9 Best Payroll Services For Small Business Of 2024

Rippling makes running and managing payroll extra intuitive. The company’s automations ripple across the system so all parts of the software, from its IT and Financial Cloud to its HR and payroll features, are always in sync.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, sees a lot of value in Rippling: ”Rippling is an exciting product for startups where a single person is often performing the HR, finance and IT functions.  These functions are intertwined, and the simplicity of a single system to manage the overlapping tasks is heaven-sent.”

Rippling’s workflow automations make quick work of common payroll tasks.

Key Features

Rippling stands out with its automated payroll tools. True to its name, one change in the payroll system creates an automated ripple effect, updating all aspects of payroll that are impacted. For example, if an employee is promoted to a new role, the hiring manager may change that employee’s compensation. This change initiates changes in tax withholdings, tax filings, payroll calculations, healthcare deductions and more, all without the manager having to lift a finger.

Here are some standout features included in Rippling’s automated payroll features:

• Automated payroll in 50 states and internationally
• Garnishments
• Time tracking sync with payroll
• Direct deposit or check options for employees
• Job costing and multiple pay rate management
• W-2, W-4, 1099 and new hire filing
• Updates to compliance laws
• 90-second payroll runs

Pricing

To access Rippling payroll, you must subscribe to at least two Rippling modules, including Unity Core and HR Cloud. The Unity module unites any other modules you select into the core Rippling platform, including its IT Cloud, Finance Cloud and HR Cloud. Specifically, its HR Cloud offers domestic and global payroll services. In the end, this means you must pay for two modules for each employee to get started with Rippling payroll tools, including its:

• Unity Core tier license: This system is $8 per month per employee. It offers a unified workforce directory, workflow automations, analytics, approval management, groups and permissions, document management and custom fields and mapping.
• HR Cloud: Rippling’s HR Cloudcloud must be used in conjunction with its Unity platform. It is $8 per employee per month and offers employee onboarding and offboarding tools, global payroll, benefits management, learning management, talent recruiting tools, time and attendance and optional professional employer organization (PEO) services. With its PEO services, you can opt to have Rippling handle your HR processes.

Reputation

Rippling users praise the platform on popular review sites for its user-friendliness and clean user interface. They say the Rippling customer support is overall responsive and helpful, and any time they have a question, Rippling’s troubleshooting articles help them easily resolve the issue themselves. However, they report that IT or workflow modules can get pricey.

Our Experience

In my experience, setting up automations was as intuitive as possible, given the large ripple effect each automation produces. I had to first set up people groups within the platform, including their permission levels and other specifications. Once I did so, it was easy to add people to those groups with just a few clicks and trust the system to update their access levels, applicable policies, tax filing workflows, hierarchical protocols, communication channels and devices.

Running payroll happens using a simple spreadsheet interface. I could change payment details, approve payments and run payroll right from the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet automatically calculates all related expenses, including:

• Employer and employee taxes
• Overtime
• Blended rates
• Salaries and hourly rates
• Hours worked
• Deductions
• Overtime

Any systems that must sync to derive this data, such as time clock software or systems, happen automatically, so I didn’t have to worry about any of those processes.

Who should use it?

Rippling is best for small businesses that hire talent internationally and need an automated way to handle payroll runs, compliance and tax filings across the globe. It is also best for growing businesses that need automation tools to scale their payroll and compliance efforts as they grow.

Learn more: Read the full Rippling review.

OnPay is a straightforward, all-in-one payroll and HR solution for small businesses. It comes with just one competitive price—$40 plus $6 per employee per month—that includes all services. It offers payroll tools for W-2 and 1099 workers and automatic tax payments and filing (with an error-free guarantee). It also has an employee self-service portal for self-onboarding, documents and PTO tracking. You can manage benefits including insurance and retirement plans with access to most major providers.

OnPay doesn’t include built-in accounting tools, but it integrates with popular HR and accounting tools including QuickBooks, Xero and When I Work.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, shared her thoughts on OnPay: “Any system that combines functions is always a win for a small business. In addition, OnPay is affordable and doesn’t require being locked into a long-term contract, making this system an adaptable and cost-effective choice.”

OnPay’s payroll processing module integrates seamlessly with your company’s other HR operations.

Key Features

• Unlimited payroll runs: OnPay includes as many unlimited payroll runs per month as you wish.
• Various pay schedules and rates: OnPay enables various pay schedules and rates for part-time, full-time and U.S.-based contract workers, so it’s capable of handling complex payroll structures.
• Payment methods: You also have the freedom to choose how you pay your employees, whether via direct deposit, paper checks or prepaid debit cards. Additionally, you may opt for pay-as-you-go workers’ comp plans and avoid large upfront payments.
• Automated tax filing with error-free guarantee: OnPay automates much of the tax process. It automatically deducts what’s necessary, and at the end of the tax year, it files taxes for your company. Tax documents are available to employees in the portal. You can easily view previous years’ tax filings under the “filings” tab of the main menu.
• Onboarding tools: OnPay allows you to send onboarding documents—such as offer letters—from the app. In turn, employees can complete some onboarding tasks themselves, such as e-signing documents and setting up direct deposit. It also gives you a platform to create and assign onboarding tasks so everyone knows their part.
• Paid time off management: OnPay’s PTO management tools include the ability to create customized accrual policies and receive time-off requests from employees from within the software. Approved PTO requests automatically sync with OnPay’s payroll software to reduce manual tasks and errors come payday.
• After-hire tasks: OnPay helps you by reporting new hires to your state as required and offering audits and guidance on workers’ compensation, employee training and employee benefits.

Pricing

There are plan tiers with OnPay—you pay one base monthly rate and then a flat fee per person per month. The base rate is $40 per month, and then you pay $6 per person per month, so, for a company with 100 employees, OnPay would cost $640 per month. As you lose or gain employees, the price adjusts to reflect the new user number.

Reputation

OnPay users give the product kudos on popular review sites for ease of use and responsive customer service.

Our Experience

To conduct my test-drive of OnPay’s platform, I used the Google Chrome browser on a Windows laptop and an Android mobile device.

