In house payroll software is a solution that makes it easy for small business owners to easily and efficiently take care of all their payroll needs from within their own organizations. In house payroll software is a solution that relieves the pressure from their shoulders and allows them to focus on running their businesses instead of focusing on figuring out how they are going to take care of paying employees every month.
There are a number of in-house payroll solutions available in the market today so here is a review for you for different kinds if in house payroll solution.
SurePayroll is the best payroll company for customer service
Best customer supportSurePayroll
3.4
- Starting at $19.99/mo. + $4.00/payee/mo.
Automatic payroll tax administration
Workers compensation and health insurance add-ons (additional fee)
Two-day direct deposit (full-service plan only)
Data as of 11/5/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
SurePayroll’s customer service, affordable self-service, and easy HR add-ons make it a good payroll option for small-business owners with just one or two employees.
With self-service online payroll software starting at $19.99 a month and full-service software starting at $29.99 a month, SurePayroll is the most affordable payroll system in our top five. Its extended customer service hours on weekdays and Saturdays are perfect if you want (nearly) round-the-clock assistance for payroll problems, which can cause major issues for your employees if they aren’t resolved ASAP.
SurePayroll is cheap, but it has a few additional costs. For instance, multi-state payroll tax filing costs an extra $9.99 a month. And SurePayroll lacks the expansive employee benefits, scalable plans, and HR perks you’ll get with Gusto or Paychex—another reason it works best for the smallest of small businesses. If you have just a few employees and want to offer good benefits without going all-in on expensive add-ons, SurePayroll’s online payroll system could work well for you.ProsAffordable full- and self-service plans
Extended customer service hours
Affordable insurance add-onsCons
Limited scalability
Limited employee benefits
Limited HR assistanceGet Started with SurePayrollRead Our SurePayroll Review
Intuit quickbooks is a great payroll software solution. With QuickBooks you can easily manage expenses, send invoices, and even track inventory. Managers can even set payroll to run automatically so they can focus on the bigger picture.
Key Features:
Activity dashboard
Automatic billing
Billing and invoicing
Budgeting/forecasting
Expense tracking
Payroll management
Inventory tracking
Pros & Cons
Easy to use
Nice user interface
Poor customer service
Pricing:
Their most popular plan costs $80/month and includes 5 users.
Free trial: 30-day free trial
Free plan: Yes
BEST OVERALLGusto
Gusto offers three thoughtful tiers for small to midsize companies that need payroll with a few helpings of human resources (HR) features, making it the best overall choice. Each plan includes full-service automated payroll that’s suitable for almost any business, depending on needs.Pros
- Affordable, but good value
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Paid time off (PTO) tracking available
- Full-service payroll available in all states
- Basic reports included at all tiers
Cons
- Next day direct deposit available only in the Complete and Concierge plans
- Dedicated support only for Concierge subscribers
Gusto is similar to other payroll software solutions in that it offers direct deposit or checks to pay your employees. It also tracks and files federal, state, and local taxes automatically. What sets Gusto apart from the other options is that it offers a better plan for each tier that you go up. Rather than removing direct deposit for the low-priced plan, Gusto increases the convenience of direct deposit the more expensive your plan. For example, direct deposit takes up to four days to clear for the lowest plan, but the high-tier plans get next-day direct deposit.
The Core plan from Gusto costs $39 per month, and $6 per employee per month, making it one of the most affordable choices for a full-service payroll plan. The Complete plan is also $39 per month, but the cost per employee is $12, and you’ll be able to offer next-day direct deposit. The Concierge plan is $149 per month and $12 per person and offers dedicated support and compliance alerts.
Paychex is one of the most popular payroll software for small businesses but also one of the more expensive solutions, mostly due to public demand. Rumor around the accounting department’s water cooler is that Paychex is robust but not simple, easy to use, or set up.
That can be a huge factor for small businesses when they’re looking for the best payroll software. Paychex requires a lot of personal information to get started and running reports comes with its share of red tape and added costs.
