All businesses, no matter what size they are, need to keep track of their payroll. While tiny companies might well be able to get by with the free tools on offer from HMRC, for most firms, they will need something a bit more substantial. Payroll software, such as easy to use online payroll software, can be very useful for small businesses. This articles looks at the reasons why it is useful, what it actually does and how it can make administering certain activities and events easier.

Why use payroll software for your small business?

Why it is useful
First of all, the main reason payroll software is so useful for a small business is that it helps to do a lot of the payroll work for you. Wages are not only one of the biggest costs for little companies but they also come with a significant administrative burden, which is where the software can help you. It enables you to input all of the relevant data and then automatically calculates the payroll for you.

This typically includes taking account of things like employees’ tax and NI as well as employers’ National Insurance Contributions and the tax implications of any benefits that a firm may offer to its employees (such as pension contributions or childcare vouchers). Most good small business payroll software also updates whenever new regulations come into force, which is a benefit as it helps the calculations to stay accurate without the business having to worry about it.

What it does
As you can see from the above explanation, payroll software has the ability to relieve much of the administrative burden that goes along with any payroll. As well as making standard calculations for full-time employees, it also incorporates a wide range of other issues related to the payroll.

For example, many small businesses have part time staff, who also need to be on the payroll. This can be taken care of by the software, as can any employees who have flexible working hours or any overtime completed by employees. Without software, these are all additions and calculations you would have to make manually, so it’s easy to see where the benefits come from.

Good software can typically also keep track of rotating shift workers and flexible benefits. It helps to save time and means that companies have confidence that they will be able to produce accurate payslips for their employees on time. It makes it easier to determine how much people need to pay through PAYE, which also helps in terms of generating the right tax codes for employees.

You can also use the software to track things like absences and holiday leave. Online payroll software can be particularly useful as it allows for easy access and it is very simple to update, as well as ensuring businesses can access it wherever they need to as long as they have an internet connection.

Activities and events
As well as all of this, small business payroll software can also be used to track other regular activities or events associated with the payroll. For example, it is useful for keeping up to date employee records, which can be particularly useful when someone joins or leaves the company. It can also help you keep track of employee productivity such as by producing reports based on timesheets.

This is not only important for the company’s own information, but it also helps to make sure the company complies with relevant legislation such as the national minimum wage requirement or the working time directive.

Also, as any business knows, there is a requirement to file financial returns every year, and payroll software can make this much easier for your business as it keeps much of the relevant information in one place, where it can easily be transposed as required. There are good accounts courses available where employees can learn about how the software can be of assistance when dealing with financial returns. For example, the software can typically enable firms to issue P60s and P11Ds to employees, as well as submit forms to HMRC (such as the P14 and P35).

Overall, small business payroll software is very useful for all businesses. It helps to automate a lot of processes and means that less time needs to be spent administering the payroll, which frees up employees to focus on other things, as well as giving the company peace of mind that important processes are taken care of to a high level of accuracy thanks to this software. It is definitely something worth considering for your company.

A renowned producer of innovative cars, Honda has created a number of vehicles that have transformed the automotive world. Their recent dedication to offering environmental benefits has seen hybrid cars feature at the forefront of their line-up, characterising the future of their development.

Honda has pioneered hybrids with a simple system. They are extremely lightweight and contain a simple electric motor that is positioned alongside a combustion engine. Their hybrid cars hide a nickel-metal hybrid battery and power electronics under the floor of the boot, improving performance without impairing appearance.

The Honda Insight hybrid was the first car of its kind and has been very well received since its introduction. In fact, a recent announcement stated that since the introduction of the Insight in 1999, Honda has sold more than 800,000 hybrid vehicles across the world.

As the pioneer of this form of motoring, it is clear that hybrid vehicles are a prime focus for the manufacturer and that means new models are always likely to be on the horizon.

