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Software Update | Release 5.8a for Sage Business Cloud Payroll Professional available 11 March 2022

Release 5.8a is now available.

Release 5.8a includes the RSA Tax Table and ETI Remuneration changes as well as a change to the Malawi tax year. Please consult the What’s New document and Known Issues in the Help File for more details.

All RSA and Malawi companies must be in March before upgrading to Release 5.8a. 

An onscreen pop-up message will display the above information when you log in, until you select not to display the message again.

The following message will display at the top of the Subscription page: 

(If the message does not display, clear your browser cache and refresh the page)

What to expect:

When you launch your subscription, you will receive either an Suggested Update or Mandatory Update message.

  • Suggested Update: You will have the option to Update Now (which will convert the data to the new version and apply the new changes, should be done in new pay period) or Update Later (continue with the current release, for example you have not rolled into a new pay period). The Release 5.8a update must be installed in March 2022, and all users are urged to access and update as soon as possible. 
  • Mandatory Update: This message will only display if you did not update in the recommended timeframe and will require you to Update Now or Cancel. If you Select Update Now, but do not select to convert the company data when launching the application, the companies will not reflect on your Company Listing screen. At this point, you will have no other option, but to update the system. I

If you companies are still in February 2022, you should select Later and roll all your companies into a new pay period in March 2022 (before you have printed payslips, reports or paid employees), before selecting updating the data.

Take note, the system will apply new tax tables for RSA companies and conversion on the Malawi tax tables 

When you are ready to update your data, select Update Now (all non Super User will only see the Later option and will not be able to perform the update.)

The process will convert all payroll data to the new version. Once completed, the new version number will reflect at the top of the Company Listing screen. (if you select to update a company later during the conversion process, the company will not display on the menu).

 

What is included in this update?

  • RSA Compliance changes:
    • 2022/2023 tax tables
    • System changes to Personal Service Providers (Company)
    • Prescribed Rate of Reimbursive Kilometers (Travel)
    • RSA Long Service Exemption
    • RSA ETI changes
  • Malawi - Change in tax year end dates
  • Zimbabwe tax changes 
  • Other Tax Countries:
    • Angola - New IRT Electronic Report
    • Ghana - changes to Statutory Reports
    • Kenya - changes to Statutory Reports
    • Mozambique - changes to Barclays BBM bank file
  • Items resolved / Known issues

Click here to view the Release Notes for Release 5.8a

An updated ETI Validation Tool will be deployed as a patch file later in March 2022, and is not included in Release 5.8a

Frequently asked questions:

Q: Should my February Tax Year-end Instance be updated to Release 5.8a?

A: The release version for February 2022 is either Release 5.7a or 5.7b, and it is not necessary to update the copy system to Release 5.8a. 

If you however have a company or  companies that is still in February 2022 in the final period of the tax year and updated your live system to 5.8a, the company data on 5.8a will be copied to the Tax Year-end Instance, and will require all companies to be updated to 5.8a.

Q: My February Tax Year-end Instance has been updated to Release 5.8a, will this be a problem?

A: If you have already updated you February Tax Year-end Instance to Release 5.8a, it will not be an issue as this release includes the same IRP5/IT3a Report for TAX2022 available in Release 5.7b, and the tax calculations are based on the tax year of your company.

It is however important to review the values of your EMP201 before and after the software update, to ensure none of you statutory calculations were affected and changed (e.g. no general recalculation was done).