OnPay’s interface is clean and straightforward, making it easy to navigate. After logging in, I landed at the user dashboard that includes at-a-glance information, such as team members, upcoming payroll runs, recent runs and whatever other tiles I chose to have displayed on my main dashboard. Both the main dashboard and the HR dashboard were easy to customize.

Payroll information is front and center on your dashboard when you log in to your account. I like the easy, three-step process to run payroll but found it difficult to get around the warnings. Also, time off data doesn’t necessarily sync with payroll or an employee’s time off information in their profile.

Here’s what I mean: When you’re ready to process payroll, you simply click “Start Run.” The system takes you to a screen to review all paychecks to submit. Little orange icons indicate something that needs your attention. However, I found it difficult to figure out how to resolve these warnings.

For instance, one employee needed vacation time approved. However, the system showed it had already been approved. Seeing this conflicting information was confusing. When I asked a customer service representative about this, they said that this simply shows that the vacation time is already included in the payroll run. Yet, at other times, when clicking on the time-off icon next to an employee’s name, the system would show “Approve & Include.” Then it was easy to click that button and get rid of the warning.

In addition, sometimes you have to choose whom to include in the payroll run. For example, when running biweekly payroll, not all employees were selected, so you have to be sure to check that all the right people are included for each payroll run. Or, you can click on the “select all” checkbox to include everyone.

Once payroll is submitted, you receive an email confirmation to confirm a completed payroll run.

Who should use it?

OnPay caters to small businesses that need a full-featured payroll and HR solution with a straightforward and affordable pricing structure.

Learn more: Read the full OnPay review.

Gusto is designed with dynamic startups and small businesses in mind, and it specifically targets the solutions these types of companies need that weren’t previously available on other platforms, such as payroll on AutoPilot, contractor payments, automated employee time tracking and the versatile Gusto Wallet app.

The Gusto payroll run screen shows at a glance all payroll expenses per employee.

Key Features

Gusto offers automated payroll and tax filing for employees and contractors, as well as the Gusto Wallet app to facilitate time tracking for remote, on-premises and field employees.

Automated, Full-Service Payroll for Employees and Contractors

Gusto’s payroll platform is an automated, full-service process. Its AutoPilot payroll software pays employees and contractors; the company also sells a low-cost contractor-only plan. You can even auto-pay employees and contractors across the globe in their own currencies without worrying about labor compliance violations. Gusto takes care of all of it through a global team of local experts who support local employees in over 75 countries.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, also noted how easy Gusto is to use: “Gusto makes it easy to pay all of your people, whether they are employees or contractors. New joiners receive an invitation to set themselves up in the system and once that is done and verified, you are able to set your payroll and forget it. Busy solopreneurs can find real value in using a system like this.”

Automated Tax Filing

Gusto offers tools to help you store and organize employees’ I-9 and W-2 forms. Gusto then calculates your payroll taxes, deducts them and pays and files tax documents with the correct government entities. It operates in all 50 U.S. states, so you can register your company using Gusto in any state where you do business.

Gusto Wallet App

Gusto Wallet is a payment system that allows employees to receive their pay within the app or via a Gusto debit card. It gives employees greater control of their money by, for example, enabling them to split up their paychecks into various accounts as they wish or receive their pay up to two days earlier than a bank-based direct deposit. Within the app, employees also receive pay insights that show month-over-month income patterns. And, it includes other features employees would find convenient to have at their fingertips, such as tools to request time off and view their tax documents.

Time Tracking

Team members can use a web browser or the Gusto Wallet app to clock in and out of work on their Android or Apple mobile devices. Geofencing ensures employees are where they need to be when clocking in on their mobile devices. Or, employers can turn a tablet into a time clock for on-premises attendance and time-tracking. And, if a team member accidentally clocks in or forgets to clock out, they can manually correct their hours for always-correct payroll runs.

Pricing

Gusto offers three plans for companies looking to manage payroll for both full-time employees and contractors.

• Simple: The Simple plan is $40 per month, plus $6 per employee per month. It’s ideal for startups and small businesses that operate in one state and just need to cover basic HR functions. It offers single-state payroll services, an employee self-service portal, Gusto-brokered health insurance and payroll and time-off requests.
• Plus: Gusto’s Plus package costs $80 per month, plus $12 per employee per month. This plan is a great choice if you need to run multistate payroll and desire more dedicated support to manage HR effectively. Next-day direct deposit is also available in this plan in addition to PTO management and policies, project tracking, a time kiosk, workforce costing and reporting and team management tools.
• Premium: Gusto’s top tier offers the most support and automation to keep HR running efficiently for your small to midsized business. The pricing is customized to your specific needs. The biggest payroll draw in this plan is that Gusto sets up your account for you and migrates your payroll data from your current software provider, which gets you started with the software more quickly and easily. It also offers compliance alerts and an R&D tax credit discount.
• Contractor Only plan: For companies that only manage contractor payments domestically or abroad, Gusto has a Contractor Only plan that costs $6 per month per person. It offers four-day direct deposit, unlimited contractor payments within the U.S., yearly 1099-NECs and the option to add an international contractor payments add-on.

Reputation

Gusto receives overall favorable reviews on popular user rating sites. Users mostly mention Gusto’s easy-to-use interface, which we can attest to, given our hands-on experience with its payroll process and its excellent customer service.

Our Experience

I tested Gusto’s Simple plan features using the Google Chrome browser on a Windows laptop and the Gusto Wallet app on an Android mobile device. Our ability to test the features was limited, as they required entering real bank account information and signing into external accounts.

I found the process of setting up a payroll schedule pretty easy. You simply choose a schedule—Gusto automatically suggests one for you—and confirm state tax details based on where employees are located.

When running payroll manually, Gusto takes you through three steps. First, you check hours and earnings for all employees. The next step prompts you to enter any paid time off that employees took during the pay period. This is also where you can approve or deny pending time-off requests. From there, Gusto lets you preview the payroll run in the third step before submitting payroll. Upon submitting, Gusto confirms that you’ve successfully submitted payroll.

For contractor payments, whether domestic or international, the pay rates and pay amounts don’t automatically populate as they do with W-2 workers, so it’s a bit more time-consuming, as you have to enter this information manually. Otherwise, it’s quite simple. Just click “submit,” and that’s it.