The Honda Jazz hybrid is Honda’s fourth hybrid and has comfortably established itself in the supermini sector. This popular car is one of the cheapest and smallest family hatchbacks and retains the high quality standards that Honda is famous for.

The driver is left in charge due to the Integrated Motor Assist System and, with the electric motor enhancing the performance, this acts as a generator during braking, harsh acceleration and even at top speed. The engine is typically Honda, energetic and vivacious, but the Eco button on the Jazz reduces power, offering longer stop intervals.

All of these features make the Honda Jazz one of the latest developments in eco-friendly cars, but it is far from being the only hybrid on offer. The Honda range incorporates a number of hybrid models, with the original Honda Insight remaining a popular choice.

Offering hybrid cars in everything from saloons to hatchbacks, it is clear that drivers will have a wealth of choice available to them when making their decision – but why should they choose hybrids?

With governments and car manufacturers both focusing on this area, hybrid cars are only likely to become more commonplace in the future and that means investing in them now puts you ahead of the game.

Alongside the environmental benefits that are on offer, hybrid cars can also save you money. Their improved fuel economy offers you the chance to make savings on your fuel, whilst their low carbon emissions may make them subject to reductions in road tax and other associated costs.

If you are looking to reduce your fuel bills and emissions when you purchase your next car, a hybrid could be the perfect choice. As the manufacturer who pioneered this form of technology, Honda remains a popular choice for many drivers who are looking to become more environmentally-friendly.

With innovative technology that enhances the driving comfort and performance offered across their range, Honda’s hybrid cars are taking the world by storm by offering quality that is almost unrivalled.

It was once said that everyone will have his or her 15 minutes of fame and it seems like Mrs Janet A’s 15 minutes will be coming sooner rather than later, after she won big at a game of bingo recently.

Janet was playing on Jackpotjoy.com, one of the UK’s most popular instant win bingo sites. Offering a huge range of games, fun features and the chance to win a fabulous cash prize, Jackpotjoy is particularly popular with first-time players due to its easy-to-navigate layout and selection of games to suit every skill level.

Best of all, the Free Demo feature allows you to take each game out for a test drive before you decide on your favourite and to make sure you don’t miss out.

Bingo 75 winner can’t wait to be famous

Janet was of course delighted with her win, describing herself as “shocked and surprised” following her cash prize of £16,210.64 (a windfall that we’re sure will be put to good use!)

Janet was playing Bingo 75, a game that offers a quirky twist on traditional bingo. Instead of trying to check off lines or houses, players have to check off a specific pattern or shape, such as a flower or heart. The first to nab the shape wins and because it’s a game of online bingo your computer will monitor your card for you, meaning that you can play more cards than ever before.

Bingo 75 also offers a unique progressive jackpot to its players. The more you play, the higher the jackpot becomes, until eventually one lucky player is left with a huge cash prize. To ensure that everyone picks up the rules easily, the friendly chat hosts are on hand to help with any problems you may have, so beginners needn’t be worried about knowing what to do. Bingo 75 also attracts a friendly crowd, so don’t be shy since they’ll soon make you feel welcome.

Of course, winning the jackpot isn’t a sure thing, and Janet knows how lucky she is to have won and isn’t going to take it for granted: “I can’t wait for the publicity call and to see myself in a magazine”, she said following the news of her win.

And bingo isn’t all that Jackpotjoy has to offer its users. Casino fans will doubtless be itching to take advantage of the extensive roulette, poker and blackjack games, particularly for the chance to feel glam and test their skills in a real-life game. Television fans will be equally enthralled with Deal or No Deal, a game that offers the chance to feel like a contestant on the hit TV show (Noel Edwards not included!)

For something a little bit different, why not let your Indiana Jones side shine through and take on the Tiki Temple? This hilarious jungle game offers slots, mysterious creatures and unforgettable characters and if you make it all the way to the temple you could net the progressive jackpot bonus. Keep an eye out for Poncho the Parrot and chameleons Lenny and Benny – just don’t let them boss you around too much!

