Determined by an independent survey conducted by the research firm Campbell Rinker, the award is based on the high proportion of Sage Fund Accounting customers who say they would recommend the product to others.

Sage Fund Accounting is the only nonprofit software to receive five consecutive Campbell Rinker awards for customer satisfaction.

Sage HRMS helps employers actively support company objective by centralizing employee data and simplifying core human resource (HR) and payroll administration, enabling better workforce-related decisions and improving overall company efficiency.  The 2012 release includes 70 customer-requested quality and usability enhancements in the HRMS Payroll, and Sage Employee Self Service (Sage ESS) solutions.  The new Sage Employee Analytics technology provides advanced customization, enabling users to include custom data from Sage HRMS user-defined fields as well as pull in external data sources from third-party applications in the views they create, allowing them to leverage workforce data like never before in order to make the best possible business.

Self-service mobility allows employees and managers to view payment history and time off balances, request time off and view approvals, and manage time off requests using an instant connection to Sage ESS.  Employee self-service mobility works on a variety of hand-held devices including a variety of smart phones.

If you’d like more information on Sage HRMS 2012 (formerly Sage Abra SQL HRMS) please give us at call at 1-800- 269-6466.

The review listed the strengths of the system as:

• Extensive list of modules
• Excellent budgeting capabilities
• On-premises or hosted options of the solution

The review covered several areas of evaluation.  Here is how Sage Fund Accounting was rated in each category:

• Basic system functions – 4.75 stars
• Core NFP/Fund Accounting Capabilities – 5 stars
• Management Features – 5 stars
• Financial statements & reporting – 5 stars
• Integration & Import/Export – 5 stars
• Help/support – 5 stars

It comes as no surprise that we are in complete agreement with this assessment – we have seen the degree to which nonprofit organizations have benefitted from this powerful software solution.

Congratulations to Sage for this outstanding review.

In Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin, Huckstep & Associates supports nonprofits, governmental, and for-profit organizations by building and maintaining the best professional team of accounting and human resource experts and support staff.

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• Personal exemption — $3,800 per eligible person, up from $3,700.

• Basic standard deduction — $11,900 (married filing jointly), up from $11,600; $8,700 (head of household), up from $8,500; $5,950 (single and married separate), up from $5,800.

• Social Security taxable wage base — $110,100, up from $106,800.

• 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plan elective salary deferrals (annual) — $17,000 (up from $16,500).

• Roth IRA contribution allowability — phaseout range $173,000 to $183,000 of annual adjusted gross income for married couples filing jointly, up from $169,000 to $179,000; $110,000 to $125,000 for single taxpayers and heads of household, up from $107,000 to $122,000.

• Defined contribution retirement plan dollar limit on annual additions — $50,000, up from $49,000.

• Phaseout range for those who make deductible contributions to a

traditional IRA and are covered by a workplace retirement plan:

o Singles and heads of household — $58,000 to $68,000 of modified adjusted income, up from $56,000 to $66,000;

o Married couples filing jointly — in which the spouse who makes the IRA contribution is covered by a workplace retirement plan — is $92,000 to $112,000, up from $90,000 to $110,000.

For IRA contributors who are not covered by a workplace retirement plan but are married to someone who is covered, the phaseout range is $173,000 to $183,000, up from $169,000 to $179,000.

• Defined benefit plan limit on annual benefits — $200,000, up from $195,000.

• Maximum annual compensation used to determine benefits or contributions — $250,000, up from $245,000.

• Dollar limit used to define highly compensated employee – $115,000, up from $110,000.

• Compensation limitation defining key employee/officer to “top heavy” plan purposes – $165,000, up from $160,000.

• “Nanny” tax threshold — annual payment of $1,800, up from $1,700.

• The gift-tax, generation-skipping-transfer (GST) tax, and estate-tax exemption amount — $5,120,000, up from $5,000,000.

• Dollar limitation on property eligible for Section 179 expensing election used in a trade or business — $139,000, up from a previously scheduled $125,000. Limit is reduced dollar for dollar as the cost of eligible property placed in service exceeds $560,000, up from $500,000.

Also, tax bracket thresholds increase for each income-tax filing status and rate. For example, for a married couple filing a joint return, the taxable income threshold separating the 15% bracket from the 25% bracket is $70,700 in 2012, up from $69,000 in 2011.

We Can Help

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding these, or any other, tax law limits for 2012. We can also assist with all of your 2011 tax return preparation needs.

Composed of CPAs and staff with professional accounting and human resource experience, training and certification, Huckstep & Associates is the trusted advisor for organizations from Nebraska to Arkansas, from Michigan to Colorado.

I never thought about the answer to this question until just a couple weeks ago.  I received a call from my bank, indicating that there had been a 5 cent charge from on my debit card that morning.  They first asked if my debit card had the last four digits of “xxxx”.   And, the numbers the person reeled off were correct.    The question was posed to me as to whether I had initiated the 5 cent charge or not.  Of course, I don’t put items of that nature on my debit card, so responded “No”.  And, given my type of work, I am aware that typically charges of that size are the first visible sign of fraud against your account.   What I wasn’t thinking of as I answered “no” to the question was the possibility that the call itself might be fraudulent.

