FAQ

In the Payroll screen, click the 'More>>' button at the top of screen. More buttons will be displayed. Click the 'Show Calculation' button.

The calculation report shows exactly how Payback is calculating the current payment. If the calculation is not what you were expecting, the most common reasons  are:

Check that you've entered the correct Standard Rate Cut Off Point and Tax Credits in the Employee Screen 'Tax' tab. Ensure that you haven't inadvertently swapped the tax credits and Standard Rate cut off point. (If you do not know this information, put the employee on 'Emergency Tax'). These figures should be the annual amount.

Are you clicking the 'Pay' button at the top of the screen to process the pay for the employee? You have to click this button to process the Pay for the employee for the current period, before moving onto the next week or month.

Did the employee join your company mid-year?

• If you received a P45 from them, then make sure that the P45 details are correct in the Year to Date details in the employee screen.
• If you did not receive a P45, then make sure you set them up on Emergency Tax in the Year to Date details in the employee screen. (You can change them back to 'normal' once you receive a P45)

Did you change Payroll system from another software package, or paper based system mid year? - If you did, then please ensure that you've entered in all the correct information in the Year To Date details in the employee screen.

When entering USC rates in Payback, please use Cut Off Points and not Bands. For Example, these are Cut off Points (USE THESE):

These are Bands (DO NOT USE THESE):

Always use Cut off points, and not Bands when entering USC rates into Payback. The 4% figure is generally greater than the 2% figure) Revenue have introduced confusion by their use of terminology. P2C files and paper certificates use Cut Off Points. Revenue helpdesk and other internal systems use Bands.

You may have entered: 2% = €837 instead of using: 2% = €836.34

You may also notice that employees who are paid less than €10,036 are sometimes liable to USC.

The ceiling for USC exemption has risen from €4,004 to €10,036 for 2012. However Payback does not automatically apply this exemption. It is not a bug, this is by design.

Revenue have advised us that only the rates as advised on the P2C (Tax credits certificate) should be used. Users should not apply exemptions or reduced rates (Medical card holders etc) without a valid P2C. The onus is on the employee/pensioner (not the employer), to advise Revenue if their annual earnings will exceed the exemption threshold.

We understand that this will probably cause problems for employers. We have provided the facility for employers to make employees USC exempt. To make an employee USC exempt.

Step 1: Go to the employee screen.

Step 2: Select the employee you wish to make USC exempt.

Step 3: Click the PRSI/USC tab.

Step 4: If the 'USC Exempt' check box is visible, tick this and click update employee.

Step 5: If you can not see a 'USC Exempt' check box:

• Click the 'Change' button under the USC rates grid and a new screen will appear.
• Click 'Standard Rates' in the new screen. Click 'Yes' when the message 'Clear USC Rates and use standard rates' appears.
• The 'USC Exempt' should now be visible. Tick this and click 'Update Employee'.

Those differences are due to the way the rounding works. The P35 report rounds down the figures to the nearest Euro for each employee. Using the P35 Breakdown report, the tax from the P35 is 10477. If you include the cents for all payments, it is 10482.44

For the totals at the bottom, each employee's tax and prsi is rounded down and totalled. The P35 report does not have cent for each employee Eg, for two employees

The P30 cent amounts are not rounded in this way, so they'll be larger values.

We often get customers querying if PRSI, PAYE, USC or Income levy are being correctly calculated. Payback has undergone extensive testing. We use the following methods to test calculations:

• In house testing with our technicians. Calculations are manually calculated.
• In house testing, comparision with other products.
• Beta testing with a selection of existing customers who have elected to be beta testers. (The PRSI and PAYE algorithms have been in the wild since 2004, so that's a huge number of payslips!)

Some of the more complex calculations, especially for PRSI, often give different results depending on the method of calculation used. We have noticed that different payroll products will often give different results, especially when various ceilings are breached. Sometimes these differences can be significant, especially for highly paid monthly employees.

We are fully confident that Payback calculates the figures correctly.

In the past, when customers have queried the results, our support technicians have spent hours manually calculating PRSI, USC, Income Levy and PAYE, this always confirms that Payback is correct. Often the customer is using incorrect rates or making incorrect assumptions. Sometimes the customer is using an equally valid, but different method to calculate figures. Due to the time consuming and resource intensive nature of these queries, we will no longer be doing this.

The USC FAQ is here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/usc/universal-social-charge-faqs.pdf

The Income Levy FAQ is here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/income-levy/income-levy-faqs.pdf

PRSI Rates can be found here: http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/SW14.pdf

When you purchase an annual licence, this allows you to set up unlimited companies and employees in one installation of Payback. You may also set up as many users as you like as long as they are all reading from the same database. The licence prohibits the use on multiple machines where each user is reading from a separate database.

The licence is valid for one year. If you purchase a new licence on 20 Aug 2010, it will expire on 20 Aug 2011. If you are renewing a licence, it will be valid for one year from your previous licence expiry. If you renew early, you will still get a full year. When the licence expires, all features of Payback will still be active, but you will not be able to produce reports. This is so that people do not get 'locked' out of Payback if they've forgotten to renew, and need to pay their employees. We give our customers plenty of notice when their licence is due to expire, by post, email and also 6 weeks prior to expiry in the software

Please note that we always offer our customers a full year from the time their licence expires. A licence from one of our competitors will only last until the end of the current year (31 December)

Before you start using Payback, there is an End User Licence Agreement that you have to agree to. Here is the full text:

1) Terms

The copyright of the software and documentation described in this License Agreement is the sole and exclusive property of Silveronion Software Ltd. 'The Licensor' trading as Payback Payroll. The original and any copies of the licensed software which are made by the Licensee shall remain the property of the Licensor. The term 'Software' shall include any modified versions, system upgrades and system updates, added features and modules supplied by the Licensor and or it's authorised agents.

2) Payback Unlimited Edition Version of Software

The conditions in section 1) of this agreement apply to the version of the software known as 'Payback Unlimited Edition'.

The license granted hereunder authorises the Licensee on a non-exclusive basis to use the licensed program in machine readable form on a single computer system. Sale, lease, hire or reassignment to or by a third party is expressly forbidden without the written consent of the Licensor.

The license granted hereunder authorises the Licensee on a non-exclusive basis to use the licensed program in machine readable form on a single computer system for a period of 365 days from the date of installation of the product. Sale, lease, hire or reassignment to or by a third party is expressly forbidden without the written consent of the Licensor. Use of the licensed program is restricted to the nominated user who has been issued with a License number by the Licensor. If the nominated user fails to pay for the software within 30 days of the software being issued to them, the nominated user expressly loses the authorisation to use this Software.

3) Conditions of Agreement

The licensee expressly agrees that the software or any part of the software cannot be accessed or referred to or otherwise used to create or modify any other payroll or personnel or business software system. The Licensor does not warrant the quality, fitness for purpose or performance of the Software or the associated documentation and all such warranties, whether implied, statutory or otherwise are hereby excluded.

The Licensor is not in any circumstances liable for loss or corruption of data or other Software nor for any lost business or profits or anticipated savings or other consequential loss caused by any defect in the software or any breach of its obligations under this agreement.

If either or both of the foregoing reasons shall for any reason be held to be invalid in whole or in part it is hereby agreed that the Licensor's liability to the customer for any loss or damage caused by any defect in the software or any breach of the suppliers obligation under the Agreement shall be limited to and shall not exceed the purchase price of the original software package, for any loss caused by the negligence of the supplier, its employees or its agents shall in any event be limited to the said sum.

It is hereby agreed that it shall be the responsibility of the customer to obtain an appropriate insurance for any defects in the software and any loss and damage that may be caused by any breach of the Licensor's obligations under this Agreement and in particular to obtain insurance against loss or corruption of data or other software.

By proceeding with this installation you signify that you have read and agree with the terms and conditions set out in this document.

Please do not ask us for free, or temporary licences. Without charging people for licences, we will not be able to stay in business.

We offer people the opportunity to try a full version of Payback before purchasing. This gives the user the chance to make sure that it does everything that is required, and is suited to their needs. Once we issue a licence code, we are unable to give a refund. This is due to the nature of the product.

To copy Payback from an old PC and move it to a new PC, please follow these instructions.

