Disclosure: Your support helps keep the site running! We earn a referral fee for some of the services we recommend on this page. Learn more

Top 8 Payroll Software Solutions of 2023

Gusto Logo

Gusto

Best overall

  • Strong payroll features, reporting, and automations
  • Unlimited payrolls per month for users in all 50 states
  • Robust third-party integrations

Summary

  • Pricing
    • $6 per employee per month
  • Tax filing
    Yes
  • Free trial or demo
    Free 30-day trial
  • Time and attendance tracking
    Yes
  • Employee self-service
    Yes
  • Compensation and benefits management
    Yes
  • Ease of cancellation
    Cancel anytime policy
With its affordable pricing plans, strong payroll features, and highly customizable platform, Gusto tops our list of payroll software solutions. From unlimited payroll runs for users in all 50 states to its intuitive design, Gusto is a great all-rounder platform for small to mid-sized businesses needing an affordable, easy-to-use payroll solution that accommodates their payroll needs.


I selected Gusto as the best payroll software solution due to its user-friendly platform, great range of core payroll features, and excellent scalability. Gusto walks you through a very thorough yet intuitive setup process — I set up and used the platform in under an hour.

As well as solid, core payroll features such as unlimited monthly payrolls for users in all 50 states and automatic pay runs and tax filing, Gusto also offers several interesting features that many of its competitors lack. For example, employees can complete most of the onboarding process themselves.

The platform makes it easy to automate deductions, tax filings, and direct deposits and easily handles pre-tax benefits. If you want to optimize your payroll processes, Gusto reports include a complete payroll journal, year-to-date employee earnings, and a benefits report.

Gusto’s benefits administration feature is exceptional. The platform creates custom benefit packages that adhere to your specific legal requirements. At no extra cost, Gusto also provides the best benefits package options based on your employee and company information.

Who is Gusto best for?

Gusto is a great all-around platform for small to midsize businesses that need an affordable, easy-to-use payroll solution with all the bells and whistles needed to run payroll processes easily and efficiently.

Recent upgrades to Gusto

In response to the shift to remote work, Gusto recently bought Remote Teams, a start-up that enables growing businesses to hire remote workers internationally. Additionally, Gusto now also facilitates the payment of contractors in 80 countries and quick tax registration in all 50 states.

To help business leaders make optimized business decisions, Gusto also recently launched the Gusto Economic Trends Tracker. This is an interactive dashboard that provides visualizations of the latest trends in employment, wages, and hours worked across small and medium-sized businesses in America.

Gusto pricing

Although Gusto is not the cheapest payroll provider on the market, the platform provides all of the payroll features you need. Even its most basic plan — coming in at $6 per employee per month plus a base fee of $40 per month — provides unlimited payroll runs, enables you to make direct deposits, and runs payroll reports. Plus, it will also handle your federal, state, and local tax filings.

Pros and cons of Gusto

Pros

  • Automatic pay runs and tax filing
  • Unlimited pay runs per month
  • Great employee benefits management feature
  • Offers two-, four- and next-day direct deposits

Cons

  • Per-employee pricing can become costly when left unchecked
  • Unresponsive customer support agents
  • Health insurance plans only cover 39 states
  • Not as customizable as other solutions

What customers are saying about Gusto

Gusto is a great payroll solution for small businesses that want to comply with complex wage laws and automate many HR tasks. Their onboarding process is simple, and their reporting is top-notch. It is perfect for smaller businesses that want to process payroll quickly and affordably. However, the price jumps significantly for the time clock feature, and it can be challenging to get clients to use it. The main downside is the customer service which can be challenging to reach and slow.
Onpay Logo

OnPay

Best integrated platform

  • Payroll for all 50 states at no additional cost
  • Unlimited payroll runs
  • Multiple pay rates and schedules

Summary

  • Pricing
    • $6 per employee per month
  • Tax filing
    Yes
  • Free trial or demo
    Free 30-day trial
  • Time and attendance tracking
    Yes
  • Employee self-service
    Yes
  • Compensation and benefits management
    Yes
  • Ease of cancellation
    Cancel anytime
OnPay’s robust payroll and HR platform is a great multi-faceted solution for small to midsize businesses. Recommended for businesses that pay hourly employees, OnPay can handle the majority of payroll processes at an affordable price.


