Payroll Software for Small Accounting Firms is designed to meet the needs of companies that make less than $50,000 per year. Payroll Software for Small Accounting Firms can accurately handle multiple employees and their paystubs, deductions, reports and more. Key features include:
Timekeeper Plus Payroll Software for Small Accounting Firms (Sage 50 client) is a complete, easy-to-use payroll software program that was specifically designed for the small accounting firm or CPA practice. It includes everything you need to run your payroll from start to finish!
SurePayroll
Of all of the stand-alone payroll software and services, SurePayroll offers the best integration with third-party accounting applications.
Sure Payroll’s mobile app lets you do payroll on your iOS or Android smartphone. Source: SurePayroll software.
SurePayroll integrates with software applications such as AccountEdge, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Sage 50, and Xero, eliminating the need to manually post payroll entries.
The Payroll Preview report provides you or your accountant with payroll liability including Gross Pay, Employee Deductions, Employee Taxes, Net Pay, and Employer Taxes, with this information easily exported to your accounting software application, eliminating the need to enter payroll details manually.
SurePayroll handles all payroll taxes, from initial report preparation and form filing to payment remittance. SurePayroll also prepares year-end forms such as W-2s and 1099s.
SurePayroll pricing starts at $29.99/month, plus a $4 per employee charge.
OnPay: Best Payroll Software for Accountants With Clients in Agriculture & Farming Industries
Overall Score: 4.38 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- User-friendly interface
- Free payroll for your firm with no client minimums
- Partner program for accountants include discounts and revenue sharing options
- Access to two- or four-day direct deposits depends on OnPay’s risk assessment
- Limited third-party software integrations
- Year-end tax report printing and mailing services cost extra
OnPay for Accountants Pricing
- Software fee: $36 per month plus $4 per employee monthly
- Accountant perks: Free payroll for your firm (no client minimums required); discounted pricing and revenue share options
- Client discounts: 10%–20% off the monthly software fees
Read OnPay ReviewVisit OnPay for Accountants
OnPay lets you provide clients with payroll, essential HR tools, and benefits options available in all 50 states. Its software is flexible enough to handle pay processing and tax filings for businesses in unique industries, like agriculture and farming, as it can file Form 943 taxes, including taxes of workers on H-2A visas.
Similar to Gusto, its partner program for accountants comes with a client dashboard and an incentive scheme that lets you choose between revenue sharing and discounted pricing. You can even pass the discount to your clients and have OnPay send billing statements to their offices. What we like best about OnPay for Accountants is that you get free payroll software for your firm without having to meet client limits or adding a customer to your client base every year (like QuickBooks Payroll).
Following closely behind Gusto, OnPay earned a 4.38 out of 5 in our evaluation. It received scores of 4 and above in nearly all of our criteria given its HR functionalities, reporting capabilities, efficient payroll tools, and affordably-priced plan that many users appreciate. It would have ranked higher on our list had it offered an in-house accounting software (QuickBooks and Patriot does).
OnPay for Accountants Pricing
OnPay charges $36 per month plus $4 per employee monthly. Unlike ADP and Paychex, it doesn’t charge setup fees—new users even get the first month free.
OnPay Discounts for Accountants
OnPay’s partner accountant perks include free account setup, free data migration, marketing resources, free payroll for your firm, and options for either discount or revenue sharing. You can also pass the discount to your clients. The incentives are based on the number of clients you have.
| 0–2 Clients | 3–19 Clients | 20–19 Clients | 50+ Clients | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount or Revenue Share Percentage | N/A | 10% | 15% | 20% |
| Free Payroll for your Firm | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Marketing Resources | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Partner Badge | N/A | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Co-branding | N/A | N/A | N/A | ✔ |
OnPay for Accountants Features
- Payroll: OnPay can handle payroll for employees and contractors from various business types (like startups and SMBs), organizations (nonprofits and religious), and industries (such as restaurant, healthcare, dental, fitness, and agriculture). It offers unlimited pay runs, multiple pay rates and schedules, and multi-state payrolls. You can pay employees through pay check, debit card, and direct deposits. Note that you have to undergo OnPay’s risk assessment to identify whether or not you’re eligible for two- or four-day direct deposits.