On your old PC:

Step 1: Backup your Payback data. To do this select 'Admin' on the left and click the 'Backup' icon. Then click the 'Backup' button. Payback will prompt you for a file name. Save the file to somewhere you can easily remember, like your Desktop.

Step 2: Copy the data from your old PC to your new PC. Copy the file you backed up to the new PC to a location you can easily remember, like the Desktop. You can use a USB key, a CD-R, Dropbox, or even email yourself the file to copy it to the new PC.

On your new PC:

Step 1: Download the latest version of Payback onto your new PC from http://www.payback.ie/support/downloads/

Step 2: Install this version of Payback onto your new PC (Run the setup.exe you downloaded in step one)

Step 3: Enter your registration details. Click 'Admin' on the left hand side of the screen, click the 'Options' icon, and select the 'Registration' tab. Input your registration details and then click the 'Update' button at the top (You will find your registration details on this screen in your old PC, or it will be in your original registration email) You can also retrieve your registration details from here:http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_regcode.aspx

Step 4: Restore your data. Select 'Admin' on the left, click 'Backup', select the 'Restore' tab, and click the 'Restore' button. Choose the backup file you copied across from your old PC, and click 'OK'

Step 5: Restart Payback and check your data is correct.

Step 1: Retrieve the P2C file:

• Using your internet browser, Log into ROS https://www.ros.ie/login.jsp
• Click on the ROS box icon. Your inbox screen will appear.
• Select the 'View PAYE P2C Details' option.
• Make sure your tax registration number is filled, and you have selected a Tax Year.
• Click 'View All'. A new screen will appear displaying the tax credits for your employees.
• Click 'Export Complete List'
• A box will appear asking about marking the P2Cs as exported - click OK
• If asked to 'Save' or 'Open' the file, select 'Save'
• Choose somewhere you'll be able to find the file, like on your desktop, to save it too.
• Click 'Close' and exit your browser.

Step 2: Open Payback and click on 'Utility' on the menu at the left, and then select the 'Import Tax' icon. The P2C file import screen will appear.

Step 3: Click 'Load File' at the top of the screen and select the P2C file you downloaded from ROS in step 1. Check the data in the grids, and if you are happy, click the 'Import' button. Make sure that the company has been successfully matched before importing the data.

NOTE: Payback matches P2C data using:

- Employer No. (Details tab in Company Screen)

- PPS No. (Contact tab in Employee Screen)

Please make sure that you have entered these correctly before importing P2C files. If you have not entered an employer number for your existing companies, or have entered it incorrectly, then Payback will not be able to match up your data. If you continue with the P2C import, then a duplicate company will be created. If you have not entered PPSNs for any of your employees, or they are incorrect, then (like company, above) Payback will not be able to match the employees up to the P2C data. If you continue with the import then duplicate employees will be set up. If you find that duplicate employees have been set up, these can be deleted by following these instructions:http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3

Duplicate companies can be deleted following these instructions: http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=420

If you are running version 2016.03, then your payroll software is already up to date. You do not need to do anything else. We have released a new version for 2016. It can be downloaded from here:

http://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe

IMPORTANT: Please back up your data before installing this update. (In Payback, click Admin / Backup / Backup and save the file somewhere like your desktop).

Download and run the setup.exe file, and follow the on-screen instructions. This will update your software to v2016.03. If you start Payback and notice your payroll data is not present, then you can restore your data from the back up you made (click Admin / Backup / Restore). When you have successfully upgraded, the version number in the title bar at the top of the screen in Payback should say 2016.03. Use the 'Year' drop down list at the top left of the Payroll screen to select the new year.

NOTE: Do not uninstall your existing version of Payback.

1. Backup your payroll data (Click 'Admin' on the left, and then 'Backup')
2. Exit from Payback
3. Download the update and when prompted click 'Run'
4. This will start the Payback installation wizard. Proceed through each step by clicking 'Next'
5. Start up Payback
6. Payback will automatically detect your payroll data and copy it across
7. Check that the version number at the top of the Payback screen is the latest version
8. Check that your payroll data is correct and up-to-date
(9. If your payroll data is missing or is incorrect, then restore from the backup you took in step one)

PAYE
There were no PAYE changes for 2016 in the Budget. All PAYE rates stay the same.

PRSI
Employer PRSI

• The Class A threshold for charging the 10.75% rate of employer PRSI will increase from €356 to €376.
• No change in the Class A €38 threshold for charging employer PRSI.
• No change in the rates of employer PRSI for other PRSI Classes.

Employee PRSI (Class A)

• The Class A employee PRSI rate of 4% remains unchanged.
• For gross earnings between €352.01 and €424, the amount of the PRSI charge at 4% is reduced by a new tapered weekly PRSI Credit.
• The maximum weekly PRSI Credit of €12.00 applies at gross weekly earnings of €352.01.
• For gross weekly earnings over €352.01, the maximum weekly PRSI Credit of €12.00 is reduced by one sixth of weekly earnings in excess of €352.01.
• There is no PRSI Credit once gross weekly earnings exceed €424.
• Participants in Community Employment and the Employer PRSI Exemption Schemes with weekly gross earnings between €352.01 and €424 will benefit from a PRSI Credit, in the same way as other Class A contributors.
• To accommodate the new PRSI Credit in Classes A and H, the thresholds for certain Class A and Class H subclasses are altered.
• The new PRSI Credit will only apply to the subclasses AX, AL, HX and A7 and to those with weekly gross earnings between €352.01 and €424 in subclass A9.

Other Employee PRSI
A PRSI Credit, equivalent to that for Class A employees, will apply to Class H and Class E employees. No change in employee PRSI for other PRSI classes.

Self-Employed Class S
No change to PRSI Class S.

Class K
No change for PRSI Class K


USC

PRSA, 2016

Chapter 2 of the Finance Bill 2015 contains an amendment to the USC treatment of employer contributions to an employee’s Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA). With effect from 1 January 2016, these contributions will no longer attract a USC liability for the employee.

If a new PRSA is set up for an employee for 2016 using the Quick Setup, the USC BIK element will no longer be automatically added. Any existing PRSA USC BIK elements (set up for PRSAs prior to 2016) will be calculated at zero for 2016 contributions. We recommend removing USC BIK elements in the employee screen before processing payments for 2016.

Week 53, 2015 and 2016

Revenue has previously advised that USC Week 53 should be processed on an emergency basis. Payback has followed this advice.

On the 9 December 2015, Revenue has retrospectively changed this advice. They published a new version of the USC FAQ:http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/usc/universal-social-charge-faqs.pdf This new version states that Week 53 USC should now be processed with week one USC credits.

Unfortunately, this came far too late to test and roll out an update for 2015. The 2016 version of payback, (including the pre-release), calculates Week 53 using the revised rules.

If you processed a week 53 for your employees in 2015, they may be due a refund for USC. Please contact Revenue to arrange the refund.

Telephone: 1890 25 45 65
Email: employerhelp@revenue.ie

If an employee has not yet received a P2C for 2016, then there rates are determined according to section 4.35(b) of this document:http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/usc/universal-social-charge-faqs.pdf

P35 Wizard
Included in the 2016 version is a new P35 wizard. In the Reports screen, select ROS P35 (annual) A button called 'ROS P35 Wizard' will appear at the top of the screen. Click this button and a dialogue will appear which simplifies the process of checking and uploading P35s.

reports
Two new reports are included:

• Annual Gross to Net
• Annual Expenses

CloudPay
We have also released a cloud version: https://www.cloudpay.ie

The deadline for submitting your P35 return is the 15th February.

 (We strongly advise checking this date with Revenue as they may decide to change the deadline, and then charge late filing penalties etc). As there is limited support available at the weekends, we would advise completing your P35 return as soon as possible. Here are some guidelines to help you in this process.