OnPay is a strong, integrated payroll, HR, and benefits platform that provides an excellent interface, user experience, and a solid feature set. From the get-go, OnPay was easy for me to set up and intuitive to navigate.

One of the platform’s most impressive features is its payroll runs for all 50 states at no additional cost — competitors like QuickBooks Payroll and Patriot Payroll charge extra for additional states. Plus, its employee self-service portal gives employees a lifetime account to access pay stubs, download year-end tax documents, and change their own tax withholding information.

One big advantage of OnPay is that it offers only one pricing tier for access to all of its HR, payroll, and benefits features, which means you don’t need to pay extra to access additional features. OnPay also offers a mobile-friendly website that you can access from your smartphone which is great for on-the-go payroll management.

I found the platform a great fit for businesses that pay hourly employees. The platform also deftly manages various employee deductions, including dollar amounts, percentages, retirement plan contributions, and medical insurance premiums.

Who is OnPay best for?

My testing showed that OnPay is a good choice for small to midsize businesses looking to manage payroll, HR, and benefits within one platform. Since the platform does not currently support automatic pay runs, I’d say that the platform is better suited to companies with more hourly than salaried employees.

Recent upgrades to OnPay

I was unable to find much information about OnPay product upgrades after September 2020 when the provider launched a payroll Report Designer to give small businesses insights into their operations.

OnPay pricing

Instead of pricing tiers, OnPay charges a $40 base fee plus $6 per employee per month for access to all of the platform’s HR, payroll, and benefits features. OnPay’s pricing page provides a handy calculator that lets you see exactly how much you’d pay for your total number of employees. Plus, OnPay only bills you for employees who are paid in a given month.

Pros and cons of OnPay

Pros

  • Payroll for all 50 states at no additional cost
  • Unlimited pay runs per month
  • Multiple pay rates and schedules
  • Employees have lifetime access to the portal

Cons

  • No automatic payroll
  • Limited third-party integrations offering
  • Users don’t gain much from the platform’s defunct main dashboard
  • Charges for printing year-end tax forms
    Patriot Payroll Logo

    Patriot Payroll

    Best for small businesses

    • Unlimited pay runs across all 50 states
    • Offers two- or four-day direct deposits
    • Excellent set-up wizard and knowledge base

    Summary

    • Pricing
      • $4 per employee per month
    • Tax filing
      Yes
    • Free trial or demo
      Free 30-day trial
    • Time and attendance tracking
      Yes
    • Employee self-service
      Yes
    • Compensation and benefits management
      No
    • Ease of cancellation
      Cancel anytime
    Patriot Payroll offers everything a small business needs when setting up their payroll processes at an affordable price. With its fast and guided setup, you can quickly get started with this easy-to-use, modern payroll platform.


    I selected Patriot Payroll as best for small businesses that are new to payroll due to its stellar set-up wizard and strong feature set. Although setting up payroll can be complex, there’s also a fantastic knowledge base filled with video demos to help you out.

    As well as two- or four-day direct deposits, automated time off accrual, and unlimited pay runs across all 50 states, Patriot Payroll also offers several customization options. For example, I could create an unlimited number of money and hours types and create user-defined company match and contributions rules.

    Patriot Payroll offers everything you need to run payroll, but you can also purchase add-on services such as time tracking, multistate payroll tax filing, accounting, and HR.

    While it would be great to see a stronger benefits management feature, Patriot Payroll offers broad functionality and is the least expensive payroll provider on this list.

    Who is Patriot Payroll best for?

    With its affordable pricing plans and robust feature set, Patriot Payroll is a great choice for small businesses with less than 100 employees. If you pay more than 100 employees, Rippling could be a more suitable option.

