Robie Ann Ferrer

The best payroll software for accountants makes it easy to handle payroll for many clients. It should integrate with accounting software, have a dashboard to manage multiple clients, and offer benefits specific to the needs of CPAs. Below are our seven top-recommended payroll software for accountants. : Best overall payroll software for accountants : Best for advertising accountant payroll services : Best human resources (HR), payroll, and information technology (IT) tools to manage remote employees : Best for managing client payroll duties : Best affordable payroll for accountants : Best continuing education perks for accountants : Best customizable client billing tools Best Payroll Software for Accountants Compared All the payroll systems we reviewed provide the essential tools that accountants need to process client payroll, such as salary calculations and deductions, direct deposit payments, and tax administration services. These providers also offer access to employee benefits plans (except Patriot Payroll), new hire onboarding, and employee self-service tools. Below are some of the key features. *Pricing is based on a quote we received. **Access to the providers’ accounting software may require additional fees. Top Payroll for Accounting Quiz QuickBooks Payroll for Accountants: Best Overall Payroll Software for Accountants If you use QuickBooks for your clients, then we highly recommend QuickBooks Payroll for Accountants. It lets you set client permissions, guarantees tax accuracy, and includes 24/7 support—plus, its accounting and payroll modules sync seamlessly with each other. If you sign up for its free QuickBooks Online Accountant solution, you can access your clients’ QuickBooks accounts easily to check their books, edit transactions, and address issues. It even comes with free access to QuickBooks Payroll Elite, which you can use to pay your employees, discount pricing for your clients, a revenue share option, and a partner ProAdvisor program with preferential rates for both you and your customers. Scoring an overall of 4.68 out of 5 in our evaluation, QuickBooks Payroll for Accountants earned high marks (4 and above) in nearly all of our criteria, given its solid accounting and payroll solutions, ease of use, robust reporting, and transparent pricing. Users also appreciate its efficient payroll tools as it helps simplify employee pay processing. However, its limited HR tools prevented it from getting a perfect rating because, unlike Gusto and Paychex, QuickBooks doesn’t have a suite of HR solutions for managing the entire employee lifecycle. Gusto: Best Payroll Software for Accountants Who Want Help Marketing Their Payroll Services is a highly rated and popular payroll service that provides HR support. It offers an accountant partnership program that goes beyond supplying client payroll and includes certification programs and marketing venues for getting more clients. With Gusto Plus, you get a client dashboard and tools to help you serve your customers well. In our evaluation, Gusto earned an overall rating of 4.38 out of 5, with perfect scores in pricing, popularity, and reporting capabilities. It lost some points for fewer HR features than others on our list and for not providing insurance in all 50 states (unavailable in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming), although it does offer online onboarding. However, users still love its efficient payroll and tax filing services, plus they find its features robust given its price. Rippling for Accountants: Best Payroll Software for Accountants With Clients Looking for Payroll, HR & IT Tools Compared to the other providers in this guide, allows you to provide clients with a wider range of solutions given its modular HR, payroll, benefits, and IT tools. It even has efficient computer devices and apps provisioning and deprovisioning processes plus Rippling can store your unused computers in its warehouse for safekeeping. However, its partner accountant program isn’t as robust as Paychex’s with its continuing professional education (CPE) webinars. Aside from a client dashboard, Rippling only provides discounts for your clients and free payroll, dedicated support, and HR tools for your firm. Scoring an overall of 4.33 out of 5 in our evaluation, Rippling received ratings of 4 and up in all of our criteria, with perfect marks in reporting and popularity. Many users like its intuitive interface and the seamless integration between its products. However, its paid HR advisory services and lack of a dedicated payroll specialist (similar to what Paychex offers to its clients) prevented Rippling from ranking higher on our list. OnPay: Best Payroll Software for Accountants Needing Flexible Permissions to Manage Client Payroll Duties lets you provide clients with payroll, essential HR tools, and benefits options available in all 50 states. Its software has six levels of system permissions (more robust than the other providers in this guide), allowing you to manage client payroll and user access efficiently as well as delegate pay processing tasks, such as payroll approvals, to customers. If you want to streamline HR tasks across multiple business software like accounting, consider Rippling, as it offers customizable workflow triggers that work with its 500-plus partner systems. For its accountant partner program, you get a client dashboard and an incentive scheme that lets you choose between revenue