It was easy to manually add an employee or independent contractor by entering their name, email address and other crucial information. The platform offers a checkbox option to invite the added employee or contractor to fill out the rest of the information themselves. Though this process was straightforward, manually entering several people could get tedious for companies with high hiring volumes.

Based on what I was able to play with in the platform, Gusto guides you through payroll and benefits management in a way that makes these processes less overwhelming. You can be sure you’re completing tasks in the right order without missing a step.

However, I noticed that payroll and adding new team members, in particular, require a lot of manual data entry upfront. In addition, customization of reporting, templates and the dashboard is limited.

Who should use it?

Gusto is made for startups and growing small businesses with a mix of employee- and contractor-based workforces. It is best for businesses that expect to eventually expand across state lines or even globally using a workforce with a mix of contractors and employees.

Learn more: Read the full Gusto review.

Justworks is a professional employer organization (PEO) that appeals to remote teams. The company engages client companies in a co-employment relationship, serving as an employer of record for your employees.

The co-employment relationship also means Justworks takes on some legal employer liabilities so you don’t have to, which isn’t the case for software-based payroll services. In exchange, you hand over control of some key employer processes, such as workers compensation.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, an HR professional with over 20 years of experience, adds: “Justworks is great for helping small businesses offer benefits to its employees, something most small businesses are not able to do easily or inexpensively, which is a great attraction and retention tool.”

The Justworks onboarding wizard completes the process in five steps.

Key Features

Justworks’ standout feature is its professional employer organization (PEO) services, allowing businesses to outsource some HR and payroll tasks. Here is a closer look at this service.

Professional Employer Organization Services

Justworks is a professional employer organization designed for remote teams. The company engages user companies in a co-employment relationship so it can handle HR and payroll on your behalf. For example, it will handle the following payroll processes and tasks for you:

• Off-cycle payments
• Vendor and contractor payments
• Employer payroll tax filings
• W-2 and 1099 filings
• Payroll reporting
• Worker time tracking

Pricing

Justworks offers two PEO plans, plus a couple of add-ons to expand your chosen plan’s functionality. Here are your choices.

Basic

This plan is $59 per employee per month and offers:

• Full payroll management for all employees in 27 states
• The ability to pay up to 30 employees or contractors
• HR consulting
• 24/7 support
• Commuter benefits
• Time tracking
• PTO management
• An applicant tracking system
• Employee onboarding
• HR consulting
• An employee mobile app

Plus

This plan is $99 per employee per month and includes:

• Everything in the Basic plan
• The ability to pay up to 200 W-2 employees in multiple states
• Medical insurance
• HSA/FSA accounts
• Health advocacy services
• One Medical (in locations where it is available)
• COBRA administration
• A company benefits overview for prospective hires or new employees

At a starting PEO service price of $59 per employee per month, its monthly per-employee fee looks high at first glance, but it could be well below the cost of an HR hire and goes lower the more employees you have.

Add-Ons

Justworks offers two add-ons that can be used alongside both the Basic and Plus plans:

• Justworks Time Tracking: This add-on is an additional $8 per employee per month and includes geofencing capabilities, shift management tools, overtime and break rules, time tracking, payroll and time tracking reporting and payroll syncing.
• Justworks International Contractor Payments: This add-on is $39 per contractor per month and offers onboarding and payment services for contract workers in over 30 countries.

Reputation

The reviews of Justworks on popular ratings sites note that the service is easy to set up and use for both employers and employees, and is easily scalable as a company grows. Many wish that Justworks offered more in the way of integrations with popular accounting and other software, and some express the need for more customizable platform features.

There’s nothing easier than handing some business responsibilities to a capable team of experts. For some of your functions, such as workers’ compensation administration, that is what Justworks’ PEO allows small businesses to do. And, it offers a 24/7 team of HR consultants who go above and beyond to resolve customer issues quickly and completely.

Who should use it?

PEOs such as Justworks are a good fit for small businesses with complex hiring and potential business liability, such as hiring international employees or having a lot of turnover. It is also great for small businesses without in-house payroll or HR departments.

Learn more: Read the full Justworks review.

Paychex is a payroll and HR service provider for businesses of all sizes. Paychex Flex is its simplified payroll platform designed for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

The product offers an easy-to-use basic payroll processing platform to pay employees and contractors but no HR and benefits administration in its basic Essentials plan. You must upgrade for these complementary features. It strips away the complex features of the broader Paychex platform to stand out as a provider of easy employee payroll.

However, Paychex Flex does integrate with other Paychex products and offers higher-tiered plans to meet your payroll and HR needs, as well as with third-party accounting systems to automatically keep your bookkeeping updated with payroll data.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, also likes Paychex Flex: “Paychex Flex is another great option for small startups that intend to grow over time. The system is customizable with lots of robust features.”

The Paychex Flex dashboard provides easy access to the product’s reports.

Key Features

Paychex Flex offers bare-bones features to help you manage your payroll runs, such as automated tax filings, payments and calculations; a self-service mobile app for employees; and customizable payroll reporting.

Automated Tax Calculations, Payments and Filings

When you sign up to process your payroll using Paychex Flex, you also access the platform’s Taxpay service. With this service, Paychex Flex calculates, pays and files your taxes with government agencies as necessary to keep you compliant with tax law. In addition, Paychex Flex looks for tax credits that may save your company funding each year, such as the employee retention tax credit, and even helps you file amended returns to claim past credits.

Paychex Flex App

This app is available for both employees and employers who use Paychex Flex. Employers can use the app to enter and run payroll, access employees’ payroll data and view payroll reports. In turn, employees use the app to access and update their personal data and tax documentation. The app also offers Touch ID and Face ID authentication to ensure only authorized access.

Payroll Reporting

Using Paychex Flex, you can access the Paychex Preview Preprocessing Report, which allows you to review your payroll before it runs to remove any errors. You can also create custom reports, such as reports showing your cash requirements, job costing, tax deposit notices, W-2s and more in real time.

