What is the price of the VSPS software including the upgrades?

The price depends on the number of businesses. For example, in the case of a single enterprise license, the cost of the VSPS program is $ 150 per year. This amount is payable when you purchase the software. This includes one hour of free technical support, which is normally sufficient for the year. Note that you are allowed to install VSPS 2012 on as many computers as you wish.

During the year, all the upgrades are free. For example, for the year 2011, there were 6 upgrades.

Each year, towards the end of the month of December, a new version of VSPS is available in order to be able to process payrolls for the next year. At this moment a user that wants to continue to use VSPS must pay $ 150 to purchase a new single enterprise license. Once again, the new license comes with one hour of free technical support.

Regarding the source deductions, at the beginning of each year, governments usually make several changes. Furthermore, very often, other changes are effective from July 1st (but not necessarily for all provinces or territories). When changes related to source deductions occur, (most often, July 1st), we advise our customer, by email, that a new free upgrade is available from our web site.

Finally, for more information about the cost of other VSPS licenses, please consult the order form (from the menu).

Am I allowed to install VSPS on more than one computer?

Yes. In fact, you can install the VSPS software on as many computers as you wish. However, you have the right to process payrolls only for businesses that you purchased the VSPS 2012 license for.

The control of the authorized businesses is done by the coded file NAMES-12.TXT. This file is sent to you by email. You must copy the NAMES-12.TXT file in the VSPS 2012 folder (by default, C:\VSPS 2012).

When you start the program, you can only open a file for an authorized business, meaning for which the name is coded in the NAMES-12.TXT file. Each user has a unique NAMES-12.TXT file. Note that this file can contain several authorized business names.

How to purchase the VSPS program?

VSPS is not sold in stores. This program is only available by download from the present web site. To purchase VSPS, you must fill out the order form by clicking "Prices and order form". If you pay by credit card, you can send this order form by fax at (514) 769-4644. If you prefer, you can also send the order form by mail with a cheque.

Upon receipt of your payment, we will send you, by email, your invoice, the installation instructions and the control file containing the name of each of your authorized businesses.

As for the software, you must download it from the Download menu by selecting "VSPS (complete version)".

Is it possible to install VSPS on a computer running a version of Windows older than Windows XP?

The VSPS software is made to run under Windows 7, Vista and XP. When you are installing VSPS on a computer with an older version of Windows, a warning message is displayed to advise you of this situation.

However, usually with Windows 2000 or any newer version of Windows, VSPS runs without any problem. Nevertheless, if you install VSPS on a computer with an older version of Windows and you are having problems, you simply have to uninstall the program (by selecting "start", "All programs", "VSPS 2012" and "Uninstall VSPS 2012").

How many years has the VSPS software been available?

Year 2012 marks the tenth year of VSPS. However, VSPS has been on the market since 2006. Indeed, from 2003 to 2005, a dozen companies were selected to use VSPS in order to test and adequately perfect the program.

These years have enabled us not only to obtain the desired stability but also to be sure to meet the needs of small businesses concerning the usability and the required flexibility.

This is why VSPS is now so easy to use, even for individuals without any payroll experience.

I am a new VSPS user. I installed the software and copied the control file NAMES-12.TXT in the VSPS folder. What do I have to do to create the pay database?

In the VSPS main window, select "Open". Once in the file selection screen, you must select the business name in the scrolling list of the “Business selection“ and click on the "Create new file" button. Then, in the “File“ box, click on the database file for this business (the one with the “DL7“extension) and click on the “Continue“ button.

In order to process payrolls, the next steps are:

- Enter the business information (chapter 6 of the user manual)

- Fill out the employee records (chapter 7 of the user manual)

- If applicable, enter previous payroll results before the first use of VSPS (chapter 8 of the user manual))

- Set up the cheque and pay stub print configuration (chapter 9 of the user manual)

- If you wish to export payroll journal entries, enter all needed general ledger accounts (chapter 12 of the user manual)

Note that when you install VSPS, the user manual is in pdf format and is saved in the subdirectory "Doc" of the VSPS folder (by default, C:\VSPS 2012).

