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List of the Best Payroll Services for Small Business Today

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Written By Editorial

Being a small business owner, making sure your employees get paid on time is a major task and a headache.

Payroll is a tricky job and every time you hire someone, you have thousands of little things to do. You have to fill out forms, sign checks, pay taxes, comply with regulations, and do billion of other human resources tasks to suffice. If you make even one single mistake, you are going to invite fines and fees.

So how do you get out of this? It is not like you can stop hiring people when the business is growing. Fortunately for business owners, there are several payroll services for small businesses.

There are companies that offer payroll management services to big and small businesses. Some accountants near me also provide payroll services or you can buy apps with payroll functionalities. 

Check out this list of best payroll services for small businesses:

Top 12 List of the Best Payroll Services for Small Business

1. Gusto

Gusto was previously known as ZenPayroll and is a favoured all-in-one payroll/HR/benefits system in the market. It is highly user-friendly that can automate several repetitive, boring jobs that are susceptible to mistakes.

Gusto can do basic payroll to 401(k), calculate workers’ compensation, and handle other errands, making it a complete package for your accounting work.

On top of it, the company even offers the ability to integrate Gusto with the accounting software you use for time-tracking, accounting, etc.

2. Intuit QuickBooks Payroll

Intuit QuickBooks Payroll is widely popular for its accounting abilities, but few people know about the tool’s payroll functionalities.

They have specifically created payroll plans for a small business that consists of basic payroll tasks to white gloves automated payroll and tax management. These plans are further coupled with a range of combination packages with the in-house accounting software, QuickBooks Online.

A small business owner can go through these plans and check with the combination packages to find the one that best suits their needs. 

3. OnPay

OnPay has been a top contender for the best payroll services for small businesses. And it has a good reason for that! The tool has been designed for small businesses, but it is flexible enough to be scaled up for mid-size businesses too. And that too without any compromise!

OnPay comes with easy system navigation that can help restaurant owners go through features custom-made for restaurants. It includes accounting employee tips that is a significant factor in restaurants and other similar industries.

Top 12 List of the Best Payroll Services for Small Business

4. Patriot Payroll

Patriot Payroll is a lesser-known payroll application than others but is equally capable of handling your payroll requirements. It comes with two plans specifically designed for small businesses and both offer free direct deposit, an employee portal, and a free payroll setup.

Patriot Payroll features easy, intuitive navigation at a cost that includes the whole program setup. It can run on any device reducing your need for a mobile app and it also comes with an accrual rule option to easily track employee PTO. 

5. Square Payroll

Square Payroll is for those small business owners, who want a fast, intuitive, effortless, and tech-friendly payroll solution.

The software is beneficial for retail businesses that are already using Square POS and work with freelancers or hourly employees. The hourly employees can log in and out from the Smart app and the app will take care of the taxes.

Square Payroll is cheaper than most of its competitors and yet, it offers a wide variety of features. It enables an owner to access 401(k), health insurance, and much more.

6. Paychex

Paychex offers payroll services to all businesses irrespective of their size. But their Paychex for small businesses is a gem of a tool.

Any business that has one to 49 employees should check Paychex which allows payroll, taxes, 401(k), health insurance, and HR management. The software is mobile-friendly and cloud-based service that is backed by a 24/7 support team to assist owners with any queries.

Some notable features are new-hire reporting, automated employment, multistate payroll capability, tax reporting and remittance.

7. Paycor

Paycor is a dependable tool that was designed for small to mid-size businesses. It was designed with the aim to provide payroll solutions for businesses with ten or fewer employees.

The feature list is a long one with direct deposit, an employee self-service option, and the capability to pay contractors. Paycor has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices with complete tax reporting and remittance.

If an owner wants, they can get HR resources in the top two plans with an onboarding feature only in the top plan.

8. Payroll4Free

Payroll4Free is a basic payroll application that is designed for small businesses with less than 25 employees. There is no tax filing and remittance in the free package but you can add the features for a small price.

The application comes with a generous number of features like deposit capability and a grid entry option for faster-entering payroll related data.

Payroll4Free has a basic interface that some people might find dated. But for those who can look past it, the application is easy to learn, and everything is within your vision range.

9. RUN Powered by ADP

ADP is among the most recognizable names on the payroll. They have designed and launched various applications for small businesses.

RUN is one of them that targets businesses with one to 49 employees.  You can use a simple dashboard to navigate with a useful menu bar above the dashboard to access extra functions.

The company offers four plans with RUN of which only the top two plans contain the most powerful features. While some features are reserved for higher plans, all of them get direct deposit, new employee onboarding, and feature to pay contractors.

10. Namely

Namely offers a complete package not just for payroll but for HR too. It is quite helpful when you want to cut back on those wasted hours on insignificant tasks.

The tool can automatically do benefits deductions, pay, and file your complete payroll taxes. It can also take care of year-end reports, time-tracking, and make sure the business is complying with rules.

You can also give your employees access to their paycheck histories with Namely. The additional features include help with employee benefits such as health insurance, life and disability insurance, commuter benefits, and wellness programs. 

11. Sage

Sage launched the Sage Payroll HCM and it is a cloud-based app that offers a lot more than just payroll management. The app is designed for small and mid-sized businesses, giving them different capabilities at a decent price.

Using Sage, you handle human resources, streamline the hiring process, onboarding, and retain employees.

There is even a career job portal that allows a business to manage their job postings through a single window. And the employee can use the Sage app to view your company’s policy manuals, training videos, and other related details. 

12. Wagepoint

Wagepoint is a simple payroll system for a small business. They make sure all the setup is easy and simple so that you can focus on your business.

It comes with direct deposit, year-end report, payroll taxes, file 1099s and W-2s, and online paystubs. You can even use Wagepoint to calculate bonuses, and commissions automatically.

The tool is easy-to-understand with minimal complexities to ensure a business owner wastes less time worrying about payroll. Since it is a pocket-friendly option, you won’t find many hi-tech features.

Bottom line: List of the best payroll services

As a small business owner, spend your time researching all the payroll services available.

And if you are unhappy with the one you are using, simply cancel it and look for another one. Or, you can even consult small business accountants. But make sure you keep your own payroll records for future references.

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