Several people have asked when they should load the 2011 tax table update for MAS 90 and MAS 200 payroll.

As you may know one of the hidden gotcha’s of printing W2 forms via MAS 90 and MAS 200 payroll is the system uses the current FICA/MEDICARE maximum limits for determining how much goes into each FICA/MEDICARE box. For employees over the maximum limit at which tax is assessed MAS 90 simply supplies the current maximum rate from the FED tax table.

Update 1-11-2011: New Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200 2011 Tax Tables

At first glance since there is no limit change for the FICA/MEDICARE this year many users determined that it didn’t matter when they loaded the tables (ie – Before or after preparing quarterlies and W2 forms).

Turns out according to Jim Woodhead over at DSD Business Systems that if you load the tax tables early your 941 form will show an incorrect overpaid status due to the 941 form using the NEW rate for employee FICA (4.2% for 2011). the solution is to manually change the FICA rate back to 6.2% while printing your 941 forms.

PS – Don’t forget to change it back to 4.2% when you’re done printing.

DSD Business Systems

© 2011, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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One of the frequent questions that users of MAS90 and MAS200 will have prior to upgrading is “what’s changed?”. It’s a pretty common — and smart — question that you’ll want the answer to prior to installing either a major upgrade (moving up a point or full version) or a product update.

Major upgrades are considered to be any that move you up a version of the software. For example moving from MAS90 3.71 to 4.40 would be a major upgrade since during the move you also have pretty significant changes to General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Sales Order, Inventory, RMA, Purchase Order and Bank Reconciliation.

Once you reach level 4.40 then the upgrades will start to be intermingled with what Sage terms Product Updates.

In theory these Product Updates are user installable collections of both product fixes and new features. Presently Sage have released three product updates for MAS90 4.4 (Product Update or PU 1,2,3).

Curious about what’s been added in each version of these upgrades or updates? Sage embeds a web link within the latest version of MAS90 4.4. However if you’ve not yet installed the upgrade then you may have some trouble locating the link to answer your “what’s new” questions.

Therefor you can use the link below to navigate directly to the web page chronicling every enhancement added to MAS 90 from version 3.50 to 4.40 Product Update 3.

MAS90 Enhancements

© 2010, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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Here’s a handy chart outlining the new features of MAS 90 and MAS 200 4.x courtesy of Sage partner Faye Business Solutions of Woodland Hills California.

This two page PDF does a fantastic job of showing exactly what was added to each module in versions 4.0 to 4.4. Download and stash this one in your toolkit so the next time someone asks you what’s been added in differing versions you can provide them with this reference.

Faye Business Solutions Group

© 2010, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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Unfortunately the what’s new guide that Sage supplied did not go into enough detail about the exact features – and where to find them.

Never fear because Jeff’s on the job and here’s his guide that he is allowing me to share with you:

Whats New in MAS90 + MAS200 Product Update 4.4.01

via: Bottomline Software

© 2010, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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Upgrading your MAS90 or MAS200?

Schulz Consulting is now fixed cost upgrades for users moving from any version of Sage MAS90 or MAS200 to the current 4.4 release.

Instead of quoting a ranges of hours and rates – and then disclaiming unexpected events while expecting your company to shoulder the liability of any cost overrun – we provide one fixed price.

This price includes your upgrade plus 15 business days of post-conversion support. Plus it also includes all of the items below.

- Upgrade of your current system to MAS 90 or MAS 200 version 4.4
- Conversion of all data – for as many companies as you like
- Migration of custom forms
- Conversion of Visual Integrator jobs
- Conversion of Custom Crystal Reports from v10 to v11

If your system has any MAS90 or MAS200 customizations, including Extended Solutions, which require upgrading we will assist you in locating a developer who can update your customizations for an additional fee.

We’ve segmented our MAS90 & MAS200 upgrade pricing categories down into 5 different tiers. This means that smaller and less complex MAS90 users have a smaller fixed cost to upgrade than the larger companies with more users and complexity.

When needed we will assist you in finding development assistance to provide a quote for upgrading any customizations or Extended Solutions.

Your Pricing Options Will Fall Into One Category Depending Upon Company Size:

Tier 1: Under 3 users with no enhancements or add-ons

Tier 2: 5 or fewer users with enhancements or add-ons

Tier 3: 6 to 10 users with enhancements or add-ons

Tier 4: 11 to 20 users with enhancements

Tier 5: Larger 21+ user companies

Use the form below to request pricing information. We will review this and within 8 business hours provide you with a firm price for upgrading your MAS90 or MAS200:

Image via Flickr

© 2010, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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Here’s a quick reminder from Sage.