Pricing

Paychex Flex starts at $39 per month plus $5 per employee per month. It offers three plans, including its Essentials, Select and Pro plans. However, its Select and Pro plans require a custom quote for pricing details. Here is an overview of the features each plan offers:

Essentials

The Essentials plan starts at $39 per month plus $5 per employee. It services businesses with up to 19 employees and offers:

• Payroll processing for W-2 and 1099 workers
• Tax filing and administration
• Direct deposit, pay cards and on-site check printing options
• An employee self-serve mobile app
• Financial wellness and cash flow assistance for employees
• Employee onboarding tools
• Analytics and reporting
• 24/7 customer support

Select

The Select plan requires a custom quote to learn pricing details. It offers all the features included in the Essentials plan, plus:

• An employee training and development system
• Online payroll processing and tax filing tools
• 24/7 dedicated support
• One-on-one support to handle all business needs
• An HR library with key HR documents
• Labor posters

Pro

The Pro plan also requires a custom quote to learn about pricing. It is a full-service payroll and HR plan that offers all the features included in the Select plan, plus:

• Full-service account setup, payroll management and tax filing services with dedicated specialist or online options
• A full HR software
• An employee handbook builder
• A personal HR consultation
• Pay garnishment services
• General ledger services
• Pre-employment screening
• State unemployment insurance services
• Workers’ compensation payment services
• General ledger integrations

Add-On Options

For an additional cost, you can further customize plans with add-ons. Available add-ons with features not already included in any of the plans include:

• Job costing and labor distribution
• Time and attendance tracking and reporting
• General ledger integrations
• Voice assistant integrations
• Paychex integrations
• Retirement services
• Business insurance
• Employee benefits
• Document management
• Performance management
• Recruiting and applicant tracking
• Job posting website integrations
• Paycheck preview and approval tools

Reputation

Paychex Flex users posting on popular ratings sites say the platform is easy to use both on the employer and employee end. They also praise Paychex Flex’s customer support for being responsive, patient, supportive and knowledgeable.

However, some write that they sometimes experience frustrating glitches within the system, such as being locked out of their accounts, updates during which users cannot access their accounts and the inability to access some features.

Our Experience

In my testing, I found that Paychex Flex offers a clean interface. Interface designers clearly worked hard to ensure that data is not overwhelming but is at your fingertips at all times in intuitive-to-find locations.

For example, you will find a company directory on the upper right-hand corner of the software that includes a list of all employees. Simply click on a name to see all of their payroll information, such as their gross and net pay, deductions, pay period and preferred payment method.

Detailed analytics are also offered in color-coded pie and bar charts for a straightforward interpretation of data. When I clicked on an element of the pie chart, a screen popped up to show more granular data regarding the broader data point represented in the graph.

The employee app offers a robust self-serve interface that is efficient and not overwhelming. The initial dashboard offers key summary information and links, such as time-off and sick-day calculations, paycheck stub links, a task list and a time tracker.

Employees can then use a left-hand menu to find more detailed information, such as their health benefits options and performance reviews. Simple forms and digital signing tools allow employees to complete documents and reviews in a fully digital format, even on a small screen.

Who should use it?

Paychex Flex is made specifically for small businesses that need a quick and simple payroll system. It’s stripped down for businesses that just need easy payroll, with the flexibility to add on services as they grow.

Learn more: Read the full Paychex Flex review.

ADP is the largest and one of the most trusted payroll providers in the world. The company’s RUN product is a good place to start if you’re a small business expecting to grow into a large enterprise. It’s a simple payroll and benefits administration platform with room to grow into enterprise plans when your company is ready to upgrade to the main ADP platform.

Its standout feature is its tax compliance support. RUN by ADP automatically calculates, deposits and files all taxes for you. It also sends W-2 and 1099 forms to your respective workers each year. It even keeps track of payroll law changes by state and adjusts your withholdings and payments accordingly to ensure you are in compliance. And, if the IRS has any questions and sends you an inquiry, RUN by ADP will handle this communication on your behalf.

In addition, ADP RUN offers all the features you’d expect in a payroll service. It has tiered plans with payroll by direct deposit, a self-service employee platform, new hire onboarding and optional benefits administration for additional fees. More advanced plans include a robust HR platform, including an employee handbook, document management, training programs and employee toolkits.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, added her thoughts on ADP RUN: “ADP has been around for a long time and is a well-known name in payroll and a favorite for many financial folks because of their robust reporting features.”

The ADP RUN payroll run screen alerts you to new hires not included in the current payroll.

Key Features

RUN by ADP offers advanced features for automated payroll processing, tax payments and filing and time tracking. Here is a closer look at each of these key features.

Payroll AutoPilot

RUN by ADP offers full-service payroll, allowing you several options to pay employees, including by check, direct deposit or pay card and processed by phone, web or mobile app. If you opt for paper checks, they will be delivered to your company before payday. You can also set recurring payroll runs on AutoPilot for a hands-off approach or set up off-cycle payroll runs when needed. RUN by ADP offers 24/7 payroll support from ADP experts in case you run into any issues paying your employees.

Automated Tax Payments and Filings

The software automates your tax calculations and deductions. From there, it pays your taxes for you and even creates and sends W-2 and 1099 forms to your employees and contractors automatically. Because the system keeps up with tax laws and regulations in all 50 U.S. states, the system automatically helps you stay compliant and flags any errors that need your attention. And, if the IRS contacts you with inquiries about your filings or payments, RUN will handle those communications for you.

Unlike some competitors on this list that make you pay for multistate services, RUN by ADP offers multi-jurisdictional payments. When you pay employees in different states, RUN by ADP handles all the tax filings for you in each respective state.

Time Tracking

Available as an add-on in the RUN by ADP’s payroll plans, the software offers time and attendance tracking with advanced features. Employees can clock in using their mobile devices, computers or an on-premise kiosk. They can also request time off and monitor their requests for approval. Further, biometric and geo-fencing features ensure the right person is clocking in or out at the right time and location. It even offers geo-pinning to mark the exact employee location when clocking in or out.

Employees can track time by job or department and switch between them when necessary. These hours are then synced to the RUN by ADP payroll software for accurate tracking and payments based on time worked by project. This feature is great for companies that perform work for clients, as labor costs can be easily separated and billed to the client upon project completion.