Aside from the huge choice of games, Jackpotjoy also offers a range of other features including chat rooms that’ll give you the chance to make friends with your fellow gamers. Chat about everything from sport to politics and even gaming techniques in one of the monitored chat rooms and don’t forget to pick a fun username to stand out from the crowd.

When you’ve exhausted your gossiping skills, head over to the competition page to be in with a chance of winning an exotic holiday, a new laptop or another fabulous prize. In fact, Jackpotjoy seems to have something for everyone, whether its mysterious poker or fun slots and you’ll certainly never get bored thanks to the 80 plus games currently available. So why wait any longer? Head over to Jackpotjoy.com and get gaming now.

If you have a term paper due this week or an important bit of research that you need get done, you will want to get all the information you need ahead of the Wikipedia blackout planned for this Wednesday. The people powered encyclopedia, and sixth most frequented website on the internet, will be turning off its English based service tomorrow for a period of 24 hours and will instead have a simple message urging visitors to contact Congress.

Wikipedia Blackout

Wikipedia will be joined by other notable tech websites – Reddit and Boing Boing to name a few – in the fight against this new wave of anti-piracy bills that the US government is trying to pass in order to curb illegal downloads of copyrighted content. The bills in specific are the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and the PIPA (Protect IP Act) – both requested mainly by movie studios and music studios who believe extra measures and tools are needed to combat online piracy, particularly when the source originates from abroad.

Many in the tech industry including the likes of Google would be negatively impacted by such a law, which could give the power to a few to halt free speech and terminate sites that they believe falls on the wrong side of the law. With the interpretation of what constitutes ‘piracy’ still not agreed upon by all members, this opens up a grey area which can be negatively exploited in the wrong hands and certainly makes the task of ‘policing the internet’ firmly against the principles by which the technology was formed.

The White House has had to take step back amid the vocal protest by individuals and tech companies alike, and it remains to be seen what measures, if any, the government takes in this new age battle of Hollywood vs Silicon Valley.

Monday night’s NBA Marthin Luther King celebration day was highlighted by a Western Conference semifinals rematch between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Maverick, what fans got instead was one of the worst 48 minutes of basketball seen all year long in the NBA. With Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki taking most of the night off, it was Derek Fisher who emerged as the surprise hero with his tie snapping 3 pointer with 3.3 seconds left that would end up winning the match for the Lakers.

Lakers vs Mavs

The Lakers were coming off a loss to their inner city rivals, a rivalry that has intensified this season with the Clippers having their strongest squad in their history. Kobe Bryant was eager to continue his 40 point streak which stood at 4 consecutive matches going into the game, but he couldn’t get his shot going all night ending up with 14 points on 7-22 shooting.

For the Dallas Mavericks, all eyes were on the return of Lamar Odom – who got a warm standing ovation from Lakers fans following his years of service to the organization. Despite starting the night positively, Lamar continued his poor play this season by going 4-12 and not even being on the court in the waning minutes.

The Dallas Mavericks held the Lakers to just 7 points in the third quarter, 1 point above what would have been a franchise record low for the Lakers. Despite leading for much of the game, Dallas couldn’t hold on to their lead in the fourth with the Lakers’ defense being the difference from more than a half year ago when Dallas was able to sweep the Lakers in the playoffs.

The final possession of the game came with the score tied and Kobe Bryant being isolated at the center of the court on the 3 point line. Instead of taking one of his patented contested jumpshots, Kobe elected to pass the ball to Derek Fisher who was hot all fourth quarter long, and the Little Rock product showed no remorse in hitting a cold blooded three from distance. In the end Derek Fisher’s game winner was the difference in the final score of 73-70 in favor of the homeside Lakers who are now 10-5 while the recently re-surging Mavericks fell to 8-6.