How to proceed when an employee quits definitively?

When an employee is terminated and you have to prepare his last pay, usually, this includes the outstanding vacation pay. Before selecting the pay window, you must go in the employee record and choose “Employment termination“ for the type of vacation pay. Thereby, the program will enter automatically the vacation balance in the “Vacation“ column of the pay window.

With the VSPS program, when a Quebec employee is terminated, if the employer forgets to go in the employee record to select “Employment termination“ for the type of vacation pay and enters directly the amount in the “Vacation“ column of the pay window, the program will assume that this amount is for annual vacation. In these circumstances, even after the last pay cheque to this employee, there will be an outstanding amount for vacation. Let us recall that in Quebec, the employer must calculate a vacation amount on each amount paid, including vacation pay, except in the case of a vacation pay given when the employee is terminated.

Fortunately, even if this kind of error is made and the terminated employee already received his final payment, VSPS allows you to void the vacation balance. To do so, you have to select the “Detailed vacation to pay to an employee“ report and enter the balance but as a negative amount, on the last line (the last pay period) of the report, in the “Adjustment“ column. For more information on this report, please refer to chapter 13 of the user manual.

Furthermore, when an employee is terminated and all the payroll process is done for this pay period, if you wish, in the employee record, you can select “Yes“ for the “Terminated“ box. Thereby, this employee will not be displayed anymore in the pay window. However, before selecting “Yes“ in the “Terminated“ box of the employee record, you have to be sure that you really finished all steps of the payroll process (posting data in the database, printing cheques or making the file for the direct deposit, printing reports and if applicable, creating the payroll journal entries file to import into your accounting program).

Finally, concerning the production of the Record of Employment (ROE), please refer to chapter 13 of the user manual.

At the end of 2011, how to proceed to create the new database for 2012?

From the “Database” menu, you have to select, "Create a new database for next year (carry forward)". This function not only creates a new payroll database but also transfers all required payroll information for the next year (employee records, cheque print configuration, vacation balance for each employee, GL account numbers, etc).

It is important to note that the program transfers information for all employees except the ones indicated as terminated in the employee files (“Employees“ icon in the main window of the program)

This function is authorized only at the end of December. Of course, it is important to select this procedure after you have posted the last pay of the year (“Post“ button of the pay window). Another important issue is to be sure to use the last VSPS version (the one available at the end of December). In fact, it is only at the end of the year that we know for sure what will be the necesssary database structure for the next year. Remember that all VSPS upgrades during the year are free. It is highly recommended to visit our web site regularly to be sure to use the most recent version.

The new database creation does not affect the current database because it is a distinct file. You can do this operation as many times as you wish (i.e.; if you made changes in the payroll database of the current year) because the program will ask you every time if you want to replace the file.

By default, the new file is saved in the VSPS 2011 folder but you can use any other directory you want.

The name of the database is always composed of the business name followed by “12.DL7“. For example, if the business name is “My company Inc.“, the database name for 2012 will be “My company Inc.12.DL7“.

When you purchase your new 2012 license, we will send you a new control file (NAMES-12.TXT). This file will contain the coded name of every authorized business for VSPS 2012.

Then, you will have to install VSPS 2012 and copy the file NAMES-12.TXT in the VSPS 2012 folder (by default, C:\VSPS 2012). Finally, you will need to copy the new database(s) in the same folder.

I have noticed that there is a help function in the VSPS program but is there a user manual?

Yes. When you install VSPS, the user manual is in pdf format and is saved in the subdirectory "Doc" of the VSPS folder (by default, C:\VSPS 2012). If you wish, in the Acrobat Reader program, you can print this user manual.

If you did not install VSPS yet, you can also get the user manual from the present web site by selecting “User Manual” in the "Download" menu.

