A portent of coming… increased functionality!
A new version of Prophet is now available.
The software is a comprehensive business accounts package, with features that compare well to those found on much more expensive accounts packages on other platforms. It was originally written by Quentin Pain and sold through Apricote Studios (now Accountz), and as of earlier this year it is being looked after by Rob Sprowson and sold through Elesar Ltd.
The new version, 3.95, includes the following changes:
- The stock database window now displays the ‘Retail ex-VAT’ price for items, which is the price you might wish to quote to customers who need to know the price of goods exclusive of any sales tax.
- The up and down arrow buttons in the VAT window, for selecting a period, now auto-repeat.
- There was a bug whereby the software could get stuck in loop on exit, preventing a clean exit, if the backup location is unavailable. This has now been rectified, and the problem is only reported once.
- The font pop-up icon in the Accountant’s report window previously did nothing, but it now opens the font menu.
Those are the ‘visible’ changes that a user of those particular facilities will see – but there have also been some under-the-hood changes, such as changing system variables so that they match the application name.
Some under-the-hood work is also being done in preparation for the next major release, when the software’s version number will roll over to 4.xx. The key feature of that update will be to cater for VAT registered businesses who will need to be compliant with the new “Making Tax Digital for Businesses” (MTDfB, or just MTD) system.
Eagle-eyed users who upgrade to version 3.95 will see a faded button that relates to this – a button to submit a VAT return.
Under MTD, which is due to be in place from 1st April, 2019, any business over the VAT threshold will be required to submit their VAT returns directly from within a software package, rather than manually logging into their HMRC account and keying the VAT figures into a form.
Anyone using version 3.93 or later can upgrade to version 3.95 completely free of charge, by simply running their installer program again. This will retrieve the new version from Elesar’s servers. Users of a previous 3.xx version can upgrade for £57.00 plus VAT (£68.40 inclusive) – after ordering, you will be contacted by email in order to validate that you qualify for the upgrade price. For new users, or those using an older version, the full price is £81.00 plus VAT (£97.20). The software can be purchased via the product page on Elesar’s website, or ordered by email.
