9 Best Payroll Software for Small Business Users in 2024

In addition to payment controls such as automatic salary deductions, off-cycle payments, and time tracking, Paychex offers a real-time payment option called Paychex Real-Time Payments. This service allows employers to send payments to their employees’ bank accounts instantly – a feat that no other provider on this list is able to achieve. Small businesses need reliable payroll software to save time and money. However, you should consider your budget limitations and business needs.

Why We Chose Paychex For Accountants

Payroll information is front and center on your dashboard when you log in to your account. I like the easy, three-step process to run payroll but found it difficult to get around the warnings. Also, time off data doesn’t necessarily sync with payroll or an employee’s time off information in their profile. OnPay’s interface is clean and straightforward, making it easy to navigate. If you may end up requiring a full HR platform sometime in the future, ADP Run will be a safer alternative, with integrations with leading HMC services and an open API that extends its use even further. If you’re able to do without an expansive knowledge center Paychex is another reliable provider, with the best payment features we’ve reviewed.

Benefits of Accounting Software With Payroll for Small Businesses

• Accountants enrolled in OnPay’s Partner program gain access to marketing resources, accounting software integrations, revenue sharing, client discounts, and free payroll processing for firms with 3+ clients.
• Detailed analytics are also offered in color-coded pie and bar charts for a straightforward interpretation of data.
• The chief executive officer of financial advisory firm, Blue Ocean Global Wealth, Rita helps people meet their life goals through the proper management of financial resources.
• It has tiered plans with payroll by direct deposit, a self-service employee platform, new hire onboarding and optional benefits administration for additional fees.

However, users express dissatisfaction with customer support and reliability in handling tax submissions, which can lead to significant issues for users relying on accurate payroll services. To send an invoice, you must only send an invoicing email using the Wave “pay now” button. Wave offers a mobile app that makes paying invoices easy from anywhere. Clients can pay using a credit card or Apple Pay from the email and funds will arrive in your account in Bookstime two business days. Once you’ve sent an invoice or received a payment, the data is automatically recorded in your accounting records for effortless reporting and tax filing.

Do Accountants Process Payroll?

Many allow you to edit, cancel, or void a payroll after you approve it but before a stated deadline. Once you complete the unearned revenue setup, you generally can’t return to the dedicated setup tools, so it’s essential to get it right the first time. That said, every payroll service we tested has a comprehensive settings section where you can modify and add to the payroll information you’ve already entered. If you’ve compensated employees in the past, you need to enter any existing payroll history. This process can be arduous and may require assistance from the site’s onboarding specialists because absolute accuracy is critical.

What is the best payroll software system for small business users?

Each plan also includes time tracking for easier, more accurate client billing. FreshBooks’s built-in small-business expense tracking helps you maintain a balanced budget. And, like QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks includes built-in mileage tracking—a must for freelancers who plan to claim mileage expenses on their year-end tax forms. We reviewed ten of the top payroll software solutions to determine which payroll software offered the best mix of value and features.

• Some applications encourage you to enter a record or create a transaction to get your feet wet.
• The Gusto payroll run screen shows at a glance all payroll expenses per employee.
• It also has an employee self-service portal for self-onboarding, documents and PTO tracking.
• ADP SmartCompliance® technology also helps businesses capitalize on applicable business tax credits, improve wage garnishment processing and flag potential compliance issues.
• Many allow you to edit, cancel, or void a payroll after you approve it but before a stated deadline.
• These services then deduct the required amounts during the payroll process and submit them.

The appeal of Uzio is that it is a SaaS-based package that allows you to streamline many of your business administration tasks into one single online platform. There are plenty of tools for getting the job done too, with everything from HR issues through to tax affairs all covered by the package. Add in the ability to manage records, ensure compliance and cover payroll duties and you have many business bases covered. In addition, users get an employee portal for W-4’s, onboarding tools, check printing and everything can be access from any location.

Is there a simple payroll software small businesses can use with a short learning curve?

They note that the representatives are friendly but sometimes slow to respond. Some consider the software to be pricey compared to other payroll software options. However, many like that the platform is easy to use, and that it offers guided setup and training and all the basic features most businesses need to manage their payroll and HR needs. Combining Homebase’s time tracking plans with its payroll add-on makes it easy to review timesheets and run payroll. With just a few clicks, Homebase converts attendance data into the payroll information you need to process worker payments.

You can start with Gusto Simple, which offers everything you need to run payroll and upgrade as your need for features (such as time-tracking tools and more HR options) grows. Gusto’s user experience is outstanding, and it takes much of the drudgery out of payroll and almost makes it a pleasant experience. Handling payroll for remote employees involves ensuring that your accounting software can manage multi-state payroll and comply with varying state tax laws.

• Because it’s the entry-level offering in the QuickBooks family of accounting solutions, it’s a good choice for microbusinesses that plan to grow.
• The best payroll software for small business users should meet your budgetary needs while providing the essential tools you need to compute and process employee payments and payroll taxes.
• Diligent categorization gives you more accurate reports and income tax returns.
• This saves you hundreds of hours running administrative tasks and thousands of dollars that would have been spent hiring a full HR team or establishing your own entities from scratch.
• From there, I could click “+New Project” at the top of the resulting screen and fill out a simple form to add my new project.
• You usually need to submit financial documents like profit and loss reports as part of your business taxes each year.

If you have employees spread across different states or around the globe, you will need to meet more regulations. With hybrid and remote work becoming commonplace as a result of the pandemic, you must consider if you might have people working from different locations in the future. To further evaluate your payroll needs, answer these 10 questions about your business and its payroll system. Paycor’s pay run window shows at a glance all the details of the run and employees who are currently on leave. Overall, though the interface is cluttered, everything I needed was easy to find. Nothing I experienced was particularly confusing, but best payroll and accounting software for small business some tasks were a bit more labor-intensive than I preferred.