How much time do you need to spend managing your employees pay? Three, four or even five different systems each with a different login and password –yikes. That’s why we created Visier Payroll Solutions For Small Business, a payroll system that’s easy to set-up & run, works with the accounting software you already use and does it all for less than you think. Visier is your solution for payroll management.
Payroll is a necessary part of your business operations. It is a complex and important task. It is a nightmare for a lot of companies because there are so many aspects to take care of when it comes to payroll services. The payroll burden does not have to be as hard as it seems though. You can work with a payroll service provider or you can hire a person who specializes in payroll administration for small businesses. These professionals will come up with efficient solutions to handle all your payroll responsibilities so you don’t have to worry about it.
Gusto: Best overall
Best overall payroll providerGusto
4.0
- Starting at $39.00/mo. + $6.00/payee/mo.
Automatic payroll tax administration
Affordable insurance options (in-house brokers)
Two-day direct deposit
Data as of 9/9/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
The heartily named Gusto is our favorite payroll software for small businesses. Its beautifully designed, full-service payroll system includes plenty of payroll and HR features, including these:
- Automatic local, state, and federal payroll tax filing
- Automatic end-of-year tax-form filing, including W-2s and 1099s
- Automatic state new-hire form filing
- Health benefits administration and workers compensation administration
- Multiple employee benefit options, including HSAs, FSAs, commuter benefits, and college savings plans
- Employee self-service portal for pay stub, direct deposit, and W-2 access
Even better, Gusto includes these features for free when many payroll providers charge extra. For instance, Gusto’s in-house insurance brokers ensure that if you sign up for employee medical insurance and workers compensation insurance through Gusto, you’ll pay the premium only.
In contrast, ADP, which outsources its insurance integrations, charges an extra fee on top of the premium. Ditto Paychex, which does have an in-house insurance team but still charges extra for insurance add-ons. ADP and Paychex also charge extra for end-of-year tax-form filings. Gusto doesn’t.
Heads-up: Gusto’s Contractor plan
Do you hire contractors on an individual basis instead of working with a full-time team of employees? Gusto’s new Contractor plan has no monthly base cost. You pay only $6 per month per payee.
However, in the last few months, Gusto’s customer service has taken a few hits: for instance, on the review site Trustpilot, Gusto’s rating dropped from nearly four to just 2.4 (yikes!) out of 5 from more than 1.2K reviews.1 In particular, users call out slow response times and payroll errors. Thanks to its expansive employee benefits and built-in free tax filing, Gusto’s still our top payroll solution, but we did lower its star rating to account for its lowering user reviews.
Additionally, while Gusto has more employee add-ons than many other online payroll systems, it’s not a total HR management solution. Our Gusto HR review can tell you more, but if you need more than the most basic HR, you’ll want to look elsewhere—like at Paychex.ProsMore employee benefit options than most competitors
No extra fee for payroll tax filing
No extra fee for insurance add-onsCons
Poor customer service ratings
High monthly per-payee fee
Limited HR management and administrationGet Started with GustoRead Our Gusto Review
Paychex: Best for growth
4.0
- Starting at $39.00/mo. + $5.00/payee/mo.
Automatic payroll tax administration (additional fee may apply)
Workers compensation and health insurance add-ons (additional fee applies)
Direct deposit, check, and debit card payment options
Data as of 9/9/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Does your business need thorough HR assistance without full-on HR outsourcing? Paychex Flex combines cloud-based payroll management and human resources software for small and midsize businesses that want thorough, affordable HR management.
All Paychex payroll programs include new-hire state reporting, payroll tax filing, and an employee financial wellness program. And with three customizable packages, Paychex is one of the most scalable payroll options on our list. Growing businesses won’t have to look elsewhere for plans that support additional employees—growth is built into Paychex’s model.
Paychex’s payroll app for employers
If you frequently run payroll on the go, Paychex might be the best small-business payroll software for you. Only a few payroll providers offer employer-facing mobile payroll apps. Of the five or so that do, Paychex’s is easily the best: the Paychex Flex app has 4.8 stars (out of five) on Apple’s App Store and 4.4 on Google Play.2,3
Even though Paychex’s cheapest plan has a lower per-employee fee than Gusto, Paychex’s add-on fees can dramatically increase your monthly payroll costs. Unlike Gusto, OnPay, and QuickBooks Payroll, Paychex may charge additional fees for payroll tax administration, time and attendance software integration, accounting software integration, and workers comp and employee benefits administration. With all the extra fees, Paychex is better suited to midsize businesses that care more about built-in scalability than cost.ProsCombined HR and payroll plans
Affordable starting per-payee price
Customizable plans for growing businessesCons
Additional fees for payroll tax administration
Additional fees for third-party software integration
Pricier plans with limited pricing transparencyGet Started with PaychexRea
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. QuickBooks
You’re probably familiar with QuickBooks already, but this accounting software also includes an easy auto-pay feature. Perhaps the biggest benefit of using this platform is that it is designed to run automatically, so theoretically, you only need to set up your payroll once. The program will handle taxation, payments, and other issues without manual input.