1. IMPORTANT: Make sure you are running at least "Payback Version 2016.03" of Payback. You can see the version info at the top of the screen. If you need to upgrade then click Admin/Backup/Backup to backup your data (this is very important). Then download and run the upgrade file from: http://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe Use Payback Version 2016.03 (or higher) to produce your ROS P35.
2. Revenue do not accept the Payback printed P35 return (they only accept printed returns on their own stationery). We would recommend subscribing to ROS so you can complete your returns online. Go to http://www.ros.ie to subscribe.
3. You should go to the Reports screen and print out the 'P35 (annual)' and the 'P35 Breakdown' reports for 2015 to ensure they tally with your 2015 P30 returns.
4. For printed returns: Make sure you are printing all the pages - If you go into the Report Preview window you'll see there are four tabs along the top of the P35 report which correspond to the four sections of the P35. You will then have to transpose the data from the printed report to the Revenue P35 form manually as per Revenue requirements (See point 2)
5. For ROS online returns: To generate the ROS P35 do the following;
• Go into the Reports screen
• Select '2015' from the dropdown on the top-left
• Select ROS P35 in the reports list
• Click the 'Check ROS P35' button to check your data is okay. Fix any errors.
• Click 'Create File' and save the file somewhere you'll remember, like the desktop or your documents folder
• Upload this file to your account on http://www.ros.ie
• See the 'Common ROS errors' section for solutions to common problems.

Upload your 2015 P35 to ROS as soon as possible. If you have any issues it will give you time to sort them out.

Q. Is it safe to upgrade to v2016.03, as I'm still running v2015.04 (or some other 2015 version of Payback)

A. Yes. Upgrade immediately. Please ensure you perform a backup before upgrading in case there are problems.

Q. Someone left and re-joined during the year. They're now appearing as duplicate employees in the printed P35 report.

A. The printed P35 report will show duplicate employees as two separate lines - This isn't an issue as Revenue only accept P35s on their own stationery. Our printed P35 report is used mainly to cross-check your figures and to manually transpose figures to the Revenue P35 form. Duplicate employees are merged into one record into the ROS P35 file, based on their PPS number.

Q. I want to delete employees from 2015 who no longer work for me.

A. You cannot delete Employees from the master file, as the payroll data has to be retained for historic reasons. If you P45 them they will no longer appear on the 'Payroll' screen

Q. Pension payments are not appearing on the P35 report

A. You may have selected the incorrect 'type' when you were setting up the pension deduction. The 'type' is the only way Payback has of identifying the deduction as a pension. You will need to map the pension deductions so that they are picked up for the P35. Here are the instructions: http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=385

To set up pensions, please follow these instructions: http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_pension.aspx

Q. I'm getting an error when I upload to ROS

A. Payback have a P35 error fixing facility where it is possible to quickly fix common errors like incorrect PPS numbers etc. To use this facility:

1. Go to the Reports screen in Payback
2. Select '2015' for the year, and select the ROS P35 (Annual) report.
3. A new button will appear at the top of the screen - 'Check ROS Data' - click this button.
4. A new screen will appear where you can quickly fix most errors that may appear.
5. Once the message '-No Errors Detected-' Appears in the Check ROS Data screen, recreate your P35 and try uploading to ROS again.

Q. I'm still having problems producing the P35 return.

A. Please Check the forum, and the FAQ. If you can not find the answer, then submit a support ticket describing your problem - this is the fastest way to get a response. The support department is very busy in the weeks leading up to the P35 return. We do not recommend email as your query may get lost and will not be logged.

Q. The P60s are blank.

A. You need to upgrade to 2016.03 (Or higher) and then produce the P60s. If you need to upgrade then click Admin/Backup/Backup tobackup your data (this is very important). Then download and run the upgrade file from http://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe

Q. There is no year on the P60s.

A. The P60 template issued by Revenue does not have a year on it. However, due to requests from our customers, we have updated the certificate to now include the year. You need to upgrade to 2016.03 (Or higher) and then produce the P60s. If you need to upgrade then click Admin/Backup/Backup to backup your data (this is very important). Then download and run the upgrade file fromhttp://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe

Common ROS errors and solutions are listed below. If you're still having problems uploading after reviewing this list, then please check the forum  http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/ and the FAQ http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_faq.aspx If you still can not find a solution, thensubmit a support ticket explaining what the error message is.

Revenue now requires employers to enter the gross medical insurance premium eligible for tax relief for each employee that has their gross premium paid by the company. To see if any employees fall into this category, select 'ROS P35' in the reports screen and then click the 'Medical Insurance' button that appears at the top of the screen. Any employees that had thier Gross Premium paid by the company will be listed. If no employees appear then you can ignore this requirement.

• Select each employee and enter the 'Amount Eligible for Tax Relief' OR the 'TRS Amount'
• Click the 'Update' button and move onto the next employee listed.
• Tax relief figures can be obtained from the employee's Medical Insurance provider
• The Amount Eligible for Tax Relief is 5 x TRS Amount
• The Amount Eligible for Tax Relief must also be either equal to or less than the Gross Premium Paid
• If you do not fill in these details or fill them in incorrectly for all relevent employees your P35 may be rejected by ROS

When you upload the P35 to Revenue in most cases it will upload with no errors. In case you do encounter ROS errors, here are some common ones with suggested solutions;

ROS ERROR: Form version 9 ......
SOLUTION: You've created the P35 file using an old version of Payback (e.g. 2015.04) - You need to upgrade to 2016.03 (Or higher) and then produce the P35 again. If you need to upgrade then click Admin/Backup/Backup to backup your data (this is very important). Then download and run the upgrade file from http://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe

ROS ERROR: "PPSN has invalid format in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111X"
SOLUTION: Enter a valid PPSN in the Employee screen. Re-generate P35.

ROS ERROR: "Surname has invalid format in the P35L for John Smith 22, PPSN: 1111111L"
SOLUTION: Enter the correct surname in the Employee screen (numbers etc. are not accepted as part of the surname)

ROS ERROR: "Date of Birth is missing and employee cannot be identified in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: Not Provided."
"Address is missing and employee cannot be identified in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: Not Provided.
"PPSN is missing and employee cannot be identified in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: Not Provided."
SOLUTION: You must provide these details in the Employee screen.

ROS ERROR: "Date of Commencement must be completed where previous pay and tax is entered in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L"
SOLUTION: You must enter a 'Date Joined Company' in the Employee / YTD screen

ROS ERROR: "Unidentified error in a P35L Employer Tag, Employer Number : Not Provided"
SOLUTION: Ensure you've entered a valid Employer Number in the Company screen. Also, make sure the address lines aren't too long.

ROS ERROR: The value '' of attribute 'number' on element 'ns1:Employer' is not valid with respect to its type, 'registration'.
SOLUTION: You've entered your employer number incorrectly in the Company screen.

ROS ERROR: "Total PRSI is not completed despite liability in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L"
"Pay has too small a value in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L"
SOLUTION: This happens if someone was paid zero for the year. Go into the Payroll screen, click History, and check the payments. Rewind any zero payments, or manually adjust your P35.

ROS ERROR: "Total Weeks Insurable has too large a value in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L"
SOLUTION: You probably entered too many insurable weeks for one of the payments. Go into the Payroll screen, click History, and check the insurable weeks. Either rewind/repay the incorrect entry, or manually adjust your P35.
You may also have entered too many insurable weeks in the Year to Date screen for the employee. The Year to Date screen can be accessed by clicking the 'Year to Date' button in the Employee screen. Run the P35 Breakdown (with USC) report to check the figures.

ROS ERROR: "Initial PRSI Class is missing in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L"
SOLUTION: Can happen in 'zero pay' scenarios, or if the incorrect PRSI class was selected for someone (e.g. if you selected A instead of J for FAS employees). Go into the Payroll screen, click History, and check the PRSI codes for each week. Either rewind/repay the incorrect entry, or manually adjust your P35.

ROS ERROR: "Unidentified error in a P35L: PPSN: 1111111L, Name : John Smith."
SOLUTION: If an employee left and was then re-employed by you, you should ensure they were setup as two separate employees in Payback. For the second employee you need to enter the P45 details carried forward from the first employee. Both employees pay figures are merged under the one PPSN in the P35 return.

ROS ERROR: "Value '29-08-1994' is not facet-valid with respect to pattern '[0-3]?[0-9]/[0-3]?[0-9]/[1-9][0-9]{3}' for type 'date'"
SOLUTION: Your Windows date format may be incorrect.Make sure that the date parts (day/month/year) are separated by slashes '/' rather than minus signs '-'. You can change this in regional settings in Windows: http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=693

1. If you need to change historic data in Payback, please be aware that rewinding/repaying an employee could change their net pay on your version of their payslip, this could also affect the P30 report for the month in question.
2. If necessary, you can amend the P35 file manually using the ROS Off-line application which you can download from http://www.ros.ie/PublisherServlet/info/install. If you change the ROS P35 file using the ROS application, then remember that the Payback P35 data will not be an accurate reflection of what you submitted to ROS.

