This list has been selected to help you find the best possible payroll software for your business. Whether you are looking for an in-house solution, have a small business or are an accountant, below is a list which should help you find the perfect fit for your requirements.
Besides a list of businesses that use In House Payroll Software I have included, “The 4 Unbreakable tool for In House Payroll”. This section is dedicated to making sure you have a successful payroll system at your company, and also about the proven results from In House Payroll Systems.
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.
Paycor: Best for Businesses Needing an All-in-One HR Payroll System
Overall Score: 4.16 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Easy to set up and use
- Payroll and HR features are integrated
- Customizable pay grid and pay stubs
What’s Missing
- Pricey for small businesses
- Onboarding and HR tools are available only in premium plans
- Setup fees required for higher tiers
- Customer support delays
Paycor Pricing
- Small Business plans (those with up to 49 employees)
- Basic: $99 per month + $5 per employee monthly
- Essential: $149 per month + $6 per employee monthly + $59 one-time setup fee
- Complete: $199 per month + $7 per employee monthly + $99 one-time setup fee
- HCM: $199 per month + $12 per employee monthly + $199 one-time setup fee
- Mid-market plans (businesses with 50 and more employees): Custom-priced
For businesses looking for a cloud-based platform that comes with all of the essential tools to manage the entire employee lifecycle, Paycor is a good option. It offers a robust suite of solutions for handling basic to the most complex payroll and HR tasks. It has recruiting, onboarding, time and attendance, benefits, learning, and employee information management tools in addition to payroll and automated tax services. However, Paycor isn’t the most affordable payroll system for small businesses as its starter Basic plan costs $99 plus $5 per employee monthly—pricier than big-name payroll and HR providers like ADP and Paychex.
Scoring 4.16 out of 5 in our evaluation, Paycor received high marks in nearly all of our criteria with perfect scores in reporting, HR features, and popularity among users. However, its expensive pricing and limited interface customizability prevented it from ranking higher on our list. Several users said that not being able to fully customize some of its features (like creating special vacation accrual rules) is one of the things they like least about Paycor. Others commented that while it offers solid payroll and HR tools, its support team isn’t always responsive and can be difficult to reach at times.
Paycor Features
- Time and attendance: Paycor enables you to collect and monitor employee work hours, helping manage attendance and labor costs through automated and accurate processes. Its system is much more robust than Gusto’s simple time tracking tool. Employees can clock in and out, and you can use it to schedule shifts.
- All-in-one HR platform: Paycor offers an all-in-one platform that combines its payroll software with onboarding, time tracking, scheduling, performance management, and recruiting tools. You won’t get these robust HR features with traditional small business payroll software like Gusto, OnPay, Patriot Payroll, and Homebase Payroll.
- Customizable pay grids: Paycor’s payroll solution is flexible, allowing you to create intuitive workflows and build an online pay grid to fit your unique pay processing needs. You can select the pay data columns you want, remove those you don’t need, and choose whether you want the system to display the applicable hours or amount (or both) for each data type. You can even create a customized pay stub.
- Accurate payroll and tax filing: Aside from calculating employee payments and deductions, Paycor handles your quarterly tax payments and filings, including year-end reports. It also automatically pays and files your taxes at the federal and state levels on time. You can pay employees via direct deposits and manual checks. Paycor even offers check stuffing services.
Paycor’s Drawbacks
- Expensive: Out of all the small business payroll software we reviewed, Paycor has the priciest plans. Its starter Basic plan costs $99 plus $5 per employee monthly, which is more expensive than Paychex’s starter tier ($39 plus $5 per employee monthly) that already comes with garnishment payment services. With Paycor, you have to subscribe to its premium plans to get this.
- HR tools are available only in higher tiers: While Paycor’s small business payroll plans include access to basic HR tools (like PTO tracking and onboarding), these are available only in the premium tiers. We recommend Homebase Payroll if you want a payroll package that includes new hire onboarding, time tracking, and scheduling tools in a basic subscription tier.
Rippling: Best for Businesses Looking for a Modular HR, Payroll & IT Solution
Overall Score: 4.11 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Has modular HR, payroll, and IT solutions that integrate seamlessly with each other
- PEO option can be easily switched on and off
- Connects with 400+ business apps
- IT tools simplify the company computer/app provisioning and deprovisioning processes
What’s Missing
- Pricing isn’t all transparent
- You have to purchase its employee management platform before you can buy its other modules; can get pricey as you add more features
- HR help desk option with phone and email support costs extra
- Occasional software glitches
Rippling Pricing*
- Employee management platform: $10 per employee monthly
- Full-service payroll: $8 per employee monthly
- Employee benefits: $6 per employee monthly
- Flex HSA/FSA and commuter benefits: $6 per employee monthly
- HR help desk: $100 per month
- App management: $8 per employee monthly
- Device management: $8 per employee monthly
*Pricing is based on a quote we receivedRead Full ReviewVisit Rippling
What makes Rippling a good payroll option for businesses is its modular HR, payroll, and IT tools that allow you to choose only the solutions you need. While its employee management platform is a must-purchase, the cost of adding full-service payroll is still reasonable—although not as cost-effective as most of the small business payroll software in this guide (like Gusto and Patriot Payroll). It still made our list because, apart from its efficient online tools, Rippling is the only HR and payroll software we reviewed that can help you manage essential IT processes, such as assigning and deploying computers and business apps that employees can use.
Rippling earned a 4.11 out of 5 in our evaluation. It scored the highest in reporting capabilities, HR features, and payroll processing, but posted the lowest ratings in ease of use, primarily because it lacks free phone support—you have to purchase its HR help desk add-on that includes phone and email support from HR experts. In terms of user feedback, many appreciate its user-friendly platform and efficient payroll and HR tools; it has solid payroll analytic tools to ensure you don’t make any mistakes before running. However, some said that it can be glitchy at times with occasional login issues.
