Dear AccountMate Clients,
It’s always invigorating to start a new year, and to think of the challenges ahead. While we’ve all been at the business of business for a while now (2009 is NexLAN’s 12th year in business), isn’t it great that we can count on running into some interesting problems to solve in the coming year?
We had numerous clients upgrading or implementing complete AccountMate systems or installing key add-ons to synchronize with the start of 2009 to meet the challenges. And, if I can mention just one simple thing that’s gotten rave reviews, it’s the Info-Alert module which automates business processes and e-mail alerts for LOTS of functions (one quick example: such as sending a list of inventory items below their re-order point to the purchasing agent).
How good is it? Well… based purely on the built-in alert to “automatically e-mail customers that are more than XX days past due” that improved their cash flow SIGNIFICANTLY, a client sent me a very nice gift certificate for dinner out. Hard to beat that as an endorsement! <grin> Does improved cash flow sound like something your business would appreciate?
One thing is for certain, to meet the challenges of 2009, we’ll all need to be on our game, and fortunately the AccountMate financial management system is proven to be up to that task!
Just one more thing to add while I’m talking about meeting challenges: I’m pleased to relay that, for the fourth year in a row, NexLAN has been selected one of the nations’ top 100 accounting technology business partners by Accounting Technology with their elite “Pacesetter” award. This national publication annually identifies the leading accounting and business financial management technology partners and it’s a great honor to be named to this elite list just once. So how do we stay on the list four years running? It’s “the little things”, such as keeping clients in the loop via this regular NewsLine and being on top of new build and version updates, but it’s also “the big things” like bringing in projects on time and on budget.
Longtime clients sometimes laugh because we include the “Two Things to do RIGHT NOW!!!” every year in our January NewsLine. But these bear repeating and, we always have new clients that haven’t heard them before and could benefit from them. So, just consider inclusion of these two tips a New Year’s tradition!
And, in keeping with the season, our Technical Tips is full of Payroll-related information.
Regards,
Kevin E. Stroud
NexLAN, LLC
https://nexlan.com
Two Things to do RIGHT NOW!!!
Lock your January 2008 fiscal period
Every year we have a handful of clients who call because someone has typo-ed the year in a transaction and it has posted 12 months back. The best (and simplest) way to prevent this is to lock January 2008.
In General Ledger, head to Housekeeping > Posting Period Restrictions. Check the boxes for each module to restrict posting in that period. You can also use this during the year to keep transactions from hitting periods that have already been audited and approved – and you can always unlock the period if you really have to.
Photocopy your wallet
At NexLAN we firmly believe in keeping your data in more than one place. While running a regular backup is essential, making sure that a copy of that backup is kept off site is just as vital.
The same rule holds true for your personal information (even though it has nothing to do with AccountMate or technology solutions).
Every January I take all of the cards out of my wallet, line them up facedown on a photocopier and hit the button. Everything is flipped over, a copy is made of the backs, and the pages are filed until next year.
Though the process takes only a few minutes, it will save countless hours of time if my wallet is lost or stolen. Instead of having to hunt for credit card numbers, health insurance contact information, and proof of identity, all of my data is in two places: my wallet and my files.
Free Vertical Solution AccountMate Webinars
AccountMate is continuing to offer a variety of webinars from integrated Vertical Solution Partners. All webinars are one hour long from 12:00pm to 1:00pm CST and are listed below. If you would like to attend please contact us, by replying to this e-mail or sending an e-mail to nexlan@nexlan.com, to sign up for the webinar.
WorldView “PopDoc” January 27 – enables AccountMate users to store, retrieve and manage documents without having separate platforms to manage. Users can access documents from within the AccountMate software quickly and easily.
Stonefield Query January 29 – user-friendly query and report writing tool designed specifically for AccountMate. It supports all AccountMate versions.
Tech Note: Understanding the Purchase Order Import Function
Some organizations may create purchase orders using another application but track the receipt of these orders in AccountMate’s Purchase Order module. In such cases, they can utilize the Import Purchase Order function to facilitate the transfer of information from the external application into AccountMate. To successfully import the purchase order data, certain information must be included in the import file. Certain data that are not required to be in the import file will be obtained from other data sources in AccountMate. Click the title of the article to access the document. This TechNote contains a link to a downloadable PDF version of the article.
Article 1109: Understanding the Purchase Order Import Function
Technical Tips
Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: Why do I need the 2009 Payroll Subscription?
A: The 2009 Payroll Subscription provides the program necessary to update your AccountMate software with federal and state tax withholding tables that comply with the latest federal and state mandated requirements. These new tax withholding tables should be applied to payroll checks dated on or after January 1, 2009. For a complete list of the federal and state tax changes incorporated in the 2009 Payroll Subscription, please refer to the Summary of Payroll Tax Changes for Year 2009.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: What are the steps that I must perform prior to installing the 2009 Payroll Subscription Program?
