Newsletter June 2013

     Winter 2013    

Welcome to our Winter Newsletter.  We are here to assist you with your business software, payroll and employment related needs.  Please give one of our experienced team a call.

 

Starting out Workers and Trainees – $11.00 per hour (80% of adult minimum)The starting out wage came into effect for employers and employees on 1 May 2013

Starting out workers are:-

  • 16- and 17-year-old employees who have not yet completed six months of continuous employment with their current employer.
  • 18- and 19-year-old employees who have been paid a specified social security benefit for six months or more, and who have not yet completed six months continuous employment with any employer since they started being paid a benefit. Once they have completed six months continuous employment with a single employer, they will no longer be a starting-out worker, and must be paid at least the adult minimum wage rate.
  • 16- to 19-year-old employees who are required by their employment agreement to undertake industry training for at least 40 credits a year in order to become qualified for the occupation to which their employment agreement relates.

Trainees are:-

  • Employees aged 20 years or over who are doing recognised industry training involving at least 60 credits a year as part of their employment agreement, in order to become qualified. The training minimum wage applies to these employees.

Exception:-

If the employee is involved in supervising or training other workers they’re not eligible for the starting-out wage and must be paid at least the adult minimum wage.


Accommodation Provided to Employees and PAYE Deductions

Accommodation provided to an employee is a benefit and therefore taxable.

To calculate the value of the benefit you need to take into account what is being supplied, for example, if it’s a house, take into account the average market rent in your area and condition of the house.

To fulfil IRD requirements you can either:

a) Take the rent out of the person’s wages after tax has been paid.  Note the provision of accommodation

is a taxable benefit so it is liable for PAYE; or

b) Pay an accommodation allowance which covers the value of the accommodation, within their wages

and then deduct the rent back once tax has been paid on the total wages; or,

c) Pay Fringe Benefit tax on the value of the accommodation.

Employing School Age Children

If you employ school children you must now deduct PAYE from their wages (or salary) or tax from scheduler payments. If they are registered for Kiwisaver you may also need to start making employee deductions at 3%, however you do not have to make employer contributions for those under 18.

ABM Tip – Documents Folder

If you have a customer, supplier, job or product that you have a number of computer files for ( e.g. Word, Excel, pdf files) then you can create a folder on your computer and save them directly in to that specific folder.

You can then link the customer, supplier, product, or job to that folder in ABM.  The link is created in the Contacts screen for customers, suppliers, and jobs and in the Documents screen for products.  A separate folder will be required for each customer, product, supplier, or job.

Any user in ABM can then see the files when they open the customer, supplier, job, or product by going to the Documents screen.

The user is able to open the file simply by double clicking on them whilst they are still in ABM.

Introducing Jenny Beer: – Jenny will be working with us over the coming months to assist with Customer Support.  Jenny can be contacted on our support line 03 211 2595

 

Testimonial

“We have used Strategic Software for many years for our Accounting Program as well as our Payroll and have found them to be extremely efficient and reliable. They have a vast knowledge of Accounting Systems and Payroll, nothing was ever a problem. Payroll was a very easy and painless task, Strategic Software took care of every aspect and the reports we received weekly were very detailed with all the information we needed. We have since changed our programs to match our Head Office, however . . . during the change over Strategic Software couldn’t have been more helpful. Their understanding of what was needed was paramount for a smooth transition.”

Owen Webb, Manager
Carpet Court, Invercargill

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