Author: Tom Shields

There are a two very important events that may effect your Sage 50 software system in October and for this reason it is strongly advised to upgrade to the latest version of Sage 50 (at time of writing  this is version 32).

1. SEPA Changes

SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) is a standardised payment method that allows businesses and individuals within the SEPA zone to make cross-border Euro payments seamlessly and efficiently.
In 2025, the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) Credit Transfer file format will be upgraded to comply with the new ISO 20022 standard. This change affects how SEPA XML files are structured, introducing a more advanced XML format and improved data fields. The transition period extends for different banks.  This means that after the bank date, banks will need to process transactions using the new format or the file will fail.

Why Is This Change Happening?
The shift to ISO 20022 is part of a broader effort by the European Payments Council (EPC) to modernise and harmonise payment systems across Europe. The goal is to improve the overall efficiency of SEPA transactions, ensure better data management, and support new payment innovations. This means a more streamlined payment experience and reduced risk of errors or delays.

What does this mean for your Sage 50 Software?
To prepare for the SEPA Credit Transfer file format changes, you should start reviewing your current systems and processes to ensure compatibility with the new standard. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Contact your Bank to see when your changes will take effect.
2. Update Your Systems to Sage 50 v32 to Ensure that your internal finance systems are ready to handle the new XML-based format. see https://pimbrook.ie/knowledge-base/sage-50-v32-software-update/
3. Update your Sage Bank Plugin see https://pimbrook.ie/knowledge-base/sage-50-sepa/

2. Windows Operating System

Microsoft are ending support for their Windows 10 operating system in October 2025. This will mean that updates will no longer be available for this version of Windows which will mean no further fixes will be released and it will become more vulnerable to cyber attack. Windows 11 is available and will be the default operation system shipped and supported from Microsoft. Many organisations are updating to Windows 11.

Sage 50 is only supported on Windows 11 from version 28.1 upwards, but it is strongly recommended to upgrade to the latest version 32 of Sage to ensure full compatibility with Windows 11 – see https://pimbrook.ie/knowledge-base/sage-50-v32-software-update/.

We Can Help

If you have queries on this or want to book a technician to upgrade your Sage 50 please contact our Support team at support@pimbrook.ie or call 051-395900

Following on from the required Microsoft updates that were applied to the Pimbrook Cloud last weekend (4th and 5th of November), there is some further essential maintenance work that needs to be done which will require rebooting the environment. To minimise disruption to users, this work will again be carried out over the weekend – this Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th of November at about 1pm.

Please ensure you save any work you are doing if you are working on this platform during this period.

Sage have released a new version of Sage Payroll, version 26.2.

This includes the following features:

• Enhanced password security.
• New “Expenses” payment type.
• Changes to CWPS rates.
• One4all voucher limits.

See our Knowledgebase Article – What’s new in V26.2 Sage Payroll (Micropay) – Pimbrook Software for more details.

The latest release of our enhanced Sage 50 enquiry tool – AccountsMate is now available.

New features include:

1. New transaction line enquiries.
2. Cost at time of sale.
3. New fields in Supplier and Customer transaction enquires.
4. Use of custom field labels.
5. Support for latest versions of Sage 50 (up to v29).
6. Test company connections.
7. Performance improvements and fixes.

See our Knowledge Base article -> AccountsMate Release – September 2023 for more details.

AccountsMate is free to all our clients that have a valid Sage 50 support contract with us.

For more information on AccountsMate see AccountsMate For Sage 50 Overview or contact us at support@pimbrook.ie.

Pimbrook will be operating an emergency service only from 1pm on Friday the 18th of August 2023

Due to required staff training we will be providing an emergency support service only from 1pm on Friday the 18^th of August.

You can contact the office as normal but you may experience a slower than normal response as there will be limited staff available.

We apologise for any inconvenience but this training is necessary to keep our staff up to date with the latest updates required to support all our clients.

Update 18/07/2023 13:33 – Resolved

The issue has been resolved and our normal phone service is restored.

Original post 18/07/2023 11:31

We are having technical problems with our telephone lines today (Tuesday the 18th of July 2023). This is unfortunately outside of our control but our telephone service provider is working to restore normal service as soon as possible.

If you have been trying to call us and can not get through, please email us at the addresses below:

• info@pimbrook.ie for general issues
• support@pimbrook.ie for software support
• accounts@pimbrook.ie for accounting or billing enquiries

We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing.

Sage Payroll 26.1 is now available.

The following are the main new features in this release.

1. Customise the Set Periods Calendar.
2. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Enhancements.
3. Easier processing of One4All vouchers.
4. Construction Works Pension Scheme (CWPS) Legislation Changes.

Please see our article https://pimbrook.ie/knowledge-base/sage-payroll-micropay-26-1/ for more detail and instructions on how to install this release.

If you have any queries or require help with this please contact our support team at support@pimbrook.ie

The most recent release of our enhanced Sage 50 enquiry tool – AccountsMate is now available.

New features include:

1. Notes.
2. Additional Extra Fields.
3. Full compatibility with Sage 50 v29.
4. Performance improvements.

See our Knowledge Base article -> AccountsMate Release – April 2023 for more details.

AccountsMate is free to all our clients that have Sage 50 support.

For more information on AccountsMate see AccountsMate For Sage 50 Overview or contact us at support@pimbrook.ie.