Despite finishing first in both Iowa and New Hampshire – something that no other Republican Presidential candidate has ever accomplished – Mitt Romney’s quest of becoming the GOP nominee to battle Barack Obama has not gotten any easier. FOX News hosted the 2012 South Carolina Debate on Monday, and perhaps with their backs against the wall the remaining four candidates didn’t hold back from attacking front runner Mitt Romney on everything from his track record at Bain to his stance on immigration.

South Carolina Debate

While the first two debates of the new year went by rather comfortably for Romney, he struggled on questions regarding whether felons returning to society should have the right to vote, and also didn’t directly make it clear whether he would disclose his personal tax information as Rick Santorum and many in the Republican party have asked him to do.

New Gingrich was the debate winner if the crowd reaction was anything to go by, while Ron Paul was the clear winner in terms of reaction on Twitter.

Rick Perry and Rick Santorum failed to have spectacular nights, which at this point in their campaign they desperately needed to do to stay relevant.

Ron Paul on the other hand didn’t have his best night in front of a particularly tough crowd when it came to his libertarian roots. One particular interesting segment was when Ron Paul was being heavily scrutinized on his foreign policy and particularly his stance on how Osama Bin Laden was captured without approval from Pakistan. The Texas congressman tried to clarify his constitutional stance that the United States perhaps ought to apply the ‘golden rule’ to their foreign policy, and treat nations the way they would like to be treated – which surprisingly got the biggest boos of the night.

While many have already proclaimed Mitt Romney to have the GOP nomination in the bag, Newt Gingrich showed that there was still some fight in him. Ron Paul is already expected to make this a long worn out race through his pursuit of delegates so don’t call this 2012 Republican nomination process over quite yet.

Do you overspend at Christmas? If you do, you’re not alone! Financial solutions company Think Money says you can still have a Merry Christmas without overspending, if you use your imagination.

Research from uSwitch recently revealed that 26% of people feel that receiving a present on Christmas day isn’t as important as getting what you want – at a better price. They will be giving IOUs to their families and friends this Christmas and will wait for the January sales where they’re guaranteed to find savings. Some people estimate they could save up to £100 this way.

Christmas can be a very expensive time of year, especially when you consider the cost of kitting out the house with festive decorations. Think Money recommends investing in a fake Christmas tree and reusing your decorations every year. A real Christmas tree with decorations can cost around £40 – you may think of other things you’d like to spend that money on this Christmas.

People with debt worries may find they’re forced to cut back this Christmas, especially if their debt repayments take a considerable part, or all, of their disposable income. If you’re really struggling with debt this year, debt management could help you to get back in control of your finances.

Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday specials, and Thanksgiving week sales are usually the talk of the country around the end of November but it has become all that more important this year as the economy shows no signs of recovering. We provide you some of the best Black Friday deals from Amazon, Target, Macy’s and Wal-Mart.

Black Friday Deals 2011

Black Friday Amazon deals are among the most anticipated of the bunch as the online retailer is giving away some top smartphones for just $1. Also on Amazon Black Friday discounts list is the Kindle Wi-FI going at $79 while the Kindle Touch Wi-Fi can be had for as low as $99. Head over to Amazon to take advantage of these offers and much more.

Wal-Mart’s 2011 Black Friday deals are also of interest, including $49 for Blu-ray players and Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii games at $10.

Macy’s have incredible Black Friday 2011 promotions starting with cashmere sweaters reduced by $50 to $39.99. Men will also be able to take advantage of Macy’s Black Friday offers with the leather coats normally priced at $450 going now for an astounding $99.

BestBuy is also part of the Black Friday campaigns, with offers including a Gateway Laptop for $329, a Fujifilm 16MP digital camera for $49, and a Tritton AX120 headset for only $29.99. Target’s main Black Friday 2011 deal is a 46 inch LCD TV for $299 which is a steal anyway you look at it.

