8-K

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                  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                       Washington, D.C.  20549

                               Form 8-K

                            CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: September 23, 2002

                   NEW ENGLAND BUSINESS SERVICE, INC.
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          (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware                          1-11427           04-2942374
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(State or other jurisdiction   (Commission            (IRS Employer
 of incorporation)              File Number)    Identification No.)

        500 Main Street, Groton, MA                     01471
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    (Address of principal executive offices)          (ZIP Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (978) 448-6111
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Item 5.  Other Events.
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On September 23, 2002, New England Business Service, Inc. issued a press
release relating to the closing of its sale of equity interests in Advantage
Payroll Services, Inc.  A copy of the press release is filed as Exhibit 99
hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.
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(c)  Exhibits.
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99.  Press release dated September 23, 2002.

                               SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                      NEW ENGLAND BUSINESS SERVICE, INC.
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                                                (Registrant)

September 24, 2002                          DANIEL M. JUNIUS
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    Date                                    Daniel M. Junius
                                            Executive Vice President, Chief
                                            Financial Officer and Treasurer

EX-99

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                               DANIEL M. JUNIUS AT (978) 449-3416



NEW ENGLAND BUSINESS SERVICE, INC.
ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF SALE OF ADVANTAGE PAYROLL INVESTMENT


GROTON, MA  September 23, 2002 New England Business Service, Inc.
(NYSE: NEB) has received the first payment of proceeds as a
result of the sale of its equity interests in Advantage Payroll
Services, Inc. which has now merged with Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:
PAYX).  The Company received $42.3 million in proceeds at the
closing, and subject to certain potential post-closing
adjustments, expects to receive up to another $5.1 million by
March 17, 2003.  Upon receipt of the final proceeds, this will
result in a pretax gain of approximately $11.4 million, or $.52
per share after taxes.  The portion of the gain recorded in the
current fiscal quarter is $ 6.3 million pretax, or $.29 per share
after taxes.  This gain is before any cost associated with early
termination of interest rate swaps which will no longer be needed
to hedge the reduced level of the Company's floating rate debt.
In terminating these swaps, the Company incurred a pretax expense
of  $3.2 million, or $.15 per share after taxes.

New England Business Service, Inc. is a leading business-to-
business direct marketing company with 2.5 million active small
business customers in the United States, Canada, the United
Kingdom and France. The Company supplies a wide variety of
business products and services which are marketed through direct
mail, telesales, a direct sales force, dealers and the Internet.
The Company also designs, embroiders and sells specialty apparel
products through distributors and independent sales
representatives to the promotional products/advertising specialty
industry, primarily in the United States.   More information
about New England Business Service, Inc. is available at the
Company's web site, nebs.com.

Paychex, Inc. is a leading national provider of payroll, human
resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to
medium-sized businesses. The company offers comprehensive payroll
services, including payroll processing, payroll tax
administration, and employee pay services, including direct
deposit, check signing, and Readychex(sm). Human resource and
benefits outsourcing services include 401(k) plan recordkeeping,
workers' compensation administration, section 125 plans, a
professional employer organization, and other administrative
services for business. Paychex was founded in 1971. With
headquarters in Rochester, New York, the company has more than
100 offices and serves more than 390,000 payroll clients
nationwide.  For more information, visit Paychex's web site at
www.paychex.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including
expectations for future receipts of proceeds from the sale of
equity interests.  These forward-looking statements reflect the
Company's current expectations only, and the Company expressly
disclaims any current intention to update such statements.  There
can be no assurance that the Company's actual results will not
differ materially from those expressed or implied by these
statements due to various risks and uncertainties affecting
demand for the Company's products, and other factors described in
the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended June 29, 2002, on file with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

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