diff --git a/extra/hledger-rewrite.hs b/extra/hledger-rewrite.hs
index e10b1ac10..1f9237e1f 100755
--- a/extra/hledger-rewrite.hs
+++ b/extra/hledger-rewrite.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env runhaskell
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 {-|
 hledger-rewrite [PATTERNS] --add-posting "ACCT  AMTEXPR" ...
 
@@ -22,7 +23,9 @@ Tested-with: hledger HEAD ~ 2014/2/4
 -- hledger lib, cli and cmdargs utils
 import Hledger.Cli
 -- more utils for parsing
-import Control.Applicative ((<*)) hiding (many)
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<*))
+#endif
 import Text.Parsec
 
 
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Dates.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Dates.hs
index a78adc2a2..17ff04835 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Dates.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Dates.hs
@@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ module Hledger.Data.Dates (
 )
 where
 
-import Control.Applicative ((<*))
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<*))
+#endif
 import Control.Monad
 import Data.List
 import Data.Maybe
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/OutputFormat.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/OutputFormat.hs
index 630ce2ab9..ba54049a4 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/OutputFormat.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/OutputFormat.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE FlexibleContexts #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 module Hledger.Data.OutputFormat (
           parseStringFormat
         , formatsp
@@ -8,8 +9,10 @@ module Hledger.Data.OutputFormat (
         , tests
         ) where
 
-import Control.Applicative ((<*))
 import Numeric
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<*))
+#endif
 import Data.Char (isPrint)
 import Data.Maybe
 import Test.HUnit
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
index ae7324418..c8723f2d0 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ module Hledger.Read.CsvReader (
   tests_Hledger_Read_CsvReader
 )
 where
-import Control.Applicative ((<$>), (<*))
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<$>), (<*))
+#endif
 import Control.Exception hiding (try)
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Except
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
index 3ee49b83b..3c50a24d2 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ module Hledger.Read.JournalReader (
 #endif
 )
 where
-import Control.Applicative ((<*))
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<*))
+#endif
 import qualified Control.Exception as C
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Except
diff --git a/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal b/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal
index cb0d03009..d4218942a 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal
+++ b/hledger-lib/hledger-lib.cabal
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ library
                   Hledger.Utils.UTF8IOCompat
   build-depends:
                   base >= 4.3 && < 5
+                 ,base-compat >= 0.5.0
                  ,array
                  ,blaze-markup >= 0.5.1
                  ,bytestring
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ test-suite tests
   default-language: Haskell2010
   build-depends: hledger-lib
                , base >= 4.3 && < 5
+               , base-compat >= 0.5.0
                , array
                , blaze-markup >= 0.5.1
                , cmdargs
diff --git a/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal b/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal
index 0f85d6cb5..0931586f5 100644
--- a/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal
+++ b/hledger-web/hledger-web.cabal
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ library
                      hledger              == 0.24.98
                    , hledger-lib          == 0.24.98
                    , base                 >= 4 && < 5
+                   , base-compat          >= 0.5.0
                    , blaze-html
                    , blaze-markup
                    , bytestring
@@ -236,6 +237,7 @@ executable         hledger-web
                    , hledger              == 0.24.98
                    , hledger-web          == 0.24.98
                    , base                 >= 4 && < 5
+                   , base-compat          >= 0.5.0
                    , blaze-html
                    , blaze-markup
                    , bytestring
@@ -285,6 +287,7 @@ test-suite test
     build-depends: 
                      hledger-web          == 0.24.98
                    , base
+                   , base-compat          >= 0.5.0
                    , hspec
                    , yesod
                    , yesod-test
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Add.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Add.hs
index a25951405..009f57143 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Add.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Add.hs
@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@ A history-aware add command to help with data entry.
 |-}
 
 {-# OPTIONS_GHC -fno-warn-missing-signatures -fno-warn-unused-do-bind #-}
-{-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables, DeriveDataTypeable, RecordWildCards, TypeOperators, FlexibleContexts #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP, ScopedTypeVariables, DeriveDataTypeable, RecordWildCards, TypeOperators, FlexibleContexts #-}
 
 module Hledger.Cli.Add
 where
 
-import Control.Applicative ((<*))
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<*))
+#endif
 import Control.Exception as E
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Trans (liftIO)
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
index dd039dd60..9bd280cbf 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
@@ -59,7 +59,9 @@ module Hledger.Cli.Options (
 )
 where
 
-import Control.Applicative ((<$>), (<*))
+#if !MIN_VERSION_base(4,8,0)
+import Control.Applicative.Compat ((<$>), (<*))
+#endif
 import qualified Control.Exception as C
 import Control.Monad (when)
 import Data.List
diff --git a/hledger/hledger.cabal b/hledger/hledger.cabal
index a73688648..5d09234ee 100644
--- a/hledger/hledger.cabal
+++ b/hledger/hledger.cabal
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ library
   build-depends:
                   hledger-lib == 0.24.98
                  ,base >= 4.3 && < 5
+                 ,base-compat >= 0.5.0
                  -- ,cabal-file-th
                  ,containers
                  ,cmdargs >= 0.10 && < 0.11
@@ -132,6 +133,7 @@ executable hledger
                   hledger-lib == 0.24.98
                  ,hledger == 0.24.98
                  ,base >= 4.3 && < 5
+                 ,base-compat >= 0.5.0
                  ,containers
                  ,cmdargs >= 0.10 && < 0.11
                  ,csv
@@ -174,6 +176,7 @@ test-suite tests
   build-depends: hledger-lib
                , hledger
                , base >= 4.3 && < 5
+               , base-compat >= 0.5.0
                , cmdargs
                , containers
                , csv
@@ -218,6 +221,7 @@ benchmark bench
   build-depends:    hledger-lib,
                     hledger,
                     base >= 4.3 && < 5,
+                    base-compat >= 0.5.0,
                     html,
                     tabular >= 0.2 && < 0.3,
                     process,