If I uninstall VSPS, will my payroll database be erased?

No. This procedure only erases the program and installation files. The payroll database (files with a "DL7" extension) is not deleted and neither is the NAMES-12.TXT file. So, if you want to install VSPS on another computer, you have to copy these files in the VSPS folder of the new computer.

However, before uninstalling the program, you should make a backup copy of the VSPS folder (by default, C:\VSPS 2012). Note that this folder also includes other subdirectories in which the program saves other important files (i.e.; journal entries files, etc).

If I have to reinstall VSPS or install an upgrade, will my payroll database be erased?

No. The payroll database (files with a "DL7" extension) will not be deleted and neither is the NAMES-12.TXT file.

However, before uninstalling the program, you should make a backup copy of the VSPS folder (by default, C:\VSPS 2012). Note that this folder also includes other subdirectories in which the program saves other important files (i.e.; journal entries files, etc).

What to do in the VSPS program when I hire a new employee?

A new employee record must be created. To do so, in the VSPS main window, click on the “Employees“ icon. Once in this screen, you have to click on the “New employee“ button and enter the information related to this employee.

In the employee record window, you will notice that there are many tabs (“Basic“,“Incomes“,“Benefits“,“Deduct.“, etc), each being a distinct section of the employee record.

It is always recommended to take the time to revise all information entered, in particular, the name, the date of birth, the Social Insurance Number (SIN) and the vacation rate.

For more details on the employee records, please refer to chapter 7 of the user manual.

How to proceed to modify the salary or the vacation rate for an employee?

In the employee records, you must select the “Incomes“ tab. In this screen, among other things, there is the effective remuneration at the beginning of the year. When the fixed salary or the hourly rate changes, you must not modify these amounts in this screen. You must rather click on the “Modify“ button to access the employee record addendum to enter the new amount to be paid..

In this addendum, when you change the fixed salary or the hourly rate, you have to indicate the effective date this modification takes effect. lt is important to note that, with the VSPS program, you must enter the cheque date.

For example, if an employee receives a pay raise effective June 1st, you must enter the cheque date of the pay period that includes June 1st. In other words, a salary change is always effective from the beginning of a pay period.

To help you determine the cheque date to enter, the “Pay dates“ button allows you to view the details for every pay period (beginning of the pay period, end of the pay period and cheque date).

If the salary change does not occur at the beginning of a pay period, you can proceed in different manners. Let us take the following example. During a pay period, an employee worked 16 hours at $10.00 per hour and 24 hours at a new hourly rate of $11.00. To calculate his pay, the simplest way is to enter an amount of $24.00 in the “Other income 1“ column of the pay window (only the amount of the raise) and register the new hourly rate effective from the cheque date of the next pay period. Another way is to use an average hourly rate of $10.60. Finally, you could also proceed with Rate 1 and Rate 2 of the time sheet.

Concerning the vacation rate, because this rate can change during the year, a box is reserved for any vacation rate modification. It is important to note that you must not enter the new rate in “Rate 1“ field because this field is used for the vacation rate effective at the beginning of the year. As indicated in the screen, you must enter the new vacation rate in “Rate 2“ box and enter the cheque date of the pay period that includes this change.

What to do when I have to pay an amount for a statutory holiday?

In Canada, workers are entitled to an indemnity or a compensatory leave for each of the statutory holidays (New Year’s day, Chrismas Day, etc). For example, in Quebec, according to the « Commission des normes du travail » (www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca), usually, the compensation to pay to an employee is 1/20 of the wages earned during the four complete weeks of pay preceding the week of the holiday, excluding overtime. However, it is essential to consult the laws in effect in your province to be sure to calculate properly the amounts to pay.

With the VSPS program, when you want to pay an amount for a statutory holiday to an employee, you can proceed in different ways.

