We find the 10 best options, so you can make informed decisions on tons of products and services.
Anyone who deals with payroll knows just how complex and time-consuming of a task it is to make sure all employees' paychecks are accurate, and how often it distracts you from working on what matters most for your job or your business. Payroll software solutions on the market today solve that problem altogether—instead of keeping up with your state’s tax regulations, payroll software solutions automatically calculate, deduct, and submit your forms to ensure you’re compliant at all times. This doesn’t just save you time, it protects you from pricey fines that come with making tax errors and missing deadlines. Add to that the piles paperwork that are no longer needed thanks to employee self-service portals through which anyone can access their forms. Bottom line - doing your payroll online can help streamline your day-to-day.
“Compliance is a big thing that I know little about. With requirements always changing, it’s nice to have a solution that does it all for me...Now with Gusto, new hire reports are submitted automatically and all payroll taxes are filed....”
Rabee Ikkawi, co-founder of children’s clothing line, Kids Atelier
Read the Gusto review or visit their site
“...ADP has helped us streamline the payroll process – it’s now much easier and more efficient. I can log on to the website from anywhere and process payroll in 45 minutes to an hour.”
Tameka Brown, Senior Vice President of HR at InFirst Federal Credit Union
Read the ADP review or visit their site
“Deluxe Payroll understands the unique needs of the construction industry and are they unbelievably responsive. They are accurate, friendly and take care of any issues quickly and completely.”
Mike Henderson President ABC Baltimore
Read the Deluxe review or visit their site
The interface for your online business payroll system should be intuitive and you should be able to make updates and add new employees quickly and easily. It should be the type of system that all of your team members can use if need be, without any lengthy training process or background in IT. Setting up your complete payroll solution should be straightforward and easy with a short and painless onboarding process for your team members. Whenever you have new team members, onboarding them should be quick enough to where you never miss a beat.
The cost varies between solutions, but they all follow a similar pricing structure in which there’s a flat base fee per month or per payment period that ranges between $20 to $100. Most services also charge $1-$15 per employee per month or payment period. Some solutions charge extra for more advanced features such as paying taxes and printing W-2 forms for employees, or for paying workers via direct deposit.
Online business payroll software is available for organizations of all sizes. It can help small companies and also large enterprise businesses deal with the headaches and twists and turns of tax compliance, as well as making sure that all of your hours and labor costs are taken care of. Most complete payroll solutions offer small business- as well as corporate payroll services.
Most payroll software providers have online help centers and dedicated customer support teams available via phone, chat, or email, though they vary in their response times. Some even have US-based teams with dedicated managers, providing an extra layer of support to your technical issues.
Payroll platforms can help you streamline your business by offering the most common and comfortable payment method for employees today: direct deposit to their bank accounts. In most cases, direct deposit comes standard, and does not cost any extra. You can still pay employees with paychecks if you choose. This is particularly useful for paying independent contractors. For businesses in the service industry, platforms such as Gusto can also help you manage tip credits.
Keeping your business tax compliant is a key benefit of a payroll software, and automatic generation of tax forms, such as W-2s and 1099s is a must, which all of the leading payroll platforms include.
Paying employees promptly and properly, while staying compliant with tax regulations and the benefits regime can be a time-consuming business that takes you away from more important work. Getting the right payroll software with complete payroll services can give you this valuable time back to grow your business in a worry-free, organized and compliant environment.
Gusto is one of the best payroll services for small businesses of today, and it’s also a good choice for freelancers and contractors. Providing automatic tax filing, a list of HR benefits, including health, dental, vision, college funds, 401k, and the ability to run unlimited payrolls, Gusto is a cost-effective way for businesses to streamline their monthly accounts.
It’s also nice that Gusto integrates with a lot of other applications, including accounting programs like QuickBooks Online, Xero, and FreshBooks. You can also sync your time tracking apps (like Time Tracker or Homebase) and expense management tools like Expensify to have an all-inclusive database for your accounts.
Paychex is a cloud-based payroll services provider that has plans for every size business but is particularly well-suited for smaller businesses up to 50 employees. Paychex Flex, the SMB-focused plan, lets you update the database via desktop or mobile dashboard, set automated rules, and run payroll quickly and efficiently. In fact, with self-service, Paychex lets your employees take the bulk of the data input off your shoulders entirely.
In addition to running payroll, Paychex will calculate, pay, and file all of your taxes from local to federal. Pay your employees with direct deposit, paper check, or pay cards - whatever works best for you. Paychex plans also include features like onboarding, HR analytics, and an events calendar for seamless calculations.
ADP is one of the oldest payroll services online or off, which should tell you something about how much experience these fellows have under their belt. Offering a full range of HR benefits and services, payroll services, and time and attendance management, ADP is a professional payroll service for businesses looking for more than your basic software. From HR guidance, resources, and dedicated service managers to full tax compliance, reporting, and self-service capabilities, ADP has an impressive array of features and services on offer.
ADP will automatically calculate tax liability, withhold and pay taxes on your behalf, and handle all reporting and issuances, including W-2s and 1099s. What's more, ADP doesn't just stop at your local boarders. This payroll service handles issues in more than 140 countries around the globe.