However, that thought did enter my mind when the caller reeled off the last four of the debit card number, and started asking me to confirm all sorts of things.    The lights came on, and I simply let the caller know that I wouldn’t be answering any further questions, and would place a call to my bank.    It was an interesting interaction.    The person who had called was very friendly, gave me the number to call at the bank, and suggested I make that call in short order.    The number provided was the actual customer service number listed on the debit card.

My bank was a small bank when I began using them some years back, but they have sold to a larger organization that is based in the Southern states.   However, I do still deal with local staff, and that is who I called – someone I knew.   The person with whom I made contact had no knowledge of potential fraudulent activity on my personal account.    Nor, did they believe that the call I was describing had been made by bank personnel.    They advised that all was OK, and I should simply not have concern.

BUT – that was a pretty serious issue of concern in my book, and I ultimately made a call to the operations section of the bank, and asked them to simply deny access to any debit charges on this personal account and issue a new debit card.   Given whatever activity resulted in the call to me regarding debit card activity, I was not happy with that advice, and did ask them to go ahead and cut off access to that card, and re-issue a new one that I have since received.

Yesterday, I received another call from “someone” again indicating that there was fraudulent activity on my debit card.    It was an 800# call, so I did not answer.    I’ve learned my lesson – we should not answer 800# calls that come into to our Cell Phones!!!     This one left a voice mail requesting that I call a number that WAS NOT the number for customer service on the back of my new debit card.    I didn’t even bother calling the actual customer service number on the card this time.       And, today, I went to my bank website, and saw that they had a “red flag” warning relative to “phishing” calls relative to bank accounts.

So, the Moral of the Story?     Absolutely, do not respond to queries of this nature when you receive calls from individuals purporting to be helping you to keep your bank account, credit card, debit card, or other card Safe from Scammers.     Hang up immediately, pull the card that has been questioned by the caller, and make a call to the customer service number that is displayed on back of the actual physical card.   Make absolutely certain that you question the bank as to whether the call you received was made by the bank’s fraud department.   If their response is NO, as it was in my case, I would cancel the card.

We never know for certain how the caller gained access to the information that they have asked you to confirm, and you may inadvertently have confirmed personal information for the thieves.    Given our dependence upon electronic means to handle our accounts from afar, it is definitely a hardship to cancel the card and wait for a new one to be issued.     But – it feels really very good to have avoided a significant mess, and learned from the situation!      Do NOT give unwelcome callers a chance to do Harm!

Freeing nonprofit, government and for-profit organizations to focus on mission and strategy, Huckstep & Associates is proud to have customers throughout the central United States including Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

Earning the trust of nonprofit organizations and human resource departments since 1994, Huckstep & Associates supports clients in Missouri, Michigan, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, and throughout central United States.

“Can you help me automate so that I’m not buried in paperwork?”

The answer is “Yes!”  Not only can we help automate starting with award-winning Sage Abra HRMS, we can show you how the system can be used to save time, save money, and reduce manual handling of paperwork.

We recommend Sage Abra HRMS as the core of your HR solution.  The system is scalable and offers a number of attractive complementary modules including HR Actions for Sage Abra HRMS.

HR Actions is one of the most popular solutions we’ve been showing organizations.  The ROI is readily apparent and it truly is a great help to gaining greater efficiency in the collection and approval of employee data.

HR Actions is web-based and helps you streamline the collection and approval of employee data – from request to hire to termination, status changes, performance appraisals, and a whole lot more.

HR Actions for Sage Abra HRMS solution highlights:

Accelerate HR and Payroll transactional processing throughout the employment lifecycle

• Eliminate paper forms
• Updated forms are immediately available to the organization
• Electronic routing and approval of forms speed the service delivery process

Keep employee information available and up-to-date across the enterprise

• Provide managers online access to direct and skip-level reports’ personnel files, including completed forms and attachments.

Reduce HR’s dependency on IT support

• HR can define and build dynamic web-based forms and routing rules without any programming skills

Enforce company policy while minimizing errors

• Forms are easy to complete, with fields that only display appropriate choices
• Specify what fields must be complete for a form to move on to the approval process
• Forms are routed for approval based on business rules you define in a point-and-click environment

Eliminate data entry from paper forms into Sage Abra HRMS

• Once approved, one-click updates to Sage Abra eliminate data entry from paper forms

You monitor and control forms throughout the entire routing process

• A real-time dashboard lets you see the status of every form being routed throughout the organization
• Control the flow of a form – stop it, skip an approver, or push it through the approval process

If you’d like to operate more efficiently and make better use of your time – HR Actions is worth taking a look at.  Please let us know if you’d like to learn more – give us a call at 800-269-6466 or drop us a note info@huckstep.com – we’d love to chat with you!  Also don’t forget to connect with us on Twitter @HuckstepAssoc.

With headquarters in Springfield, MO, Huckstep & Associates serves clients in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin providing sales and support for Sage Software Products, Time Keeping Solutions, Third Party Add-Ons To Sage Products, Hosted Solutions, and IT Solutions.

