Forum Discussion

Experienced User

2 years ago

Payroll Upgrade - takes longer and is not user friendly

Hi,

Is there a way to revert back to Essentials Payroll (have been upgraded to Business Payroll), as I am sure I am NOT the only one who finds the new system beyond frustrating. What used to take me 20 minutes has taken me almost 2 hours because every single step is more complicated! It's supposed to be an upgrade, to make things easier - not take longer and be more difficult to use!

- When you enter a new staff member these details no longer are automatically loaded into My IR, you have to login in to IRD and do this manually.

- No one page summary of the wage information - this was something I printed off every week as it matched the amounts for all staff and the totals for the bank / employee. I dont need to print a multi page detailed report, that is not required by the IRD as all information is sent to them with the IR Filing.

- No preview of the payslips - this was a handy double check.

- No splitting of bank accounts, the upgrade just chose one account for the staff members with split accounts....

- The payment date keeps defaulting itself to the day after the week ended instead of the intended pay date and it doesn't matter how many times you change it!

- The whole pay data entry screen is so much harder than it used to be, its hard to read and follow and enter the details in - our staff hours and days worked change every week!

- I dont want to have to enter which day the public holiday was then it only allows you to choose one day (not great for staff working Christmas / New Years where multiple holidays fall), so it looks like I have to go in twice to do this?

- Why do I have to select the days my staff have off when on holiday? Not all staff work Monday - Friday, some of our staff have days off in the middle, how can I select that from the drop down boxes?

- The payslips look awful compared to the last ones, and I can't email myself a copy. I know you say its for security reasons however really frustrating when a staff member doesn't get one as I can easily go in and remail from my phone or computer rather than having to login to MYOB and deal with the 2 factor security!

- The bank file / prepare electronic payments tab is a debacle, it took me forever to sort that out, why is it so hard? Previously there was a wee download button click it and its done, and if it got lost somewhere along the way / or went wrong I could always go back into past pay runs and download it again, I could also re-print the summary.

I honestly don't feel this is an upgrade when its taking me so much longer to do the pays, please can I go back?

Princess_R
2 years ago
Hi everyone,

Thank you for sharing your recent experience with us regarding the changes you've encountered. We understand the frustration that this update has caused you. Your feedback is incredible and valuable, and we want to assure you that we take it seriously. We'll ensure to bring this matter to the attention of the relevant team.

Your insights help us understand how our changes impact your experience, and we're committed to continuously improving based on your valuable input. If there's anything specific, you'd like to add or if you have further feedback to share, please feel free to reach out. Thank you once again for taking the time to provide your feedback. We truly appreciate your understanding and patience as we work towards enhancing our system for a better user experience.

Cheers,

Princess

Margriet
Experienced User
12 months ago
Thanks for your post. Here I had been thinking that I was the only one not liking the "upgrade". What bugs me most is that you cannot change the payment date once you have started to create a payrun - the only way is to start all over! Luckily my list of employees is short. The report options are a disaster too. Not possible to create a separate one for a month's deductions, you only get a list of months for the running financial year.
(I haven't even looked at the payslips yet).
- Wendye26
  Experienced User
  12 months ago
  There is many of us that are not impressed.
  
  And no one from MYOB contacts backs you so just have to keep bombarding them with complaints. When they do reply to the community forum it's the same reply (thank you for your queries "blur blur blur")Just think they are a load of roborts working for them not humans. You can even get hold of anyone on the phone.
Mich1
11 months ago
Wait until you have to run employer monthly schedules and IR345 - that no longer exist. It's going to take hours just to sort individual's deductions. Australia seem to have the information but New Zealand have been left out in the cold. Presume they are thinking of pulling out of the New Zealand market as there is no other apparent reason for such a half ar...d "upgrade'
- jenniek
  Ultimate Partner
  11 months ago
  hI Mich1
  There is a report called Employer deductions which gives you the information per month for the IR345. The employer deductions should still be able to be downloaded and you can open in notepad.
  - Mich1
    11 months ago
    Hi Jenniek Thank you for your help. I have this report but it only gives totals for all employees and not individuals - the facility to drill down is not there. I have the report payroll activity report that you can load for pay periods however the Employer Deductions Report gives amounts/deductions paid to employees within a calendar month whereas the Payroll activity report shows payroll periods run. If you have a pay period for example ending 31 December and wages are paid on 3 January these amounts are showing in different months on these reports. There will be a way of reconciling it but the hours to work out how to achieve it I don't currently have. Hopefully there will be a simple way. Cheers. M
philippa3
12 months ago
Oh Meena, I hear you, even if MYOB do not....... It is amazing to hear someone expressing the exact same problems as me.
I am very anxious about the upcoming xmas new year pay period...................... makes me panic just thinking about it.

