Accounts

Setting up a New Customer Record

A customer record helps you to manage contacts, track sales and track debts.

There are two ways you can create a customer record.  You can create one within Sage 50 Account, or you can import customer records via an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, which is useful if you need to create multiple records.

How to create a Customer within Sage 50 Accounts

Each customer has a separate record which is unique to them.  The record holds lots of information such as contact details, discounts, when a sales invoice is due etc, contact details are used when printing invoices statements etc.

To create a new Customer record, click Customers > New or double click any customer and then click Clear Form.

Details

The first tab you will need to fill in is the Details tab and this is the most important tab.

ACCOUNT DETAILS

A/C* – The account reference for the customer’s record, this is an alpha numeric field up to 8 characters . Once the record has been saved, this can’t be changed .

Company name  – The customer’s name.

Balance – This shows the balance on the customers balance.  You can add an opening balance here but we do not recommend doing that.

Inactive – Select this check box to flag the customer account as inactive.

REGISTERED ADDRESS

Address, Post Code, Country – The customer’s address details.  You can now paste in the address by clicking the icon next to the address.

VAT Number – If needed, enter the customer’s VAT number.

EORI – If the customer has an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number it can be entered here.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact name – The name of the customer’s main contact.

Trade contact – The name of the customer’s trade contact.

Telephone – The customer’s telephone number.

Telephone 2 – A second telephone cumber can be added such as a mobile number.

Fax – The customer’s fax number.

Website – The customer’s website address.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter, Linkedln, Facebook – you can add the customer’s Twitter handle, Linkedln and Facebook account details.

EMAIL SETTINGS & ADDRESSES

Email 1, Email 2, Email 3, Email 4, Email 5, Email 6 – The customer’s email addresses.

I send letters, statements, etc to this customer via email – Select this check box if you communicate with this customer by email.

The second tab on the customer record is the Defaults tab

CUSTOM FIELDS

Analysis 1, Analysis 2, Analysis – Use these custom fields to identify customer types for reporting and analysis.

PRICING AND DISCOUNTING

Discount % – Enter the percentage discount offered to  this customer,  This is an unconditional discount.

Additional Discount – only available in Sage 50 Accounts Plus and Professional.

Price List – only available in Sage 50 Accounts Plus and Professional.

MISCELLANEOUS DEFAULTS

Default Nominal Code – The nominal code to use by default for any batch invoices or credits for this customer.

Use Default Nominal Code for Sales – Select this check box to use the customer’s default nominal code for all product invoice and credit notes.

Default Tax Code – The tax code to use by default for any batch invoices or credits for this customer.

Use Default Tax Code for Sales – Select this check box to use the customer’s default tax code for all product invoice and credit notes.

Currency – Foreign Trader only – choose the correct currency for this customer.

Department – Select the default department for this customer, if required.

Reporting Password – for use with secure PDF documents.

Incoterms – Select as required.

TIP: You can copy an existing customer’s record, highlight the relevant customer, then click Duplicate.

If you would like help with setting up or amending a customer’s record or need any other help with your Sage Accounts please contact us

Payroll

Correcting Personal Employee information

Now is a good time to check that all the personal information you hold on Sage 50 Payroll for your employees is correct and if needed you can correct anything before the payroll year end.

Correcting Employee Details

If you submit an FPS and an employee’s personal details are incorrect, you must contact HMRC to report this.

• If the employee’s personal details have changed, for example surname or address, then advise your employee to contact HMRC to report the change. You can then enter the correct employee details into their record for submission on your next FPS.
• If the error relates to the date the employees started for you, do not change the start date on your next FPS as this results in duplication of the employee’s record on HMRC systems. If you need to correct an error of this nature, contact HMRC.

Note: If you enter the details into Sage, but don’t report the changes to HMRC, the new details don’t update on the employee’s HMRC record.  This may result in a query from HMRC.

Two useful reports you can use are:-

• Employee Details – Personal – which shows personal details for each employee from the employee record including name and address, date of birth and marital status etc.
• Employee Details Verification Letter – which can be sent to your employees to confirm the details you hold are correct.

If you need help checking or updating your employees’ details or need any other help or advice with your payroll please contact us

Accounts

Disable/Delete customer alerts

If you want to stop a customer alert from popping up in Sage 50cloud Accounts you can either disable it or delete it.

Disable a customer alert

1. Open Sage 50Cloud accounts and select Customers.
2. Double-click the customer record, or click the customer then click Edit.
3. Click Alerts then click then alert you want to disable, then click Edit.
4. Select Disable this alert.
5. Click Save.

This alert now shows No in in the Active column and no longer appears when processing.  If you want to enable the alert again just go into the alert again and clear the Disable this alert check box.

Delete a customer alert

1. Open Sage 50Cloud accounts and select Customers.
2. Double-click the customer record, or click the customer then click Edit.
3. Click Alerts then select then alert you want to delete.
4. Select Delete, to delete the alert and click Yes.
5. The alert has now been deleted.

Disabling or deleting alerts is the same for Suppliers, Products and Services, just select the relevant records.

If you would like help with setting up, amending, disabling or deleting custom alerts or need any other help with your Sage Accounts please contact us

Payroll

How to enter Statutory adoption pay (SAP) using the quick method

By law, eligible employees are entitled to adoption leave.  If the employee meets all qualifying conditions, as an employer, you are obliged to pay the statutory rate of statutory adoption pay (SAP).

Process SAP using the quick method

1. Click Payroll, then Change Process Date.
2. Enter the required process date, then click OK.
3. Select the required employee, then click Employee.
4. Click Record Adoption.

If a message appears advising that you have already paid SAP to this employee, to record details for another child, click Yes.

5. If the employee has given you the suitable matching evidence, select this check box.
6. Enter the date the baby is expected to be matched and placed.
7. To check the employee’s entitlement, click Check Entitlement.
8. Enter the date the employee last worked before starting their adoption leave.
9. Enter the actual placement date.
10. If the employee chooses to end their adoption leave and return to work early, enter the date they return to work.
11. If applicable, click Special circumstances and complete the relevant information.
12. Click OK.
13. To check the employee’s earnings, click Earnings during set period.
14. Click OK.
15. Check the key dates and if required, print the form using the link.
16. Click Save.

Check the employee’s entitlement

1. From the Qualifying Conditions area, check that all the conditions have a green tick beside them. If a red cross appears against any of them, then the employee doesn’t satisfy all of the qualifying conditions and isn’t entitled to SAP, for example:

Evidence Received – The Matching Evidence Received check box isn’t selected.

Worked Long Enough – The must have been continuously employed by you for the 26 weeks up to and continuing onto the matching week.

Earned Enough – The employee’s average weekly earnings in the set period are below the NI LEL.

If the employee does not qualify for SAP you must give them form SAP1.

2. From the Entitlement due area, check the employee’s SAP entitlement as follows:

Standard Rate Current Year – This displays the entitlement at the standard legislation rate.

If this spans two tax years, the weeks in each tax year appear separately as Standard Rate Prv.Yr. and Standard Rate Current Year. and show the applicable rates for each tax year.

3. Click Save, then Close.

When you open Enter Payments to process your employees’ pay for the period, the SAP calculated automatically, up to your current process date.  You may also need to adjust the employee’s normal payments for the period.

You must submit an employer payment summary (EPS) at the end of the tax month to notify HMRC of any SAP being reclaimed.

If you would like help with SAP or need any other help or advice with your payroll please contact us