If the employee is remunerated on an hourly rate and you are using the VSPS time sheet, you can enter the hours paid for this statutory holiday in the “Adjustment (hours)“ column and write a note in the following column to describe the holiday.

However, some employers prefer that this kind of payment be displayed distinctly in the pay report. To do so, they calculate the gross amount to pay for the statutory holiday and enter this amount in the “Other income 1“ column of the pay window. Then, it is preferable to explain the calculation in the “Notes“ column of the pay window (i.e.; “8 hours paid for Chrismas Day“). With this method, it is important to not forget to modify the “Insurable hours for E.I.“ to include the hours related to the statutory holiday. In these circumstances, a red star appears indicating that this is an overwritten cell.

We have to pay an amount for annual vacation. How to proceed with VSPS?

Normally, an employee is entitled to a vacation each year. For example, in Quebec, the entitlement to a vacation is acquired during a period of 12 consecutive months. Known as the "reference year", by default, this period extends from May 1st to April 30th. The length of vacation and the indemnity are established based on the employee’s period of uninterrupted service. Prior to the start of his vacation, the employee must receive his annual vacation indemnity. This amount must be equal to 4% (or 6% if the employee has 5 years or more of uninterrupted service) of the gross annual wages earned by the employee during the reference year..

As for the other provinces, in most of them, an employer can choose the common anniversary date for vacation (similar to the “reference year” in Quebec).

Obviously, to be sure to properly calculate the indemnity and the duration of vacation, you should consult the applicable laws in your province (labour standards). For example, in Quebec, you can visit the « Commission des normes du travail » web site (www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca).

With the VSPS software, to establish the amounts of annual vacation to pay, first, you have to click on the “Reports“ icon. In the report selection, choose “Vacation to pay at a certain date for selected employees “ and click on the “Criteria“ tab.

In this screen, once you have selected the employees, you must click on “From… to…“ and enter the cheque date of the pay period that includes the end date of the reference year.

Remember that in order to help you to find the cheque date to enter, the ”Pay dates” button enables you to consult, for each of the pay periods, the beginning date, the end date and the cheque date.

As you click the “Continue“ button, the program displays the annual vacation to pay for each employee.

Sometimes, an employee asks the employer how his annual vacation indemnity was calculated. With VSPS, it is easy to answer this kind of question. In the report selection, you have to choose “Detailed vacation to pay to an employee“. For more information, please refer to chapter 13 of the user manual.

In the pay window, when you have to register an amount as an annual vacation indemnity, it remains very important to enter this amount in the “Vacation“ column to ensure that the program subtracts this amount from the vacation balance of this employee.

Besides, when you pay a vacation amount, especially if this amount is paid at the same time as the regular remuneration, the income tax deduction is often much higher than normal. To reduce the fiscal impact, in these circumstances, VSPS offers an option to establish the income tax amount based on the fact that this remuneration is received for more than one pay period.

If you select the method based on the average remuneration, the “Results“ tab will allow you to see information on the income tax calculation. Also, the difference between the two income tax calculation methods will be shown.

What to do to correct a pay?

If you wish to make a correction in the current pay period, you simply have to click on the “Pay“ icon and enter the desired changes. Do not forget to click on the “Post“ button to save your modifications in the payroll database.. Remember that you can post your data as many times as you want. Each time, all data is updated (replaced) for this pay period.

When you make a correction, you are allowed to issue new pay cheques and reprint the pay reports (summary report, detailed earnings, etc). If necessary, you can create a new payroll journal entries file. Furthermore, if you already imported journal entries for this pay period in your accounting system, you have to reverse these journal entries. If you are not familiar with the procedure, please consult chapter 11 of the user manual.

If you need to correct a previous pay, the procedure is somewhat different. First, in the main VSPS window, you must click on the “Reports“ icon. Then, you have to select “Previous pays with corrections allowed” and click the ”Continue” button. Entering in this report, the program always displays the first pay period. To advance to the desired period, you must click on the pay period scrollbar and click the “Confirm“ button.