Rippling Features
- Modular solutions: Rippling has a flexible employee management platform that lets you choose the payroll, HR, and IT features that you need. You can start with its employee management (a must purchase) and full-service payroll tools, and then add more solutions like employee benefits and applicant tracking as you grow your business.
- Payroll Analytics: Rippling automatically pulls your last payroll numbers when you begin processing a new payroll so you can easily compare the two. It helps you identify any obvious errors quickly to prevent you from having to backtrack to correct them later.
- Full-service payroll: With Rippling, you can run payroll with just three clicks. It automatically calculates all employee payments, taxes, and deductions. Payroll tax filings are also automatically done by Rippling. If you have employees and contractors based in satellite offices outside of the US, Rippling can help you manage international payroll processes so you can pay your workers accurately and on time.
- Robust HR tools: Rippling offers more than payroll and employee information management solutions; it also has applicant tracking, benefits administration, time and attendance, and learning management tools. However, these modules are paid add-ons to Rippling’s core employee management platform.
- IT solutions: Rippling’s IT tools are designed to streamline and automate device and apps management processes. If you have new hires, Rippling can help you assign the computer units and identify business apps that employees have access to. For resigning employees, you can easily disable access to business apps and lock their computers on their last day. Rippling even stores your unassigned computer units in its warehouse, and you can check the inventory through its system.
- Flexible PEO: Rippling offers PEO services to businesses that need help managing payroll and day-to-day HR operations. And unlike ADP and Paychex, if you decide that you no longer need a PEO, then you can simply turn Rippling’s PEO services off from your account.
Rippling’s Drawbacks
- Can get pricey as you add more features: Its per-module pricing may be optimal for those who only need specific solutions (such as payroll), but if you keep adding more features and growing your workforce, Rippling can get pricey.
- Lacks free phone support: Rippling offers email and chat support, but if you need expert advice from an HR professional, you have to purchase its HR help desk add-on ($100 monthly) that includes phone and email support.
Homebase Payroll: Best for Businesses Employing Hourly Workers
Overall Score: 3.66 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Flat pricing with reasonable monthly fees
- Payroll plan includes time tracking, scheduling, job postings, and applicant tracking tools
- Unlimited pay runs with automated payroll tax payments and filings
What’s Missing
- Payroll services available only in 37 states (as of this writing)
- Lacks health insurance options
- Integrates only with QuickBooks Online
Homebase Payroll Pricing
- $35 per month + $5 per employee monthly
Read Full ReviewVisit Homebase Payroll
Homebase has added a payroll module to its suite of time tracking and scheduling solutions. Similar to Square Payroll, Homebase Payroll offers flat pricing for its easy-to-use pay processing solution that includes automated payroll tax payment and filing services. Its payroll platform is designed specifically for hourly teams as it comes with essential scheduling and time tracking tools to help you manage your hourly workforce more efficiently. It even offers job postings, applicant tracking, PTO management, new hire onboarding, and time clock apps.
Homebase Payroll earned an overall score of 3.66 in our evaluation. Its reasonably priced plan with flat pricing and robust HR tools contributed to its high scores (4 and up), while the lack of online Homebase Payroll reviews resulted in it getting a zero rating in our popularity criteria.
Homebase Payroll Features
- Flat pricing: Both Square Payroll and Homebase Payroll offer flat pricing, allowing you to easily plan your payroll software expenses. You also don’t have to worry about having to pay extra fees if you exceed a plan’s user limits or need additional payroll and essential HR solutions. Homebase Payroll has only one plan that includes all the tools you need to hire, onboard, and pay employees.
- Robust payroll plan: Homebase Payroll is the only payroll system for small businesses that we reviewed that’s affordably priced and comes with several HR features. For only $35 plus $5 per employee monthly, you get hiring, onboarding, time tracking, and scheduling tools in addition to full-service payroll and automatic tax filing services. Paycor, ADP, Paychex, and Rippling may offer similar functionalities, but you either have to pay extra or subscribe to its higher tiers to get these solutions.
- Full-service payroll: Unlike Paychex, ADP Run, and Paycor, Homebase Payroll offers unlimited pay runs so you can process employee and contractor payments as many times as you need in a month. Salaries are sent to the employees’ accounts via direct deposits, although Homebase Payroll also supports payments made through printable checks. In addition to W-2 and 1099 reporting, Homebase provides automated payroll tax payments and filings.
- Early access to wages: Similar to Gusto and Square Payroll, Homebase Payroll offers an employee perk that grants your staff early access to wages. Your workers can transfer a portion of their salary to their bank account before payday to help pay for emergency expenses.
Homebase Payroll’s Drawbacks
- Doesn’t offer health insurance and retirement benefits: While it can help you find qualified candidates, onboard new hires, schedule work shifts, track attendance, and pay employees, Homebase Payroll doesn’t provide access to benefits options that you can offer to your workers. If you want robust benefits choices, consider any of the providers in this list except Square Payroll and Patriot Payroll. Gusto also has health insurance plans but it is limited to only 39 states.
- Limited payroll coverage: Given that Homebase’s payroll solution is fairly new (as of this writing), its payroll services only cover 37 states. However, the provider is working on adding new states, so check its website for updates.
Conclusion
This is my personal favorite, but when I looked it up on the web, the list was filled with all sorts of different payroll software. But don’t worry, I’ve used this one in the past and it works great. When I started working in business, I had to learn how payroll worked in order to get paid.