Automated payroll can be particularly helpful in small businesses. If you’re one of the thousands of entrepreneurs who runs a small business out of their home and would prefer to keep track of employee productivity and payroll hours on your own, automation can add a lot of convenience to the process. There are a number of different automated payroll options available today. We’ll mention some of the more popular ones here and summarize the features they offer to give you an idea as to how easy or difficult it might be for you to use them as part of your payroll infrastructure.
Looking for automated payroll systems for small business? Well there are numerous ways to set up and choose software for your payroll. Do you want a payroll systems for actual payroll or other purposes such as timesheet software, employee leave management, employee attendance tracking, etc? What kind of reporting would you like, and do you want to customize any reports?
Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex is a full-service payroll application designed for small to mid-sized businesses. Paychex Flex offers four plans, ranging from the Express plan designed for 10 employees or less to Paychex Flex Enterprise, which can handle more than 100 employees.
Paychex Flex offers a customizable dashboard that displays all payroll totals. Source: Paychex Flex software.
Paychex Flex is very plan-driven, with available features very dependent upon the plan subscribed to, though all plans offer full-service payroll processing, including complete tax filing and remittance.
For an additional fee, employee tax documents such as W-2s and 1099s are also available from Paychex Flex. Though integration options have been limited in Paychex Flex, the company recently announced expanded integration options will become available in early 2020.
Paychex Go is designed for up to 10 employees and starts at $59/month, plus a $4 per-employee fee. Pricing for both Paychex Flex Select and Paychex Flex Enterprise is available directly from the company upon request on the Paychex Flex website.
In addition to the subscription, you’ll also have to pay a setup fee.
What We Like
- Full suite of HR tools
- Full-featured payroll options
- Continuing education through Paychex’s online courses and Accountant Knowledge Center
- Pricing isn’t all transparent
- Charges by pay run
- Payroll tax administration and year-end reporting cost extra
Paychex for Accountants Pricing
- Software fees: Custom priced
- Accountant perks: Discounted rates based on the number of clients; accountants are granted access to online continuing professional education (CPE) courses and resources
- Client discounts: N/A
Read Paychex Flex ReviewVisit Paychex for Accountants
Paychex’s payroll and HR software for accounting professionals offers technology and partnerships that help you provide excellent service for your clients. It starts with a client dashboard, called AccountantHQ, where you can work with clients to run payroll (through its Paychex Flex solution) or run it yourself. Next, it adds HR tools like onboarding, new hire reporting, background checks, and hiring services. Then, it includes access to CPE webinars, compliance support, resources and tools to help improve client relationships, and a dedicated account services team of accountant relationship managers.
We gave Paychex 4.01 out of 5 in our evaluation. Like ADP, its pricing took a hit, as most of its HR and payroll products require you to call Paychex for a quote. It also charges by pay run, making it more expensive for most clients. Nonetheless, it offers a terrific range of payroll and tax filing services, including a dedicated payroll specialist. With Paychex, you can offer clients HR support given its wide selection of online tools—from hiring and employee benefits to learning management and even PEO services.
Paychex for Accountants Pricing
Paychex provides custom quotes for plans for accountants. The quote we received indicates that pricing is based on client size, and monthly fees range from $6 to $12 per employee, per pay run. That makes Paychex expensive for clients who require more than one pay run each month. It also charges add-on fees for system setup (though sometimes it waives these) and other services like payroll tax administration and W-2/1099 tax filings.
Paychex for Accountants Features
- Payroll: With Paychex Flex, you can pay contractors and employees through direct deposits, pay cards, or pay checks. It even offers check logo and check signing services. Aside from customizable earning and deduction types, you can choose from three pay entry options that include a grid view for easy pay data entry.
- Tax filing services: Its payroll tax administration services cover the payment and filings of federal, state, and local taxes on your behalf. It also offers year-end tax report preparation and delivery. Note, however, that Paychex may charge extra for some of these services. For tax services that are included in your payroll plan, consider Gusto, Rippling, Patriot Payroll, and OnPay. QuickBooks Payroll also offers similar services, but you have to get its highest tier if you want automated local tax filings.
- Accountant-specific tools: In addition to its AccountantHQ client dashboard, Paychex’s partner program includes free access to CPE webinars made possible through its collaboration with CPA.com and Wolters Kluwer. Registering to its Accountant Knowledge Center also grants you more access to helpful resources, such as videos and latest industry updates. And while Paychex doesn’t have an in-house accounting software like QuickBooks and Patriot, its Paychex Flex solution can integrate with popular accounting tools like Xero, Sage Intacct, and QuickBooks.