Pricing

RUN by ADP has four small business plans for up to 49 employees. The most basic plan offers payroll tools, while subsequent plans offer more in-depth HR tools. All plans require a custom quote to learn about pricing details. You can do so by clicking “get pricing” on the RUN by ADP pricing page and filling out the questionnaire as prompted.

Essentials Payroll

The Essentials Payroll plan is the most basic plan RUN by ADP offers and it is for companies that need basic payroll tools. It includes the following payroll features, plus some basic HR features:

• Payroll runs processed via computer, mobile app or phone
• Direct deposit
• Payroll reporting
• A general ledger
• W-2 and 1099 forms
• Tax calculations, payments and filings done for you according to current state and federal laws
• Multi-company and multi-jurisdiction management
• The Wisely Direct Debit card to pay employees
• Employee access

Enhanced Payroll

The Enhanced RUN by ADP plan offers more HR features, such as access to ZipRecruiter for hiring. In terms of payroll-specific tools, it includes everything in the Essentials Payroll plan, plus:

• Job costing
• Check signing security

Complete Payroll and HR Plus

This plan adds more HR features while offering all the payroll tools of the first two plans. Added HR features include:

• HR helpdesk
• An employee handbook wizard
• HR forms and documents
• HR training
• An HR toolkit

HR Pro Payroll and HR

This plan offers a comprehensive toolkit of HR and payroll features. In addition to the tools offered in all other plans, it adds:

• Enhanced HR and helpdesk support
• An applicant tracking system
• A learning management system
• Sexual harassment prevention training

Reputation

Many RUN by ADP users posting on popular review sites love that the software has lots of self-service and automation features to save companies time and money. However, some note that customer service is often unresponsive and they wish the time keeping app were included in RUN by ADP’s plans.

Our Experience

I accessed the guided demo to learn more about this product. The dashboard felt cluttered when I landed, but it did offer many tools that I needed at my fingertips. By clicking “run payroll” from the dashboard, I completed a payroll run in just a few clicks.

On the “payroll” page, I viewed a spreadsheet of payments earned by employees. I could then fill in any missing data as needed. From there, I clicked “next” and was taken to a page that flagged all issues that may hinder a successful payroll run. I could click “resolve exceptions” to work out these issues before running payroll.

From this screen, I was also given the option to import time tracking data from ADP’s time and attendance add-on or another time keeping software. When I clicked “next,” I accessed an overview of payroll as it currently stood, including who would be paid, when, and how much they’d be paid broken down into gross pay, taxes, deductions, net pay and employer taxes. From there, I clicked “approve” to run payroll. A confirmation page prompted me to approve the run once again.

Once payroll was run, the software summarized how much was paid out and when. I was also asked if I wanted a reminder of when payroll should be run again. Overall, this process was self-explanatory and required no learning curve.

Adding employees to the system was an easy process. I simply clicked “add employee” from the header menu. From there, I could either send the employee an invite to input their own information (which I could then review for accuracy and approve) or manually enter the data myself.

I found the invite option to be more labor-intensive than I would like; I still had to enter the employee’s full name, Social Security number (twice to confirm accuracy), phone number, date of birth, hire date and more. It would have been far easier to just input a name and have an email be sent to the employee to do all of this work, leaving me to only approve its accuracy.

Overall, though the interface is cluttered, everything I needed was easy to find. Nothing I experienced was particularly confusing, but some tasks were a bit more labor-intensive than I preferred.

Who should use it?

ADP RUN is a good choice for businesses that need highly supported payroll tax compliance features in payroll software. It’s designed for companies with fewer than 50 employees but is a good fit if you expect to grow beyond that because you can upgrade to ADP Workforce Now or ADP’s enterprise platform. Read more about the top ADP competitors.

Learn more: Read the full ADP RUN review.

TriNet is a professional employer organization (PEO), offering businesses the option of payroll and HR outsourcing. Your company leases employees to TriNet—TriNet becomes an employer of record—and it takes care of HR and payroll for you.

The service offers plenty of ways to understand and control your payroll costs. They include:

• Benchmarking tools that keep you from overpaying employees even while offering competitive pay rates to attract top talent
• Time tracking tools that alert you if an employee is working overtime or approaching the need to do so
• Compliance management tools that help you follow state labor laws to avoid payroll non-compliance penalties
• Payroll error detection tools to keep you from paying more than you owe
• Warnings and alerts for unauthorized off-site employee clock-ins
• Reporting that predicts operational needs so you can compile schedules to reduce the need for overtime pay

Key Features

TriNet’s standout features include automated tax and filing support, unlimited payroll runs, a mobile app and time and attendance tracking. Here is a look at each of them.

Automated Taxes and Filing

TriNet can handle all payroll tax administration for you, offering the option to outsource your payroll function to its PEO service. When you do, its team of HR experts not only manage your payroll and tax administration, but also offer consulting and problem resolution.

When you hire a new employee, its team of tax experts notifies the correct state entity as required by law. The platform also calculates, withholds and remits payments, then files your taxes on the federal, state and local level. Then, it prepares and delivers W-2 forms to your employees when needed. Finally, for employees, it will manage your unemployment taxes and claims on your behalf.

For managing contract employees, the platform auto-generates Form 1099 when needed and grants contractors self-serve access to key tax documents. It also allows you to customize how you pay contracts with multiple pay options.

TriNet helps small businesses save money by looking for tax credits for each company. For example, it allows you to input tax credit information into the payroll system and then prepares forms 8974 and 941 for you to claim those credits.

Unlimited Payroll Runs

Offered as an add-on in HR plans, TriNet’s payroll processing system has advanced payroll management features. They include:

• Unlimited automated payroll runs
• Direct deposit payments
• The ability to manage multiple pay schedules and rates
• Contractor payment processing
• Tips reporting
• General ledger reporting
• Garnishments support

Through TriNet’s PEO, you can outsource all of your HR and payroll functions or you can choose which functions you want to outsource and which you’d like to keep in-house.

Mobile App

The TriNet mobile app offers convenient features for both employers and their employees. Employers and permissioned personnel can view employee profiles, hire and termination data, benefits and payroll information and access reporting. They can also search a knowledge base for answers to their questions or open a support case or live chat session to access TriNet customer support.

