Payroll refers to an employer’s obligation of employee salaries, allowances, and taxes. It is defined by three terms: the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), the state department of labor, and your individual state tax board.
Payroll software is the software that helps an employer to maintain the timesheet of all employees, control salary and salary structure, process payroll to calculate annual salary, holiday bonus, deduction/taxes, provide payroll reports to employees, and print payroll checks.
Bookkeeper.com
If taking on any aspect of bookkeeping and accounting sounds daunting, you might do better with a fully outsourced accounting solution. Virtual bookkeeping providers like Bookkeeper.com keep your books for you, which means balancing accounts and creating financial reports that detail where your business stands financially.
You can also add on payroll and tax-filing services—usually at an additional cost, which is the case with Bookkeeper.com. We like that Bookkeeper.com uses Gusto’s software to process payroll: Gusto’s both popular and incredibly easy to use, which means you and your employees can easily access your business’s payroll information.
Bookkeeper.com is our favorite virtual bookkeeping and payroll provider, but it’s not your only option. Check out our list of the year’s best accounting and payroll outsourcing services to read about eight alternatives.
Strengths
Fully outsourced bookkeeping
Syncs with QuickBooks Online
Weaknesses
Additional fee for payroll and tax filing
Namely
What does “HR for Humans” look like? Just ask Namely: one of the biggest new human resources services around.
While it has an undisclosed price, Namely offers a full suite of payroll and HR tools to help you cut down on wasted time. It will automatically carry out benefits deductions, pay and file all of your payroll taxes, handle year-end reporting and time-tracking, ensure your small business is compliant with regulations, and give employees access to their paycheck histories.
In addition to payroll, Namely can help with a number of employee benefits like health insurance, life and disability insurance, wellness programs, commuter benefits, and other less traditional plans as well. Plus, they’ll also assist with hiring and management, from onboarding document signatures to performance reports.
If you’re looking for a modern, comprehensive HR service, not just a payroll tool, then Namely could be right for your small business.
Gusto Payroll
Gusto is designed for small businesses, and is particularly well suited to those in the hospitality industry, offering tools and resources that make tracking varying wage levels and tip amounts a relatively simple task. Gusto also assists new users with the initial payroll setup process, getting you up and running quickly.
Offering easy system navigation, Gusto includes new-hire reporting, flexible payroll schedules, unlimited payroll runs, contractor payments, and multistate payroll capability. Gusto can be accessed from any device, so no mobile app is necessary.
The application also includes employee onboarding, complete tax reporting, and remittance. Gusto also offers HR resources, but only in their most expensive plan.
The AutoPilot feature is a great option for businesses that pay a high number of salaried employees, and Gusto offers good integration options with a variety of third-party applications.
Gusto offers four plans: Basic, which is designed for one or two employees; Core, best for smaller businesses; Complete, which is good for growing businesses; and Concierge, which is best for larger businesses with HR needs.
Gusto’s Basic plan has a base price of $19/month, with a $6-per-employee fee; the Core plan’s base price is $39/month with a $6-per-employee fee; Complete is $39/month, plus a $12-per-employee fee; Concierge has a hefty price tag of $149/month, plus a $12-per-employee fee.
SurePayroll
SurePayroll is a good option if you’re looking for something different than what we’ve already discussed. In fact, if you’re in a very niche industry and find it difficult to find a good partner, then this might be the best bet for you. They work great with every business type from retail to churches. That’s why we chose it as the best payroll service if you’re looking to pay the workers who work for you at your home.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of SurePayroll’s payroll service:
- Pricing: $19.99 to $49.99 + $4 to $10 per month per employee or independent contractor
- Ease of Use: Easy—it’s not the easiest option on the list, but it’s intuitive enough to help pretty much any business
- Tax Services: Can handle W2, 1099, and employer filings, but it’s only included in their Full-Service plan
- Year-End Fees: The Full-Service plan includes filing of federal taxes. Additional fees may apply to state filings
- Accounting Integrations: Zoho Books, Xero, and other accounting software
SurePayroll offers a Full-Service plan or a No Tax Filing plan, both include a variety of payroll features. Their customer support has a good, not great, reputation across the internet. They do offer six days of support, though, with their hours being Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time, and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
ADP
ADP offers multiple services plans to meet your needs.ADP is the payroll software industry’s market share leader.ADP charges on a per-payroll basis, which could really add up if you have different pay schedules for various employee types.
ADP is a scalable platform that has all the tools necessary for a complex business, such as one that operates in a highly regulated industry or across state or even national borders. ADP works for many industries and verticals, making it a great tool for businesses with complicated or wide-ranging needs.
This company offers specified payroll platforms for small, midsize, and large businesses. Its Run platform is designed for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, while its Workforce Now platform is for businesses with 50 to 999 employees. Organizations with more than 1,000 employees have various options, including the Enterprise platform.
ADP offers four pricing plans for customers:
- Essential: This plan includes an employee self-service portal, direct deposit payment, prepaid debit cards and paper checks. It also offers onboarding and payroll reports, other new-hire onboarding tools, and a small business marketing toolkit.
- Enhanced: This plan includes everything in the Essential plan, plus state unemployment insurance management and the option to have ADP sign and stuff paper checks for you. You also have the option to run background checks on new hires and to post new job openings on ZipRecruiter.
- Complete: The Complete plan includes an employee handbook wizard, job posting and applicant tracking, five background checks per year, HR forms and documents, and HR training and toolkits. Your business will be assigned a team of HR experts who can offer guidance on HR-related issues and answer your questions.
- HR Pro: The HR Pro plan includes HR helpdesk support, more employee handbook support, employer or employee training, and sexual harassment prevention training. Legal assistance from Upnetic is also included.
The breadth of ADP’s services alone makes it a standout payroll provider. Payroll processing is especially flexible with ADP; you can manage it on your desktop or mobile device (iOS or Android) as well as over the phone. ADP automates payroll tasks such as calculating an employee’s paycheck based on their wages and time off, saving you time and reducing the likelihood of human error.
ADP’s payroll software can easily integrate with its other services, like its time and attendance software. If you’re interested in a full suite of business solutions, ADP gives you several different packages to choose from.
ADP RUN users also can tap into the platform’s smart technology to prevent potential payroll errors. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the platform can quickly identify possible mistakes in payroll data and alert administrators so they can correct the issues before payroll is processed. In addition to spotting possible errors in payroll data, ADP allows users to receive alerts from state and local jurisdictions about potential payroll tax errors. The alerts include suggestions on how to correct the issues.
ADP Run users now have access to a new time tracking and scheduling solution. Available only to businesses with fewer than 50 employees that are using ADP’s Run platform for their payroll, the Timekeeping Plus Scheduling solution gives businesses greater insight into who is working and when. The system allows employees to clock in and out using facial ID. The dashboard gives those in charge a quick look at how their labor is being used, who is missing work, and who is working overtime. The scheduling tools allow managers to create and share schedules with employees, while employees can use the system to claim open shifts and let their supervisors know when they are unavailable.
Conclusion
Payroll is the work of implementing and maintaining the process by which employees’ earnings are calculated and paid. Online payroll software can make this process easier and more accurate, saving you time and giving you peace of mind. Payroll software can streamline your company’s payment processes while making sure your company complies with government regulations.