The next step is to click on the ”Select.” box for each employee you wish to make a pay correction. Then you have to click the ”Edit” button. As you do, the program displays the pay window. However, in this screen, only the selected employees appear. You can then make the modifications and even print new cheques. Remember that, once the modifications are done, you must click on the ”Post” button to save your new changes in the payroll database.

Following your modifications, it is important to quit the pay window to return to the “Previous pays with corrections allowed” report. After selecting the pay period, you can reprint the pay reports (summary report, detailed earnings, etc) and create a new payroll journal entries file.. As explained above, if you have imported journal entries for this pay period in your accounting system, you must reverse these journal entries. To know how to proceed, please refer to chapter 11 of the user manual.

Finally, if you have forgotten an employee in a pay prior to the current pay period, this kind of correction can not be done in the “Previous pays with corrections allowed” report. In this case, please read the next section “How to proceed when you have forgotten an employee in a previous pay period?”.

How to proceed when you have forgotten an employee in a previous pay period?

Note that VSPS does not save any payroll data when the net salary amount is equal to zero. If you have forgotten an employee in a previous pay period, you can not use the “Previous pays with corrections allowed“ report because for this pay period, no pay was posted for this employee.

In these circumstances, instead, you must click on the “Pay“ icon. Normally, the current pay is displayed. If you had not done it yet, you should click on the “Post“ button to save the current payroll data in the database.

Thereafter, it is very important to click on the “Erase“ button in order to have a blank worksheet. If you are using the time sheets, hours may be displayed in this screen. If so, for each of the employees, exept for the one you forgot to pay, you should enter 0 over any number of hours (a red star will be displayed beside the overwritten field). In fact, the net salary of any other employee must be equal to zero.

Then, in the top of the screen, you must select the desired pay period by clicking on the scroll bar. Once positioned on this pay period, you must click on the “Confirm“ button that is only visible when a pay period changes.

Although all employees are displayed in the pay window, you must only process the payroll of the employee that you have forgotten before.

Once this is done, you have to click on the “Post“ button to save your data in the payroll database. Since you have already posted the other employees data for this pay period, a message will be displayed for every employee that has a salary for this pay period. In this message, you will be asked if you wish to erase the data you posted before. For each of them, you must answer « NO » (meaning that you do not want to erase any payroll data for this employee).

Finally, it is important to quit the pay window to return to the “Previous pays with corrections allowed” report. After selecting the pay period, you can reprint the pay reports (summary report, detailed earnings, etc) and if needed, create a new payroll journal entries file. As explained before, if you have imported journal entries for this pay period in your accounting system, you must reverse these journal entries. To know how to proceed, please refer to chapter 11 of the user manual.

What to do when issuing the T4 slips and the T4 Summary?

First, before printing the T4 slips, it is recommended to revise the record of employees to be sure each name and address are correct.

Then, from the main VSPS window, you must click on "Reports" select "Source deductions and employer contributions to Federal". In this report, for each of the remittance period, be sure that you have entered the real amount paid in the "Remittance paid" column.

To print the T4 slips

In the T4 window, when you select the “Print“ button, the print screen is displayed. In this screen, first, you must indicate if you wish to print the T4 slips or the T4 Summary.

For the T4 slips printing, if necessary, you can select employees. You must also choose the type of print, one or two names per page.

Note that for the T4 slips to give to the employees, you have to select "1 employee per sheet (2 copies)" because each employee must receive 2 copies of the T4 slip (one to attach to his income tax form and one to keep for his records). In other words, you have to give every employee, a sheet representing two T4 copies and the instructions sheet for the T4 boxes (printed automatically by VSPS).

As for the copy to send to the Canada Revenue Agency with the T4 Summary, you must always print 2 different names per page. With this selection, as required, the program also prints the business number (BN) on each T4 slip.