Mistakes can be easily rectified in Payback. In the past if a user made a mistake while processing payments using other payroll software, correcting would involve a laborious process of restoring old back ups, and possibly losing work.

Payback has a 'rewind' feature that allows payments to be reversed, or 'un-done'.

Payback allows the following:

• Rewind the current processed payment
• Change payments from previous periods
• Rewind and Change payments from previous years
• Bulk Rewind a full year for a single or multiple employees
• Automatically fix P35 errors

At the top of the Payroll screen is a 'Rewind' button. Clicking this causes the current payment (For the selected pay date and employee) to be rewound, or undone.

NOTE: Bold text means that the payment has not been processed yet. To process a payment, click the 'Pay' button. In the above screen shot, Mandy has not had her 2 Mar 2015 payment processed yet as it is displayed in bold. Her name is bold in the list of employees and in the history grid, the column for 2 Mar 2015 is also in bold. The figures displayed are preview figures. Harry Smith has had his payment for 2 Mar 2015 processed because it is not in bold.

(It is possible to rewind Harry, but not Mandy)

Payroll is generally calculated on a cumulative basis. This means that previous payments impact PAYE, PRSI and USC that is owed for future payments. For example, if an employee was taxed on the emergency basis for January and then they receive their Certificate of Tax Credits before their next pay then they would probably get a tax refund in their February pay. PRSI and USC may also have thresholds and bands that may be breached during the year that may impact future payments.

This means that payments need to be rewound in reverse chronological order. For Example:

Week 1: 1 Jan to 7 Jan : - Period paid

Week 2: 8 Jan to 14 Jan : Period paid incorrectly

Week 3: 15 Jan to 21 Jan : Period Paid

Week 4: 22 Jan to 28 Jan : Period Paid

Week 5: 29 Jan to 4 Feb : Period Not Paid

Week 6: 5 Feb to 11 Feb : Period Not Paid

...

It is week 5 and a mistake has been noticed for week 2. In order to rewind week 2 to correct the mistake, week 4 and then week 3 first have to be rewound. Payments can only be rewound in reverse order.

The 'Change' button will allow to reprocess a period without first rewinding preceding periods. In the example above, you could follow these instructions:

1. Back up your database in case the results are not what was expected
2. Select Week 2
3. Select the employee in the employee grid
4. Click 'More>>' that top of the screen. More buttons will appear
5. Click 'Change'
6. Make the appropriate adjustment to week 2
7. Click 'Submit'

This automatically reprocesses week 3 and week 4. We advise caution using this method because future payments you've already processed for the employee can be changed. The could impact payslips and P30s.

To change previous years, Select the year you wish to change from the 'Year' drop down at the top right of the Payroll screen.

Please make sure that you have the correct tax credits, standard rate cut off point, PRSI class and USC rates for the employee for the year you wish to make changes to. You will have to edit these in the Employee screen. When you have finished making the changes for the year, remember to change these rates back.

Payback will automatically use the correct PRSI settings and calculations appropriate to the selected year.

1. Back up your database in case the results are not what was expected
2. Click 'More>>' that top of the screen. More buttons will appear
3. Select 'Rewind Full Year'
4. Tick the employee(s) you wish to rewind all payments for the year for
5. (Note that you will not be able to reverse this - so make sure the correct employee(s) are selected!)
6. Click 'Rewind Full Year'

Another way of making changes to payments is via the Check Ros Data facility. This can be found in the Reports screen. Select the year you wish to create the P35 for and then select the ROS P35 (Annual) report. A button will appear at the top of the screen called 'Check Ros Data'. Using this will allow you to quickly make changes to allow you submit your P35.

Example, to fix this error:

ROS ERROR: "Total PRSI is not completed despite liability in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L" "Pay has too small a value in the P35L for John Smith, PPSN: 1111111L"

The above can appear if an employee has been paid zero for the year. This can happen if the user has processed payslips with net and gross pay of zero. It can also happen if an employee has been on taxable maternity where their credits have been reduced. (We suggest contacting Revenue or your accountant to find out how to submit a return for such employees. You may have to fill out a P11:http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/forms/form11.pdf )

1. If you need to change historic data in Payback, please be aware that rewinding/repaying an employee could change their net pay on your version of their payslip, this could also affect the P30 report for the month in question.
2. If you are rewinding a large number of payments, or using the 'Change' or 'Rewind Full Year' facility, it is strongly advised that you first back up your database.

If an employee is set up as paying a pension, but the amount is not appearing on the P35LF, please make sure you have the correct pension type mapped to the deduction (RAC, RBS, or PRSA)

The good news is that Payback has a utility to map pension deductions to the correct Pension type.

Follow the instructions below to map pensions.

1. Select 'ROS P35 (Annual)' in the reports screen.
2. A button with 'Check ROS P35' will appear at the top of the screen.
3. Click 'Check ROS P35', the P35 fixer tool will appear
4. Select the Pension tab.
5. Here you can map the deductions you've set up to pension types. Please make sure that all the pensions are mapped.
6. When you have done this, try producing the P35 again.

The listed types refer to the following:

• RBS - Retirement Benefit Scheme
• PRSA - Personal Retirement Savings Account
• RAC - Retirement Annuity Contract

If you do not know which one to select, ask the pension provider.

When setting up the fortnightly (or four-weekly) frequency the payment week is selected. For Fortnightly, this can be 'First' or 'Second'. For Four-weekly it can be 'First', 'Second', 'Third' or 'Fourth'. Setting this determines the first, and subsequent, payment dates.

1. Go the Company screen.
2. Click the 'Pay Details' tab.
3. Tick the 'Fortnightly' (or 'Four-weekly') tick box.

Fortnightly - First week is selected. Weeks highlighted in red (odd weeks) indicate the pay date.

Week 1: 1 Jan to 7 Jan

Week 2: 8 Jan to 14 Jan

Week 3: 15 Jan to 21 Jan

Week 4: 22 Jan to 28 Jan

Week 5: 29 Jan to 4 Feb

...

...

Week 51: 17 Dec to 23 Dec

Week 52: 24 Dec to 30 Dec

Week 53: 31 Dec

Fortnightly - Second week is selected. Weeks highlighted in red (even weeks) indicate the pay date.

Week 1: 1 Jan to 7 Jan

Week 2: 8 Jan to 14 Jan

Week 3: 15 Jan to 21 Jan

Week 4: 22 Jan to 28 Jan

Week 5: 29 Jan to 4 Feb

...

...

Week 51: 17 Dec to 23 Dec

Week 52: 24 Dec to 30 Dec

Week 53: 31 Dec

Four-weekly - First week is selected. Weeks highlighted in red indicate the pay date.

Week 1: 1 Jan to 7 Jan

Week 2: 8 Jan to 14 Jan

Week 3: 15 Jan to 21 Jan

Week 4: 22 Jan to 28 Jan

Week 5: 29 Jan to 4 Feb

...

...

Week 49: 3 Dec to 9 Dec

Week 50: 10 Dec to 16 Dec

Week 51: 17 Dec to 23 Dec

Week 52: 24 Dec to 30 Dec

Week 53: 31 Dec (Red if pay day falls on 31 dec)

Four-weekly - Third week is selected. Weeks highlighted in red indicate the pay date.

Week 1: 1 Jan to 7 Jan

Week 2: 8 Jan to 14 Jan

Week 3: 15 Jan to 21 Jan

Week 4: 22 Jan to 28 Jan

Week 5: 29 Jan to 4 Feb

...

...

Week 51: 17 Dec to 23 Dec

Week 52: 24 Dec to 30 Dec

Week 53: 31 Dec

An example. Fortnightly payment frequency was set up with the Second week being the payment week. Wednesday was selected as the Payday. The pay dates for 2014 look like this:

Week 1: 1 Jan to 7 Jan

Week 2: 8 Jan to 14 Jan : Pay date is Wed 8 Jan 2014

Week 3: 15 Jan to 21 Jan

Week 4: 22 Jan to 28 Jan : Pay date is Wed 22 Jan 2014

Week 5: 29 Jan to 4 Feb

...