sharing and discounted pricing. What we like best about OnPay for Accountants is that you get free payroll software for your firm without having to meet client limits or add a customer to your client base every year (like QuickBooks Payroll). The platform earned an overall rating of 4.24 out of 5 in our evaluation. It received scores of 4 and above in nearly all of our criteria, given its HR functionalities, reporting capabilities, efficient payroll tools, and affordably priced plan that many users appreciate. It would have ranked higher on our list had it offered an in-house accounting software like QuickBooks and Patriot do. Patriot Payroll for Accountants: Best for Accounting Firms That Want an Affordable Payroll Tool , which is the least expensive option in this guide, lets you handle client payroll efficiently. It also comes with time tracking and basic HR solutions for monitoring staff work hours, creating overtime rules, and managing an online employee database. While these tools are paid add-ons, adding both to Patriot’s payroll platform makes it ideal for your clients who employ mostly hourly workers and want to accurately capture employee attendance. In our evaluation, Patriot Payroll earned 4.07 out of 5, with perfect marks in reporting, pricing, and popularity among users. It also received high scores in accountant-specific and pay processing tools, given its helpful client dashboard, seamless integration with its accounting software, including QuickBooks, and the ease of running payroll with Patriot. It scored the lowest in HR features because it lacks onboarding, state new hire reporting, and benefits options. Paychex for Accountants: Best Payroll Software for Accountants Looking for Continuing Education Perks payroll and HR software for accounting professionals offers technology and partnerships that help you provide excellent service for your clients. It starts with a client dashboard, called AccountantHQ, where you can work with clients to run payroll (through its Paychex Flex solution) or run it yourself. Next, it adds HR tools like onboarding, new hire reporting, background checks, and hiring services. On top of that, it includes access to professional education webinars, compliance support, resources and tools to help improve client relationships, and a dedicated account services team of accountant relationship managers. In our evaluation, Paychex earned an overall of 4.05 out of 5. It scored the lowest in pricing because most of its HR and payroll products require you to call for a quote. It also charges by pay run, making it more expensive for most clients. Nonetheless, it offers a terrific range of payroll and tax filing services, including a dedicated payroll specialist. You can offer clients HR support, given Paychex’s wide selection of online tools—from hiring and employee benefits to learning management and even PEO services. SurePayroll for Accountants: Best Payroll Software for Accountants Who Want Customizable Client Billing Tools is a Paychex company and offers many of the same services, but it’s a simpler and less expensive software. In addition to full-service payroll, tax filings, basic HR tools, and access to benefits options, it offers a partner program for accountants with a platform for managing clients, dedicated support, and wholesale pricing. It also provides white-label branding features that allow you to customize its client portal. For an additional fee, you can use its Revenue Share option to manage client billings. This allows you to set specific markup fees for each client and send them invoices. In our evaluation, SurePayroll received an overall rating of 4 out of 5, earning high marks of 4 and above in pricing, HR tools, payroll functionalities, and reporting. While it offers efficient payroll and accountant tools and has mostly positive feedback on online review sites, it scored the lowest in popularity among users since its average number of reviews on third-party sites is below 500. How We Evaluated the Best Payroll Software for Accountants The first thing we looked for is payroll software with partner programs specific to accountants. The software also needed to provide more than discounted pricing, so we checked for client dashboards and benefits specific for accountants. Then, we compared essential features, such as pay runs, tax filings, and HR tools. Finally, we considered the price for clients and accountants. Click through the tabs below for a more detailed breakdown of our evaluation criteria. Bottom Line Finding payroll software that also offers an accounting solution is critical if you’re offering payroll accounting services. It makes bookkeeping easy and doesn’t require you to input payroll-related data manually into your books since its accounting and payroll tools integrate seamlessly with each other. If you have preferred accounting software, check if it offers payroll and vice versa. Then, consider the needs of your clients and add-on solutions that would be helpful to you and your customers, such as basic HR and benefits options. We find QuickBooks Payroll is the best payroll software for accountants managing small businesses because you can use its integrated payroll and accounting platform to transfer payroll data to the general ledger, saving you time from doing it yourself. It also offers free payroll for your company, a client dashboard, a revenue share option, and discounted rates for you and your clients.