Key Features:
Check printing
Benefits management
Compensation management
Direct deposit
Employee database
Pros & Cons
Great import and export capabilities
Desktop, mobile, kiosk access
Difficult to implement
Poor customer service
Pricing:
You must speak to a sales representative in order to receive a price quote.
Free trial: No
Free plan: No
BEST REPORTINGPaychex Flex
Paychex Flex offers more than 160 reports for you to get a clear look at wages, taxes, turnover, and more. Paychex is our best reporting option because it checks almost all the boxes for what you’d want in payroll software when it comes to reports and data. It also automatically files your payroll taxes, ensures compliance, and includes integrations with important programs you also use, such as accounting and benefits apps.Pros
- 24/7 support
- Easy to use
- HR add-on options
- Robust reporting feature
Cons
- Hidden fees for setup & EOY tax docs
- Mixed reviews from users regarding support
There’s a lot to like about Paychex. The payroll software makes it easy to set up and run payroll, it automates the submission of federal, state, and local payroll taxes, and it offers plenty of upgrade options, which you may need as your business grows. Still, the basic reporting you get from Paychex could be worth the monthly fee alone, giving it the edge in this category. Plus, you’ll be able to add any other data field you’d like, thanks to custom fields, which is rare for small business online payroll services.
While the Paychex Flex Essentials plan is $39 per month and $5 per employee, it’s difficult to say how much Paychex will cost you for the more comprehensive plans—Paychex Flex Select and Paychex Flex Pro—unless you go through the process of getting a custom quote.
One of the most important aspects of a good online payroll solution is whether it integrates with software you already use. Paychex does integrate with QuickBooks and Xero accounting software, plus many health insurance and benefits apps, time tracking and attendance software, and HR software.
Quick Advice
How to process payroll yourself
Summary: Doing your company’s payroll on your own costs less, but is time consuming and prone to errors.
If you’re tax savvy, you may be able to take on a DIY approach to paying your employees. But given all the payroll mistakes you can make (and nasty fines you can incur as a result), make sure you’re completely comfortable with everything you need to do before you dive in.
To get started:
Step 1: Have all employees complete a W-4 form. To get paid, employees need to complete Form W-4 to document their filing status and keep track of personal allowances. The more allowances or dependents workers have, the less payroll taxes are taken out of their paychecks each pay period. For each new employee you hire, you need to file a new hire report. Note that there is a new version of the Form W-4 for 2020, so this is the form you should have new hires fill out starting January 1, 2020.
Step 2: Find or sign up for Employer Identification Numbers. Before you do payroll yourself, make sure you have your Employer Identification Number (EIN) ready. An EIN is kind of like an SSN for your business and is used by the IRS to identify a business entity and anyone else who pays employees. If you don’t have an EIN, you can apply for one here on the IRS site. You may also need to get a state EIN number; check your state’s employer resources for more details.
Step 3: Choose your payroll schedule. After you register for your Employer Identification Numbers, get insured (don’t forget workers’ compensation), and display workplace posters, you need to add three important dates to your calendar: employee pay dates, tax payment due dates, and tax filing deadlines (read more about basic labor laws here).
Step 4: Calculate and withhold income taxes. When it comes time to pay your employees, you need to determine which federal and state taxes to withhold from your employees’ pay by using the IRS Withholding Calculator and your state’s resource or a reliable paycheck calculator. You must also keep track of both the employee and employer portion of taxes as you go.
Step 5: Pay payroll taxes. When it’s time to pay taxes, you need to submit your federal, state, and local tax deposits, as applicable (usually on a monthly basis).
Step 6: File tax forms & employee W-2s. Finally, be sure to send in your employer federal tax return (usually each quarter) and any state or local returns, as applicable. And last but not least, don’t forget about preparing your annual filings and W-2s at the end of the year.
Conclusion
While a lot of large corporations have always outsourced their payroll services, in house payroll software software is becoming a thing of the past in many smaller businesses. Especially in this climate when controlling costs is so important.