When upgrading MAS90 or MAS200 to their new version 4.4 remember that the migration utilities must be used. This is so that your system files are properly copied into the new company.

You cannot migrate data once and then simply copy over any system files as you may have done in the past. Using the migration utility also means that you’ll be copying back over system files that contain UDF and Paperless Office information.

Plan ahead for testing on these areas. When needed for larger jobs you’ll probably have to export and import UDF (user defined fields) or the migration utility will write over any changes you’ve made.

Read more MAS 90 4.4 Upgrade Tips on the Sage Site

© 2010, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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The new tables incorporate the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the key tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that became law earlier this week.

UPDATE: 12/24/09 – The 2010 IRS Withholding Tax Tables have been released and we have a copy at this link.

“For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Since employers and payroll companies will handle this change, people typically won’t need to take any additional action. The IRS will continue working to implement this and other provisions of the new law as quickly as possible.”

The new withholding tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, will be incorporated in new Publication 15-T. This publication will be posted to this Web site next week and mailed to more than 9 million employers in mid-March. The IRS asks that employers start using these new tables as soon as possible but not later than April 1. Most workers will see a boost in their take-home pay soon thereafter.

Eligible workers will get the benefit of this change without any action on their part. This means that workers don’t need to fill out a new W-4 withholding form to get the Making Work Pay credit reflected in their take-home pay. A Form W-4 will not need to be submitted for the automatic withholding change. Individuals and couples with multiple jobs may want to submit revised Form W-4 forms to ensure enough withholding is held to cover the tax for the combined income. Publication 919 provides additional guidance for tax withholding.

Available for tax years 2009 and 2010, the Making Work Pay credit is 6.2 percent of a taxpayer’s earned income with a maximum credit of $800 for a married couple filing a joint return and $400 for other taxpayers, but it is phased out for higher income taxpayers. Most workers will qualify for the maximum credit. Because the credit is refundable (people can get it even if they owe no tax), most low-income workers will also qualify for the full credit.

Though all eligible taxpayers will need to claim the credit when they file their 2009 income tax return next year, the benefit will generally be spread out over the paychecks they receive beginning this spring and continue until the end of the year.

Many higher-income taxpayers will see little or no change in their take-home pay. That’s because the Making Work Pay credit is phased out for a married couple filing a joint return whose modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is between $150,000 and $190,000 and other taxpayers whose modified AGI is between $75,000 and $95,000

Taxpayers will not get a separate, special check mailed to them from the IRS like last year’s economic stimulus payment.

New IRS Tax Tables February 2009

© 2009, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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The modules which are slated for upgrade are: Inventory, Bill of Materials and Purchase Order.

Join Roberta Vigil, product manager, as she steps through a demonstration of the Sage MAS 90 and 200 new features.
Official Description:

Join us for a preview of the new features and enhancements available in the upcoming version 4.4 release of Sage MAS 90 and 200. Presented by Product Manager Roberta Vigil, this session will provide an overview of the new and improved functionality being introduced through business framework for Inventory Management, Purchase Order, and Bill of Materials planned for release later this year.

Register for free here

© 2009, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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A new update to Sage FAS Fixed Asset Solution is available for download from the Sage Software site.

This update includes important, new tax law changes that are now in place along with the latest rules, rates and IRS forms. Provisions made to your software include, but are not limited to, the following:

Tax Rules

* The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which offers adjustments to Section 179 limits, is now accounted for.
* The Heartland, Habitat, Harvest and Horticulture Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Act), which allows a 168k bonus and Section 179 expensing, is now included.

Tax Rates

* Updated Tax Limits. The 2009.1 tax update complies with the scheduled updates to the Section 179 limits and luxury auto limits. This includes a reduction in the Section 179 limit from $250,000 to $133,000.
* Updated ITC Credits. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 created new ITC credits and extended the dates or increased the percentage for existing credits. Included are new credits for historic properties, advanced coal projects, and green energy expenditures.
* Increased Section 179 Limits for Two New Property Zones. The 2009.1 tax update includes Section 179 dollar limits for two new property zones: the Qualified Disaster Zone and the Kansas Disaster Zone. The update also includes increased Section 179 limits for Gulf Opportunity Zone and Enterprise Zone property. Tax Forms
* Updated forms are now available, such as the 4562 and worksheets for your 3468, 4255, 4626 and 4797.