The best payroll apps make it easy for employers to manage payroll directly from their smartphones or tablets. Most are free to download, although you have to pay providers’ subscription fees to use their software. Some mobile payroll apps won’t let you e-file payroll taxes through its system, whereas others have full-service functionality so that you can run payroll, pay employees and taxes, and approve time all via the app. To find the best payroll apps for small businesses, we evaluated 15 solutions and narrowed the list down to our top six recommendations: : Best overall, especially for restaurants and retail shops using Square POS : Best for solopreneurs and growing businesses that require flexible plans and dedicated payroll support : Best for startups needing solid HR payroll tools and access to payroll financing services : Best for businesses looking for a self-service app that allows employees to run payroll themselves : Best for tech-savvy small business owners that want a low-cost, chat-based mobile payroll tool : Best for employers with simple payroll needs (no major reporting or customization requirements) Best Downloadable Payroll Apps Compared While all the payroll apps in this guide are free to download, you need a paid software subscription to use its tools. These apps also allow you to view basic reports and process wage payments for employees and contractors. Below are some of the key features. *Promotions may change at any time. Visit the providers’ websites to check the latest promos on offer. **Note that you have to upgrade to Fingercheck’s 360 plan ($59 + $10 per employee monthly) to enjoy its mobile payroll features. ***Pricing is for the Full-Service payroll and tax filing plan. SurePayroll also has a “No Tax Filing” option ($19.99 + $4 per employee monthly) where you handle tax form submissions yourself. Top Payroll Apps Quiz Square Payroll: Best for Retailers & Restaurants Using Square POS That Need Fast Employee Payments The seamless integration between and Square POS makes it easy for retail shops and restaurants to accept payments and track employees’ work hours from mobile devices. That data is transferred directly to its payroll system, which can even handle tip reporting. This is much simpler than signing up with a provider like QuickBooks Payroll and having to research and install POS systems that integrate with it manually. Square Payroll earned an overall score of 4.08 out of 5 in our evaluation. It got ratings of 3 and higher in nearly all of our criteria, given its affordability, ease of use, efficient payroll tools, instant payment options―if you have a Square Payments account―and helpful HR features that include benefits and basic timekeeping. The criteria where it got low scores (2.5 and below) are reporting―fewer than 60 standard reports―and popularity, as the average user reviews online are below 500. Note, also, that the Square Payroll app is available only for employers. Your employees will have to download the Square Team App to check their pay stubs, view their hours worked, and access tax forms (W-2s and 1099s). This is unlike Fingercheck, Roll by ADP, and Paychex, which offer a single app for both employers and employees. However, many users still appreciate its straightforward interface that makes mobile pay processing quick and easy. Meanwhile, some users said that its app is glitchy and that its customer support isn’t always responsive. With just a few clicks, you can pay employees easily via the Square Payroll app. (Source: Square Payroll) Square Payroll Standout Features Paychex: Best for Solopreneurs & Growing Businesses That Require Flexible Plans & Dedicated Payroll Support is great for solopreneurs and growing businesses because it offers flexible payroll and HR plans. You can start with its Paychex Solo solution for solopreneurs and then transition to Paychex Flex—and maybe even its professional employer organization (PEO) option—if you need to offer competitive benefits or want to outsource more of the HR and compliance function to a team vs doing it yourself. Paychex’s mobile app is for its Paychex Flex product, and unlike the other providers on this list except for Roll by ADP, it has functionalities for both employers and employees. Aside from processing payroll, employers can use the mobile app to access staff profiles, pay slips, tax documents, and health insurance enrollment information. Meanwhile, employees can check their pay stubs, Form W-2s, PTO balances, health insurance benefit details, and more. Scoring 3.93 out of 5, Paychex received high marks in nearly all the criteria with perfect scores in HR, user popularity, and reporting features because it has more than 60 canned reports. It received the lowest score in pricing given its nontransparent fees. User feedback about its mobile apps is also mixed—several reviewers commented that it is convenient to use while some said that it is glitchy, crashes a lot, and loads slowly at times. With the Paychex app, you can process payroll and provide employees access to benefits, pay slips, and PTO details. (Source: Paychex) Paychex Standout Features Fingercheck: Best for Startups or