Julie Brown & Tim Ross
Dundee Group, Ltd.
P.O. Box 1848
Pittsfield, MA 01202
P: (413)445-5917
Email Us
Our office will be closed from Thursday May 28th through Wednesday June 3rd. We will not have access to voice mail or email during this time. If you need immediate technical support for your system please contact your software publisher directly:
Sage Software: Abra (800)829-0170
Empower Software: Unitime (720)241-5353
Posted by: Tim Ross
Watch your inbox later today for your copy of the Dundee Group's Sage Abra Newsletter. Topics include:
If you are not on our list and are interested, drop us an email.
Posted by: Tim Ross
A new payroll tax was signed into law by Governor Patterson called the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax (MTA Payroll Tax).
The Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax (MCTMT) is a new tax imposed on certain employers and self-employed individuals engaging in business within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD). The Department of Taxation and Finance administers the tax for the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
The MCTD includes New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island) , Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester counties.
The Tax applies to:
The Tax rate is:
Posted by: Tim Ross
The use of the new form was delayed for two months while the Obama administration reviewed the form and the policies for it's use. You should be using the form for employees hired after April 3, 2009.
All U.S. employers must complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens. On the form, the employer must examine the employment eligibility and identity document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and relate to the individual and record the document information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form.
Remember that in Abra I-9 Verification Status is tracked on the HR Status page.
You can get a copy of the latest form here.
Posted by: Tim Ross
The First Quarter 2009 updates for Sage Abra Suite are available today. Version 7.67 and Version 7.73 can be downloaded by Payroll customers from the Sage Abra Support site. The versions address the changes mandated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009 including:
Please remember to backup your Abra system using your external backup procedure before installing your update. Updates should be installed prior to running your Trial Quarter Close process for First Quarter 2009.
Posted by Tim Ross
Join Dundee Group, Ltd. at the 2009 CRHRA Annual Conference and Marketplace, Thursday March 19th at the Holiday Inn Albany, 205 Wolf Road, Albany, NY. This year's theme is "Sustainable Human Resources - - Supporting Our Organizations and Our World". The breakfast keynote speaker will be New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
Dundee Group will be featuring Sage Abra HRMS, Cyber Recruiter recruiting software, and Performance Appraisal Management software.
Posted by: Tim Ross
Do you have a Crystal Report that sometimes gives duplicate records? This can often happen with older reports written in ODBC using the User DSN "Abra Suite Live Data". The duplicates can be caused by deleted records showing in the report. Sage Software recommends using Abra Data Access (ADA) to connect to the Abra Suite data rather than ODBC. If you run the System, Processes, Optimize Databases and your duplicate records no longer show in the report, then the problem is deleted records.
If you need to keep your report in ODBC and are getting duplicates, you need to check the configuration of the ODBC. On your computer go to Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Data Sources (ODBC). Select "Abra Suite Live Data" and click the "Configure..." button. Click the "Options" button to reveal the options. Checking the box to the left of "Deleted" will configure ODBC to ignore deleted records. Click OK to save and close out of ODBC. Refresh the report and the duplicates should be gone.
Posted by: Tim Ross
Save the date and time! January 22, 2009 at 2:00pm Eastern. Join us for a Sage Lattes-Lunch-n-Learn: "What a New U.S. President and Congress Means for Employers and HR Professionals"
This is a MUST SEE, educational Webcast! This one-hour Webcast will be hosted by one of the top employment and labor law firms in the country, Littler Mendelson, P.C. We will examine what the results of the Presidential election and the new shape of Congress will mean for employers in 2009 and beyond. Plus, if you are a Sage customer and complete the survey at the end of the Webcast, you will receive a free Starbucks Card loaded with $5.
To register click on the Sage Webcast link on our homepage. The webcast is listed on the second page. Please contact me with any questions.
Posted by: Tim Ross
It's a sad but true fact that eventually you're going to have an employee with an IRS Levy. How do we handle this in Abra? Here's how:
From the Activity Center, select Payroll, Rules and Tax Codes. Add a LEVY Tax Code, making sure the Tax Code and the Tax Table ID say LEVY. On the Taxable Earnings tab, be sure to select all applicable Earnings Codes.
From the Activity Center, select Payroll, Rules and Deduction Codes. Add a LEVY Deduction Code. The Calculation Rule must be 'Flat Amount' and the Deduction Type must be 'Federal Levy'. Also make sure that there is an Earnings Basis for the deduction.
From the Activity Center, select Payroll, Details and Tax Withholdings. Add the Levy Tax Code to the same employee and be sure to complete any other needed items for the Tax Code (Exemptions, etc...).
The following table is used for the Filing Status for the Levy Tax Code.
Single - Single
Married Filing Joint Return (and Qualifying Widowers) - Married
Unmarried Head of Household - Head of Household
Married Filing Separate Return - Other
The Federal Levy is calculated by Abra based on Publication 1494 from the IRS. This publication may be obtained from the IRS here. The Levy amount is calculated internally and the correct amount will be withheld from the employee's check as a deduction which can then be paid to the IRS.
NOTE: Any earning that is set up as a Tax Only, Not in Check will not be included in the check amount after the Levy. For Example, an employee claiming Married and 2 exemptions should have 719.23 biweekly exempt from Levy (based on the 2009 tables). However, if they have a tax only, not in check earning of 150.00, it will show a net check of 569.23.
If it is necessary to withhold a specific flat amount for the Federal Levy, set up a new deduction code with a Deduction Type of Regular Withholding After Taxes and a Calculation Rule of Flat Amount. Add the new deduction code to the employee's Deduction panel and specify the correct amount there.
Posted by: Tim Ross
Before you know it, year-end will be here. Be sure to attend one of these classes to prepare.
Topics covered include:
Preparing for Year-End Closing
Defining Forms
Reporting Special Earnings and Withholdings in Abra Payroll
Pre-Final Processing 2008
Year-End Balancing and Reconciling
Final Closing
Printing and Editing Year-End Forms
Electronic Filing
Please contact us with any questions or to register for one of the following one day classes.
Herndon, VA
Thursday, November 6th or Friday, November 7th
Boston, MA
Thursday, November 13th or Friday, November 14th
St. Petersburg, FL
Thursday, November 20th or Friday, November 21st
Columbus, OH
Thursday, December 4th or Friday, December 5th
Seattle, WA
Thursday, December 11th or Friday, December 12th
Scottsdale, AZ
Thursday, December 18th or Friday, December 19th
Posted by: Tim Ross
