Managing payroll is one of the most critical yet complex tasks for small businesses. It involves ensuring that employees are paid accurately and on time while complying with tax regulations and labor laws. With limited resources and growing workloads, small businesses can benefit from using payroll software in their daily activities. A payroll program for small businesses automates and simplifies the process of calculating employee wages, withholdings, and deductions.
Why is A Payroll Program Important for Small Businesses?
Accurate payroll management plays a crucial role in maintaining employee satisfaction, preventing non-compliance penalties, and boosting business efficiency. For small businesses, automating payroll provides significant advantages such as;
- Saves time: Payroll software automates repetitive tasks like calculating deductions, generating pay stubs, and filing taxes, making the entire process easy.
- Ensures compliance: The software keeps up with constantly changing tax regulations, ensuring your business meets legal requirements without hassle.
- Reduces errors: By automating payroll, the risk of manual miscalculations decreases, preventing costly overpayments or underpayments.
- Boosts employee satisfaction: Timely and accurate payroll builds employee trust and morale, contributing to a more positive workplace.
- Enhances security: Payroll software protects sensitive employee information with encryption and secure access, safeguarding your data.
Here are the best payroll programs that small businesses can use for efficient payroll management.
1. Gusto
Gusto mobile interface integrates with accounting and time-tracking software. With the autopilot feature, you can ensure your employees are always paid on time while having the flexibility to customize pay schedules whenever you wish. Additionally, the payroll services come with a minimal learning curve, making it easy for HR teams to manage payroll efficiently. Gusto’s hiring and onboarding features support small businesses in handling essential HR tasks. Even the base plan is capable of managing complex calculations, such as wage garnishments, holiday pay, and tip credits.
Pricing – $40/month + $6 per employee
2. Deel
Deel simplifies payroll and HR tasks for your entire workforce, regardless of their location. Its user-friendly interface handles advanced payroll functions, including contract and stock option management, expense reimbursements, and compliance tracking for every client. Deel offers flexible payment options, enabling businesses to pay contractors through fixed plans, per-project arrangements, or a pay-as-you-go model. One standout feature is its support for multiple payroll cycles, allowing businesses to process payroll weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Pricing-$19 per month. A free version of Deel is available, which is best suited for small businesses needing basic HR functions.
3. Rippling
Rippling enables you to send payments through checks or direct deposit, depending on your business setup. Your employees can access Rippling’s mobile app to view their pay stubs and request time off. You can also use the payroll solution to track hourly work by location, client, or task while managing employee benefits and paid time off (PTO). Pricing for Rippling starts at $8 per user per month, and a free demo is available.
4. OnPay
5. TriNet
TriNet payroll program for small businesses provides 24/7 support and access to a comprehensive range of HR services, benefit options, payroll services, risk mitigation, and a robust technology platform. With its mobile app designed for iOS and Android, you can run payroll from anywhere, and you can maintain paperless operations through electronic pay stubs and tax forms. TriNet’s self-service platform empowers employees to enroll in direct deposit, update their personal information, and request paid time off.
Pricing: see website
6. Paycor
Paycor simplifies your payroll process with automation as a human resources and online payroll software. This solution integrates seamlessly with accounting software, enabling you to set up automated payroll and easily manage employee benefits. Team members can access all their documents and benefits information through Paycor’s mobile-friendly self-service portal. Additionally, the software automatically updates its system whenever tax laws and employment regulations change, ensuring your business remains compliant.
Pricing: Paycor charges $99 per month, plus $5 for each employee each month. Qualifying businesses can use the solution for free for three months.
7. SurePayroll
SurePayroll delivers cloud-based payroll services tailored for small businesses. It calculates and files taxes, processes payroll, handles direct deposits, and integrates with accounting and time-tracking tools. With a user-friendly interface, mobile app functionality, and a suite of HR tools, it serves as a versatile solution for small business payroll needs.
Pricing: $20/month base fee + $4/employee.
8. Remofirst
Remofirst transforms payroll and benefits management for global and remote teams. It offers a comprehensive human resources information system (HRIS) and serves as an employer of record (EOR), centralizing all HR operations on one platform. Companies of all sizes use the software to manage payroll, provide employee benefits, and track international employees and contractors. With the payroll management system, you can pay employees and contractors in multiple currencies.
9. Paychex
Paychex offers small business payroll services that simplify payroll processing for companies with 1-19 employees. You can streamline payroll, benefits, workforce management, talent management, and the employee experience through a secure platform supported by experienced professionals. Small business owners benefit from insightful payroll reports, making Paychex an excellent choice for managing and scaling their businesses.