    Recent upgrades to Patriot Payroll

    This year, Patriot Payroll introduced a new W-2 mini wizard and a net-to-gross payroll tool.

    Patriot Payroll pricing

    Patriot Payroll costs $17 for the base fee plus$4 per employee/contractor per month making it the most affordable payroll platform on this list. If you file taxes in different states, be aware that Patriot Payroll charges an extra $12 per state, per month for additional state filings.

    Pros and cons of Patriot Payroll

    Pros

    • Unlimited pay runs across all 50 states
    • Offers two- or four-day direct deposits
    • Excellent set-up wizard and knowledge base
    • Clean and modern user interface

    Cons

    • No dedicated benefits management module
    • Charges of $12 per state, per month for additional state filings
    • Lacks customizable reports
    • Extra charges for HR and time tracking modules

    What customers are saying about Patriot Payroll

    Patriot Accounting is affordable and stable accounting software that is a little more challenging than QuickBooks. But it is an excellent choice for small businesses who want an affordable, full-featured solution. The Patriot team is fantastic and always willing to help. Be aware of delays in debits and direct deposits, and extra fees.
    ADP Logo

    ADP Run

    Best for startups

    • Smart technology improves payroll efficiency
    • Robust payroll feature set
    • Personalized dashboards

    Summary

    • Pricing
      • Quote-based pricing
    • Tax filing
      Yes
    • Free trial or demo
      Video demo available
    • Time and attendance tracking
      Yes
    • Employee self-service
      Yes
    • Compensation and benefits management
      No
    • Ease of cancellation
      No termination fees
    Well-known for its array of human capital management solutions, ADP’s Run platform is a great choice for startups getting to grips with payroll. With its smart technology that optimizes payroll processes, ADP is a solid choice for businesses with up to 49 employees.


    ADP Run is designed for small businesses with up to 49 employees and offers a wealth of functionality for them to run their payroll and HR processes. Businesses looking for a trusted provider with the essential tools they need to process payroll, manage taxes, and easily onboard new hires would do well to consider ADP Run.

    I selected ADP Run as best for startups based on the fact that it offers powerful functionality that’s been designed specifically with smaller businesses in mind. It offers direct deposits, contractor payments, and multi-jurisdiction payroll, as well as intelligent search functionality, personalized dashboards, and smart technology.

    The solution is easy to navigate and highly intuitive, and there’s also a chat option if you have questions while using the platform. Overall, ADP Run is very user-friendly — notifications remind you when payroll is due, and it’s easy to preview your entire payroll before submitting.

    You can also customize how to set up sick time and paid time and add workers’ compensation and retirement contributions. Employees can onboard themselves with the provider’s employee self-service tool, which enables them to view their paystubs and update their information themselves.

    Who is ADP Run best for?

    ADP Run is ideal for startups and small businesses that pay between one and 49 employees. Businesses with over 50 employees might find more suitable options in ADP’s Workforce Now platform or Rippling.

    Recent upgrades to ADP Run

    It was difficult to find specific ADP Run product upgrade information. However, in 2021, the provider announced major updates to the platform, including intelligent search functionality, a streamlined user interface, personalized dashboards with actionable insights, and smart technology that learns a business’s payroll system and identifies possible payroll mistakes before they happen.

    ADP Run pricing

    ADP Run does not share its pricing information publicly and operates on a quote-based model. However, the provider is offering the first three months free for new clients.

    Pros and cons of ADP Run

    Pros

    • Smart technology improves payroll efficiency
    • Robust payroll feature set
    • Personalized dashboards
    • Good reporting options

    Cons

    • Lack of transparent pricing
    • Many additional charges for features like benefits integration and time tracking
    • Confusing feature package when compared to other ADP payroll products (Workforce Now, etc)
    • Depending on the type of contract, a set-up fee is usually required
      Quickbooks Logo

      QuickBooks Payroll

      Best for businesses with around 20 employees

      • Next-day direct deposits
      • Full-service, automatic payroll
      • Automated filing and payment of federal and state taxes

      Summary

      • Pricing
        • $5 per employee per month
      • Tax filing
        Yes
      • Free trial or demo
        Free 30-day trial
      • Time and attendance tracking
        Yes
      • Employee self-service
        Yes
      • Compensation and benefits management
        Yes
      • Ease of cancellation
        Cancel anytime
      Based solely on its pricing, QuickBooks Payroll is a great platform with robust features for businesses with less than 20 employees. Despite its strong feature set, the higher price tag might put it out of reach for many smaller businesses.