Workful
Workful is one of the newer online payroll services available, and it’s already making a name for itself with its top-notch customer support, which is why it’s our best customer service option. The geolocation time-clock tracking is easy enough to set up and ensures employees clock in and out from wherever you’ve set as appropriate. Also, employees can submit expenses through the app, so they can get reimbursed with the next payroll run.Pros
- Affordable
- Easy to use
- Includes employee expense tracking
- Offers geolocation time-clock tracking
- Includes document storage
Cons
- Limited reporting features
- Setup seems clunky
Workful is an affordable and easy-to-use application but is not without its restrictions. For example, it doesn’t do automatic tax filing for you. But, it gets our nod for best customer service because it provides fast guidance with easy-to-understand directions for a small business owner.
Workful is one of the easiest-to-use online payroll services available. The left-side main menu is intuitive, and the dashboard is clean. Setup is easy enough, with a tutorial that walks you through establishing your services. Once you have the time-clock set up, it’s kind of hands-off work for you. Employees simply use the app to clock in and out.
When it comes to integrations, Workful doesn’t seem to play well with others. You can integrate QuickBooks Online, but that’s it. Workful is trying to be a single software solution, which is why it offers built-in time tracking, document storage, and HR options. However, if you’re happy with your time-tracking solution, use a different accounting program, or need Indeed or Zapier integrations, Workful isn’t the right payroll software for you.
BEST FOR SMALL BUSINESSESOnPay
OnPay offers an easy-to-use, affordable online payroll solution that’s ideal for small businesses. There are no hidden fees, which is important for a small business on a budget. The full-service payroll automates calculations and files your federal, state, and local payroll taxes. You’ll still have to run and approve payroll each time.Pros
- No hidden fees
- Easy to use
- Good value for the cost
Cons
- No same-day or next-day direct deposit
- No automatic payroll submission
Setting up payroll the first time in a new program can be time-consuming, but OnPay makes it easier with its setup wizard. Follow the steps and make sure your information is accurate, and you should be just fine. If you have data from another payroll service that you want to import into OnPay, you can get help with that, and OnPay guarantees accuracy.
At $36 per month and $4 per person per month, OnPay is a little more expensive than others, such as Workful and Payroll4Free. However, you get a lot more for the price, which makes it our top choice for small business owners trying to simplify payroll and human resources.
In addition to the full-service automated payroll you get from OnPay, you’ll also get filing for W-2 and 1099 workers at no extra cost. There’s also plenty of HR features to help you hire new employees, including offer letters, e-signing, automated onboarding, and document storage—features typically offered as add-ons or in top tiers from other services.
BEST FOR LARGE COMPANIESADP
One of the most well-known names in payroll and HR is ADP. The brand recognition and years of experience make it ideal for large companies or businesses that plan on growing pretty fast. The lowest-priced plan includes full-service payroll, direct deposit, reporting, and a self-service employee portal. More complete features and HR services come with higher-priced plans.Pros
- Scalable with several plan options
- Robust reporting, including customization
- Lots of HR add-ons
Cons
- Pricing isn’t transparent.
- Possibly too many features for small businesses
- Several fees, including for setup
Consider ADP’s main competitors and you’ll see why it’s typically used by larger businesses. ADP always has been more of a professional employer organization (PEO), but it has evolved to offer a payroll service that’s more suitable for small businesses. It’s a good idea to choose a payroll service that can grow with your business, though, if only so you can avoid migrating data to a different service in the future. ADP makes that possible with its ADP RUN service, which is best for businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to compare the cost of ADP’s plans to other services because ADP doesn’t publish its plans’ pricing. You’ll have to fill out forms to get a custom quote for your business, which will be based on your needs and the number of employees your business has. We received a variety of quotes and setup fees for a 10-person business, which fell between $150 to $200 per month, making it an expensive choice compared to all the software on this list. Setup fees ranged from $25 to $200, but reps often offered to waive the fee if we signed up immediately.
Conclusion
Payroll software for small businesses is one of the most underrated options in the market. The entire hiring, pay checking process is burdensome at times, it ends up taking much longer than expected if you handle these by yourself. There are so many things that you have to keep in mind while managing payroll for your employees.