Pricing: See website
10. Payroll4Free
Payroll4Free offers free online payroll software for small businesses with up to 10 employees. Its completely free plan provides several useful features for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. These features include payroll processing, direct deposits, tax calculations and forms, vacation tracking, software integrations, HR functions, reporting, and live customer support.
11. Wave Payroll
Wave Payroll offers features like unlimited free direct deposits, self-service check printing, payroll reminders, customer support, employee holds, tax filings where applicable, and paystubs and tax forms for employees. You can also take advantage of a free 30-day trial to see if it’s right for your startup. Keep in mind that while the accounting and invoicing software is free, the company charges for its payroll software and payroll tax services, so be sure to check the details.
12. myHR Partner
This payroll program for small businesses is a comprehensive HR outsourcing company that provides HR solutions for businesses. They deliver services, including payroll management, compliance management, benefits administration, and employee relations. myHR Partner ensures accurate and timely payroll, helping reduce your internal administrative burden. They take care of everything for small business owners, from entering payroll and managing commissions, paid time off, and deductions, to handling year-end responsibilities.
13. Xero
Xero’s online accounting software calculates deductions, helps you pay employees, and keeps your payroll records accurate. The payroll suite provides basic functions for businesses that don’t need advanced features. It enables businesses to manage recurring pay runs efficiently, ensuring accurate wage, tax, and deduction calculations. Users can quickly enter employee hours and rates, replicate previous pay runs, and manage payslips digitally via email or print, reducing administrative tasks and improving payroll accuracy.
14. RUN by ADP
ADP’s RUN payroll and HR platform helps small businesses manage payroll and tax services quickly and accurately. It automates payroll tax calculations, filings, benefits, and retirement deductions while ensuring compliance with state and federal tax laws. Designed for companies with 1-49 employees, the platform’s user-friendly features simplify payroll processing by automating wage calculations, tax deductions, and benefits.
15. Heartland Payroll
Heartland Payroll, an online payroll processing platform, gives you on-demand access to payroll and HR professionals for tax filing, labor law compliance, and document preparation. This web-based workforce management solution adapts to fit your business needs. With Heartland Payroll’s reporting capabilities, you can efficiently manage payroll taxes while staying compliant with local laws.
16. Justworks
Justworks Payroll is a cloud-based payroll program designed to simplify payments for small businesses. It allows you to pay employees, contractors, and vendors easily, offering features like automated deposits, one-off payments, and payroll tax filings. The platform automates direct deposits for full-time and part-time employees, simplifying the entire payroll process.
17. Patriot Payroll
Patriot Payroll from Patriot Software integrates human resource (HR) and payroll management to streamline various processes for managing payroll payments and tax submissions. The solution provides tools to maintain payroll records, print checks, establish direct deposits into bank accounts, generate payroll reports, and submit state and federal taxes.
18. Paylocity
Paylocity’s HRIS for small businesses delivers integrated HR and payroll solutions specifically designed for growing businesses like yours. It also includes tools for expense management, tax services, on-demand payment, and hassle-free garnishment. Paylocity’s small business payroll software provides an intuitive and modern platform for efficient payroll processing. With Paylocity, you can trust accurate tax compliance through automated calculation, payment, and filing, which encompasses quarterly and year-end reporting.
19. Namely
Namely helps small and mid-sized businesses streamline their payroll and employee administration processes. Its payroll functionality, an add-on to the HR platform, offers employee onboarding, analytics, reporting, and tax filing features in one place, along with other HR features. It enables companies to calculate and issue paychecks, track taxes and deductions, and receive expert assistance with benefits insurance.
20. Sage Payroll
Sage Payroll Services lets you manage your employees’ pay and payslips while enabling you to file your taxes and handle employee data. This easy-to-use, cloud-based payroll solution suits businesses of all sizes. With Sage Business Cloud Payroll, managers can efficiently oversee all payroll-related tasks, including paycheck processing, tax and deductions management, and leave management. The customer support team offers 24/7 assistance. Additionally, by integrating with Sage Accounting, managers can track all payroll expenses.
In conclusion, managing payroll is a vital yet intricate responsibility for small businesses. With the right payroll software, you simplify this complex task, ensuring that your employees are paid accurately and on time while staying compliant with tax regulations and labor laws. The benefits of using any payroll program for small businesses extend beyond efficiency; they save time, reduce errors, and enhance employee satisfaction. By using one of the many available solutions, you can focus on what truly matters—growing your business and supporting your team.