      QuickBooks Payroll is a full-service, cloud-based payroll solution designed for businesses with up to 50 employees — although I recommend it for businesses with around 20 employees based on its high price point. If you’re already using QuickBooks Online for accounting, QuickBooks is a great integration option as a well-known, trusted provider.

      The platform greeted me with step-by-step tutorials to set up my account quickly and easily. Once you’re up and running, you can automatically run payroll for your employees, make next-day direct deposits, and enjoy automated tax calculations and filing.

      The QuickBooks Payroll interface was a pleasure to use, and it’s clear that it’s been designed with the user experience top of mind. Navigation is intuitive, and dashboards are useful, which is great since I’ve found that many cloud-based platform dashboards are a little underwhelming.

      The platform sends HR paperwork to each employee to fill out, simplifying the onboarding process. Employees can also log in to the employee self-service portal to access paystubs, enter timesheets, apply for leave, and view leave balances.

      The platform is a great choice for automated payroll processes. Once you’ve inputted hours and salaries, QuickBooks Payroll takes care of the rest. The tool also notifies you when you need to submit reports and payments and deftly handles government forms.

      Who is QuickBooks Payroll best for?

      I found that QuickBooks Payroll is best suited for businesses with around 20 employees. While the platform provides many core payroll features, it’s lacking in other important features — such as its employee portal — that are offered by its direct competitors and would benefit a company with over 50 employees.

      Recent upgrades to QuickBooks Payroll

      Aside from minor updates like tax form updates for specific states and e-file updates, I was unable to find information on core upgrades to the QuickBooks Payroll platform.

      QuickBooks Payroll pricing

      QuickBooks Payroll is currently offering a 50% discount on its pricing packages, meaning its most basic tier comes in at $5 per employee per month plus a $37.50 base fee per month. This package offers full-service payroll, including automated taxes and forms, automatic payroll for salaried employees, next-day direct deposits, and the ability to manage contractors.

      Pros and cons of QuickBooks Payroll

      Pros

      • Next-day direct deposits
      • Full-service, automatic payroll
      • Automated filing and payment of federal and state taxes
      • Intuitive user experience

      Cons

      • Expensive base fee
      • Charges of $12 per state for additional state filings
      • Not as customizable as other solutions
      • Limited third-party integrations
        Justworks Logo

        Justworks

        Best PEO solution

        • Robust feature set
        • Strong payroll features for both salaried and hourly employees
        • 24/7 customer service support

        Summary

        • Pricing
          • $59 per employee per month
        • Tax filing
          Yes
        • Free trial or demo
          Free one-month trial
        • Time and attendance tracking
          Yes
        • Employee self-service
          Yes
        • Compensation and benefits management
          Yes
        • Ease of cancellation
          Contact Justworks to make the necessary changes to the account
        If you’re looking to outsource your human resource functions to a professional employer organization (PEO) with a great payroll module, Justworks has you covered. The platform supports both salaried and hourly employees and offers 24/7 customer service support.


        Justworks is a PEO solution that manages businesses’ payroll, HR, benefits, and compliance needs. Given the number of roles a PEO usually handles, I found the system easy to set up and navigate, and it was clear to see how the platform can scale with you as you grow.

        Designed with small businesses in mind, Justworks is a modern take on many legacy PEO systems which are often presented as an assortment of siloed modules that don’t work together. A clean, intuitive interface made working through the system a breeze.

        The provider offers strong payroll features for both salaried and hourly employees as well as support for contracted workers, which is unusual for a PEO — often PEOs charge extra for handling 1099 workers, or they don’t offer the functionality at all.

