As you are likely aware, this is an extremely busy time of year at Red Wing Software. In addition to the normal support calls we receive as our clients finish their year-end transactions and get ready for the New Year with payroll tax table and forms updates, our representatives in Washington, DC threw a couple new items onto our list.

Anticipated legislation was passed that restored the Section 179 expenses to their previous level for the remainder of 2014 (with a few caveats), and then revert back again on the first of 2015. This, of course, caused a last minute change to our CenterPoint Depreciation program that needed to be released before the end of 2014.

Also, 2015 brings in some new requirements for the Affordable Care Act for most of our clients. There is new data that needs to be tracked for 2015, and then reported at the beginning of 2016. Even though this information is not really payroll data, but rather Human Resource information, we decided to add functionality to our CenterPoint Payroll program to capture this information and provide it for the new 1095C and 1094C forms, as well as the employee W-2 form. This functionally will be released in the second quarter of 2015, and will cover the entire year so you can complete the new forms in 2016.

In addition, there are several customers using two of our legacy products (Perception and AgCHEK), and are now migrating to our newer CenterPoint Accounting program as we will stop support of those products on March 31, 2015. As our customers begin using these new-to-them products, we anticipate receiving a few more calls than usual at this time of year.

And finally, we just released a brand new product, Red Wing Tax Forms. This program allows employers and service bureaus that do not already use our accounting and/or payroll products to manually enter year-to-date payroll and other information for easily completing and eFiling many forms including W-2, 941, 943, and several 1099s. You can check our web site or contact a sales consultant for more information on this new offering.

All of us at Red Wing Software hope you had a pleasant holiday season and enjoy a safe and profitable New Year.

- Ken Hilton, President

Red Wing Software has just released a new video about its CenterPoint Payroll Software application. Know somebody who needs a better way to process payroll? Please share the video with them! End of year is the perfect time to switch to a new payroll system.

Red Wing Software handles a multitude of questions at the end of the year. We thought it might be useful to share the answers to the questions that are most frequently asked by our customers in one blog post. Here are the top four questions, along with their answers.

1. Q: Do I need to order W-2, 1099, 940, 941 or 943 forms or can I print them on plain paper?

   A: You are able to print all of your W-2, 941 and 943 copies on plain paper; you no longer need to print any on preprinted forms. Even the Social Security Copy A (often called the “Red Copy”) can be printed on plain paper. (For 1099s, the Red Copy must still be purchased.) Note: There is special perforated blank paper available that is recommended for use when printing employee copies of the W-2s. This paper comes with employee W-2 information printed on the back of the paper (for the Employee Copy) and blank for the State / Local copies. This paper is available from Computer Forms, Inc. at www.computerforms.biz or by calling 800-458-0158.

2. Q: Why am I getting a “forms update” or "mandatory update" message when I try to process my Federal forms (W-2, 1099, etc.) and what do I need to do?

   A. At least once a quarter, including at year end, updates are created for the Federal/State Tax Forms (Aatrix) software. When you receive either of those messages, it means that Aatrix has an update available that you should install prior to continuing. If you have internet access at this machine, you can simply select Automatic Update and follow the prompts to do the update through the program. Note: If you have signed up for the service that automatically sends an Aatrix CD at the end of each quarter (for a fee), please follow the instructions that will be included with the CD. Those CDs will begin shipping before January 1, 2015. If you don't have internet access at the computer that has CenterPoint Payroll installed, but you do have it available at another workstation, follow the instructions below. This process does require the use of a removable drive (CD, thumb, zip or flash drive, USB Drive, etc.).

   1. Login on our web site at www.redwingsoftware.com select, Support > Downloads > CenterPoint Payroll. Then select Federal/State Tax Forms. Click Download Now and follow the on-screen instructions.

   2. When the download is complete, exit the web site. Copy the RedWingForms.exe file from your desktop to the removable drive (CD, thumb drive, etc.) you’ll be using to move the downloaded file.

   3. Take the removable media source to the computer with CenterPoint Payroll and install by double-clicking on the RedWingForms.exe.

   If you don’t have an internet connection at any of the computers, you can call the Red Wing Software Sales department at 800-732-9464, and we’ll send the Federal/State tax forms (Aatrix) updates to you on a CD once a quarter for a minimal annual fee.

3. Q: How do I Register for Aatrix? (OR) I’m trying to process my Federal forms (W-2, 1099, etc.), but I keep getting the message “Would you like to register now, or evaluate?”

   A. You’ll need to register your Federal/State Tax Forms (Aatrix) software. If you have an internet connection, choose Help > Product Registration > Federal/State Tax Forms Registration. Your login will be recognized from the Red Wing Software web site, follow the prompts to create your registration code. If you don’t have an internet connection, call 800-732-9464 and request an Aatrix registration code. If a registration code is faxed to you, do not enter the hyphen included in the number. Enter just the letters and numbers.

4. Q: How do I print W-2s, 1099s, etc.? (OR) What are the steps for printing the tax forms (W-2, 940, 941, 943 and 1099s)?

   A. Step-by-step instructions (documents and videos) for printing various tax forms are available in the How2 Viewer on our web site for all of our payroll products. From within CenterPoint Payroll, select Help > How2 Viewer - Payroll (Online). Within the How2 Viewer, select the Tax Reporting folder to view all tax forms printing topics. There are three general steps to printing the tax forms:

   1. Transferring information from CenterPoint Payroll to Federal/State Tax Forms (Select Federal & State Payroll Forms and Reports > Federal Tax Forms).

   2. Review the transferred information using the Federal/State Tax Forms viewer and make any needed changes.

   3. Print or eFile the forms.

The Red Wing Software company web site, https://www.redwingsoftware.com, was recently converted to entirely HTTPS, and is now fully encrypted. Customers and all web site visitors may not realize it, but this change offers security benefits to site users.

Using the web site and completing online transactions are more secure. With the encryption provided by moving to HTTPS, customers gain the benefits of confidentiality, integrity, and identity. Because only your browser and your server can decrypt the traffic, your information remains confidential to outside parties who would seek your information.

I hope everyone had a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. I believe there is a reason that Thanksgiving comes after Election Day in the United States. It gives everyone something to be thankful for. If you’re not thankful for the way the election turned out, you can at least be thankful it’s over.

While our elected officials around the country negotiate for solutions to the many issues we face, we should be planning for our own future within our companies. Your budgeting process for 2015 should be well underway if not finished, and final planning for the rest of 2014 has a top priority. There is still some uncertainty about tax extenders for 2014, so it might be a good idea to consult your accounting professional or financial consultant to get their recommendations.

At Red Wing Software, we are working on the expected changes to payroll taxes that take effect at the beginning of the year, knowing full well that they could all change and we will have to make additional last-minute changes to make sure you have the latest and most accurate calculations. Please watch your e-mail for notices from us on any updates that are available for the software products you use so you start the new year with the most current information.

Please have a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and enjoy a prosperous new year.

- Ken Hilton, President