Your Guide to Payroll System Transition

With the recent surge in payroll system prices and unexpected shifts in the market, you might find yourself thinking about switching to a more cost-effective and reliable payroll system. The prospect of changing systems can be daunting, especially when you think about the wealth of historical payroll data stored in your current system. Make sure you’re prepared and know what to expect when moving your data from one payroll provider to another before making the jump.

The Value of Your Historical Payroll Records

When transitioning to a new payroll system, importing at least 52 weeks of historical payroll data is not just best practice—it’s a necessity to ensure your payroll operations run smoothly and comply with New Zealand’s employment and tax laws. 

A one-year record plays a role in several key areas. First, it ensures legal compliance by maintaining accurate records of employee payments, leave, and other entitlements as required by law. Some important payroll aspects are even impossible to calculate without such a comprehensive history including the calculation of leave pay rates to determine a potential higher rate of pay for annual leave; and the average daily pay, which is required for employers to accurately determine what to pay an employee for sick leave, alternative leave, public holidays, and other scenarios where the relevant daily pay does not apply. 

Moreover, this data supports the seamless integration of your payroll operations into a new system. It allows for continuity, ensuring that every aspect of your payroll— from employee details to their entitlement histories —is accurately reflected in the new setup. This continuity gives your employees the reassurance that their pay and entitlements will be correctly managed during and after the system transition. So safeguard your business against potential fines or legal challenges by ensuring your new payroll provider is importing at least 52 weeks of your payroll data.

It’s not just 52 weeks you’ll need to think about when making a switch. Make sure you’ve also retained records of all financial transactions and PAYE records for at least seven years for auditing purposes. These records are not only a legal requirement but they’re valuable assets. They provide insights into your business’s financial health, inform decision-making, and track growth patterns. In the event of an audit by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), these records will become the evidence that demonstrates your adherence to payroll compliance. If these are stored in your current payroll system, double check with them that your data will be safely stored or back up your data into a secure place to meet IRD’s requirements. Here’s a nifty checklist by the IRD that will help to remind you which records need to be stored.

Key Considerations for Migrating your Data

The fear of changing payroll systems and data transfers often stem from the fear of data loss or corruption. However, if you know how to reliably move your data then this doesn’t need to deter you from upgrading to a better system. When selecting a new payroll provider, it’s essential to choose one that can handle seamless data transfers. Additionally, most businesses using an offline payroll system will eventually face the need to switch to an online provider. Moving to an online payroll system is essential for modern businesses to ensure compliance through automatic updates, provide flexibility with remote access, and enhance data security with cloud storage.  

Here are 8 key considerations when migrating payroll data to guarantee a smooth transition:

1. Data Accuracy and Integrity

Ensure that the data being transferred is accurate and complete. This includes employee details, pay history, tax information, and entitlements data.

2. Compatibility and Integration 

Choose a payroll system that can integrate with your current HR and accounting software. This ensures that data can be seamlessly transferred between systems without the need for extensive manual data entry or customization. If the new system can easily integrate with your existing workflows, you’ll be minimizing disruption to your operations.

3. Scalability 

Your business isn’t standing still, and neither should your payroll system. Opt for a solution that grows with you, handling more data and more team members without breaking a sweat. A scalable system ensures that you won’t need to migrate to another system as your business grows.

4. Compliance with Legal Standards 

Your new payroll provider must comply with all relevant legal and tax obligations. This is crucial to avoid any legal complications post-migration.

5. Security of Data 

You’ll need to make sure your data is secure during the migration process. Confirm the security protocols of the new provider to protect any sensitive information.

6. User-Friendly Interface 

The new system should be intuitive and easy to use. This eases the transition for your payroll team, reducing the learning curve and risk of potential errors. Look for a system that comes with clear, accessible support resources.

7. Data Migration Support 

You don’t want to be left in the dark during this important process. A good payroll provider should offer plenty of support for your data migration. This includes clear guidelines on the data migration process, what information needs to be prepared, and in what format. They should also provide tools or services to assist with the migration, ensuring that your data is accurately and efficiently transferred to the new system. Attentive and helpful local support will go a long way in making sure your data migration questions are answered in a timely manner. 

8. Proven Track Record

Finally, consider the provider’s reputation and track record. Look for reviews or case studies from businesses that have successfully migrated to the new system. A provider with a history of successful migrations and satisfied customers is much more likely to offer the quality service and support you need.

Trust Crystal for Your Payroll Transition

At Crystal Payroll, we’re here to make your move to a new payroll system as worry-free as possible. Our approach is designed with your peace of mind at the forefront. We understand the value of your historical payroll data, and our expertise across a wide array of systems ensures your migration is handled with the utmost care.

Can Crystal Payroll migrate from my current payroll provider?

We’ve got the tools for seamlessly integrating payroll data from a wide array of systems. Whether you’re currently using MYOB, Xero, Employment Hero, iPayroll, PayHero, PaySauce, Smartly, or ThankYou Payroll, we’ve got you covered. And for those on MYOB Business, MYOB Essentials, Ace Payroll, MYOB EXO (Comacc), IMS, or MYOB Payroll, we’re especially prepared to ensure an easy move from these offline platforms into our cloud-based solution.

How difficult is migrating my data to Crystal Payroll?

Our approach is straightforward: simply return to us with a completed import template which we provide and, depending on your current system, a backup file or login details. We’ll take it from there, reconfiguring and importing your data into your new Crystal Payroll online account. A full year’s worth of pay history and all those critical employee details are moved over for both a seamless integration and keeping everything in line with New Zealand’s legal standards.

How long will the migration process take?

Worried about the how and when? Don’t be. Our average turnaround time is just 2 working days, with more complex cases wrapped up in 3 to 5 days. That means you could be enjoying payroll clarity with Crystal in less than a week.

How can I trust that Crystal Payroll will provide a seamless and accurate data migration?

Our clients, like Matchmaster NZ, really appreciate how straightforward we make the data migration process. They’ve shared glowing remarks about their switch to Crystal Payroll. Sam Bruzzese from Matchmaster notes,

We could not have had a better experience compared to other larger companies. Crystal captured our existing files & migrated this into their package very quickly without fuss within days. Crystal Payroll guided us through the training stage with recommended options to help us improve our payroll process & reporting.

Thank you Sam for your positive words!

Switching payroll providers doesn’t have to be a leap into the unknown. With Crystal Payroll, it’s more like a step into clarity. Ready to make the switch? Let’s get your payroll running the way it should be.