        The platform also takes care of your tax compliance needs, including filing W-2s, paying quarterly payroll taxes, and helping you maintain compliance by informing you of changes to tax and employment laws. Justworks handles all calculations, filings, and payments for federal, state, and local taxes.

        The system also supports multiple pay frequencies, off-cycle payments, and wage garnishments, and you can easily track leave accruals and manage time-off requests.

        While Justworks is a great PEO solution, I’d have liked to have seen more third-party integrations available. As a PEO — platforms that are known for helping optimize business processes — the solution lacks the number of built-in reporting options I’d expect from an otherwise robust platform.

        Who is Justworks best for?

        Justworks is a great fit for small businesses looking for a PEO that provides full-service, outsourced human resource functions. Despite the higher price tag, given that PEOs can help small businesses reduce liability and increase efficiency, Justworks could be a great option for small and large businesses.

        Recent upgrades to Justworks

        Justworks recently announced the following product upgrades to optimize employees’ self-service options and help you better manage payroll processes:

        • Justworks mobile app for employees to access paystubs, health insurance information, and time off on the go

        • Optimized timecard settings page to help you set up time entry, overtime, and multi-rate overtime calculation methods

        • Bulk payments to make it easier to schedule multiple off-cycle payments of the same type at the same time


        Justworks pricing

        The basic plan for businesses with less than 50 employees costs $59 per employee per month, making Justworks the second most expensive provider on this list. This plan, however, provides payroll, benefits management, HR tools, and compliance features which provide a lot of value for businesses looking to consolidate most of their people management processes.

        Pros and cons of Justworks

        Pros

        • Robust feature set
        • Strong payroll features for both salaried and hourly employees
        • 24/7 customer service support
        • Easy to navigate

        Cons

        • Not as customizable as other providers
        • Expensive solution to use only for payroll
        • Not as many third-party integrations as you’d expect from a PEO
        • Time tracking feature comes at an extra cost
          Workful Logo

          Workful

          Best for paying hourly employees

          • Multiple pay rates and unlimited payroll runs
          • Built-in time tracking
          • Automatic calculation of payroll taxes

          Summary

          • Pricing
            • $6 per employee per month
          • Tax filing
            Yes
          • Free trial or demo
            Free 30-day trial
          • Time and attendance tracking
            Yes
          • Employee self-service
            Yes
          • Compensation and benefits management
            Yes
          • Ease of cancellation
            Cancel anytime policy
          Launched in 2017, Workful is a relative newcomer on the payroll software market. Despite its later release into an already-crowded market, Workful is a versatile platform with great payroll features and an affordable pricing plan.


          Workful is owned by parent company TaxSlayer, a popular online tax filing service that’s been in business since 1965. Based on this experience, Workful offers a full-service, cloud-based payroll solution that includes elements of HR functionality at an affordable price.

          I was able to set up the Workful platform and payroll processes relatively quickly with the assistance of a multi-step wizard. The platform itself is easy to navigate and I enjoyed its clean and uncluttered aesthetic.

          I chose Workful as the best solution for paying hourly employees because of its built-in time clock that supports geolocation and enables you to easily sync employee time tracking with payroll. For this reason, I highly recommend the platform for businesses that pay hourly employees.

          Workful offers direct deposits, multiple pay rates, and a great employee portal where employees can clock in and out, make time-off and expense reimbursement requests, and update their information.

          You also have access to a decent report library that includes reports on expenses and mileage, a tax liability report, a payroll register detail report, and a timesheet report. All of this information is updated in real-time to help you make better business decisions.

          Workful automatically calculates payroll taxes, generates year-end forms, and auto-populates information on federal tax forms. However, I would have liked to have seen more third-party integration options — currently, Workful only integrates with QuickBooks.

          Who is Workful best for?

          With its strong time-tracking features and affordable pricing plan, Workful is a good fit for smaller businesses that pay employees that work on an hourly basis. The platform doesn’t offer automatic payroll, so if you’re paying salaried employees, you might consider solutions like Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll.