Employees access the mobile app to view their paychecks, review and manage their benefits and access their tax documents. In addition, they can track their vacation days and request time off using the mobile app. Finally, as an added perk, employees can use the app to access TriNet-offered discounts on technology, groceries and other products.

Time and Attendance Tracking

TriNet’s time and attendance tracking tools provide companies with the ability to meticulously monitor worked hours, allowing them to effectively control payroll expenses. These savings may take the form of minimizing excessive costs, such as unapproved overtime, or avoiding compliance penalties. To this end, with TriNet time and attendance tools, you can:

• Create a clear work schedule for employers and employees to know who is working when (and who is not)
• Allow employees to clock in and out
• Track employees clock-in times to ensure compliance with schedules and control costs
• Access a reporting dashboard that displays metrics such as which employees are approaching overtime
• Schedule employee rest and meal breaks to remain compliant with labor laws and avoid related penalties
• View timecard errors to ensure accurate payroll processing
• Receive alerts and warnings pertaining to unauthorized offsite clock-ins to avoid overpaying employees

Pricing

TriNet offers three plans ranging from $8 per employee per month to $33 per user per month when billed monthly. However, unlike many competitors on this list, only the most expensive plan offers payroll features. To access payroll features in the first two tiers, you have to first purchase the core plan and then pay $6 per employee per month more to access the payroll add-on. When I contacted customer support, I was told that this payroll add-on is typically only sold as an add-on and not as a standalone product.

Essentials

The Essentials plan is a basic HR platform costing $10 per employee per month when paid monthly and $8 per employee per month when billed annually. It includes:

• Access to the TriNet payroll processing add-on
• Automated employee onboarding
• Employee management tools
• Employee time-off tracking tools
• Employee scheduling tools
• An employer and employee mobile app
• An analytics dashboard
• Access to over 50 pre-built integration options such as G-suite, Slack, Zapier, Asana and Salesforce

Growth

TriNet’s Growth plan is $20 per employee per month when billed monthly and $16 per employee per month when billed annually. This plan offers tools for ensuring you are paying your employees fairly without overpaying them, allowing you to save costs while attracting top talent. It includes everything in the Essentials plan, plus:

• People analytics
• Custom and workforce salary benchmarking visibility
• Comparison salary data
• Employee performance management tools

Zen

The Zen plan is $33 per user per month when billed monthly and $27 per user per month when billed annually. While the Essentials and Growth plans require you to pay more to access the payroll add-on, this plan includes TriNet’s payroll processing system. Here is an overview of the inclusions in this plan:

• Customizable, filterable and anonymized employee engagement surveys
• A team communication platform with a company feed, a task manager and the option to create department-specific communication feeds
• TriNet’s payroll software with unlimited and automated payroll runs and tax management and filing tools

Add-Ons

While the above plans are TriNet’s core small business plans, it offers add-on options as a way to customize the plans to your needs. Its add-on options include:

• Payroll processing for $6 per employee per month
• Benefits administration for $5 per employee per month or free when you go through a TriNet-preferred benefits broker
• Recruiting and applicant tracking software through JazzHR starting at $35 per month
• TriNet HR and payroll processing advisory services for $8 per employee per month

Dylan Cleppe, co-founder and CEO of OneStop Northwest LLC, uses TriNet’s benefits administration for his business: “One aspect of TriNet that I found particularly beneficial is its comprehensive approach to benefits management. For a small business like mine, being able to offer competitive benefits is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. TriNet provides a streamlined platform where I can manage payroll, HR tasks and employee benefits all in one place, which not only saves time but also reduces the potential for errors.”

Reputation

TriNet users posting on top review sites say the software is extremely easy to use and has comprehensive features. They also say TriNet’s customer support is responsive (responding within just minutes of inquiry submission) and knowledgeable. However, some do not like that the platform experiences frequent reporting glitches, while others wish it offered more integration options.

I found TriNet to be very intuitive to use. In addition, it offers comprehensive support from a team of knowledgeable experts who are dedicated to resolving all customer inquiries quickly and completely. When I contacted customer support, I found this popular user opinion to be accurate. This level of customer support adds to TriNet’s ease of use. However, glitches in reporting can make the TriNet software frustrating to use at times.

Who should use it?

PEOs like TriNet are a good fit for small businesses with complex hiring and potential business liability—for example, if you hire international employees or have a lot of turnover. It is also a great option for companies that need tools to pay employees fairly while keeping payroll costs to a minimum.

Learn more: Read the full TriNet review.

Toronto-based Wave is a relatively new player in small business financial services, and it’s making its name by building a user-friendly and affordable platform that addresses the unique needs of freelancers, contractors and small business owners.

Payroll is Wave’s latest feature. It comes to the platform along with accounting, invoicing and payment processing for small businesses—replacing a laundry list of tools for many entrepreneurs.

Through Wave Payroll, you can pay employees and contractors via direct deposit and automatically generate W-2 and 1099 forms for tax season. It takes care of payroll tax payment and filing in 14 states (and growing) and offers a self-service employee portal for easy access to tax documents and banking and contact updates.

In addition, if you own a seasonal business and only need payroll software during parts of the year, you can deactivate your subscription for off-seasons and avoid paying Wave during that time. Then, when your business season kicks back in, simply reactivate your subscription and account. This capability, coupled with its contract payment options, makes Wave an ideal option for seasonal businesses such as garden centers and landscaping companies.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, appreciates that you can use the system with its accounting software: “Wave’s payroll system integrates with its free accounting system, making it a good choice for businesses that handle all of their finance processes internally.”

Wave doesn’t offer benefits administration, a major drawback, but its recent purchases of companies across the financial sector and its 2019 acquisition by H&R Block promise more capabilities and features to come.

Wave Payroll’s straightforward payroll timesheets show pay numbers for hourly and salaried workers.

Features

Wave Payroll’s standout features include employee and contractor payroll tools, tax services, an employee self-service portal and invoicing tools. Here is a closer look at each of them.

