If your business consists of just one or two employees, you can still reap the benefits of payroll software. Your payroll service shouldn’t require an advanced degree to use. Many modern small business payroll services offer a self-service employee portal so that your staff can view their pay stubs and year-end tax forms on their own. You might also look for companies that provide a clear path to customer service if you have trouble getting set up. Online payroll companies offer a variety of customer support options. Some of them assign a dedicated support representative to your company; this is your go-to person for any issue that requires a call.

While you can only reach customer support on weekdays, once you get through TriNet are extremely helpful and will work hard to ensure you get the answers you need. However, employers can contact them by phone or email, and employees have access to a useful FAQ page for common issues. While their online software works well, it’s functional in style and doesn’t impress visually. It’s not quite as customizable as that of Paycor, but it’s good enough. You can opt to get your first 30 days free or get 50% off for the first 3 months. Good for small businesses due to its scalability, affordability, and user-friendly interface.

Online Payroll Free Trial

Square Payroll users have free access to all labor-management features. Pricing starts at $99/month, with other plans available from $149 to $199/month depending on the number of employees. This “stress-free” platform simplifies how you manage payroll, saves you time, and keeps you compliant with local, state, and federal requirements. ADP offers competitive pricing starting at $29 to $59/month and a $4-5/month employee charge. Other plans include State Unemployment Insurance management, background checks, employee handbook and job description wizards, document vault, and legal assistance. Easily integrates with top-tier accounting software products, like QuickBooks or Xero.

Cloud and hybrid technology solutions to help digitalize your business. Expert CPAs for you to make informed decisions and save on taxes. Intelligent search – A smart search tool with auto suggestions instantly connects you to popular resources, favorite reports, frequent tasks and more. You need something faster – so you can get back to what matters most to you and your business. Fill out the form and we’ll contact you to set up a time to chat.

OnPay — Best for Simplifying All Things Payroll

They service businesses of all sizes so they are equipped to handle a small business or they can handle hundreds of employees without a problem. That’s why we chose ADP Run as our best payroll service for growing businesses that plan to be greater than 100 employees.

• There is no limit to the number of users who can access the system.
• All QuickBooks Payroll customers will have access to a dedicated Payroll support team.
• Other highly rated services include SurePayroll, Sage, APS, BenefitMall, Fuse Workforce Management, PrimePay and Pay USA. To learn more about each of our best picks, check out our reviews above.
• For any business that deals with payroll, finding out what is the best payroll software for small businesses can be a tricky task.
• Responding to these fast-moving trends will require business owners to remain flexible and choose the right payroll software for their needs.
• This provides workers with an understanding of their full compensation, beyond just what they see in their paycheck.

For price-conscious companies looking for a single, integrated package, it’s worth a look. Be aware that the Basic level does not include tax filing and depositing. These features are included at the Full Service level, which bumps the monthly base fee to $37 — but keeps the per-employee fee low at $4 per month. Patriot guarantees to file your tax obligations on time and accurately, or they will pay the penalties and interest.

The best payroll platforms also offer HR support around health insurance plans and other benefits and provide new hire reports when needed. Deluxe shines when it comes to supporting your team in processing your company’s payroll and complying with federal and state payroll tax laws. Not only do you gain access to Deluxe’s online payroll software, but you are assigned a dedicated customer service team who can offer guidance and serve as a liaison between you and the company.

Compliance with payroll taxes

A basic payroll solution helps you pay employees and, on some platforms, contractors. Use it to facilitate direct deposit as well as to manage payroll checks, taxes and reporting. Deluxe uniquely offers the option to use its HR features in conjunction with your existing payroll provider. This means you could integrate capabilities like benefits administration and paid time off tracking without disrupting your existing payroll service. The platform provides payroll for both employees and contractors—and even offers a low-cost contractor-only plan.

Use funds from your Square Checking account or Square balance to pay your employees faster. Zenefits Payroll seamlessly integrates with other Zenefits HR modules, including Time and Scheduling, Benefits, and HR. Zenefits Payroll works best in this environment, because these integrations expand its functionality and it leans heavily on the data in other modules to run payroll. This integration gives employers a clear view of an employee’s total compensation when equity is involved. With equity, it can be challenging to understand just how much employees are being compensated now, as well as how much their compensation will be worth in the future once the equity fully vests.

7 expert support

All pricing reflects an initial 50% discount for the first three months, with a $4 per employee fee added to the base price. QuickBooks Online Payroll does offer HR features, but they are only available in the Premium and Elite plans. No separate mobile app is needed, as the application is designed to work on any platform and the application easily pays both employees and contractors, producing both W-2s and 1099s at year-end. Featuring easy system navigation, OnPay offers industry-specific features for restaurants and other businesses that need to account for employee tips. Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only.

Gusto doesn’t expect its users to know the ins and outs of payroll. A business owner https://quickbooks-payroll.org/ with no prior experience can start using it for a small company, no problem.