Background

The classification — or misclassification — of an employee as an independent contractor, as the case may be, has been a hot-button issue of late. The import of the proper classification of a worker as an employee or an independent contractor goes beyond a mere label: A substantial monetary and employee benefit impact is at stake for the employer and the worker alike. Worker classification is also an important issue to the IRS, since a significant percentage of federal revenue comes from employment taxes. The IRS has been conducting random audits of businesses to ensure employment tax compliance.

Tax Impact

Employees and independent contractors are treated differently for income-tax withholding and employment-tax purposes. With an employee, the business generally must withhold income taxes from the employee’s pay and remit those taxes to the federal (and state, if applicable) government. The business and the employee share the responsibility for Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes on the employee’s earnings. The business also must pay unemployment taxes for the worker. In the case of an independent contractor, income-tax withholding is not required and the worker is fully liable for his or her own self-employment taxes (essentially equivalent to the total of the employee-employer contributions to FICA taxes) and unemployment taxes do not apply.

In determining a worker’s classification, the IRS applies a “facts and circumstances” test involving numerous factors; an analysis of the entire relationship needs to be taken into account.  A key issue that the IRS has traditionally examined is whether the employer had the right to direct and control the actions of the worker as to how to perform the services. Other factors include how the worker is paid, whether there is a written contract, whether expenses are reimbursed, and whether the business or the worker provides tools and supplies.

The New IRS Initiative

The new program enables certain employers to resolve past worker classification issues and gain clarity as to the worker classification issue at a relatively low cost by voluntarily reclassifying their workers.

As opposed to waiting for a potential IRS audit, businesses (and other entities, including tax-exempt organizations and government units) may use the Voluntary Worker Classification Settlement Program to achieve compliance by making a minimal payment (generally, 10% of the employment tax liability deemed owed) to cover past payroll tax obligations. To be eligible to take advantage of the IRS’ offer, a business must satisfy some basic requirements. The entity must:

• Have consistently treated the worker(s) as nonemployees in the past,
• Have filed all required IRS Forms 1099 for the workers for the past three years, and
• Not currently be under a worker classification audit by federal or state agencies.

The IRS created the program ostensibly to increase tax compliance and reduce the burden placed on employers by providing greater certainty for the worker, the business, and the IRS as to a given worker’s employment classification status.

How to Apply

Employers who are interested in applying to the new voluntary classification program can do so by filing IRS Form 8952, Application for Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, at least 60 days before intending to treat a contractor as an employee. If all conditions are met, the employer will not be audited on payroll taxes related to the worker for prior years.

Take Advantage of Professional Advice

We would be happy to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have relating to the new IRS worker classification initiative. We can help you determine whether your organization is eligible and, if so, how to participate in the program. Let’s get together and talk.

Helping nonprofits, human resources departments with fund accounting and HRMS software, reporting, and accounting services; Huckstep & Associates is proud to have customers throughout the central United States including Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin.

Cost allocation is a terrifically important project for every accountant who manages federal grants.     In our work, we are often called upon to implement a cost allocation plan as a part of a software implementation.    My process always starts with this question:     “Could you please send me a copy of your current written allocation plan?”    And, typically, my question is met with silence, or a “deer in the headlights” stare if I’m on-site.

As a result of that initial question, and my subsequent experiences with clients all over the country, I’ve come to the firm conclusion that only the “best of the best” have that plan document that has been drafted initially, updated annually, and then observed faithfully.    The requirements for allocation of administrative costs to federal grants are contained in OMB Circular A-122, and are stated very clearly.

It’s really not that difficult, as the circular only requires that your processes are reasonable.    Virtually every one of the clients that I work with currently allocate their administrative costs in some manner, and virtually all have the written plan document in place.    I always caution them to create a reasonable plan for their organization, and to avoid what I call “splitting hairs”.

It’s the new ones that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit with about cost allocation where I see the lack of attention to this significant compliance area related to their grants.   In my initial discussion regarding allocation of administrative costs, I urge them not only to plan the process, but to document it, review periodically, and then document the review.   My current clients have all been through that discussion/exercise with me, and we continue our cost allocation discussion through our regional Sage Nonprofit user groups, our annual High Road to Success user conference, and other communication avenues that we employ to stay connected with our Sage NonProfit clients.

The reality is that with the appearance of the ARRA Funds at the beginning of the recession, and their enhanced compliance requirements, cost allocation became more of a target of interest to both auditors and monitors.     And, we believe that initial interest through the substantial compliance requirements of the ARRA Funds has become the “new normal” in the grant funded world of the nonprofit organization.    So, this is a very important area.

Are your cost allocation processes and procedures documented, and reviewed annually?    If not, your organization is at risk when the monitor or the auditor visits.    You want to be certain that your processes are in place, that they are consistent from period to period, that they are reasonable, and that they are well-documented.      The ultimate goal is to make it easy for the auditor or monitor to verify that you are performing the procedures in the manner prescribed by your written plan, and that your plan meets the requirements of OMB Circular A-122.

 Helping nonprofits, human resources departments with fund accounting and HRMS software, reporting, and accounting services; Huckstep & Associates assists organizations throughout the central United States from Minnesota to Texas and Colorado to Michigan.