Employee and Contractor Payroll

Using Wave Payroll, you can pay both employees and independent contractors with one click come payday. Once you’ve paid your employees, you can access a report of all payroll expenses broken down by employee. The platform also generates W-2 and 1099 forms, so they’re always at your fingertips. And if you own a seasonal business where you only have to pay contractors or employees during certain times of the year, you can pause your payroll subscription during off-seasons to avoid paying the base monthly rate.

Tax Services

Wave Payroll offers tax payment and filing services in 14 states and is continually adding more states. Using this service, you can automate your payment and filing of state and federal payroll taxes. Its current tax service states include:

• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Minnesota
• New York
• North Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin

In states where Wave Payroll does not offer tax filing and payment services, the software indicates what paperwork you must file on the state and federal level and how much you need to pay from each payroll run.

Self-Service Portal

Wave Payroll offers employees a self-service portal that allows them to access their pay stubs and W-2 forms without HR involvement. They can also use the platform to update their contact and banking information.

Invoicing

The Wave invoicing Starter plan is free, offers unlimited invoices and can be used in conjunction with Wave Payroll without an extra expense. However, to accept credit card or ACH/EFT payments, you must pay:

• 2.9% plus 60 cents per Visa, Mastercard or Discover transaction
• 3.4% plus 60 cents per Amex transaction
• 1% of your invoice amount per ACH/EFT transaction

To send an invoice, you must only send an invoicing email using the Wave “pay now” button. Wave offers a mobile app that makes paying invoices easy from anywhere. Clients can pay using a credit card or Apple Pay from the email and funds will arrive in your account in two business days. Once you’ve sent an invoice or received a payment, the data is automatically recorded in your accounting records for effortless reporting and tax filing.

Pricing

Wave offers two plans based on the state in which you operate your business. If you operate in one of the 14 states in which Wave offers tax services, you will pay a higher base monthly rate to take advantage of these services. All other states must remit payment and file their taxes themselves and so will pay a lower monthly base rate for Wave’s payroll solution. Both plans come with a 30-day free trial.

Tax Service States

Most businesses using Wave Payroll will need to pay a $20 monthly base fee, plus $6 per active employee or contractor paid per month to use Wave’s payroll solution. This is because Wave does not offer tax payment and filing services in 37 U.S. states (see next plan for states that are excluded from this plan.). Payroll tools offered in this plan include:

• Employee and independent contractor payments
• An employee self-service portal
• Direct deposit payments
• Workers’ compensation
• Accounting records
• Tax filing documents for employees and contractors
• Payroll expense reporting
• Leave time tracking and accruals
• Integrations with Wave Accounting, Invoicing and Payments
• Live chat customer support Monday through Friday
• Email support
• The ability to pause your subscription during off-seasons

Self-Serve States

In addition to all the features in the Tax Service plan, Wave offers automated payroll tax services in 14 U.S. states. If your business operates in any of these states, you must choose this plan. The Self-Serve States plan costs $40 per month plus $6 per contractor paid and active employee. It offers automatic calculations, remittance and filing of payroll taxes. The states in which this plan applies are:

• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Minnesota
• New York
• North Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin

Reputation

Wave Payroll customers posting reviews on product rating sites like that the software is extremely easy to use and set up, is affordable and has free features such as invoicing.

However, some note that the software does not offer enough customization options, nor does it offer the detailed reporting they need. Several state that Wave Payroll’s customer support is unhelpful; the chat bot does not offer relevant solutions, and when they email customer support, it often doesn’t help, either. Many users claim the limited features the platform offers make it a good option for companies with five to 10 employees but no more.

Our Experience

I tested Wave Payroll on a Mac computer and a Safari browser. Signing up for the free trial was simple, taking only a couple of minutes. I simply had to input my name, email address and phone number. I was sent a code to my phone to verify my identity. After inputting the code, I was asked simple questions about how I wanted to use the account, such as if I wanted to invoice clients or run payroll.

Once set up, the account brought me to an initial reporting dashboard. The dashboard had a handful of reports and optional action items but didn’t feel cluttered or overwhelming. Reports I could access right away included a cash flow analysis for my business, a list of outstanding invoices, bills my company owes, an income and expense statement by fiscal year and an expense breakdown pie chart with percentages for each expense category.

Adding an employee could not have been simpler in my case, though there was more manual data entry than I preferred. I clicked “add an employee” from the initial dashboard and was taken to a form to fill in information on my employee. Information I had to enter included the employee’s full name and Social Security number, their home address, a work location, the type of wage they would receive (salary or hourly, for example), their email address and how I wanted to pay them (direct deposit, for example).

Since I was given the option to send them an invite to input their own information, I would have preferred to only input about half of this data before sending the invite. However, I only had to click a box and click “submit” to send an invite to my employee. Still, the process did not require any technical knowledge and each step was intuitive to complete.

Some features I wish were better include its automation options, customization options and chat support. There are almost no automation options and you cannot customize the dashboard at all. Reporting also did not offer customization options. In addition, when I contacted the chat support to ask if I had missed any customization options, I was given irrelevant responses and prompted to contact customer support via email. All in all, the chat support feature was unhelpful.

In addition, when trying to access tax services, I was simply upsold by a partner company that wanted $500 plus $150 to do my taxes. In other screens, I was prompted to buy more products from Wave Payroll. I would have preferred to be contacted some other way to be asked to buy more products from Wave or its partners.

Who should use it?

Wave is a unique fit for microbusinesses and solopreneurs who pay a small team heavy in contractors and part-timers, and frequently invoice clients or customers for online payment. And, with the ability to pause the subscription, it is great for service companies such as landscapers who hire contractors often and endure off-seasons.

Learn more: Read the full Wave Payroll review.

Paycor is a full-service HR platform that supports companies from recruiting to termination.

It offers an employee portal online and through the Paycor mobile app, so employees can access pay stubs, documents, time-off requests, performance evaluations and employee development all from their phones.

You can add on benefits administration for an extra fee and let employees manage and enroll in benefits through the self-service portal, as well.

Lisa Lindsey, PHR, SHRM-CP, our advisory board member, also likes the full-service aspect of Paycor: “Growing companies can find value in the full suite of HR tools in addition to payroll processing.”

Paycor’s pay run window shows at a glance all the details of the run and employees who are currently on leave.