          Recent upgrades to Workful

          Workful recently expanded its earnings types and added e-filing of W-2s and 1099s.

          Workful pricing

          Like OnPay, Instead of pricing tiers, Workful charges a base fee of $25 per month plus $5 per team member per month, making it the second most affordable payroll platform on this list after Patriot Payroll. This price gives you access to the platform’s payroll, time tracking, and employee self-service tools.

          Pros and cons of Workful

          Pros

          • Affordable pricing plan
          • Unlimited payroll runs
          • Good range or earnings types
          • Simple, intuitive interface

          Cons

          • No automated payroll
          • Only integrates with QuickBooks
          • Employee mobile app features are lacking
          • Not as customizable as other solutions
            Rippling Logo

            Rippling

            Best for companies with a global workforce

            • One-click payroll runs
            • Global payments are made in 90 seconds
            • Syncs with HR data

            Summary

            • Pricing
              • $8 per user per month
            • Tax filing
              Yes
            • Free trial or demo
              Yes
            • Time and attendance tracking
              Yes
            • Employee self-service
              Yes
            • Compensation and benefits management
              Yes
            • Ease of cancellation
              Unclear
            Rippling is a good choice for businesses with both larger budgets and a global workforce. While the platform boasts many strong payroll features, you need to purchase the core workforce management platform to use the payroll module.


            Rippling is a full-service, multi-module HR provider that offers a global payroll solution for businesses paying employees worldwide. I found the setup very intuitive with Rippling’s automated wizard that takes you through a step-by-step guide.

            From here, you’re presented with a “to-do list” of tasks that help you input the data and information you need to get started. Then, you are navigated to the next task based on the information you’ve provided.

            What I love about the platform is that it can automatically import all data from your current tools, including Sage, QuickBooks Online, Xero, ADP, and Gusto. This plus core payroll features, workflow automations, and a high degree of customizability make Rippling an attractive solution for global businesses.

            Plus, unlike many of its competitors, Rippling’s international payroll is included in the price. You can pay full-time and hourly employees and contractors worldwide in one click and in 90 seconds.

            I also enjoyed the tight-knit synchronization with Rippling’s HR tools that enable you to onboard and offboard employees, manage employee development, and recruit new talent.

            However, if you’re looking for a standalone payroll solution, Rippling is not your tool. You’ll also need to purchase the payroll module's workforce management module. This is a little disappointing given that Rippling has developed a strong, versatile payroll product with niches that many of its competitors don’t offer.

            After setup, I found some of Rippling’s user journeys to be a little complicated, and many filters were reset when I left the screen. I had to refresh many pages multiple times to complete tasks halfway through, which was frustrating.

            Who is Rippling best for?

            Rippling is an option for businesses with a global workforce that need to pay employees in different countries. Given the fact that Rippling doesn’t provide transparent pricing information and that you need to purchase its workforce management platform in conjunction with the payroll module, Rippling is suited to midsize businesses with larger budgets.

            Recent upgrades to Rippling

            Rippling recently announced the following product upgrades:

            • Rippling Spend Management integrates with the payroll module to consolidate card transactions, reimbursements, and bill payments

            • Role-based permissions to help you control employee access to certain systems


            Rippling pricing

            On Rippling’s pricing page states that plans start at $8 per employee per month. Aside from this, however, there is no further information. Rippling operates a quote-based pricing system.

            Pros and cons of Rippling

            Pros

            • Global payments are made in 90 seconds
            • Access to 500+ integrations
            • Automatic filing of global taxes
            • Customizable policies and benefits for every country

            Cons

            • System can be buggy at times
            • Lack of transparent pricing options and information about service terms
            • Can only access payroll module if you purchase the workforce management module
            • Sometimes clunky user interface

              Compare the Best Payroll Software

              Payroll softwareStarting priceBest features
              Gusto

              Gusto Logo

              Best payroll software

              Why it’s best overall: With its affordable pricing plans, strong payroll features, and highly customizable platform, Gusto tops our list of payroll software solutions.