This upgrade is not fit for purpose. I did not request it and I had no opportunity to decline it.

What an inconsiderate way to treat your customers.....................
Lydia3
12 months ago
The upgrade is awful and it is not even close to user friendly
WestHamilton490
Contributing User
12 months ago
I also find the upgrade not an upgrade but a put off. It is not very easy to use.

All our automatic payments didn't transfer over. The new Payslips look terrible. The online help is not easy to get help when you need it. They inavertanly got me to add 40hrs to everyones payslip when I addressed the issue I had with everyones automatic payments. I undid the fix what they told me to do straight away.

I would like to talk to someone in New Zealand. You could easily make mistakes, it is not very good, Please bring back the old version! Or correct the new upgrade majorly. I have wasted a lot of time on the upgrade and paid for my accountant to help me - Which they also agreed with my frustration over the bad upgrade.
Not very happy.
tonybower30
11 months ago
Oh yes what a mess MYOB Have made of the Payroll Downgrade, I too have had so many problems and they are simply not addressing the issues. I have wasted so much time in chats which is absolutley hopless. I have also sent screenshots of what is not working and needs fixed weeks ago, from which they have done Absolutley nothing.
If they don't do something soon Dumping them in favour of Zero would be well worth considering.
- Debbie1965
  11 months ago
  I've used Xero payroll, not the best option Smartly is better.
  - Wendye26
    Experienced User
    9 months ago
    I have looked at different payroll providers I shortlisted to three to put to the directors they have ultimately left it to me who to moved over to I have chosen IPayroll as I believe they are the ones that will best suit all three of our business and I have just given them to go ahead I can't wait for the change over.
- jenniek
  Ultimate Partner
  11 months ago
  Hi tonybower30
  just an FYI - there is no import process for getting information/history into Xero Payroll - plus I've heard that xcero payroll doesn't do leave properly either - its also a bit basic.
  - Wendye26
    Experienced User
    9 months ago
    I have looked at different payroll providers I shortlisted to three to put to the directors they have ultimately left it to me who to moved over to I have chosen IPayroll as I believe they are the ones that will best suit all three of our business and I have just given them to go ahead I can't wait for the change over.
Kwikill
11 months ago
Wow... I thought it was only me...
Our MYOB upgraded on Monday the 18th of December 2023... the week of Christmas, we do payroll Mondays.. so you can imagine Monday the 18th... then thinking **bleep** I have to do this again on Thursday as next payday was Monday 25th December...
Tell me was anyone advised of this upgrade? I know I wasn't... we do payroll in MYOB, and we always manually go into our bank and make the payments...
I did pick up that it was not doing the payroll split, we have 1 staff member that has there pay split into 2 x bank accounts...(me)
Anyway, last week I rang MYOB to ask about the split thing... after a few discussions, the we decided that I could process payroll and do the manual payment split to both my accounts.. which I did, but guess what... I now can not match the bank payments to Payroll.... I had to send screen shots today to MYOB, who have now come back to me to tell me I now need to contact our accountant to get a journal done to fix it... does anyone know how to do this journal... before I ring our accountant?
- WestHamilton490
  Contributing User
  11 months ago
  We were advised of the upgrade but given no option not to up grade, because payroll worked so well in essentials and there were no problems I didn't really think the upgrade would be worst.
  
