Payroll software is a must nowadays for any kind of business, does not matter how small it is. The tool is necessary to pay all your employees on time and understand your growth. There are many payroll software available online and to find the best one for your business can be hard. This is why we will talk about the best services you should try for your business in 2021 to get the best results. Without wasting any more time, let us dive in.
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Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses
1. Gusto Payroll
Starting off the list, first, we have Gusto Payroll. This is one of the best payroll programs as it comes with a full package of features at a reasonable price. Other than being a payroll software, it is also a benefit, self-service, health benefits, customer support and HR platform curated for small business in mind. All of these features are available for $45 a month ($39 as a base price and then an additional $4 per person per month). Also, there is an option for contractor-only employers, where you need to pay $6 per employee without any base price.
If you want more features like admin permission, PTO approvals and tracking, employee directory and survey etc you can get that with the same $39 base plan and an additional $12 per employee per month. With their Concierge plan, which costs $149 per month and an additional $12 per employee per month, you will get features like dedicated customer support, certified HR professionals and HR resource centre, which is, to be honest, overkill for small businesses.
2. QuickBooks Payroll
Another great alternative to Gusto is QuickBooks Payroll service. You might be already using QuickBook Accounting Software or QuickBooks Online and those will seamlessly work with it. They offer 3 packages. The first one costs $13.50 per month, along with $4 per employee per month for the first three months. This plan gives features like calculate paychecks, pay your employees, and calculate and file year-end forms. After the first three months, the base cost will increase to $45 per month.
With their second variant, you will be able to unlock some extra features, like payroll tax, same-day deposit, free W-2s filling, HR support centre, user-based permissions etc. The plan will cost $22.50 as the base rate for the first three months and then will rise to $75. Along with it, per employee, the cost will be $8 per month. Their most expensive plan includes features like an employee onboarding, penalty-free tax guarantee, time tracking with geo-fencing and a personal HR advisor. For the first three months, the base cost will be $37.50 and later on $125 per month with $10 for every employee.
3. Patriot Payroll
Next on the list, we got Patriot Payroll, which comes in two versions and both are good for small businesses. Their base plan costs only $10 a month with $4 per employee. It will offer features like payroll set up and support, direct deposit payment and flexible payment schedule. Also, you can add additional features like time and attendance tracking and HR software with a small extra fee.
Their full service cost $30 per month, plus $4 per month per employee. For the extra cost, you will unlock features like W-2s and W-3s filling, state tax filling and local tax filling. The extra features we talked about earlier can also be added to this plan.
4. Payroll4Free
If you just started a business and do not want to spend anything for payroll software, Payroll4Free will be the best option for you. Their basic features are available for free until you have 25 employees enlisted. The features of this plan are direct deposit, tax calculation, software integration, HR advisor, live customer support etc.
In case you surpasses the 25 employee limit or need any extra features you will need to pay $12.50 per month. The plan comes with additional features, which are deposit and file your taxes directly. If you need to transfer funds directly to employee’s bank accounts the extra cost will be $12.50 a month. So as you can see, the extra costs will unlock just two extra features, which are not necessary to start out.
5. ADP Payroll
Advanced-Data Processing or ADP is the next program on our list. They offer four plans to choose from called Essential, Enhanced, Complete, and HR Pro plans. None of the pricing is directly available on their website, so you will need to ask their customer support for the pricing. All of their plans include features like direct deposit, payroll delivery, reporting, W-2s and 1099s, tax filling, discounts etc.
If you need additional features you will need to for the other three plans and those include human resources management. But to start with I can assure their basic plan will be fine. Also, it is a good choice if you want your payroll program in any tablet or a smartphone.
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6. OnPay Payroll
If your business pay hourly and contract workers, OnPay will be a good choice for you. They provide only on the plan, but that is enough for any kind of businesses. The plan will cost $36 per month and then an additional $4 per month per person. Not only contract workers, but the employee you are adding on the service can also work full time or part-time.
Their offering comes with features like tax filing and payment, W-2 and 1099 forms, direct deposit to employees, payroll reports and time tracking. You can use their desktop or smartphone client to do all the work, thanks to their cloud-based servers. To pay someone you will need to enter their hours or wages.
7. Paychex
Next on the list is Paychex which offers different plans for different kind of businesses and for your small business you can start with their Express Payroll program. Just like ADP, their pricing is not available readily on the website. So if you are interested you will need to ask their customer support. The basic plan includes features like hire reporting, 24/7 phone and chat support, financial wellness program, direct deposit etc.
As you go higher with the other plans you will unlock features like dedicated payroll specialist, pay employee via check, analytics and reporting. The other plans are called Paychex Flex Select, Paychex Flex Pro, and Paychex Flex Enterprise. But as mentioned earlier, for a small business, those are not necessary.
8. Square Payroll
For the point of sale product, Square is already popular and they also offer payroll services. Their full plan costs $29 per month with an additional $5 per employee. The best features of the program are health benefits, PTO and sick leave tracking, hour tracking, tax filling etc. On the other hand, if you pay only contractors, it has a plan that costs only $5 per contractor per month.
If you are already using Square point of sale service, adding their Payroll program will make it easy for the employees to easily clock in and out. These two programs can easily sync with each other, providing detailed data of your company.
9. Zenefits Payroll
Closing to the ending, we have Zenefits Payroll which is a comprehensive option which also comes with many benefits. For example, the payroll plan can easily integrate with HR, benefits, and time and scheduling plans. The tool comes with every time of integration for productivity, applicant tracking, retirement savings and many more.
There are three main plans for Zenefits Payroll which are Essentials, Growth and Zen. The cost of the plans is $10, $18 and $27 per month per employee. As you increase the price, you will unlock additional features. The basic plan includes payroll reminder, direct deposit, multiple pay rates, informational pay stubs etc.
10. Wave Payroll
Finally, we have Wave Payroll which you might already know about. They are most famous for free accounting and invoicing. Although, their payroll program is not free but comes with great features and can seamlessly integrate with accounting platform. Their plan costs $35 per month, plus $6 per employee or contractor. In the states where taxes are considered as self-service, the base price is decreased to $20.
The main features of the service are unlimited and free direct deposit, self-service check printing, payroll reminders, customer support, the employee holds, tax filling and pay stubs. As the price is low and you can add as many employees you want, this is one of the best services for any small businesses.
Wrapping Up
Now as you are familiar with all the best free and paid payroll services for 2021, you should be able to find the best one for you. I will suggest, if you are just starting out go for Payroll4Free and then jump shift to another program as you understand all the basics of this kind of programs. If you liked the article do check out our Android application to stay updated whenever we post a new one.