...

Week 51: 17 Dec to 23 Dec

Week 52: 24 Dec to 30 Dec : Pay date is Wed 24 Dec 2014

Week 53: 31 Dec

Following this pattern, the next expected pay date would be Wednesday 7 January 2015. This is two weeks after the last pay date in 2014 (Wednesday 24 Dec 2014)

However, 7 January 2015 falls in the first PAYE week of 2015, not the second. The Fortnightly payment frequency was set up for every second week in the year. Payback chooses 14 January 2015 as the pay date as this is the second PAYE week of the year - conforming to the way the frequency was set up in the company screen.

1. Select the Company Screen and select the Pay Details tab.
2. Under 'Fortnightly', if 'First' is selected for Payment week, then select 'Second' instead.
3. OR; Under 'Fortnightly', if 'Second' is selected for Payment week, then select 'First'
4. Then click 'Update Company' at the top of the screen.

(In other words, change the payment week)

If you are using the Four-weekly payment frequency, you will have to select the appropriate Week for your first payment. Please refer to the PAYE calendar to determine which week you should select

• Changing the Payment frequency will not effect your P35 or P60s etc. for the Year.
• If you process 2014 and need to change the frequency for the following year, then the Paydates for 2014 will look incorrect. However, the Payments are still there. Click on an employee in the Payroll screen and select the 'History' tab. Here you will see all the payments that were processed with the correct Pay dates.
• If you change the Pay frequency for the current year and need to make changes to the previous year, you will first have to change back the pay week to its original setting before making the changes. Remember to change it back again to continue processing the current year.

Similar to the travel pass scheme, an employer and employee may enter into a salary sacrifice arrangement whereby the employee agrees to forego part of his or her salary to cover the costs associated with the purchase of the bicycle/safety equipment.

From the 2013 version onward, there is now an easier way to process Cycle to work, by using 'Quick Setup'. Cycle to Work should be deducted from the salary by means of salary sacrifice before any tax / PRSI calculations are made. The Revenue leaflet advises to treat the scheme as Benefit in Kind.

Step 1: Select the employee in the Employee screen.

Step 2: Click the 'Quick Setup' button at the top of the screen.

Step 3: Tick the 'Cycle to Work Scheme' tick box in the Quick Setup screen.

Step 4: Enter the amount of sacrifice (cycle to work) per pay period.

Step 5: Click 'Ok', then click 'Update employee'

To do a salary sacrifice in Payback, assuming a gross of €1000 and a salary sacrifice of €100, for version 9 or greater (with USC) please set up the elements and deductions like this:

Now we should make a deduction from the Salary of €100, because the employee is not getting this amount in their wage packet. When deducting this amount, the Tax, PRSI and USC should stay the same from step one. The deduction will look like this:

Please note: you should manually adjust the salary. Manually reduce the salary amount (eg €1000) by the salary sacrifice amount (€100).

• If you use Quick Setup, a new sacrifice (cycle to work) element and deduction will be set up.
• For salaried employees, the salary amount will automatically be reduced by the sacrifice amount.
• For hourly paid employees, there is no automatic reduction. Their pay will still have to be manually adjusted.
• Payback uses the taxable gross pay on payslips and reports
• Salary sacrifice will reduce the Gross pay. This is correct operation. (If the old gross pay amount was to be used, then when you issue a P45, it will look like the employee has underpaid tax. The result will be that a new employer will over tax them.)
• The employer should purchase the bike, otherwise the exemption will not apply.

The cycle to work scheme is described here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/practitioner/law/bik-exemption-for-bicycles.pdf

The Taxsaver scheme is described here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/spotlights/travel-pass.html

and http://www.taxsaver.ie/

From 6 Jan 2014 Illness Benefit payment will not be made for the first six days of illness (up from three days). This means that a person will not be entitled to Illness Benefit for the first six days of their claim (unless the person was receiving Illness Benefit, Injury Benefit or a jobseekers' payment immediately before their claim). Claims with a commencement date before 6 Jan 2014 and those coming from Maternity Benefit will not be paid for the first three days of illness.

Illness Benefit is taxable. However, it is paid to the employee without any deduction of income tax. This is why Illness Benefit is put through the payroll - so that it can be correctly taxed.

1. Select the employee in the Employee screen.
2. Click the 'Quick Setup' button at the top of the screen.
3. Tick the 'Illness Benefit' tick box in the Quick Setup screen.
4. Select whether or not the employee kept the benefit amount (or if they handed the payment over to the company)
5. Enter the Benefit amount per pay period
6. Click 'Ok', then click 'Update employee'

Example One: Illness benefit of €188 where the employer keeps the social welfare cheque

You do not have to set up any deductions in this scenario. The social welfare amount should be paid back to the employee because the employer kept the cheque. Note that the Social Welfare amount has been taxed.

Example Two: Illness benefit of €188 where the employee keeps the social welfare cheque

In this example, we also need to make a deduction. This is because the Employee kept the social welfare cheque and no social welfare payment was handed over to the company. The Benefit amount is added as an element so that the correct tax can be applied. The Benefit amount is then taken off again because the company should not pay the benefit amount to the employee. (The employee has already received it). The Benefit amount is only appearing on the payslip for tax reasons.

• If you use Quick Setup, a new element (and deduction if the employee kept the cheque) will be set up.
• Information about Illness Benefit can be found here: http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/345_Illness-Benefit.aspx

From the 1 July 2013, Employers will have to collect Property Tax through payroll. Revenue have instructed that this tax should be deducted both for employees that choose this method of payment and also as a compliance measure. Employers will be legally obliged to enforce this deduction.

Employers should only deduct, or stop deducting, Local Property Tax where they have been instructed to do so by the Revenue. This instruction can come either via a Tax Credit Certificate, or a P2C file downloaded from ROS. Employers have no descretion in this matter, even if the net pay is zero, below protected earnings or the employee objects.

When you import the P2C file, if you get the error message 'String Value (ID_EXEMPT_INDICATOR] too long' it means that you are running an old version of Payback. You should upgrade to the latest version of Payback, and try the import again.

Step 1: Retrieve the P2C file:

• Using your internet browser, Log into ROS https://www.ros.ie/login.jsp
• Click on the ROS box icon. Your inbox screen will appear.
• Select the 'View PAYE P2C Details' option.
• Make sure your tax registration number is filled, and you have selected a Tax Year.
• Click 'View All'. A new screen will appear displaying the tax credits for your employees.
• Click 'Export Complete List'
• A box will appear asking about marking the P2Cs as exported - click OK
• If asked to 'Save' or 'Open' the file, select 'Save'
• Choose somewhere you'll be able to find the file, like on your desktop, to save it too.
• Click 'Close' and exit your browser.

Step 2: Open Payback and click on 'Utility' on the menu at the left, and then select the 'Import Tax' icon. The P2C file import screen will appear.

Step 3: Click 'Load File' at the top of the screen and select the P2C file you downloaded from ROS in step 1. Check the data in the grids, and if you are happy, click the 'Import' button. Make sure that the company has been successfully matched before importing the data.

NOTE: Payback matches P2C data using:

- Employer No. (Details tab in Company Screen)

- PPS No. (Contact tab in Employee Screen)

Please make sure that you have entered these correctly before importing P2C files. If you have not entered an employer number for your existing companies, or have entered it incorrectly, then Payback will not be able to match up your data. If you continue with the P2C import, then a duplicate company will be created. If you have not entered PPSNs for any of your employees, or they are incorrect, then (like company, above) Payback will not be able to match the employees up to the P2C data. If you continue with the import then duplicate employees will be set up. If you find that duplicate employees have been set up, these can be deleted by following these instructions:http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3

Duplicate companies can be deleted following these instructions: http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=420

In this example, the employee Eamon Roche has a property tax deduction of €250.00 for 2013

Step 4: Go to the Payroll screen and make sure that the Property Tax deduction is on the payslip.

There are two ways to manually set up Property Tax (LPT) in Payback. The deduction can be set up via the deductions grid in the Employee screen, or it can be set up using the 'Quick Setup' facility.