  I now don't do a payline spilt. But will be interested how you get on.
  I just pay the whole amount each time now where as before I had the ability to load an automatic payment and top up with ther overtime at weeks end which varied. It was nice and clear and accurate but it isn't an more. I can't wait for them to fix this upgrade. At the end of the day it just needs to be simple and accurate for users and staff.
- Wendye26
  Experienced User
  11 months ago
  If you have to contact you accountant to correct errors that are MYOB fault you should sent MYOB a bill for your accountants fee.
- jenniek
  Ultimate Partner
  11 months ago
  Hi Kwikill
  The split pay option has been lost temporarily - we have been assured by MYOB that this will be back in the next upgrade before the end of March. So your only option at this point is to split it once it gets to the bank.
  - Wendye26
    Experienced User
    11 months ago
    Not acceptable should be there from the start. Next upgrade to late.
    
    All this extra work I will be sending them a bill to cover my overtime correcting their mistakes (due to this **bleep** upgrade) that I have to correct each week when doing the payroll for the three companies I look after.
Princess_R
MYOB Moderator
2 years ago
Hi meena,

Thank you for your post.

We completely understand your frustration with the recent transition to MYOB Business Payroll and the challenges you've encountered. We're sorry to hear that the new system hasn't been as user-friendly or efficient as you had hoped. Your feedback about the difficulties you're facing with the updated features is invaluable to us. While reverting to Essentials Payroll isn't an available option, we want to assure you that our team is continuously monitoring and reviewing user feedback. Please know that your feedback is being seriously considered to enhance the usability and functionality of Business Payroll.

We appreciate your patience and understanding, as we'll be forwarding this to our development team.

Feel free to share your feedback and suggestions. We're here to assist.

Cheers,

Princess
- Meena
  Experienced User
  2 years ago
  Hi Princess,
  
  Thank you and appreciate your reply, unfortunately it doesn't change much if I can't go back to what I knew, what I want and what is easier and faster for data entry. There are so many issues that I listed, the most important being I dont want to have to use drop down boxes to enter the public holiday worked / not worked, nor do I wish to have to use drop down boxes for holidays used during the week as there is no way to select middle days / split days off? These issues and the payment processing tab are just entry errors waiting to happen!
  
  I honestly feel like this is a major problem for MYOB as I am yet to see a post with people endorsing this upgrade, instead I am seeing people looking to source a new payroll provider. I seriously think MYOB need to listen to the people and offer Essentials back as this upgrade feels like it was designed by people who dont actually process pays or understand that we don't sit down all day doing wages, I know alot of people, small businesses and have seen alot of comments from people on here who process pays do it as a second job or do multiple pay processing and MYOB have added so much more time and frustration into our day!
- philippa3
  12 months ago
  
  This product is not fit for purpose. I did not request an upgrade nor was I able to decline.
  
  What a rude and inconsiderate way to treat us your customers.
  
  Suggest you have someone who actually uses this product to test it before throwing us all in at the deep end
  
  Horrible timing too
  - Debbie1965
    12 months ago
    Ir35 for the month unable to print. They only offer the full financial year so you have to Cross out the previous month's. Never in 35 years have I been told I cannot print an individual p a y e report month off for the ird. ... 35 minutes on hold to be told that it used to be a 10 second job. Crazy crazy whoever developed this needs to front up!!
- Leigh_Utton
  Contributing User
  11 months ago
  Sorry but I have to agree, this upgrde is seriously runing my and my wifes dream holiday.
  
  we are working remotly and did a pay run early for some of our employees to help them over christmas, no we are unable to do a second payrun for the same period to pay the rest of our staff over the christmas period.
  
  Obvioulsy we are so angry!!!!! MYOB essentials was a great system that we really loved, but not beig able to pay staff is the number 1 sin in business!!!!
  
  Leigh Utton
  Spotlight Painters
  
  +64(0)21470990
  - jenniek
    Ultimate Partner
    11 months ago
    hi Leigh_Utton
    You can run another payrun with the same dates - you just need to override and enter the dates you require. Also we have found it better to make it a different payment date. Choose the employee you want and process. I do agree it has been frustrating and timing definately wasnt the best - but it is what it is - and we have managed to process lots of payrolls - but have lots of comments/suggestions to make back to MYOB once they open again.