Aussies. How's Manager treating you?

1

Hey mates. Keen to hear pros/cons for using Manager in the Australian business/reporting context. I tried self-hosting BigCapital, but this seems equal and easier. I will admit that I don’t know anything about accounting, but my situation is quite simple (see below). I am curious where the BAS and STP reporting has landed and if the workflow with Manager has been simple enough.

FYI, I am the sole employee for the forseeable future, but still acting as a company (not a sole trader). I don’t have inventory so my use case will only be: invoicing for services, claiming business expenses as a subcontractor, general tax deductoble expenses (PC, mobile, internet), payroll for myself, and ATO reporting.

Any and all suggestions, lessons learned, warnings are welcomed. Thanks!

2

Should handle that easily.
Best way to find out is try it.

  • Install desktop version (it’s free)
  • Create a test business & enter some dummy data (easiest with round numbers and a single transaction at a time)
  • Look at the summary page and reports which can easily be generated
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3

In addition to @Patch also in relation to:

Consult:

and use the older Manager guides:
https://www2.manager.io/guides

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4

Thanks. I have been playing around with the software for a few days and it feels intuitive, with the biggest let down being my understanding of all the terms and connections (i.e., double entry).

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5

Thanks this has helped alot!

6

Anybody have any thoughts on best practices for handling payroll, STP, BAS, GST, and ATO compliance? Any hiccups that were described in previous (now closed) threads that persist?

7

For a single employee, just use Manager

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8

I have used both MYOB and then QB; QB for the last 22 yrs for my (aust) business and 12 years for a not for profit sporting club. I now use Manager for the club (retired from work) and it does every thing that QB does and more. Can add a lot more custom fields and can do better reports incorporating years of past history. Its forgiving unlike some some double entry accounting programs.

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9

Thanks. I have put some time into it and it seems like it’s going to be quite easy to keep organised given the low complexity of my customers and services.

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10

If comparing Manager to MYOB and Xero, Manager is a dream come true!
I was employed by MYOB for 12yrs and several years before they went cloud based they had a brilliant program. Four years ago I had to setup an accounting system for a church and trying both MYOB and Xero sent my blood pressure through the roof! Navigating their screens was slow and anything but intuitive.
By chance I came across Manager which lowered my risk of having a stroke! It’s free, it runs locally, and MY data is on MY computer. The screen layouts are intuitive and it’s easy to navigate between functions. Great program!

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11

Hi everyone,
I am new to the Forum.Manager.io.
I have no accounting background but I want to find out if you know someone in Accra, Ghana using Manager software for basic accounting to help me start using Manager for a small business that has just began. Thank you.

12

Look at https://www.manager.io/accountants

13

Hey guys,

Ive been using manager for the last couple of years and I love the program. So far I have it set up as a partnership but we would like to get employees. I dont understand the single touch payroll at all. Can I submit this to the ATO or do I need an agent, or do I need a third party software report for employees.
There doesnt seem to be a free option for STP except FAS3 and that program is not as good as manager.

How do you all do it?

As for the rest of the program, it is awesome that everything is local and easy to manage. The only problem I have is being able to batch download attachments and images for tax audits. Hasnt happened yet but I dont want to have to manually download each file and link/name it so that it is associated with an entry on the reports.

14

SingleTouch unfortunatelly cannot be directly reported to ATO like BAS. You need 3rd-party provider such as SingleTouch.com.au. Manager can generate spreadsheet file that you can import to SingleTouch.com.au or you can enter the figures manually to SingleTouch.com.au

15

Thanks Lubos. It is unfortunate that ATO has mandated 3rd party providers for STP increasing costs of micro businesses.

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16

Found this as a free option for micro business, but haven’t tested yet. https://www.freepay.com.au/

17

If you are not paying for a service you are not the customer you are the product being sold.

Privacy and data confidentiality would concern me with such options. But everyone has their price, perhaps $7.50 per month is enough for some https://www.singletouch.com.au/Pricing?Length=4

18

@Patch, only the first 3 employees are free see https://www.freepay.com.au/cloud-single-touch-payroll-pricing, So this may be suitable for those that only employ few, but even when growing is cheaper than the $7.50/month/employee.