Quickbooks Payroll vs Paychex Flex

There are some payroll providers out there that are essentially just payroll calculators, but don’t handle employer and employee taxes, new hire reporting, or handle distribution of W-2s and 1099s. So, make sure to look out for a provider that will automate taxes on your behalf, and guarantees accuracy as well.

Both QuickBooks Payroll and Paychex offer full-service payroll, but you may be incurring some extra fees for standard services (like W-2 filing) from Paychex. And of the two providers, only QuickBooks provides an accuracy guarantee on your taxes. In the market, there are other providers that include both full-service payroll and an accuracy guarantee at no additional cost.

As mentioned before, every business has unique payroll requirements. They can change depending on industry, company size, location, and more. So, whether you’re a church with parsonage allowances, or a restaurant processing tips, your payroll provider should be able to handle those requirements for you, and ideally at no additional cost.

QuickBooks and Paychex both serve a wide range of businesses and industries, but costs vary depending on your requirements and company size. Review feature lists carefully to make sure all your needs are covered.

Seamless integrations with other software and apps are also an important feature to look for. When data can flow freely between (for example) payroll, time-tracking and accounting solutions, it can help streamline your operations, save time, and reduce errors.

QuickBooks and Paychex are both equipped with a number of integration options for time-tracking and accounting software. However, Paychex charges additional fees for some accounting software integrations. QuickBooks Payroll includes integrations in its base price, and many business owners choose it under the assumption that it’s the best choice for integrating with QuickBooks Online and Desktop accounting software. In fact, other payroll providers offer more flexible QuickBooks integrations.

Getting your payroll reports organized the way you want them to is essential. Depending on the ways you may be working with your accountant or other business partners, flexibility in reporting allows you to analyze expenses and make better business decisions.

While both QuickBooks and Paychex offer reports, the flexibility and customization options are quite limited. Some payroll providers offer built-in report designers that let you customize and filter the data in real time, then save custom reports. This way, you don’t have to spend time exporting and organizing reports in spreadsheets. If payroll reporting is important to you, it’s worth taking a close look at it.