• These services handle all of your payroll processing and payroll tax responsibilities.
• The lower-tier pricing plans of QuickBooks online will cost $45 per month, with an additional $4 per employee.
• QuickBooks Online is available in three service plans – Core, Premium and Elite – which all allow small business owners to run payroll and file taxes automatically.
• You’ll also pay more if you add additional features, such as Time and Attendance, HR, and Employee Benefits Administration.
• Payroll services do all of the hard work for you and keep you up to date on any legal requirements for your state so that you can focus on running your business.

QuickBooks Payroll is a standalone product, so you can use it whether you use QuickBooks or other accounting software. Because of the time involved in having to manually complete payroll taxes for each employee, running payroll can become a very time-consuming process. Outsourcing this process can allow you focus on income-producing activities like making sales and bringing new products to market. QuickBooks Payroll is easy-to-understand, easy-to-use payroll software. It integrates well with the Intuit QuickBooks accounting system, so payroll-related book entries are posted automatically.

What basic functions can I expect from a payroll service?

Also, if you opt out of online behavioral advertising, you may still see ads when you log in to your account, for example through Online Banking or MyMerrill. These ads are based on your specific account relationships with us. Alex Thompson, director of Festoon House, said he has used QuickBooks Payroll and Gusto but switched to OnPay because of the cost structure. He likes OnPay because it allows for unlimited pay runs and is easy to use.

A simple toggle switch lets you turn this feature on and off as needed. Unlike OnPay, though, Gusto gives you the convenience of automated payroll. This is an especially great feature for businesses with static payrolls, like an all-salaried team. Onboarding new staff is also a breeze, with simple checklists, templates for essentials like offer letters, and the ability for digital signatures. Gusto makes it so easy for employers that in-person onboarding is quickly becoming a thing of the past, even for localized workforces. Streamline W-2s forms and 1099 reporting, ensure regulatory compliance, and optimize your expenses with G&A’s automated and simplified payroll reporting technology. Leveraging best-in-class technology to provide comprehensive accounting and advisory services.

Payroll in action

Good payroll software will also take into account paid time off, overtime, benefits, and deductions under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act , such as Social Security and Medicare taxes. Rather than having to deal with all these calculations themselves, it can be simpler for an organization to outsource these responsibilities by using a payroll service instead. One aspect of these services that often confuses small businesses is the use of payroll software.

Most employees have a choice to be paid by direct deposit, paper check or prepaid debit card. It is important to note that the money the payroll service uses to pay the employees comes out of the employer’s bank account. Typically, the money is withdrawn from the business’s account on selected days before the final payments are made to employees. The employer portal enables payroll management and custom reporting. The employee portal shows pay stubs and withholdings, time-off requests, and direct deposit information.

It offers a comprehensive suite of payroll, HR, and human capital management services under one umbrella. QuickBooks Payroll offers some of the least expensive pricing on our list, including 50% off for the first three months. Also, of all the products on our top five list, QuickBooks Payroll really drops the ball with customer service.

You can reduce the need to train or maintain payroll-related employees, reducing costs further and allowing HR professionals to focus on other important duties. Offload the endless details and complexities of payroll so you can focus on your core business. Better still to hand them off to an expert—a partner who responds to you like they’re part of your business.

OnPay

Having instant access to labor costs and allocation helps businesses better understand their financial standing, as well as plan more adeptly for the future. One use of this data from Paychex can, for example, help business owners see how salary cost adjustments would impact overall expenses. As a part of our research, we reached out to online payroll software users to learn which solutions they find most valuable and what they like about them.

• Our small business expertise and easy-to-use tools simplify payroll and HR, so you can stay focused on the work that matters most.
• There are likely to be payroll companies for small business located near you, and a Google search should reveal them.
• However, if you’re looking to pay contractors, you can use Gusto Payroll without the base price and simply pay $6 per contractor.
• Deluxe recently announced a new partnership with Microsoft that will add Deluxe’s payroll and HR solutions to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform.
• Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime anywhere.
• If your small business needs human resources support that goes beyond a payroll service, Justworks could make sense, with excellent additional benefits.

That’s why we chose OnPay as the best option if you’re looking for integration options. OnPay is also very quick to process payroll, and you can run the entire process easily right on your mobile device. They offer a flat pricing structure that’s affordable and easy to understand. Full-service payroll software calculates paychecks and automatically Payroll Services For Small Businesses files payroll taxes on your behalf. Most full-service payroll options also include optional HR features and employee benefits, such as health and vision insurance. Still not sure what payroll service provider is best for your business? We break down your options with our list of the top payroll service providers for small businesses.

This best-picks page is for small business owners who want to improve their ability to process payroll for employees and 1099 contractors. Overall, Paycor is an affordable option that small businesses can use to manage their payroll effectively. While their user support could be improved, it’s still good enough and the software itself is excellent.