You may also be missing other recent software enhancements that are available in this update, like:

* Assets Snapshot. Get an at-a-glance graphical summary of important information for instant command over your fixed asset “portfolio”.
* Report Writer with Crystal Reports® XI . While still offering the ability to customize built-in standard reports, now you can more easily integrate Sage FAS data with data from other sources, specify run-time input parameters, create charts and graphs, and so much more.
* New IRS Form 4562-FY, which reflects recently instated depreciation and amortization allowances.

Need more details? Be sure to view the What’s New document for complete information!

This update will be automatically mailed to you on CD over the next few weeks. Or, you can download it now and get more information by visiting: www.sagefas.com/update.

20091 FAS Whats New TAX

© 2009, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

We publish an email newsletter each Tuesday at 3pm – join here.

© 2008, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

We publish an email newsletter each Tuesday at 3pm – join here.

Live from Sage Summit in Denver Colorado comes this brief Twitter update on the status of Sage MAS 90 version 4.4. Not only have all prior release features been confirmed (expanded fields) but the program will be a 64 bit native release (UPDATE: Sage has since clarified that the program will run in 64 bit environment but the Sage MAS 90 and 200 software itself will not be 64 bit) and time permitting will incorporate some unspecified webservices.

Here’s the full text of the feature announcement live from the Sage MAS 90 and 200 version 4.4 what’s new presentation at Sage Summit.

This new version is slated for delivery in 2009 and has been announced to included expanded field lengths for Inventory Items (30) and Customer Numbers (20). This Twitter posting appears to confirm that those anticipated features will in fact make it to the final release which another Twitter update announces as Q4 2009.

via: Twitter Feed

© 2008 – 2009, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 contains a Job Costing module which is adequate for many small job tracking situations. However if your company wants to get more in depth with job tracking, then you should consider JobOps.

One of the key features which has proven atrractive is JobOps ability to begin the job process with a quote. Starting in Sales Order, work tickets are fashioned from their original quote status. This is a step that standard Sage MAS 90 and 200 doesn’t provide and one of the key reasons that over 600 Sage MAS 90 and 200 users have turned to Job Ops for increased Job Management flexibility.

We also have clients that migrate to JobOps due to the configurator module which enables the creation of a product from a much more complex matrix of possible options and materials.  Once this product has been created, it can be fully integrated into the job management function of the software.

Some of the key features of JobOps for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200:

Estimating

• Re-use past quotes to create new ones
• Combine bills of material, routings, labor and services to create a detailed cost roll-up
• Automatic update of material costs
• Product configurator assists with selecting options and calculating final price

Sales Orders & Work Tickets

• Fast conversion from quote to sales order
• Generate work tickets automatically
• Check availability of material prior to release
• Product documentation and procedures can be attached to job ticket
• Automatically create item price via product configurator

Job Planning

• Verification of quote accuracy and pricing
• Material availability
• Purchasing shortages
• Production scheduling
• Track estimates (current versus revised)

Field Service & Dispatch

• Service ticket creation
• Scheduling dispatch board
  

  

• Customer contracts, equipment history, warranty tracking
• Preventive maintenance orders
• Integration to Microsoft Outlook
• Dashboard

Product Configurator

• Quickly configure custom product estimates
• Generate a bill of materials and routing
  

  

• Graphical rules based wizard eases data entry
• Update pricing automatically based upon configuration
• Smart part numbers to uniquely identify a newly configured part
• Web enabled for remote configuration entry

For more information on Job Ops for Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 please download this full color PDF brochure that contains additional details. We will happily provide you with the names of consultants we know in your area who can assist with implementing Job Ops for Sage MAS 90 and 200.

Link: JobOps Brochure

© 2008, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

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Thinking about switching to Sage MAS 90 or Sage MAS 200?

Unsure about what the differences between the products are and whether you’ll get enough of a benefit from making the move from Intuit’s Quickbooks software to MAS 90? Then take a look at this new 86 page QuickBooks vs MAS90 document that goes into depth about  the differences between these two products.