Step 1: Go to the employee screen and select the employee you wish to set up the Property Tax deduction for.

Step 2: Click the 'Quick Setup' button at the top of the employee screen.

Step 3: Tick 'Local Property Tax (LPT) and enter the annual amount of property tax. (For 2013, half the amount of property tax is to be paid. From 2014 onwards the full amount is to be paid. Enter the exact amount shown on the Tax Certificate in the box)

Step 4: Click 'OK' and then click 'Update Employee'

Step 5: Check that the Property Tax is being deducted in the Payroll screen.

Step 1: Go to the employee screen and select the employee you wish to set up the Property Tax deduction for.

Step 2: Click the Deductions tab and click on the first blank row.

Step 3: Enter 'Property Tax' (or suitable description) in the description column and type the Annual amount of LPT in the EE Amount column

Step 4: Click 'More>>' at the top right of the grid. More columns will appear. Under the 'Type' column, select LPT.

Step 5: Click Update employee. The screen should look like below:

Step 6: Check that the Property Tax is being deducted in the Payroll screen.

The P30 and P45 have now changed. The P30 now has four items, PAYE, PRSI (Employer + Employee), USC and LPT. An example is shown below:

The P45 also has a new field for 'Total amount of Local Property Tax deducted in this period of employment - if applicable.'

Property tax should only be deducted for pay dates on or after 1 July 2013. On pay dates before 1 July 2013, the property tax will be zero.

Payback does not allow the property tax to be changed in the Payroll screen. If you want to change this deduction you should do so either by importing a new P2C file, or from deductions grid or 'quick setup' in the Employee screen. Annual amounts should always be used. Payback will automatically calculate the liability per payment period.

The Property Tax liability is spread across the remaining payments for the year. In the above 'Eamon Roche' example, there are 27 payment weeks from 1 July until the end of 2013. The €250.00 is spread evenly across the remaining weeks. (€9.26 a week).

If the employee does not have enough net pay to cover the property tax, then the deficit is carried forward and spread across the remaining payment periods.

As Property Tax is a flat rate deduction (not percentage based, or based on earnings) It is possible that an employee can now have zero net pay, or less than protected earnings. Such scenarios should be resolved with Revenue. Employers are still legally obliged to make the deduction.

Property tax can be deleted in Payback by removing the deduction in the Employee screen deductions tab for the employee and clicking 'Update Employee'

More information about the Property Tax can be found here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/lpt/

Where the employer pays the full premium for employees and the employee does not make good any amount to the employer, PAYE and PRSI must be applied to the gross (pre Tax Relief at Source) premium. To ensure that the employee is granted the relief afforded by TRS, the employee will be given a tax credit (at the standard rate) for the gross premium in his or her certificate of tax credits.

On the Invoice from the medical insurance provider, there should be a grossed billed amount and a TRS (Tax Relief at Source) amount. The TRS amount should be 20% of the gross amount. For example;

Step 1: Get your employees to apply for health insurance tax credit if they have not already got this. The tax credit amount is 20% of the gross premuim (In the above example, this should work out at (20% of (100x12)) = €240

Step 2: Apply a BIK (Benefit In Kind) amount each pay period for the gross premium. For the example above, in Payback;

• Click on the Employee icon to go to the employee screen.
• Enter a new element. Select 'Health Insurance' from the list or type it directly into the elements grid
• Type the gross premium amount into the grid €100
• Click 'Details>>' at the top right and insure that the element type is 'Health Insurance'
• Click the Update Employee button at the top of the screen

Step 3: Pay the TRS amount to the revenue, each month (€20 for the above example)

More information can be found here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/medicali2.pdf

and http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/reliefs/medical-insurance.html

We do not advise that employees are deleted, unless they have been set up in error. Employees that have left your employment should be P45d rather than deleted. You may need to retain the data for P35, revenue audit, employment law or other reasons.

The delete button becomes disabled if one or more pay periods have been processed. This is by design and is to prevent accidental deletion of payroll data.

To premanently delete an emplotee, in the Payroll screen, click the More>> button and select 'Rewind Full Year'. This will allow you to rewind all payments for the year at once. You will not be able to reverse this action, so make sure you select the correct employee!

When all the payments have been rewound, you can delete the employee in the employee screen. The 'Delete' button at the top of the screen will no longer be disabled.

It is possible to set up unlimited companies, so we would advise people not to delete companies. Some customers rename old companies (such as OLD_Jone and Co Ltd)

There is no quick way to delete companies from Payback. This is to stop people accidently deleting companies. To delete a company you have to delete all the employees first.

Step 1: Rewind all payments for the employees. In the payroll screen, click the More>> button and select 'Rewind Full Year'. Select all the employee and rewind them (see above)

Step 2: Delete the employees. In the employee screen, delete all of the employees by selecting each employee and clicking delete. If the delete button is greyed out, make sure the employees haven't been paid for other years. (rewind the payments if they have)

Step 3: Delete the company. Once all the employees have been deleted, you can delete the company.

Sometimes when you set up a new employee, they do not appear in the Payroll screen. This is by design. Here is a list to check to see why the employee isn't appearing:

• Check the start date of the employee. If you select a date on the payroll screen before the employee's start date, they will not appear in the grid.
• Check to see if the employee has been P45'd at any stage. You can do this by clicking the 'P45' button on the employee screen and see if there is a date there. If you select a date in the Payroll screen, after the employee's P45 date, they won't appear.
• Check the payment frequency. If the employee is set up as weekly, they won't appear in the payroll grid if you've only listed 'monthly' employees.
• Check Departments and Cost centres. If the employee is in a different cost centre or department to the one you've filtered by, they won't appear in the grid.

Step 1: Retrieve the P2C file:

• Using your internet browser, Log into ROS https://www.ros.ie/login.jsp
• Click on the ROS box icon. Your inbox screen will appear.
• Select the 'View PAYE P2C Details' option.
• Make sure your tax registration number is filled, and you have selected a Tax Year.
• Click 'View All'. A new screen will appear displaying the tax credits for your employees.
• Click 'Export Complete List'
• A box will appear asking about marking the P2Cs as exported - click OK
• If asked to 'Save' or 'Open' the file, select 'Save'
• Choose somewhere you'll be able to find the file, like on your desktop, to save it too.
• Click 'Close' and exit your browser.

Step 2: Open Payback and click on 'Utility' on the menu at the left, and then select the 'Import Tax' icon. The P2C file import screen will appear.

Step 3: Click 'Load File' at the top of the screen and select the P2C file you downloaded from ROS in step 1. Check the data in the grids, and if you are happy, click the 'Import' button. Make sure that the company has been successfully matched before importing the data.

NOTE: Payback matches P2C data using:

- Employer No. (Details tab in Company Screen)

- PPS No. (Contact tab in Employee Screen)

Please make sure that you have entered these correctly before importing P2C files. If you have not entered an employer number for your existing companies, or have entered it incorrectly, then Payback will not be able to match up your data. If you continue with the P2C import, then a duplicate company will be created. If you have not entered PPSNs for any of your employees, or they are incorrect, then (like company, above) Payback will not be able to match the employees up to the P2C data. If you continue with the import then duplicate employees will be set up. If you find that duplicate employees have been set up, these can be deleted by following these instructions:http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3

Duplicate companies can be deleted following these instructions: http://www.payback.ie/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=420

Important notes about cumulative USC:

Only the rates as advised on the P2C should be used. Users should not apply exemptions or reduced rates (Medical card holders etc) without a valid P2C. Generally, USC should be on the same basis as PAYE. We have included a warning that will alert the user if the basis for USC calculation differs to that of PAYE. The ceiling for USC exemption has risen from €4,004 to €10,036 for 2012. Employees will only be exempt from USC if this is what is in the P2C. Payback does not automatically apply this exemption. The onus is on the employee/pensioner (not the employer), to advise Revenue if their annual earnings will exceed the exemption threshold.

USC rates can be changed in the following ways in Payback:

• Loading a new P2C file from ROS.
• When standard USC rate are being used: By ticking 'USC Exempt', 'Medical Card', 'Age over 70' or 'Emergency' in the PRSI/USC tab in the employee screen.
• When standard USC rates are not being used: by clicking the 'Change' button under the USC rates grid in the PRSI/USC tab in the employee screen. A new screen appears where you can enter your own rate bands, or revert back to Standard Rates.

