less than 50 people it will work just fine.

[dellatjie]

HI Travis,

Have you tried Sage payroll online.

I also have some serious issues with Pastel Payroll (desktop version), but have found Sage Payroll online very user friendly and efficient.