Key Features

Key Paycor features include its payroll processing tools, tax compliance services, mobile wallet (complete with a self-serve mobile portal) and expense tracking and reimbursement tools. Here is a closer look at each.

Payroll Processing

Paycor offers automated payroll processing with the option to pay using direct deposit, check (either in-person or online) or card payments. When running payroll, it allows you to take into account wage garnishments and time-off requests. You can also integrate the payroll feature with Paycor’s time and attendance tool to track employee hours and pay them accurately.

In addition, it offers a couple of unique features. First, its Paycor Visa card offers an alternative avenue to pay employees. It also offers an OnDemand Pay option that allows you to pay employees early as needed.

Tax Compliance Services

Paycor offers hands-off tax filing services with W-2 and 1099 processing. It also offers constant tax-compliance guidance, alerts and warnings (if, for example, you entered an invalid tax ID number) and tax setup guidance for each employee you add to the system based on their work and home addresses.

Mobile Wallet and Self-Serve App

Using Paycor’s mobile wallet, employees can access their wages from the app and even use up to 50% of their earned wages before payday. It also offers a Paycor Visa card where employees can receive direct deposit payments up to two days sooner than a direct deposit into a personal bank account.

In addition, the wallet comes with tools to help employees manage their finances, access discounts and their bills. Finally, as with most mobile payroll apps, employees can view their earnings, deductions and tax withholdings using the wallet.

In addition to managing their finances and paychecks using the app, employees can use the app to:

• Clock in and out
• Request time off
• View their schedules
• Fill out and accept their time sheets
• Manage their benefits
• View a company directory
• Receive and manage tasks and notifications
• Stay up to date on company news
• Chat with coworkers and managers

Managers can also use the app to complete necessary tasks such as:

• Approving time-off requests and workflows
• Accepting time card exceptions
• Adding or deleting clock-ins or -outs for employees
• Approving time cards
• Tracking job applicants

Uniquely, the app offers support in both English and Spanish.

Expense Tracking and Reimbursement

An ideal tool for remote employees who have travel, Wi-Fi bills or office supply expenses, Paycor’s mobile app offers expense tracking and reimbursement tools. Employees can enter expenses from the app, where managers can then approve them. From there, approved reimbursements are automatically calculated and paid as part of Paycor’s payroll processes.

Other relevant expense tracking and reimbursement tools within the app include:

• Expense reporting
• Receipt capture
• Mileage tracking
• Alerts
• Customizable categories (such as airfare or meals)

Pricing

Paycor offers four payroll plans, including its Basic, Essential, Core and Complete plans. Pricing for them is not publicly available. You must request a quote to get pricing details. However, you can expect a 50% discount for the first six months of your chosen plan subscription as part of Paycor’s current promotion. Here is a look at the features offered in each plan:

Basic

The Basic plan offers features you need to pay employees and manage tax compliance. Its payroll processing features include:

• Automated pay runs
• Basic tax services
• Wage garnishments
• Pay options
• Off-cycle pay runs
• Check stuffing
• Online check stubs
• Online payroll reporting
• Local and state tax filing and payments

Essential

Paycor’s Essential plan offers new hire productivity tools in addition to payroll and tax compliance features, such as:

• All the features listed in the Basic plan
• Reporting options and a report builder
• A general ledger report
• A month-end accounting package
• Onboarding
• 401(k) processing
• Paycor recruit and hire
• Basic Analytics
• An HR support center

Core

The Core plan offers all the features in the Basic and Essential plans, plus:

• An HR platform
• Employee engagement tools

Complete

Finally, Paycor’s most feature-rich plan is its Complete plan. It offers the features of the first three tiers plus the following tools:

• Employee career management
• Employee compensation planning
• Talent development

Reputation

The accolades Paycor receives from users posting to popular review sites focus on the software’s customer support. They note that the representatives are friendly but sometimes slow to respond. Some consider the software to be pricey compared to other payroll software options. However, many like that the platform is easy to use, and that it offers guided setup and training and all the basic features most businesses need to manage their payroll and HR needs.

Our Experience

I tested Paycor using a Mac laptop computer. Paycor offers a testing account with sandbox data, and I found the system interface to be clean and intuitive to navigate. All features are clearly listed in the right-hand menu.

Reviewing and managing payroll was a familiar process because of its intuitive grid or spreadsheet-like layout. For those who have managed payroll through Excel or Google Sheets, this system will make sense to you.

I could process payroll in two clicks. To change pay rates or correct time worked, I only had to click on a cell to input the new data point. Filters along the top of the spreadsheet allowed me to easily add or remove columns of information I needed, such as bonuses, holidays, paid time off, overtime premium and overtime hours. Once I’ve reviewed the pay run, I simply had to click “approve payroll” to run my payroll for that pay period.

The reporting feature is robust and customizable. Paycor offers a report builder tool that allows you to select a report you want to run, then customize it by selecting available options. For example, you can choose from a selection of onboarding, time, payroll, HR or security reports. Once I chose my report, it offered a list of columns I could include or exclude. I simply had to check the corresponding boxes to add or remove columns, such as:

• Full name
• Pay rate
• Manager
• Current annual hours
• Benefit base salary
• Work location

I could also use filters to group data by department or pay type, for example.

The home also had a familiar newsletter-like layout. It offered easy customizations by allowing me to add or remove modules. For example, when I signed into my account, I clicked “customize homepage” from the top menu and was presented with a list of available modules. From there, I clicked the corresponding X or “activate” link next to a module to add or remove it from my homepage. I could choose from the following modules to include:

• My team
• My paycheck
• Leader insights
• Time insights
• My notifications
• Tasks
• Onboarding
• Tax documents creation status

Overall, in my experience, Paycor’s user experience required no learning curve. Task workflows were self-explanatory and required minimal effort on my part. However, the system seemed a bit glitchy. It kept signing me out and requiring me to sign back in in the middle of tasks. This was a minimal disturbance but still a disturbance that cost me time and effort to handle.

Who should use it?

Paycor offers plans for businesses of all sizes, but the software is best for medium and large businesses with more complex HR needs than smaller companies.

Learn more: Read the full Paycor review.