- Tax filing services: OnPay will handle all payroll tax calculations, payments, and filings for you. It also offers year-end reporting and—similar to ADP, SurePayroll, and Paychex—you have to pay extra if you want OnPay to print and mail the W-2s and 1099s to your employees and contractors.
- Accountant-specific tools: You get access to a client dashboard, expert support from payroll professionals, and free client migration services.
- HR features: Employee onboarding, PTO management with in-app requests and approvals, offer letters, and state new hire reporting are some of OnPay’s HR functionalities. It even has built-in document templates, compliance alerts, an online document storage, and an HR resource library. For HR tools that include background checks and online training courses, consider Paychex, ADP, or Rippling.
- Employee benefits: OnPay provides your clients employee benefits options like health insurance available in 50 states (unlike Gusto’s, which is limited to 39 states). Other benefits include disability, life, and retirement plans.
OnPay for Accountants Drawbacks
- Risk assessment to determine direct deposit timelines: While this is a safety precaution that OnPay has put in place, you may not be able to offer two-day direct deposits to your clients if they don’t meet OnPay’s requirements for it. Some of your clients with large payroll amounts may even be approved for a “wire only” option in which your clients will handle the direct deposit transfers themselves. For fast direct deposits options, we recommend QuickBooks Payroll—it has next-day and same-day direct deposits.
- Limited third-party software integrations: While OnPay integrates with popular accounting and time tracking software (Xero, QuickBooks, Deputy, and When I Work), its partner network is very limited and doesn’t even connect with other HR-related solutions like hiring, applicant tracking, and learning management. If your client requires robust integrations, Rippling is a great choice as it connects with 400 business apps.
Gusto
Gusto is a powerful platform that combines payroll, benefits administration, HR and compliance functionalities in a single, simplified package. It is designed for small businesses looking to stay on top of their workforce’s core HR needs. The app is used by more than 40,000 companies in the U.S. taking advantage of its solid set of payroll features, well-designed user interface, and automation functionalities capabilities.
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The software streamlines and automates the calculation, payment, and submission of a company’s local, state, and federal payroll taxes, ensuring that businesses can pay through direct deposit or check, and comply with year-end forms and taxation to avoid critical errors.
Gusto also offers a partner program for its clients who introduce Gusto payroll and benefits to their customers. As a Gusto partner, you enjoy exclusive deals such as free Gusto payroll subscription, access to HR experts and compliance support.
What is unique about Gusto?
- No tie-in agreement. You don’t need to sign a long-term contract and are free to suspend your account at any time. A one-month free trial is offered which starts after you run your first payroll.
- It makes payroll management error-proof. Gusto eliminates critical human errors since you won’t have to enter data in several different apps and websites, and just let the system calculate deductions.
- It is fully compliant with standards. All Gusto operations are designed to meet HIPAA, ACA, and ERISA standards, meaning that the system can check data automatically, prepare compliance reviews of your benefits, send automated notices, and guarantee employee privacy.
- It simplifies benefits administration. Gusto can streamline and handle employment tax reporting, payments, workers’ comp insurance, new hire reports and detailed budget plans. It also allows you to easily set up and manage 401(k) plans for employee’s retirement needs.
- Easy access to information. The app can quickly pull out important information, including employee contact data, I-9s, W-2s, time off balances, and much more, and you need only to log into the system using your credentials.
Conclusion
Accountants, CPAs and bookkeepers who invoice clients or write off business expenses want to be as accurate as possible when preparing their tax returns. As a sole proprietor or professional who is an employer, you are responsible for payroll tax deductions and remitting them on time to the government agencies that will audit your taxes. Payroll accounting isn’t always easy though, especially for small business owners without an in-house bookkeeper – until now.