              $6 per employee per month

              See pricing

              • Unlimited payrolls per month for users in all 50 states
              • Flexible pay rates and schedules
              • Robust third-party integrations with accounting solutions
              OnPay

              OnPay Logo

              Best integrated platform

              $6 per employee per month

              See pricing

              • Payroll for all 50 states at no additional cost
              • Unlimited payroll runs
              • Multiple pay rates and schedules
              Patriot Payroll

              Patriot Payroll Logo

              Best for small businesses

              $4 per employee/contractor per month

              See pricing

              • Unlimited pay runs across all 50 states
              • Offers two- or four-day direct deposits
              • Excellent set-up wizard and
              • knowledge base
              ADP Run

              ADP Run Logo

              Best for startups

              Quote-based pricing

              See pricing

              • Smart technology improves payroll efficiency
              • Good reporting options
              • Personalized dashboards
              QuickBooks Payroll

              QuickBooks Payroll Logo

              Best for businesses with around 20 employees 

              $5 per employee per month

              See pricing

              • Next-day direct deposits
              • Full-service, automatic payroll
              • Automated filing and payment of federal and state taxes
              Justworks

              Justworks Logo

              Best PEO solution

              $59 per employee per month

              See pricing

              • Strong payroll features for both salaried hourly employees
              • Easy to navigate
              • 24/7 customer service support
              Workful

              Workful Logo

              Best for paying hourly employees

              $5 per team member per month

              See pricing

              • Multiple pay rates and unlimited payroll runs
              • Built-in time tracking
              • Automatic calculation of payroll taxes
              Rippling

              Rippling Logo

              Best for companies with a global workforce

              $8 per user per month

              See pricing

              • One-click payroll runs
              • Global payments are made in 90 seconds
              • Syncs with HR data

               

              What You Need to Know About Payroll Software

              What is Payroll Software?

              Payroll software is an on-premises or cloud-based solution that manages, maintains, and automates payments to employees. Robust, integrated, and properly configured payroll software can help organizations of all sizes maintain compliance with tax laws and other financial regulations, and reduce costs.

              What are the benefits of using payroll software?

              • Saves time through streamlined and automated processes
              • Promotes transparency and builds trust among your employees
              • Reduces the possibility of human error
              • Protects employee payroll data with tools like conditional system access and password protection
              • Keeps you in compliance with company rules and tax laws
              • Manages payroll across multiple countries
              • Monitors employee time, leave, and overtime
              • Tracks employee benefits, bonuses, and overtime pay
              • Keeps consistent and reliable payroll
              • Offers customer service

              What are the disadvantages of payroll software?

              • Creates security risks
              • Need to secure and back-up data
              • Extra costs
              • Cost of training time

              How I Rated the Best Payroll Software Solutions

              I tested each payroll software solution by signing up for a plan to check out what each provider offers users. I spent time navigating the software, testing features, and evaluating integration options. I also noted the level of customer support that was available to me.

              I evaluated each platform’s core features and how well they serve the intended audience, took note of any unique features, assessed pricing options, and ascertained whether a free trial or demo is available. I took an in-depth look at each payroll software solution as a whole and evaluated them based on the following key features:

              • Core payroll features: payment processing, tax filing, compensation and benefits management, time and attendance tracking, and employee self-service options
              • Robust third-party integrations: If you’re already using other software solutions to manage your employees—for example, HR software or accounting software — make sure that these can integrate with your chosen payroll system.
              • Ease of use: Payroll processes are complex, and so I evaluated each platform’s ease of use — taking into account its interface, navigation, and customer support — to make sure that even novice users can get the most out of the platform’s features.
              • Demo or free trial: By testing the solution before you invest, you can assess whether or not it’s suitable for your needs and company size, how well it can scale as you grow, and how it can help you maintain compliance.
              • Final costs and ease of cancellation: I considered how well each provider catered to its target market, how progressive the pricing tiers are, and how its pricing held up against the solution’s offerings compared with its competitors.