Here’ a quick breakdown of the included chapters:

Chapter 1 – Introduction

Chapter 2 – Price Value

• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Retail Limitations vs. Value Added Reseller Consulting
• Integration
• Customization
• Enhanced User Interface
• Flexibility to Add Modules as You Grow
• Core Accounting
• Distribution
• Manufacturing
• Resource and Project Management
• Business Intelligence and Customization
• Customer Relationship Management
• Business Management Applications
• Add Users as You Need Them

Chapter 3 — Feature and Workflow Comparison

• Feature Comparisons
• Available Modules
• System Options
• Accounts Receivable
• Accounts Payable
• General Ledger
• Inventory
• Sales Order
• Purchase Order
• Payroll
• Customizer
• Bar Code
• Job Cost
• Visual Integrator
• Workflow Differences
• Real-Time and Batch Processing
• Cash Basis vs. Accrual Accounting
• Audit Trail
• Adding Customers and Vendors
• Working in More Than One Company
• Memorized Transactions vs. “Copy From”
• Data Entry
• Navigation
• Viewing and Editing Open Sales Orders and Quotes
• Inventory Costing
• Functionality That’s the Right Fit
• Alerts vs. Business Alerts
• QuickBooks Welcome Window vs. Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users
• Business Insights Dashboard

Chapter 4 — Conversion Expectations

• Conversion Specialist Program
• Training Requirements
• Before You Begin the Conversion Process
• What Is Data Migrator?
• What Data Can Data Migrator Convert?
• Which Versions of QuickBooks Data Will Data Migrator Convert?
• What Does the Migration Process Entail?
• Printing QuickBooks Reports Before Migration
• Data Migrator Checklists
• QuickBooks Data Migration Checklist
• Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users Pre-Data Conversion
  Checklist
• Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users Post-Data Conversion
  Checklist
• Data Integrity
• Time Expectations
• Downtime

Chapter 5 — How to Get the Most Out of Your Software

• Implementation
• Training
• Tutorials
• Anytime Learning and Instructor-Led Training
• Authorized Training Centers (ATCs)
• Certified Trainers (CTs)
• Business Partner Training
• Support
• Certified Support Specialists
• Certified Support Centers
• Sage Software Support Plans
• Conclusion

From the guide:

What are Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)?

GAAP is a widely accepted set of rules, conventions, standards, and
procedures for reporting financial information that are established by
the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Sage MAS90
Special Edition for QuickBooks Users adheres closely to these
important industry guidelines.

For example:

In Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users, a user
cannot change or delete posted transactions without an audit trail.
With an audit trail of changes to posted transactions, you will
maintain a clean general ledger that will make your accountant
and the IRS much happier!

QuickBooks allows you to use either cash-basis or accrual-basis
accounting methods. Cash-basis accounting does not follow
GAAP. Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users uses
accrual-basis accounting, which closely follows GAAP.

Although this guide has been designed by Sage Software (developers of Sage MAS 90 and 200) and can understandably be considered a little biased toward their product – it still contains lots of helpful information.

Whenever I review a vendor provided guide such as this I will use it as a starting point. If you can get even one question from it to ask about a prospective new accounting system then it is worth it.

Even though this guide is designed by Sage Software, there is an unusual amount of fact checking that happens before it is published.

For example, there are plenty of charts like this which compare and contrast the available features in QuickBooks and MAS 90.

The guide is available now through your friendly local Sage Business Partner. If you don’t have a friendly (or a local) partner to ask – then hit up the link below for your very own free copy.

Depending upon the version of Sage MAS 90 or 200 that you are considering, you should be asking as well about any promotions that are available for owners of QuickBooks (or other competing products) who are upgrading. Sometimes the promotions are only valid on certain versions of MAS 90 – but you won’t get the discount unless you ask!

Link: QuickBooks Conversion Guide
(PDF)

© 2008, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

We publish an email newsletter each Tuesday at 3pm – join here.

This latest release provides an invaluable new feature in the ability to send all reports, forms, and registers directly to a PDF file.

While sending reports to PDF files is nothing new, the process that Sage uses to secure, name and manage the PDF information is the piece of the puzzle that most companies will welcome. When you elect to send your journals and registers to a PDF file via Sage’s paperless office you ensure that nobody in the office can mistakenly forget to print a journal to PDF. This is because Sage MAS 90 automatically remembers for you. Then once the PDF is printed it takes care of automatically naming and filing the document.

Sage MAS 90 and 200 4.3 Delivers Customer Value In These Areas As Well:

• Go green with paperless office
• Turn your data into actionable knowledge
• Immediately access up-to-date information the way you want to see it
• Streamline your tax reporting process
• Provide employees safe and secure direct deposit choices
• Simplified report selection
• Set income statement formats to chose actual, budget and budget variance information
• Globally change customer salesperson information in A/R
• Protect against accidental discounts

Link: What’s New In Version 4.2

© 2008, Wayne Schulz. All rights reserved. Sage 50, Sage 100, Sage 300 and Sage 500 are registered trademarks of Sage. Have additional unanswered questions about MAS90? You may contact Schulz Consulting here.

We publish an email newsletter each Tuesday at 3pm – join here.