CPA firms often have issues on how their payroll system of choice can keep up with their tremendous clientele. Payroll Hero is designed with a highly customizable feature, allows it to serve multiple clients and take care of their payrolls with its high level of assistance. It’s perfect for CPA firms that usually breakdown their payroll expenses because the software provides them with different business levels, so they can separate the firm budget from other companies’ budgets.
The payroll software for firms and companies will be completed which enable Certified Public Accountants to tailor the system to their specific needs. The software has a complete management accounting features. It provides customized reports that are more reliable and faster.
BambooHR
Payroll goes hand in hand with HR, so it’s worth looking at HR software when seeking your payment solutions. BambooHR covers all your bases, providing a separate payroll platform to sync with its main talent management software. This makes it super easy to onboard new employees, tracking hours right from the start. Additional features include staff databases, applicant tracking, time-off tracking, and digital signatures.
Zenefits
Another HR platform that includes comprehensive small business payroll software is Zenefits. It builds time-off tracking, hour tracking, salary upgrades, and benefits into a single one-size-fits-all platform. If your HR and payroll departments are intertwined, it makes it much easier to avoid making double entries. For example, your HR administrator only needs to input a salary change once for it to sync with payroll. As with other software on this list, there are multiple subscription packages to choose from, each with its own features.
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
The solutions offered by ADP, and specifically their small-business oriented RUN, are very similar to those offered by above mentioned Paychex – expensive but popular. This solution is for you if you prefer to send employees physical paychecks rather than direct deposit as ADP can (for an additional fee) print, sign, and mail paychecks on your behalf.
Key Features:
Benefits tracking
Check printing
Compensation management
Direct deposit
Employee database
Payroll reporting
Pros & Cons
Mobile access
Easy to use
Can be expensive for large teams
Pricing:
In order to receive a price quote you must speak to a representative.
Free trial: Yes
Free plan: No
QuickBooks Payroll: Best Payroll Solution for QuickBooks Accounting Software Users
Overall Score: 4.62 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Seamlessly integrates with
- Offers same- and next-day direct deposits
- Unlimited pay runs with automated payroll tax filings (federal and state)
- Its mobile app lets you run payroll and e-file taxes even while on the go
What’s Missing
- Automated local tax filings available only in higher tiers
- Lacks a contractor-only plan
- Basic HR features
- Doesn’t have mobile apps for employee self-service (only offers a workforce portal you can access online)
QuickBooks Payroll Pricing
- Core: $45 per month + $4 per employee monthly
- Premium: $75 per month + $8 per employee monthly
- Elite: $125 per month + $10 per employee monthly
Read Full ReviewVisit QuickBooks Payroll
QuickBooks Payroll is the best option for most QuickBooks accounting users; it integrates seamlessly—you access it within the same system with the click of a button—and all information flows throughout both systems (you don’t have to enter twice). Like Gusto, it offers full-service payroll with automated tax filings (federal and state, local taxes if subscribed to the Elite plan), year-end reporting (W-2s and 1099s), and an online portal where employees can access their pay stubs, tax forms, and PTO balances. QuickBooks Payroll also has fast direct deposits—its standard timeline is next-day but has same-day options if you get one of its higher tiers.
In our evaluation, QuickBooks Payroll earned a 4.62 out of 5 with perfect scores in ease of use, pricing, and reporting capabilities. While all of its per criteria ratings are 4 and above, it scored the lowest in HR features (4.13 out of 5), mainly because it doesn’t file new hire state reports (it only generates them) and you have to get its premium plan if you want time tracking and expert advice from a personal HR adviser. However, many users still appreciate its ease of use, especially its seamless integration with QuickBooks accounting. A few others complained about having experienced occasional software glitches, while some said that it can be pricey for small businesses.
QuickBooks Payroll Features
- Automatic and unlimited payroll: You can approve and set payroll to run automatically with QuickBooks. It also lets you process payroll as many times as your business requires.
- Automated payroll tax services: Like most of the payroll providers on this list, QuickBooks Payroll handles all tax calculations, payments, and filings (including year-end reporting) for you. However, its tax filing services only cover federal and state taxes. You have to be on an Elite plan if you want automated local tax filings—otherwise, you’ll have to enter the local tax rates yourself.
- Fast direct deposits: Apart from next-day direct deposits, you can pay employees through same-day direct deposit at no extra cost, provided you subscribe to QuickBooks Payroll’s higher tiers. Note that most of the providers on this list have a standard two-day processing time—although Square Payroll offers instant payments if you have a Square Payments account.
- Tax penalty protection: QuickBooks will cover the penalty and interest for any payroll tax error for up to $25,000 a year—regardless of who made the mistake. Note that you must purchase its Elite plan to have your errors covered. Experts will also represent you before the IRS and concerned agencies and will assist you to resolve the problem. No other providers on our list will offer to represent you to help fix tax issues or cover mistakes you make under any circumstance.
- Payroll and tax filing while on the go: With QuickBooks Payroll apps (for iOS and Android), you can process payroll, pay taxes, and e-file tax forms in all 50 states. Square Payroll, ADP Run, and Paychex may let you run employee payroll on its mobile apps, but they don’t have the tax e-filing feature that QuickBooks Payroll offers.
QuickBooks Payroll’s Drawbacks
- Lacks mobile apps for employee self-service: While QuickBooks Payroll has a workforce portal where employees can check PTO balances, access pay slips, and view tax forms, its self-service tool doesn’t have a mobile app version. We recommend either Square Payroll, ADP Run, Homebase Payroll, and Paycor since these providers offer mobile apps for employee self-service. Gusto’s financial management app, Gusto Wallet, also lets you view pay stubs and W-2s but doesn’t show PTO details.
- Tax penalty protection can be costly: Compared to the other providers in this guide, QuickBooks Payroll offers more robust tax penalty protection for its clients that includes representing your business before the IRS to help address tax issues. However, coverage for its tax penalty protection is expensive since you have to sign up for its highest tier, Elite, which costs $125 per month plus $10 per employee monthly.
Conclusion
CPA firms that want to avoid the headaches of IRS payroll audits find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They can spend thousands of dollars on complicated third-party payroll software and a dedicated in-house payroll department, or they can save significant money by doing everything themselves from scratch using free spreadsheet templates.