Click the 'Change' button (under the USC rates grid in the PRSI/USC tab in the employee screen) if you want to either use Standard USC rates, or when you want to manually enter USC rates.

'USC Exempt', 'Medical Card', 'Age over 70' or 'Emergency' can only be used with Standard USC Rates.

To make an employee USC exempt

1. Go to the Employee Screen and select the employee
2. Select the PRSI/USC tab
3.  Click 'Change' that appears under the USC rates table, a new screen will appear.
4. Click the 'Standard Rates' button on this new screen
5. Click 'Yes' when the message "Clear USC rates and use standard rates" appears.
6. The new screen will disappear
7. Tick the 'USC Exempt' tick box on the employee screen.
8. Click 'Update Employee'

How to make an employee pay reduced standard rates

1. Go to the Employee Screen and select the employee
2. Select the PRSI/USC tab
3. Click 'Change' that appears under the USC rates table, a new screen will appear.
4. Click the 'Standard Rates' button on this new screen
5. Click 'Yes' when the message "Clear USC rates and use standard rates" appears.
6. The new screen will disappear
7. Tick either the 'Medical card' or 'Age over 70' tick box on the employee screen.
8. Click 'Update Employee'

I have an employee that has USC exemption, but they breached the threshold for one or more payments, what should I do?

The onus is now on the employee to inform Revenue whether or not they are USC exempt for the year. Payback no longer automatically makes people exempt from USC, and this is by design. This will of course cause problems, but these are the instructions from Revenue.

Revenue have introduced confusion by their use of terminology. P2C files and paper certificates use Cut Off Points. Revenue helpdesk and other internal systems use Bands. When entering USC rates in Payback, please use Cut Off Points and not Bands. For Example, these are Cut off Points: 2% €10036 4% €16016 7% Balance. These are Bands: 2% €10036 4% €5980 (16016-10036) 7% Balance Always use Cut off points, and not Bands when entering USC rates into Payback.

Example: One rate at 2% - the balance not liable to USC - In the PRSI/USC tab in the employee screen, click the 'Change' button to bring up the USC dialogue. - Select 2 USC bands - Enter the figures for the first (2%) band. - Click save. In the PRSI/USC tab, the USC rates should look like this: Code: % Weekly Monthly Annual 2 193 836.33 10036 0 Balance Balance Balance

We strongly advise users to make frequent back ups of their payroll data.

A back up should always be made before downloading and installing a Payback update.

This is because if the upgrade process does not pick up your data, you will be able to easily restore your payroll data from the back up you made. You will not have to go searching for your data.

Base your back up schedule on much much data you are prepared to lose. For example, if you can live with losing a full month's data, then back up once a month. We often get support requests from customers where their hard drives have failed, so data loss is a very real scenario. Save a copy of your backup on a separate hard drive, preferably in the cloud (like dropbox). Ideally, backups should be stored in a separate building.

Note that it is not possible to open or view your back up file by double clicking it in Windows. Back up files can only be restored in Payback.

Step 1: Click 'Admin'. This is at the bottom left of the screen.

Step 2: Click the 'Back up' icon - the Back up screen will appear

Step 3: Click the 'Back up' button.

Step 4: You will be asked for a filename. Call it something like JanPayroll and save it to the desktop or somewhere you'll be able to find it. Click 'Save'

Step 5:  Copy your back up somewhere secure, that is not the same hard drive as your live copy.

To copy Payback from an old PC and move it to a new PC, please follow these instructions.

On your old PC:

Step 1: Backup your Payback data. To do this select 'Admin' on the left and click the 'Backup' icon. Then click the 'Backup' button. Payback will prompt you for a file name. Save the file to somewhere you can easily remember, like your Desktop.

Step 2: Copy the data from your old PC to your new PC. Copy the file you backed up to the new PC to a location you can easily remember, like the Desktop. You can use a USB key, a CD-R, Dropbox, or even email yourself the file to copy it to the new PC.

On your new PC:

Step 1: Download the latest version of Payback onto your new PC from http://www.payback.ie/download.shtml

Step 2: Install this version of Payback onto your new PC (Run the setup.exe you downloaded in step one)

Step 3: Enter your registration details. Click 'Admin' on the left hand side of the screen, click the 'Options' icon, and select the 'Registration' tab. Input your registration details and then click the 'Update' button at the top (You will find your registration details on this screen in your old PC, or it will be in your original registration email) You can also retrieve your registration details from here:http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_regcode.aspx

Step 4: Restore your data. Select 'Admin' on the left, click 'Backup', select the 'Restore' tab, and click the 'Restore' button. Choose the backup file you copied across from your old PC, and click 'OK'

Step 5: Restart Payback and check your data is correct.

Did you make a recent backup of your data? If you did, then you can reinstall Payback and then restore your backup.

Step 1: Download the latest version of Payback onto your new PC from http://www.payback.ie/download.shtml

Step 2: Install this version of Payback onto your new PC (Run the setup.exe you downloaded in step one)

Step 3: Enter your registration details. Click 'Admin' on the left hand side of the screen, click the 'Options' icon, and select the 'Registration' tab. Input your registration details and then click the 'Update' button at the top (You will find your registration details on this screen in your old PC, or it will be in your original registration email) You can also retrieve your registration details from here:http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_regcode.aspx

Step 4: Restore your data. Select 'Admin' on the left, click 'Backup', select the 'Restore' tab, and click the 'Restore' button. Choose the backup file you copied across from your old PC, and click 'OK' http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_restore.aspx

Step 5: Restart Payback and check your data is correct.

If you didn't make a backup, then there might be a copy somewhere on your computer.

If you or a technician is trying to restore your data, the Payback database name depends on what version number you were using for example (If you were using version 2013.03):

paydata2013_03.log

Payback databases are by default stored in c:\paybackdata\

Payback also makes an automatic back up every time an update is run. As a last resort you could try looking for files like this: 270613233351.bak where the numbers are the date and time the back up was made.

If you find a database, continue with steps above to re-install Payback

NOTE: We not have access to, or keep back ups of your data.

Always make frequent backups of your data. http://www.payback.ie/support/sup_backup.aspx

• Backup your existing copy of Payback.
• Install Payback on all the machines you wish to run it from, including wherever you are going to hold the data.
• Copy your data file to the server machine (paydata2013_03.log)

Step 1: Open Payback on one of the machines and select 'Support' at the top left of the screen.

Step 2: Click the 'Support' icon

Step 3: Select the 'Diagnostics' tab

Step 4: Click the 'Database location' button. A file dialogue box will appear.

Step 5: Select the data file on your server (eg: Q:\Data\Payback\paydata2013_03.log)

Step 6: Restart Payback.

Step 7: Ensure that you are reading the correct datafile by making a test payment (you can rewind this afterwards)

Step 8: Enter your registration details on each machine that is running Payback. These can be copied from the Admin>Registration Screen of the first machine.

Repeat steps 1-8 for all the machines you wish to run Payback from.
Note that you can also set up users in Payback. The Audit log records all actions by each user.

If you are running a networked version of Payback, you should ensure that all machines are running the same version of Payback. If you update to a newer version of Payback, run the same update on all the machines so they are all running the same version. (Failing to do this may cause different machines to see a different copy of the data, which causes confusion!)

Step 1: Click 'Ulility' on the menu at the bottom left of the screen.

Step 2: Click the 'Users' icon. The screen to set up users will appear.

Step 3: Click 'Add New User' button at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Enter a user name and password that you will remember.

Step 5: Enter the same password into the confirm password box (This is to ensure you have not mis-typed the password)

Step 6: Select the security level. The most common one to select here is 'Administrator'. You must have at least one administrator set up in Payback.

Step 7: Type your email address. If you forget your password, then you'll be able to get it sent to this email address.

Step 8: Click 'Update User' at the top of the screen.

Step 1: Click 'Admin', This is at the bottom left of the screen

Step 2: Click the 'Back up' icon - the Back up screen will appear

Step 3: Click the 'Restore' tab, and then the 'Restore' button.

Step 4: You will be asked for a filename to restore.

