The latest version for Sage Classic and Sage Premier is available to download on the Customer Zone from 29 May 2020.
The initial version Release 5.4c was replaced with Release 5.4c+ as from 2 June 2020, in order to rectify an ETI recalculation issue.
Click here to view the Sage 200c VIP 5.4c+ announcement
This is compulsory update for the following users:
- RSA: All users
- Other African tax countries: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and Eswatini (Swaziland)
- All Total Solutions customers will be required to update Premier ESS/Premier HR as well.
Included in the Release 5.4c+ software update:
- RSA: Skills Development Levy (SDL) Payment Holiday
- RSA: Covid-19 Relief Measures (ETI changes)
- Africa tax and report changes.
Refer to the software release notes for details on these changes, available to download on the Customer Zone
Please take note of the following:
- If you are a RSA user who claims ETI, please note that your system must have been on Release 5.4b in April 2020 before installing 5.4c in May 2020. Backdated recalculations for April 2020 will only be applied if your system was on the correct version in April 2020.
- Premier HR and Premier ESS software updates will be available later this afternoon (29 May 2020) on the Customer Zone.
- Release 5.4c for Sage 200c VIP will be released on 02 June 2020.
Update 30/05/2020
- Premier HR 20.6.0.1 and Premier ESS are now available for download on the Customer Zone
Update 01/06/2020
- Sage 200c VIP is now available on the Customer Zone
Update 02/06/2020
- Release 5.4c replaced with 5.4c+ software, due to ETI backdate recalculation during update conversion for employees earning R6500 or more in April 2020. For more details, click here.
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Should I install the new update in May 2020 or can I do a Start of Period to June 2020, before installing the software?
A: The update must be installed in May 2020, in order to apply the SDL payment holiday (reducing the SDL contribution from 1% to 0% as from May 2020, to correctly backdate the April 2020 ETI values, and update the ETI calculations for May 2020.
We are aware that the normal instruction is to install the update in a new pay period, however this update can be installed after you paid employees, in the same pay period. Your final monthly reports should be printed after installing the update.
Please refer to the installation instructions on the Customer Zone for more details.
Q: I have already paid for May 2020. Will the update change the values in my payroll?
A: If you did a General Recalculation of the payroll before payment of salaries/wages to employees, we do not expect the net salary values to change. You can print the Pay Register report before and after the update, to compare and reconcile your payroll values.
The only risk where values could change, is in cases where calculations go into a "loop" or where the users did not do a final recalculation, prior to payments to employees,
Q: I installed the update Release 5.4c+ update, and now my ETI for April has changed. What should I do?
A: If you installed Release 5.4b during April 2020, ETI calculations were applied according the first round of Covid-19 relief measures. Additional relief was published in the revised draft bills which included back-dated ETI tables calculations for April 2020. Please refer to the software release notes for details.
During the conversion to Release 5.4c+, the system will do a recalculation of ETI values on the ETI History screen, to adjust the ETI values. To view the values, refer to the ETI COVID report (Main Menu > Reports > Audit Reports > ETI COVID Report) for more details on the changes. More details on this report is available on the product release notes.
- If ETI for April 2020 is more than previously declared and utilised (which should be the case) just add the additional ETI for April as “ETI calculated” on the May EMP201. Therefore, the 6-monthly reconciliation period will balance. If you decide to add the ETI to the brought forward value on the May 2020 EMP201 then the April 2020 EMP201 must be resubmitted to reflect the correct values so that the carried forward of the previous month is the brought forward of the current month which is not correct procedure to follow – just add to the current month’s (May) EMP201 because it is in the same 6-month reconciliation period. Please make note of this for reconciliation purposes during midyear and annual EMP501 submissions.
- If the ETI is less (which should not be the case) then April EMP201 must be restated with the corrected value and payment must be made to SARS (see extract from SARS website below) and also see page 51 of the Sage Payroll Pocket Guide.
If you are unsure of how to allocate or revise your EMP201 on eFiling, please discuss with your accountant or tax practitioner, or contact SARS for assistance.
Q: My ETI did not recalculate when I installed Release 5.4c+?
A: This could indicate that your system was not upgraded to Release 5.4b in April 2020 as required. Should you want to backdate the ETI, you will need to book a consultation for assistance (will require backups to be restored in separate systems and ETI take-on to be done)
Q: I am already in June 2020, will the SDL values for May 2020 automatically reverse?
A: The SDL contribution calculation is only converted and effective from the month when the update is installed. If you need to remove the values, you can do YTD adjustments in June for the previous month's SDL, as the EMP501 will not allow you to declare SDL for 4 months (May to August 2020)
