April 01, 2022

Dave Bass | VP Global Support Services 

Enterprise payroll relies on periodic tax and regulatory updates to function effectively. Tax rates and regulations change constantly, including revisions to federal, state, and local income tax withholding tables, which is why payroll support is critical and complex. These taxes can change throughout the year, so without timely updates to the withholding tables, companies cannot apply the correct rates and policies. 

Oracle Payroll customers with fully supported E-Business Suite (EBS) releases solve this issue through Oracle updates via quarterly and year-end patches. This works well until the product goes out of support, and those update patches stop. As of January 1, Oracle customers running EBS 12.1 or earlier get no Payroll support from Oracle—it’s not included with Sustaining Support. 

Those specifically on EBS 12.1.3 can purchase Oracle’s Market Driven Support (MDS), which is more expensive and provides some updates, but at Oracle’s discretion. Notably, MDS is not an ongoing solution. It’s merely a stop-gap support measure until 2023 for customers planning to upgrade to EBS 12.2. 

Because the need for ongoing tax and regulatory updates never stops, what can EBS Payroll customers do? 

Superior Oracle Payroll Support at a Far Lower Cost 

Fortunately, companies running Oracle EBS 12.1 and earlier can keep getting critical Payroll update patches without upgrading or relying on MDS by switching to Spinnaker Support. Increasing numbers of Oracle Payroll customers are moving to Spinnaker Support, and they get more than just continued Payroll update patches coming; they get superior quality live support at an average 62% lower cost.  

As an added bonus, Spinnaker Support delivers Payroll update patches not just quarterly as Oracle does, but every month, further reducing the chances of costly mistakes. The cost of tax and regulatory updates is included in our normal support service, so if a customer brings its EBS environment to us, the updates are part of the service if they’re running Oracle Payroll. 

We Support the Vertex Integration 

Oracle EBS Payroll uses Vertex as its taxation partner to calculate U.S. federal, state, and local taxes. Each customer is required to maintain its own Vertex license to receive the updates. When Payroll runs, it goes through the Vertex engine, which supplies the relevant tax amount information so that Oracle EBS can make the correct net payroll calculation.  

Customers can still use their same Vertex licenses when they switch to Spinnaker Support, which has its own proprietary Oracle/Vertex integration.  

You Have a Clear Choice 

Surveys show that 70% of Oracle EBS users are happy with their current versions of EBS, and a growing number are taking advantage of third-party resources from Spinnaker Support to keep their EBS running smoothly, including those using Oracle Payroll. Spinnaker Support can provide all the tax and regulatory updates and Vertex integration support that a customer might need to run their payroll accurately and effectively. 

So, if your company is running Oracle Payroll and getting good value from EBS 12.1.3 or earlier, the choice is clear: switch to expert third-party Oracle EBS support from Spinnaker Support. We can help to relieve tax update headaches, eliminate end-of-month and end-of-year closing headaches, and deliver higher value for your overall EBS investment. Eplore your options today.