Year End Updates for Sage 100 Payroll and Accounts Payable

On December 19^th, Sage is scheduled to release an Interim Release Download (IRD) with year-end program updates for Accounts Payable and eFiling – as well as a Tax Table Update for 2020.

Also to be released mid-December is a new Payroll 2.2 update for Sage 100 versions 2018 and 2019, which will contain field changes for the new W-4 form going into effect January 1st, 2020, plus changes to Employee Maintenance and Tax Calculation.

As always, the year-end updates are available only to clients on supported versions of Sage 100 who have a current Sage 100 plan or a Sage 100cloud Subscription.

Interim Release Download (IRD)

The Interim Release Download (IRD) should be installed prior to processing W-2s and 1099s, and before eFiling your tax forms.

In order to download the IRD, you must be on at least one of the following versions:

• Sage 100 v2017, Product Update 1 or higher
• Sage 100 v2018, Product Update 2 or higher
• Sage 100 v2019

NOTE: Clients on Sage 100 versions 2018 and 2019 must install the Payroll 2.2 update prior to doing year-end processing.

A few reminders about installing IRDs:

• IRD installations are incremental – not cumulative. If installation of any years’ IRDs were missed since your last Sage 100 version upgrade, those IRDs will need to be installed prior to installing this year’s IRD. 
• A Product Update (PU) may need to be installed first if you are not on the minimum required PU for installation of the IRD – and if installing a PU, you will probably also need to Convert your companies in Company Maintenance.
• Any installed products that integrate with Sage 100 may be affected by installation of a Product Update and/or IRD, and they may require updates and/or reinstallation.
• Before installing an IRD, a backup of the MAS90 folder should be made, and all users should be out of Sage 100 with data entry transactions updated.

Please contact our office if you would like our assistance with installing a Product Update and/or the IRD.

2020 Payroll Tax Table Update

If you’re on Sage 100 Version 2018 or 2019:

• You can update the new tax tables from within the software by simply running a Payroll Tax Update from the Payroll Utilities menu.
• It is not necessary to close the year in Payroll prior to running the Tax Table Update.  
• Remember to update your 2020 Unemployment Tax Rate entered in Tax Table Maintenance for each of the states you process payroll for. You’ll simply add a new line in your Company Tax Group Setup for whatever states you pay State Unemployment, with an effective date of 01/01/2020.  (Do not simply change the rate for 2019 – but make sure you add a new line just for the 2020 rate.)
• Most clients have set up the OR Worker’s Benefit Fund and the Washington Family & Medical Leave in Sage 100 using Payroll Deductions, and these will need to be updated manually. However, you may alternatively use the Payroll Tax Engine to set up these deductions.

If you’re on Sage 100 Version 2017:

• For version 2017, the Tax Table Update will be available as a download – and the 2020 Q1 update will be the final Payroll update released for this Sage 100 version.
• We recommend that you close the year prior to installing the Tax Table Update (Remember to print the 2019 Year End Reports including the Quarterly Tax Report before you close!) – otherwise the FICA limits will change to the 2020 FICA limits and your Quarterly Reports will not be correct.
• Both the IRD and Tax Table Update can be installed at the same time. However, please be aware that that there is only one set of tax tables across all companies (live and backup).  If you plan on processing your W-2s from a backup company and have closed the year in your main Payroll company, remember to manually change the FICA limit back to the 2019 amount before printing your Quarterly Reports or processing your 2019 W-2s, and then change it back again to the 2020 limit after completing the W-2 processing.  For the Quarterly Report printing, you will also want to change your SUTA limit back to the 2019 limit to print the Quarterly Report and change it back to the 2020 limit afterwards.
• Remember to update your 2020 Unemployment Tax Rate entered in Tax Table Maintenance for each of the states you process payroll for.  
• Any Payroll Deductions that have been set up for the OR Worker’s Benefit Fund and the Washington Family & Medical Leave will need to be updated manually.

If you’re on Sage 100 Version 2016 or Lower (or do not have a current Sage plan):

If you’re using Sage 100 version 2016 or lower, or if your Sage Business Care plan has expired, your tax tables must be updated manually. Please contact us if you would like to have us do the manual update for you.

For more details about the expected payroll tax changes for 2020, read our blog on Potential Payroll Changes Expected in 2020.

Aatrix eFiling Web Class

For clients who are new to Federal and State eFiling and Reporting through Sage 100 (aka Aatrix) or who need a refresher on the e-filing process, we are offering our Aatrix eFiling web class in December and January.

Aatrix is Sage’s answer to the required form filing – whether or not you actually use the software to electronically file your 1099s, State Quarterlies, 941s or W-2s – or just use the forms to print and still manually send the forms in.  (Whether you have to use the electronic filing option really depends on the number of employee and/or 1099s you have.)  Aatrix has been included with Sage 100 since the release of version 4.3 for both W-2 and 1099 processing.

Web Class Dates:

December 11^th, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM PST

January 7^th, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST

Cost: $99

Register online at https://benpor.com/webinars

Bennett/Porter’s W-2 and 1099 Processing Service

For clients who would like to have their W-2 and/or 1099 forms e-filed with the IRS, e-filed with the state of Oregon, printed and mailed to employees or vendors – or all of the above,  Bennett/Porter offers a W-2 and 1099 Processing Service.

This service works well for clients who aren’t on a supported version of Sage 100, who don’t have a current Sage 100 Business Care Plan or Sage 100cloud Subscription, or who simply dislike the process of tax reporting. We would just bill you for the cost of filing the forms through Aatrix (and mailing, if applicable) – plus our time to process the forms, billed at the rate of $150/hour. To sign up for this service, please contact our office to request an order form.