- HR features: New hire reporting, an HR library with business forms, and a labor compliance kit with e-posters for federal and state updates are some HR tools that you can get with Paychex Flex. It also offers new hire onboarding, background checks, learning management, access to HR experts, and an online employee handbook—provided you sign up for one of its higher tiers.
- Employee benefits: With Paychex, you can provide your clients access to health, dental, and vision insurance in all 50 states. It also offers HSA, FSA, and 401(k) plans and a financial wellness program—a benefit that none of the providers on this list have.
Paychex for Accountants Drawbacks
- Pricing isn’t all transparent: Paychex’s pricing scheme for most of its products follows a call-for-a-quote model. This can be a bit inconvenient for accountants and bookkeepers who want to do a quick comparison of features and costs between different payroll software.
- Charges extra for payroll tax administration: Unlike the other providers in this guide (except ADP), you have to pay extra for some of Paychex’s payroll tax services. This added cost, coupled with its per-pay run charges for payroll accountants, Paychex can get pricey for you and your clients. For reasonably-priced options with both client and accountant discounts, we recommend Gusto, OnPay, and QuickBooks Payroll. If you have a large clientele and are looking for a more significant discount, consider Patriot Payroll as it slashes 50% off its payroll software for accounting firms with 51 and more clients.
OnPay
Easy-to-use yet total payroll solution OnPay offers small and medium-size businesses highly-scalable applications. This cloud-based software is capable of streamlining payroll processes while automating tax filing and payment. It seamlessly enters payroll data like hours, reimbursements, tips, and bonuses. Responsibilities other than payroll can likewise be managed using the system, including benefits and compensation insurance for staff who work on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Try out OnPay with their free trialVISIT WEBSITEFREE TRIAL
The vendor offers a great free trial that lets you try out all the key features first. You can easily sign up for an OnPay free trial.
The platform is so robust that it can handle unlimited payroll runs for W-2 workers and 1099 for contract staff on a monthly basis. Employees can be paid either through check or direct deposit, whichever is preferable to the user. However, one has to apply for the feature and pass a risk assessment test before being able to use the functionality. With all these features, OnPay is indeed one of the most cost-effective software of its kind today.
What is Unique About OnPay?
- Employee self-service. OnPay allows workers to enter their own personal information, edit them, and retrieve their paystubs and tax forms, all done through online access. This saves managers precious time and allows them to focus on more important matters. For companies that have new workers, the app is capable of reporting them to the government.
- Improved payroll compliance. Being a veteran in the business, OnPay knows the ins and outs of payroll tax preparation. The platform handles IRS and state taxes while doing the payroll. This involves the computation of taxes, payment and tax form filling. The vendor is so confident of its product that it offers to pay fines incurred from errors committed by the software. What’s even better is that users with inquiries are gladly assisted by certified payroll professionals during weekdays.
- HR process management. To stay on top of the payroll management process, one needs to be able to store documents and take notes. OnPay lets you do these and much more. Users are allowed to add comments, format and edit the notes. An online HR library is also accessible, allowing users to get employee handbook templates and state employment laws. Apart from these, users also get to be able to track accrued time easily for 3-tier PTO, sick and vacation accruals.
- Simplified health insurance benefits. With OnPay, users can administer health insurance nationwide. The platform works with numerous licensed insurance brokers to help customers improve their understanding of benefits such as medical, dental, and vision offerings. The computation of such benefits is streamlined as they are integrated into the system. Furthermore, researching insurance and their corresponding quotes come at no additional fee. What’s even better is that the software automates the management of 401(k) plans as it comes with secure harbor plans and contribution matching capabilities.
- Streamlined payroll. OnPay’s key feature is its ability to allow for unlimited pay runs. This allows businesses to run payrolls in accordance to their preference without having to pay additional fees. This may come in the form of corrections and pay run cancellations. Data entry is also eliminated using the system, with employee data saved in a secure vault. The interface is user-friendly and designed for mobility, allowing users to quickly and easily process payrolls.
Conclusion
The Adequate Payroll system for small business is entirely free, designed to be used effectively with even the most minimal of personal computers. It is easy to use and takes little time to learn, making it a convenient choice for those that wish to keep close track of the payroll requirements for their small business.