Step 5: Please wait until the file is restored. Payback will close when the file is restored.

You upgraded Payback without first making a back up of your data. Now when you go into Payback all your data is missing. If you did not back up your data before upgrading, it gets a bit more difficult to restore. The good news is that your data is probably on your computer somewhere. The bad news is that you'll have to find it. Payback does not delete or overwrite data files. When an update is run, your data is copied to a new database, leaving the old database intact. Payback also automatically backs up your data whenever you restore a database. If you did not back up your data before upgrading, you will have to search your computer for your 'missing' data. To make this task easier, we have a Data File locator in Payback. To use this tool, follow these instructions:

Step 1: Click 'Support' in the menu at the left, then click the 'Support' icon. The Support screen should appear.

Step 2: Select the 'Diagnostics' tab.

Step 3: Click the 'Search for datafiles' button.

Step 4: The grid will fill with all your old Payback databases. It may take some time to completely search your hard disk and find all the files, so please be patient while this process completes.

Step 5: You will need to select one of these databases and restore it. Check the 'Last Used Date' to find the latest one. The version number should be the version you have just upgraded from (eg, the version number should be 2013.02 if upgrading from version 2013.02 to 2013.03) (Do not select the Red file - this is your current, empty database)

Step 6: Double click the file you wish to restore, and restart Payback.

Step 7: Check your data. If it is too old, or the wrong data, select a different file (step 5) to restore.

On the old computer, make a back up of your data.

Step 1: Backup your Payback data. To do this select 'Admin' on the left and click the 'Backup' icon. Then click the 'Backup' button. Payback will prompt you for a file name. Save the file to somewhere you can easily remember, like your Desktop.

Step 2: Copy the data from your old PC to your new PC. Copy the file you backed up to the new PC to a location you can easily remember, like the Desktop. You can use a USB key, Dropbox or even email yourself the file to copy it to the new PC.

If you've installed Payback, and entered your registration details on the new computer, you can restore the backup you made:

Step 3: Restore your data. Select 'Admin' on the left, click 'Backup', select the 'Restore' tab, and click the 'Restore' button. Choose the backup file you copied across from your old PC, and click 'OK'

For more information, please refer to this:

Click here for more information:

Are you logging in to Windows as a different user?

Please make sure you log in to Windows as the same user. In Windows 7 and Windows vista it can appear that you've lost your data when you change users.

Have you, or someone else, changed the database location within Payback?

You can change the database location by selecting 'Admin' on the left and select the 'Support' icon. Click the 'Diagnotics' tab. Clicking the 'Database Location' button will allow you to change the location that Payback uses for the database.

Note: From version 2012.01 onwards, we have improved the way that Payback accesses your data. Unless you are using an old version (versions 9.03 or earlier) of Payback or have moved your database to c:\program files\, this should not apply.

Behind the scenes, Windows can sometimes move files to a virtual store. This is one reason why we always recommend backing up your data before upgrading. It can be difficult to predict if and where Windows will move your data file.

Did you turn on or off the UAC (User Access Control)?

When User Access Control is switched on, Windows creates a virtual store for anything saved to c:\program files\ which includes the payback folder. The virtual store is a shadow copy of the 'real' c:\program files\ folder.

We suggest returning the UAC to its original state, ie switch it off if you turned it on.

Select 'Admin' on the left and click the 'Backup' icon. Then click the 'Backup' button. Payback will prompt you for a file name. Save the file to somewhere you can easily remember, like your Desktop.

If you are running version 2014.01, then your payroll software is already up to date. You do not need to do anything else. We have released a new version for 2014. It can be downloaded from here:

http://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe

IMPORTANT: Please back up your data before installing this update. (In Payback, click Admin / Backup / Backup and save the file somewhere like your desktop).

Download and run the setup.exe file, and follow the on-screen instructions. This will update your software to v2014.01. If you start Payback and notice your payroll data is not present, then you can restore your data from the back up you made (click Admin / Backup / Restore). When you have successfully upgraded, the version number in the title bar at the top of the screen in Payback should say 2014.01. Use the 'Year' drop down list at the top left of the Payroll screen to select the new year.

NOTE: Do not uninstall your existing version of Payback.

1. Backup your payroll data (Click 'Admin' on the left, and then 'Backup')
2. Exit from Payback
3. Download the update and when prompted click 'Run'
4. This will start the Payback installation wizard. Proceed through each step by clicking 'Next'
5. Start up Payback
6. Payback will automatically detect your payroll data and copy it across
7. Check that the version number at the top of the Payback screen is the latest version
8. Check that your payroll data is correct and up-to-date
(9. If your payroll data is missing or is incorrect, then restore from the backup you took in step one)

The main change in the Budget was to Employer PRSI. The 4.25% employer PRSI rate currently applied to employees with weekly earnings of €356 or less, will revert to the original 8.5% rate from 1 January 2014. The halving of the 8.5% employer rate to 4.25% was implemented on a 2½ year time limited basis to apply from 1 July 2011 until the end of 2013. There are no changes in the higher 10.75% employer PRSI rate.

Information about Payback and SEPA can be found by clicking here. Different banks require different fields to be filled for SEPA credit transfers. For example, a SEPA compliant file might be acceptable to AIB, but be rejected by BoI. In addition to this, not all banks are SEPA ready. This means we will have to release further updates as more banks become SEPA ready. If your bank is not yet SEPA ready, you can continue to use the Paypath standard to transfer wages.

From 6 Jan 2014 Illness Benefit payment will not be made for the first six days of illness (up from three days). This means that a person will not be entitled to Illness Benefit for the first six days of their claim (unless the person was receiving Illness Benefit, Injury Benefit or a jobseekers' payment immediately before their claim). Claims with a commencement date before 6 Jan 2014 and those coming from Maternity Benefit will not be paid for the first three days of illness.

If you are running version 2015.02, then your payroll software is already up to date. You do not need to do anything else. We have released a new version for 2015. It can be downloaded from here:

http://www.payback.ie/downloads/setup.exe

IMPORTANT: Please back up your data before installing this update. (In Payback, click Admin / Backup / Backup and save the file somewhere like your desktop).

Download and run the setup.exe file, and follow the on-screen instructions. This will update your software to v2015.02. If you start Payback and notice your payroll data is not present, then you can restore your data from the back up you made (click Admin / Backup / Restore). When you have successfully upgraded, the version number in the title bar at the top of the screen in Payback should say 2015.02. Use the 'Year' drop down list at the top left of the Payroll screen to select the new year.

NOTE: Do not uninstall your existing version of Payback.

1. Backup your payroll data (Click 'Admin' on the left, and then 'Backup')
2. Exit from Payback
3. Download the update and when prompted click 'Run'
4. This will start the Payback installation wizard. Proceed through each step by clicking 'Next'
5. Start up Payback
6. Payback will automatically detect your payroll data and copy it across
7. Check that the version number at the top of the Payback screen is the latest version
8. Check that your payroll data is correct and up-to-date
(9. If your payroll data is missing or is incorrect, then restore from the backup you took in step one)

USC
The main change in the Budget was to USC. If an employee has not yet received a P2C for 2015, then there rates are determined according to section 4.33 of this document: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/usc/universal-social-charge-faqs.pdf
Payback will automatically update your USC rates for 2015.

LPT
Existing, 2014 LPT (Local property Tax) deductions should be stopped for 2015 until you receive a 2015 P2C file instructing otherwise.

PRSI
There was no change to PRSI.

PAYE
The higher rate of income tax has been reduced from 41% to 40%. The standard rate cut off point has been increased to €33,800

If no start date or end date was entered in the Benefit In Kind screen while setting up a car or a van, a 'Type Mismatch' error would appear. This is now fixed. A blank start date is defaulted to the first day in the year, and a blank end date is defaulted to the last day in the year.

There is now a new Register of Employees report. This can be found in the Reports screen.

Company Archive
Unused companies can now be archived. There is a new 'Archive Company' button and 'Hide Archived' check box at the top of the company screen. To archive a company, select the company in the company screen and click 'Archive Company'. The company will now appear grey in the company grid. If the 'Hide Archived' check box is ticked, the archived company will no longer appear in the company screen, or in the company drop downs in the Employee, reports or Payroll screen.