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Payroll Essentials software is the best payroll and tax software for small businesses. The program includes an easy-to-use interface, combined with automated tools to help you stay organized. Run payroll from your desktop or laptop computer and print paychecks from any printer. Payroll Essentials is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP operating systems.
Justworks.
Justworks is one of the best options to handle complex payroll schemes coverage. It offers robust solutions for businesses working with part-time and one-off workers.
The compact payroll management suite enables HR managers to create new rules and applies custom PTO policies to manage and track accrual as per the requirements.
Best For:
It is one of the best options for HR managers who want customized rules and leave policies
Key Features:
- Top Benefits Partnership: Justworks has collaborated with Top Benefits to maximize employee benefits administration. It has also enabled employees to manage their own payroll and online profile for dental, vision, and medical benefits.
- Personalized Dashboard: Justoworks offers dynamic customization capabilities through which every employee can create a unique dashboard based on their preferences. It allows employees to view their complete profile and performance in the organization. Employees can leverage the panel to sign up for improvement programs, access relevant documents, request for leaves, and check out their payment details, among other things.
- Customizable Policies: It enables HR managers to create a highly customized vacation and leave policies. Users can easily gain access to holiday calendars, Time off requests, and sick leaves from a single interface
Pros:
- It offers seamless access to employee’s payment data
- It enables managers to make individual payment to partners and contractors without any additional cost
- Allows the creation and payment of part-time employees through simple pay card
- Efficiently manage time-off requests
- Easily customize the mode of payments
- Highly efficient and user-friendly
- Offers easy onboarding of employees
Cons:
- PTO visibility is not great for employees
- Unpaid time off needs to managed manually
Cost:
Justworks offers a free demo. Its base plan starts at $44 per month per user.
Square Payroll: Best for Small Retailers & Restaurant Owners Using Square POS
Overall Score: 4.28 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Easy to use and navigate
- Flat pricing with an affordable contractor plan
- Integrates with Square POS
- Offers fast direct deposits, including an instant payment option
What’s Missing
- Next-day direct deposits and instant payments require a Square Payments account
- Limited advanced HR functions
- Phone support requires a customer code; difficult to reach at times
- Standard direct deposit has a four-day processing timeline
Square Payroll Pricing
- Pay employee and contractors: $35 per month + $5 per employee monthly
- Pay contractors only: $5 per person monthly
Read Full ReviewVisit Square Payroll
Square Payroll is the best choice for retailers and restaurants already using Square’s POS system. It enables you to pay both employees and contractors and import online timecards from the Square POS and other third-party partners into its system. It also has tip reporting features that allow you to record tip amounts, deduct taxes, and report them on your tax forms. You can run payroll as often as you need to at no extra cost, unlike some plans under big-name providers like ADP or Paychex, and file quarterly and annual taxes, plus sign up for pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation insurance.
In our evaluation, Square Payroll earned an overall rating of 4.28 out of 5 with a perfect score in reporting and high marks in nearly all of our criteria. It lost points in ease of use and popularity among users. While it is easy to use, it doesn’t have a customizable interface. It also didn’t meet our sub-criteria of having more than 1,000 average user reviews online. Plus, several users complained of having experienced difficulties contacting its support team.
Square Payroll Features
- Low-cost contractor-only plan: Square Payroll has the lowest contractor-only plan among all the providers in this list. Priced at only $5 per contractor monthly, it comes with all the features of its “pay employees and contractors” plan including unlimited pay runs. Similar to Gusto’s contractor-only option, Square Payroll will only charge you for contractors that you paid for the month.
- Square POS integration: Square Payroll seamlessly integrates with Square POS, making it easy for you to track and import employee time cards, including tips and commissions data for pay processing.
- Multiple employee payment options: Aside from direct deposit, employees and contractors can be paid through manual checks or via Square’s Cash App. Square Payroll also offers next-day and instant payment options through its Instant Payments feature. You can even use its On-Demand Pay tool to allow eligible employees to get a portion of their earned salary before the pay period is over.
- Online tax filing and reporting: Square Payroll will automatically file your quarterly and annual taxes as well as prepare and file your W-2s or 1099s, whether workers are paid an hourly, salary, or custom amount. This is unlike Patriot Payroll, Paychex, and ADP, which charge fees for some of its payroll tax services. QuickBooks Payroll may not have add-on fees to file taxes for you, but you have to get its highest tier if you want automated local tax filings.
- Employee benefits: Square Payroll will provide your employees access to health insurance, pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation plans, and even retirement packages that will automatically sync with your payroll.