The T4 slips produced by VSPS are authorized by Canada Revenue Agency. You simply have to print them on white paper. However, be sure to use the last VSPS upgrade (usually available in the month of January following the year end). When you are printing the T4 slips, in the bottom right hand side of the T4 slip, the number beginning by “RC-“ must be followed by the last 2 digits of the year (i.e.; “RC-11-…“ for 2011).

For the T4 Summary

When you select the “Summary“ tab, the program displays the worksheet intended to help you fill out the T4 Summary form. You can print this worksheet but as opposed to the T4 slips, this is not an official form that you can send to Canada Revenue Agency.

Indeed, you must fill out the T4 Summary form manually or use the dynamic pdf form (i.e.; t4sum-fill-11b.pdf for the year 2011) available from the Canada Revenue Agency web site or by clicking on the link below. It is recommended to print this worksheet and keep it for your records with a photocopy of the T4 Summary form.

Finally, if the business has more than 50 employees, a button will be displayed to create a file of the T4 slips in XML format. This file must be sent to Canada Revenue Agency. Remember that paper copies are not accepted if you have more than 50 employees. In this case, please contact us.

You can fill out the official pdf T4 Summary by clicking on the following link:

You can also consult the "Employers' Guide - Filing the T4 Slip and Summary" by clicking on the following link:

What to do when issuing the Relevé 1 slips and RL-1 Summary?

First, before printing the Relevé 1 slips, it is recommended to revise the record of employees to be sure each name and address are correct.

Then, from the main VSPS window, you must click on "Reports" select "Source deductions and employer contributions to Quebec". In this report, for each of the remittance period, be sure that you have entered the real amount paid in the "Remittance paid" column.

To print the Relevé 1 slips

In the Relevé 1 window, when you select the “Print“ button, the print screen is displayed. In this screen, first, you must indicate if you wish to print the Relevé 1 slips or RL-1 Summary.

For the Relevé 1 slips printing, if necessary, you can select employees.

The Relevé 1 slips produced by VSPS are authorized by Revenu Quebec. You simply have to print them on white paper. However, be sure to use the last VSPS upgrade (usually available in the month of January following the year end). When you are printing the Relevé 1 slips, in the upper right side of the Relevé 1 slip, the number beginning by “FS-“ must be followed by the last 2 digits of the year (i.e.; “FS-11-…“ for 2011).

For the RL-1 Summary

When you select the “Summary“ tab, the program displays the worksheet intended to help you fill out the RL-1 Summary form. You can print this worksheet but as opposed to the Relevé 1 slips, this is not an official form that you can send to Revenu Quebec.

Indeed, you must fill out the RL-1 Summary form manually or use the dynamic pdf form (i.e.; 2011 rlz-1.s-v(2011-10)d8.pdf for the year 2011) available from the Revenu Quebec web site or by clicking on the link below. It is recommended to print this worksheet and keep it for your records with a photocopy of the RL-1 Summary form.

Finally, if the business has more than 50 employees, a button will be displayed to create a file of the Relevé 1 slips in XML format. This file must be sent to Revenu Quebec. Remember that paper copies are not accepted if you have more than 50 employees. In this case, please contact us.

You can fill out the official pdf RL-1 Summary by clicking on the following link:

You can also consult the "Guide to Filing the RL-1Slip" by clicking on the following link:

What is the best way to make a backup copy of the payroll data?

With the VSPS program, a payroll database is a file with a “.DL7“ extension. This database name is composed of the business name followed by “xx.DL7“ (xx representing the last two digits of the year). For example, if the business name is “My company Inc.“ and the year is 2012, the file name will be “My company Inc.12.DL7“.

The payroll databases are always in the VSPS installation directory, by default, C:\VSPS yyyy (yyyy being the year). Because this folder also contains other information in the subdirectories, we strongly recommend that you copy the complete VSPS folder.

You should always make external backup on a CD, DVD or other device. The best thing is to preserve this backup in a different location in case of fire, theft, etc.