Basic Tools for RTI

If you use the HMRC Basic Tools software for your RTI submission, you need to heed their advice and make sure that you take regular back-ups and store them safely.

A client recently had a hardware problem, and when fixing the Windows installation the IT company scrubbed all the historic data and the employer record from Basic Tools.  They then handed the computer back.  Our client was faced with losing his entire history of payments.  Sadly, the IT provider could not find the data and were washing their hands of the situation.  Thankfully, they had taken a mirror of the hard disc before

A bit of investigation by us shows that Basic Tools software automatically creates full data backups as zip files when the software is updated and apparently on every system close and these are stored in AppData\Roaming\HMRC\payetools-rti\backups.

The files have the structure of: RTI – version number – date – time as a 6-digit number – backup type (restore or exit).  A sample file name is RTI-14063_2014-05-08_143930_EXIT.zip.

We were able to tell the IT support staff where to find the backups, and they were successfully restored to the computer.  The client was able to open the most recent EXIT file before the crash and recover the entire history.

He now saves backup to a memory stick on a regular basis, while the system creates the EXIT files and saves them on the hard disk as a secondary save.

The moral of the tale: always take multiple backups and save them in secure locations.

Alternatively, you can speak to us, and we can process the payroll safely and securely using our fully compliant software.  That way you don’t need to worry about your staff being paid and the reporting requirements being met.