I have slowly over the last couple of years migrated all my software to Sage. I use Sage 50 for my own accounts, Sage payroll, Sage Accounts Production Advanced, Sage Corporation Tax, Sage Taxation, Sage Company Secretarial, Sage Practice Solution. I love the way that all the software talks to the other and changes details across all of them thanks to having Sage Practice Solution.
I moved server yesterday and was dreading it because of the way the software links to each other but it went like a dream and Sage technical support were great.
A number of my clients use Sage Payroll and/or Sage 50. Importing from a Sage 50 back up to the Accounts Production Software and then into Sage Corporation Tax or Sage Taxation is seamless and saves so much time.
We also file everything online at Companies House and HMRC and the Sage software makes it so easy.
Its not cheap but I believe the time savings and the peace of mind that we are compliant, are paying for it.
Business for Breakfast Try Business for Breakfast www.bforb.co.uk. The meetings are only every other week 6:45 - 8:30 am. There are four groups in London and they tend not to have the same pressure to pass referrals as some BNI groups. They have only have one member per sector, the same as BNI, and because it is fortnightly you can have every other week off.
Tax Assistant I have been using Drummohr's Tax Assistant since I started my practice in 1998. It includes the capital allowance calculations and you can add other modules as and when you need them - Trusts, P11ds, CT. It includes individual, partnerships tax returns as standard as well as repayment claims. The partnership information can be pulled into the individual partner's tax return.
You can print to pdf and email returns to clients which was really useful this weekend!! It also generates a checklist based on what was on this year's returns which you can send out to clients for next year's tax returns.
It generates forms 64-8 and SA303, both of which can be saved as pdf's and it has a dividends database which is useful when your client only gives you half the information.
Updates can be downloaded straight from the website through an automatic update module.
I have found it painless over the last 10 years. It sounds as if it should be expensive, but I have found it to be good value over the years.
Hot fixes When you get your copy see what version it is and then go to the download section to see if there are any patches to download since your version.
I've been using 2008 for a while now and with all the patches it's working fine.
The VAT on-line submission works well and saves having to remember the User ID every time you want to submit your return as it is stored in the software, like the payoll on-line submission.
Foreign currency account You need to set up a dummy SEK bank account.
Pay the outstanding invoice into the SEK bank account
Do a transfer from the SEK bank account to the US$ account, setting the exchange rate so that the amount transferred across clears the SEK account and puts the correct amount into the US$ account
. We tend to only do those for who we are the registered office. We get the reminder from Companies House and email the client a copy of the 363 from our Sage company secretarial software. The client is asked to confirm that the details are correct and to send us a cheque for £15. On receipt of the cheque we submit it on-line from within the software. The fee for our time is picked up in the nominal fee for us being the registered office. For the few clients where we are not registered office and they send us the reminder, it is picked up in the year end fee, but they still pay the £15. The amount of time it takes is not worth the paperwork of billing separately.
Payroll services We currently provide payroll services for companies as small as the sole director. Please contact me for a list of our prices. As with any payroll bureaux we are set up for on-line filing so any clients will be eligible for the remaining on-line filing incentives.
Help with MBO My partner David Thompson has been involved with a number of management buy-outs both as an adviser and as a director. We would be happy to help you with your MBO and understand that unless otherwise instructed by you, that would be our only involvement.
It may be possible that there are other areas that we may be able to help with on other clients or areas of expertise that you have that we may be able to use with our clients.
If you are interested, please contact David Thompson on [email protected]
My answers
Sage
I have slowly over the last couple of years migrated all my software to Sage. I use Sage 50 for my own accounts, Sage payroll, Sage Accounts Production Advanced, Sage Corporation Tax, Sage Taxation, Sage Company Secretarial, Sage Practice Solution. I love the way that all the software talks to the other and changes details across all of them thanks to having Sage Practice Solution.
I moved server yesterday and was dreading it because of the way the software links to each other but it went like a dream and Sage technical support were great.
A number of my clients use Sage Payroll and/or Sage 50. Importing from a Sage 50 back up to the Accounts Production Software and then into Sage Corporation Tax or Sage Taxation is seamless and saves so much time.
We also file everything online at Companies House and HMRC and the Sage software makes it so easy.
Its not cheap but I believe the time savings and the peace of mind that we are compliant, are paying for it.
Business for Breakfast
Try Business for Breakfast www.bforb.co.uk. The meetings are only every other week 6:45 - 8:30 am. There are four groups in London and they tend not to have the same pressure to pass referrals as some BNI groups. They have only have one member per sector, the same as BNI, and because it is fortnightly you can have every other week off.
Tax Assistant
I have been using Drummohr's Tax Assistant since I started my practice in 1998. It includes the capital allowance calculations and you can add other modules as and when you need them - Trusts, P11ds, CT. It includes individual, partnerships tax returns as standard as well as repayment claims. The partnership information can be pulled into the individual partner's tax return.
You can print to pdf and email returns to clients which was really useful this weekend!! It also generates a checklist based on what was on this year's returns which you can send out to clients for next year's tax returns.
It generates forms 64-8 and SA303, both of which can be saved as pdf's and it has a dividends database which is useful when your client only gives you half the information.
Updates can be downloaded straight from the website through an automatic update module.
I have found it painless over the last 10 years. It sounds as if it should be expensive, but I have found it to be good value over the years.
Hot fixes
When you get your copy see what version it is and then go to the download section to see if there are any patches to download since your version.
I've been using 2008 for a while now and with all the patches it's working fine.
The VAT on-line submission works well and saves having to remember the User ID every time you want to submit your return as it is stored in the software, like the payoll on-line submission.
Foreign currency account
You need to set up a dummy SEK bank account.
Pay the outstanding invoice into the SEK bank account
Do a transfer from the SEK bank account to the US$ account, setting the exchange rate so that the amount transferred across clears the SEK account and puts the correct amount into the US$ account
Lengthy. but it should work
Good luck
.
We tend to only do those for who we are the registered office. We get the reminder from Companies House and email the client a copy of the 363 from our Sage company secretarial software. The client is asked to confirm that the details are correct and to send us a cheque for £15. On receipt of the cheque we submit it on-line from within the software. The fee for our time is picked up in the nominal fee for us being the registered office. For the few clients where we are not registered office and they send us the reminder, it is picked up in the year end fee, but they still pay the £15. The amount of time it takes is not worth the paperwork of billing separately.
Payroll services
We currently provide payroll services for companies as small as the sole director. Please contact me for a list of our prices. As with any payroll bureaux we are set up for on-line filing so any clients will be eligible for the remaining on-line filing incentives.
Help with MBO
My partner David Thompson has been involved with a number of management buy-outs both as an adviser and as a director. We would be happy to help you with your MBO and understand that unless otherwise instructed by you, that would be our only involvement.
It may be possible that there are other areas that we may be able to help with on other clients or areas of expertise that you have that we may be able to use with our clients.
If you are interested, please contact David Thompson on [email protected]
Kathryn Fletcher