Square Payroll’s Drawbacks
- Basic HR features: Square Payroll lacks the HR tools to help you track applicants, manage training, and maintain an employee information database online. If you require these for your business, we recommend either Paychex, Paycor, Rippling, or ADP Run since all offer a wide range of HR solutions.
- Four-day direct deposits: Unless you have a Square Payments account that lets you pay employees the next day and even instantly, Square Payroll’s standard direct deposit timeline is four days. QuickBooks Payroll would be a good choice for those who require fast payouts and don’t use Square Payments since its starter Core plan comes with next-day direct deposits.
OnPay: Best for Agricultural Companies
Overall Score: 4.23 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Files Form 943
- Offers multiple payment options (like direct deposits, manual checks, and debit cards)
- Reasonably priced plan
What’s Missing
- Lacks multiple tiers that cater to varying payroll and HR needs
- Doesn’t have live phone support on weekends
- Limited third-party software integrations
OnPay Pricing
- $36 per month + $4 per employee monthly
OnPay makes it easy for agricultural companies to pay employees and file taxes. It files Form 943 and even processes payments and taxes for workers on H-2A visas. In addition to unlimited pay runs, it supports multiple pay rates and payroll schedules. OnPay can also handle the payroll needs of businesses in other industries (like healthcare and restaurant industries)—from filing tax forms (such as Forms 941, 1099, and W-2) to withholding your employees’ state and federal unemployment insurance payments and other contributions.
In our evaluation, OnPay earned a 4.23 out of 5. Similar to Square Payroll, it scored high ratings in almost all criteria except for ease of use and popularity among users. While OnPay may provide payroll services for different business types, its interface isn’t customizable and the number of third-party software that it integrates with is limited. Plus, a few reviewers who left feedback are unhappy with the occasional software and integration glitches. However, many users still find its online tools efficient as it helps them simplify and automate employee pay processing.
OnPay Features
- Unlimited payroll runs: Like Gusto, Square Payroll, and a couple of the other payroll systems for small businesses on our list, OnPay lets you run payroll for both employees and contractors as many times as you need and want without having to pay extra. You can also generate year-end W-2s and 1099s without paying a per-employee rate (Paychex and ADP Run charge extra). And, for those with special tax requirements like agricultural businesses, OnPay offers automated tax payments and filings of Form 943.
- Multiple employee payment options: With OnPay, employees can get their wages through direct deposits, debit cards, and paychecks. Your staff can also see their pay stubs online through OnPay’s self-service portal.
- Essential HR tools: Streamline onboarding processes with OnPay’s in-app offer letters, online I-9 and W-4 forms, e-signature tool, and automated onboarding workflows. It handles state new hire reporting, plus you can create custom checklists to ensure that incoming employees complete all the new hire requirements. If you need HR guides and legal templates, OnPay has an online HR resource library that you can access.
- Employee benefits: Unlike Gusto’s health insurance, which covers only 39 states (as of this writing), OnPay’s health plans are available in all US states. Your employees are also granted access to dental, vision, disability, and retirement plans. Further, OnPay can easily generate employee census data reports that you can use when requesting insurance quotes from carriers and benefits providers.
OnPay’s Drawbacks
- Lack of weekend phone support: If you urgently need payroll assistance from OnPay’s support team on a weekend, you won’t be able to contact them via phone. It only offers email support on Saturdays and Sundays. ADP Run and Paychex are great choices if you require 24/7 support. Paychex even offers a dedicated payroll specialist, although this service is available only in its higher tiers.
- Limited integration options: OnPay integrates with only a handful of third-party software, such as QuickBooks, Xero, QuickBooks Time, Deputy, Humanity, When I Work, Mineral, and PosterElite. For those who need robust integrations, we recommend Rippling as it connects with more than 400 apps.
ADP
Join ADP for payroll services backed by excellent solutions. It is one of the best payroll platforms that is built for your comfort and allows you to integrate with your business tools, including time tracking tools, ERPs, HR systems, and more, to simplify your work.
ADP provides automated online payroll to avoid costly errors, local, state, and Federal compliance, self-service app, employee data syncing support, and a lot more. It also offers mobile payroll and direct deposit solutions to integrate with attendance tracking and time. In addition, it can calculate the deductions in taxes, retirement contributions, and more. The ADP mobile solution even allows employees to access their payroll benefits and information at any place.
Request a quote according to your business size and needs and start managing your employee payment with a clear view.
Conclusion
H&R Block Small Business tax software is accepted at all Canada Revenue Agency certified tax preparers and software providers. H&R Block offers its Best Payroll & Tax Software for small business in a full range of versions, to help you get the results you need, at a price that works for you.