What are your thoughts on the 2011 Black Friday deals, offers, discounts and sales? Let us know if you decide to take part in BestBuy, Target, Wal-Mart, Macy’s or Amazon Black Friday deals for 2011.

Credit cards have come to be portrayed as a necessary evil, a symbol of the decadent attitudes towards spending that many feel contributed to the economic downturn. This view was perfectly summed up in the original version of David Cameron’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference in October.

In this speech, which had to be hastily rewritten, Mr Cameron intended to argue that ‘The only way out of a debt crisis is to deal with your debts. That means households – all of us – paying off credit card and store card bills.’

Does credit card use positively affect the economy?

Despite the temptation to compare our individual financial situations to the state of the UK’s economy, the idea that paying off credit card bills will automatically solve the country’s deficit borders on the ludicrous, the relationship between macro and microeconomics (between individual household debt and the economy of a nation) is, in reality, far more complicated than this.

In fact, it was pointed out by a number of leading economists, after a pre-briefed version of the speech was made public, that encouraging people to pay off their debts could have potentially disastrous ramifications, as it would minimise consumer spending.

Does credit card use positively affect the economy?

Indeed, as long as people are encouraged to use them responsibly, credit cards can actually stimulate a struggling economy. By keeping the market at bay credit cards allow consumers to continue to spend even during an economic downturn, a critical ingredient in the recipe to restart the flat-lining economy.

This is a fact of which Mr Cameron’s aides quickly became aware, hence the version of the speech that was eventually delivered at the conference ended up reading ‘ That is why households are paying down the credit card and store card bills.’

Credit cards can be beneficial to many consumers. They are both convenient and safe, as they eliminate the need to take out and carry around large amounts of cash, and are ideal for significant purchases like flights or holidays. They also have the added benefit of proof of purchase and protection if goods become lost, damaged or stolen.

Most importantly, credit cards give and improve your credit rating (assuming you make your payments on time), which will ultimately help you secure big investments and/or loans in the future.

While consumers can be put off by high interest rates, there are many cards available with differing APRs, deals and offers attached; it is certainly a good idea to search around to see what promotions are available. Comparison sites which compare cards are a great place to find a credit card that suits your needs. Most cards offer balance transfers to get rid of the higher APRs and introductory offers at zero per cent for a few months, so you won’t pay any interest initially. By switching cards once these offers come to an end you can significantly extend this period of zero per cent interest.

It is, of course, important to be sensible with credit card use and never spend more than you can realistically afford, ensuring you make your payments on time and pay at least the minimum amount so your credit rating will not be affected negatively; over extending your credit and finding yourself in a mountain of debt is not the answer.

It’s up to each individual to make smart, well-informed decisions about what is right for them and their families; however, it would be short-sighted to dismiss credit cards offhand. Credit cards can be extremely useful if handled correctly; find the card that’s best suited to you and your situation and it will keep you afloat in this time of economic turmoil. Become credit card savvy and it may pay off tomorrow.

In a move which could be mirrored throughout the tech world, Best Buy has ageed to waive fees for recycling electronic equipment with screens. This move has been desired by green campaigners for years, and will accelerate an increase in members of the public returning products.

Best Buy Increases Tech Recycling Drive

Best Buy Increases Tech Recycling Drive

As ‘American Recycle Day’ approaches, a number of organizations have made announcements regarding what their companies are doing with respect to product recycling. Best Buy listed a wide range of products which they would no longer collect recycling fees on, including computers, TVs and DVD players.

The benefit for the company comes with customers needing replacements for their old products, and they are of course in position to give deals to people bringing in equipment to their stores.

Alan Freemaker, a customer at a New York store said, “I used to think it would be easy to sell my phone after a couple of years, but with technology advancing as fast as it is I think I’ll just recycle it.”

Best Buy only deals with R2 or eStewards certified third-party electronic recyclers, and the company has collected 83 million pounds of electronics nationwide for recycling and expects to collect 1 billion pounds of electronics by 2014.