Compare ratings, reviews, features, and pricing to see which payroll service best supports your firm and client needs.
Accountants and their clients regularly share feedback about their payroll providers on review sites like G2 Crowd. Here’s how the top companies compare:
Customer review data on this page is all from G2.com. Links and additional resources.
— Linae W., Compass Bookkeeping Solutions, Inc.
Payroll isn’t the only thing most payroll companies do. From paying employees to keeping your HR compliant, here’s a quick overview of what most businesses look for. Or see our complete guide to choosing a provider for a detailed checklist.
Payroll entry, taxes, & deductions
Any provider should allow you to enter hours or wage information, calculate state, federal, and local payroll taxes, and keep track of deductions and withholdings. When comparing providers, make sure completing a pay run is easy and intuitive.
Automatic tax payments
Among the premium providers, automated state and federal taxes are par for the course. No matter who you choose, having all the tax forms and payments filed for your clients will save you a lot of time. Additionally, make sure your provider has an accuracy guarantee so you’re clients are covered in case errors occur.
Level of service
Good payroll software simplifies a lot of the work, but tax laws change, humans make mistakes, and even the best providers have occasional hiccups. It’s critical to choose a service with outstanding support and a dedicated team to take care of you and your clients.
Easy access to payroll experts
From onboarding to answering questions and resolving issues, ensure you can easily access support via phone, email, or chat when needed, which some providers may charge extra for.
In the ratings and reviews, one provider really stands out across payroll and customer support categories:
Customer review data on this page is all from G2.com. Links and additional resources.
Reporting and integrations
Payroll is just part of the services you provide to clients. After running payroll, there’s still heavy lifting to do, like analyzing labor costs and syncing data with accounting software. Does the service offer customizable reporting and seamless integration with QuickBooks or Xero? Be wary of add-on fees for these features.
Manage team access
Does the service you’re looking at allow you to delegate responsibilities and manage team access? Delegating responsibilities among your team can streamline your workflow and improve efficiency. Ensure that the service you choose supports these features to make your job easier and more efficient.
Here’s what accountants and small business owners think of their payroll’s reporting, scalability, and user management capabilities:
Customer review data on this page is all from G2.com. Links and additional resources.
HR & organization management
HR services can play a pivotal role in contributing to your clients’ overall success. Giving clients access to features like org charts, PTO management, and customizable templates can be helpful, but be wary of additional fees from some providers for essential HR features.
Benefits and compliance
With different state regulations, it’s important your client’s remain compliant to avoid unwanted fees and fines. From workers’ comp to 401(k) plans and health benefits, you’ll want a provider that offers what your business needs and keeps you updated on the latest regulations. It’s also a good idea to ask what additional administration or integration fees are required.
*Based on results from OnPay’s 2023 Partner Survey
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Employee access
Once you’ve got payroll and taxes covered, it’s a good idea to look at the other ways the services you consider can save you time. Self-service features will help down the road by letting employees pull their own paystubs and update information — freeing up you and your clients to focus on more important activities.
Employee onboarding
Employee self-onboarding lets you and your clients move all the paperwork for new hires into the cloud. Just enter a few employee or contractor details, and many providers will work with your new hire to get everything set up online.
In customer ratings, the more modern providers lead the way when it comes to employee experience:
Customer review data on this page is all from G2.com. Links and additional resources.
All of the top solutions do most things pretty well. Some accountants are most comfortable partnering with a name they recognize, like ADP or Paychex, regardless of the cost. Others like to keep all their finances with Intuit. And some prefer the energetic feel of Gusto. OnPay is often the highest rated among accountants and their clients — both overall, and when it comes to customer service. We also get top ratings from the experts at Forbes, CNBC, and PCMag. If you have a few minutes, we encourage you to take a closer look!
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Payroll FAQs
For full-service payroll, pricing should start at around $40 a month. When you evaluate different providers, make sure you understand how they calculate pricing. A number of payroll companies charge per pay run, and since most businesses run payroll two or more times per month, the actual cost can be a lot more than it looks when you first get an estimate.
Also, beware of setup fees, integration fees, and annual fees for things like W-2 filings. In a perfect world, all payroll costs should look something like this.
We put together detailed, head-to-head comparisons of both the feature sets and the review data for most of the premium payroll solutions. Compare any two providers here:
The ratings on this page are all based on customer ratings from Gartner’s G2.com — one of the most reputable sites. If you’re looking for additional resources to help make your decision, we also recommend the following sites:
These days, all the best services are based in the cloud. While some of the core functionality of desktop payroll software can be good, online services offer a number of distinct advantages:
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