A: Please refer to the document “2009 Payroll Subscription Program – Installation Instructions” and read the section captioned “Prior to Installation of 2009 Payroll Subscription Program”. The pre-requisite procedures are explained there. Click the links below to get a list of reports that you should generate before you perform the W-2/1099 Year-End Closing function.
AM7 for SQL and Express
Prior versions
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: I updated my system to a higher build. Should I reinstall the 2009 Payroll Subscription program?
A: If you installed the new AccountMate build in the same application folder where you had the older build, you must verify that the installed Subscription Program is a Tax Update version that is released after the new AccountMate build; otherwise, you must download the latest 2009 Payroll Subscription Program. If you upgrade to a different AccountMate version (e.g. upgrade from AM6.5 SQL to AM7 SQL, conversion from AM6.5 LAN to AM7.5 SQL, etc), you must install the 2009 Payroll Subscription Program for that version.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for SQL and MSDE
AM6.5 for LAN
VAM/LAN 5
Module: PR
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Q: What builds and versions are supported by the 2009 Payroll Subscription Program?
A: The 2009 Payroll Subscription Program supports the following AccountMate versions and builds:
VAM/LAN 5: Build LN508 and higher
AccountMate 6.5 for SQL and MSDE: Build MS/MD606a and higher
AccountMate 6.5 for LAN: All Builds
AccountMate 7 for LAN: All Builds
AccountMate 7 for SQL and Express: All Builds
Note: Using the 2009 Payroll Subscription Program with any version or build other than the ones listed above is not recommended.
Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: I downloaded and installed the latest Payroll Tax Subscription Update; however, AccountMate still uses the old federal and state withholding rates when I apply payroll. What did I miss?
A: Verify that amsqlts.exe in the AccountMate root directory is updated. If you have manually changed the values in the State Tax Tables Maintenance or Federal Tax Tables Maintenance functions or if the tax tables have blank values, you must access the respective functions and click the Reset button.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: I encountered the message “Cannot proceed. PR Tax Subscription Key is invalid.” when I attempted to enter the PR Tax Subscription Key. What happened?
A: You must install the 2009 PR Tax Subscription Program before you attempt to enter the 2009 PR Tax Subscription Key. It is also possible that the Support ID for the PR Tax Subscription Key does not match the Support ID for the license file and the product key that were entered in AccountMate.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: I performed W-2/1099 Year-End Closing for the tax year 2008 and installed the latest 2009 Payroll Tax Subscription Program that I downloaded from the web. When I ran the Apply Payroll/Payment function, AccountMate displayed the message “Cannot proceed. PR Tax Subscription Year does not match the Tax Table’s Current Tax Year.” What did I miss?
A: Verify that the 2009 Payroll Tax Subscription Key has been entered in the AccountMate Administrator program.
Note: You will also encounter this message if you perform the W2/1099 Year-End Closing and enter the 2009 Payroll Tax Subscription Key but do not install the 2009 Payroll Tax Subscription Program.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
Q: I attempted to apply payroll in the tax year 2009. AccountMate displayed a dialog box, which stated “There are no tax tables for the future tax year 2009. AccountMate will use the available tax tables. Do you want to continue?” What happened?
A: You have not yet installed the 2009 PR Tax Subscription Program. To resolve this, you must do the following:
- Close the tax year 2008 using the W-2/1099 Year-End Closing function. (This step is not necessary for AM7.4 for SQL/Express and AM7 for LAN.)
- Install the Payroll Tax Subscription Update for 2009.
- Enter the 2009 Payroll Tax Subscription Key in the Administrator Program.
Note: If you click the Yes button on the dialog box, AccountMate will post the apply payroll transaction in 2009 but it will use the 2008 tax tables.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
TIP: If you are running AM7 for SQL/Express, AM7 for LAN or AM6.5 for LAN using Upgraded Payroll, you have an option to use the W-2 Information Update, Print W-2 Form, and Print 1099 Form functions from within the AccountMate program or from the Payroll W-2/1099 program. You can launch the Payroll W-2/1099 program by double-clicking on AMPRALIGN.EXE, which is placed in the AccountMate root directory when you install the 2009 Payroll Tax Subscription Program.
If you are running AM6.5 for LAN using Upgraded Payroll, do NOT launch PRW2LN65.EXE located in the AccountMate root directory to update the employees’ W-2 information and to print W-2 and 1099 forms; PRW2LN65.EXE is applicable only to AM6.5 for LAN using standard Payroll.
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Versions: AM7 for SQL and Express
AM7 for LAN
AM6.5 for LAN (Builds LN603 and LN604 using Upgraded Payroll)
Module: PR
TIP: Prior to closing the Payroll W-2/1099 program, you must close all the functions; otherwise, you risk losing valuable data. You can launch the Payroll W-2/1099 program by double-clicking on AMPRALIGN.EXE for AM7 for SQL/Express, AM7 for LAN and AM6.5 for LAN using Upgraded Payroll; PRW2MS65.EXE for AM6.5 for SQL/MSDE; or PRW2LN65.EXE for AM6.5 for LAN using standard Payroll.
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