Check your software is up to date

It's important that you keep your software up to date by installing the latest updates available. These updates contain new legislation, as well as feature improvements and fixes.

If you've configured your software for automatic updates, you're prompted to download and install an update when it's ready for you. Alternatively, you can manually check if the update is available from:

• Within your software, by clicking Help then click Check For Updates.
• From our Sage Payroll software updates guide.

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Check your company information

Your employer registration number, address and contact details are included on your returns to Revenue. You must check this information is up to date and correct. Find out how >

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Check your employee details are correct

Within each of your employees records, you must open the ETP tab and check the details are correct. If there are missing periods that you can't account for, please contact Sage technical support or your Sage-accredited business partner for further assistance.

You should also do the following if applicable:

• Check that you've entered a valid personal public service (PPS) number for each of your employees. If you don’t have a PPS number for an employee, you must enter their date of birth and home address. Read more >
• For directors - Specify if they are a proprietary or non-proprietary director. Find out how >
• For new starters this year - Check a start date is specified within the employee record.
• For leavers - Check the finish date and period is specified within Employee Details.
• If the employee has a PAYE exclusion order, enter the exclusion details in their record.
• If the employee is exempt from PRSI, specify this within their record. Find out how >
• If the employee is on a shadow payroll, indicate this within their record. Find out how >

If you have more than one record for an employee, this can cause incorrect tax, universal social charge (USC) or social insurance (PRSI) calculations. This could mean your returns to Revenue are incorrect. To resolve this, you must merge duplicate employee records.

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Check your pensions are set up correctly

If you have any pension, additional voluntary contribution (AVC), personal retirement savings account (PRSA), retirement annuity contract (RAC) or construction workers pension (CWPS) deductions on your payroll, you must check they are set up correctly and have a pension link assigned to them. Find out how >

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Run the Validate Payroll Data utility

You can run the Validate Payroll Data utility at any time during the tax year to check your data for issues. Read more >

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Check values on the Control Summary report

Before you begin processing a new pay period, you should check the values on your Control Summary report are correct. This involves reconciling the carried forward values from the previous period's report with the brought forward values for the current period's report.

Generally, the year to date totals for gross pay, tax, universal social charge (USC) and social insurance (PRSI) are the same on both. However, if they're different, you should always investigate the reasons why and reconcile the differences. Read more >

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