Small Businesses Needing HR Payroll Tools & Payroll Financing Services has a well-rounded HR platform and mobile app for startups and small businesses. Apart from payroll, it has all the essential tools you need to manage employee attendance, schedules, benefits plans, hiring, and onboarding. It’s the only provider on our list that offers payroll financing—a great option for startups to secure funds in time for payroll. Fingercheck’s mobile app is packed with features. Employers and employees will use the same app with different features according to the role. For employers, the app lets you process or cancel payroll, run all reports, edit staff information, view time sheets and punch details, modify or create schedules, and onboard new employees anytime. Employers will also set up their employees’ access to the app. The app even lets administrators switch seamlessly between the administrator and employee accounts without logging out. In our evaluation, Fingercheck scored an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, with high marks (4 and up) in HR and payroll functionalities, as well as pricing. While it earned good ratings in ease of use, reporting, and mobile-specific features, its low number of user reviews on popular websites brought its overall score down. However, those who left feedback on Google Play and the App Store like its simple, yet efficient mobile app, while others said that it can be clunky to use and has occasional bugs. Fingercheck lets you run or cancel payroll right from your mobile phone. (Source: Fingercheck) Fingercheck Standout Features Paycom’s Beti: Best for Employee Self-service Payroll Runs Similar to Roll by ADP, app is one of the more unique products in the market. It provides a step-by-step guide for employees to review and approve their own payroll before specified paydays. This enables business owners to spend less time managing pay processes and more time focusing on projects to help grow their company. What’s also great about Paycom is its feature-rich solution suite, which includes basic to advanced HR tools—from recruiting and benefits administration to learning management and compensation planning. Plus, the seamless integration between Paycom’s solutions (such as time tracking and expense management) makes it easy for Beti to pull payroll-related data, like compensation changes, employee pay rates, approved business expense claims, and actual hours worked. Scoring 3.82 out of 5 in our evaluation, Paycom’s Beti posted high ratings of 4 and up in HR, payroll, and mobile app-specific pay processing functionalities. It received the lowest score in pricing because of its nontransparent pricing and setup fees. However, many users rated its mobile apps positively with several reviewers praising its ease of use. On the other hand, some users complained about having experienced slow loading pages, login issues, and mobile app glitches. Paycom’s Beti has in-app help guides and an “Ask Here” button that employees can use if they need assistance or have paycheck issues. (Source: Paycom) Paycom Beti’s Standout Features Roll by ADP: Best for Tech-savvy Business Owners Looking for an Affordable, Chat-based Payroll App is the only mobile app in this guide that lets you run payroll and set up staff profiles online through chat commands. While its chat-based mobile system may take some getting used to, its smart in-app assistant can help guide you through its functionalities in addition to running error checks and sending proactive alerts. Plus, similar to Square Payroll, it offers an affordable plan, costing only $29 plus $5 per employee monthly. This makes it a good option for small businesses that require low-cost yet smart mobile payroll tools without all the features of cloud-based payroll software. With an overall score of 3.20 out of 5, Roll by ADP earned ratings of 3.5 and above in pricing, payroll tools, and mobile-app functionalities. It scored the lowest in reporting and ease of use because it has limited reports and customization options, lacks phone support and employee benefits plans, and doesn’t integrate with third-party solutions (as of this writing). You may need time adjusting to using its chat commands. In terms of user feedback, those who left reviews on Google Play and the App Store said they appreciate its affordability and fast payroll runs. However, several are unhappy about the occasional app glitches and long wait times for chat support. With Roll by ADP, you simply need to type the chat command to run and submit your payroll. (Source: ADP Roll) Roll by ADP Standout Features SurePayroll: Best for Small Business Owners With Simple Payroll Needs The app is designed for small businesses that need to run payroll without all of the extra features that Square Payroll, Fingercheck, and Paychex offers. Its Full Service package calculates and files your payroll taxes plus pays employees—but it charges extra if your business grows and expands to additional states. It even offers small businesses two months of free payroll service as of this writing, making it easy for you to try it out risk-free. However, your staff will have to download an employee-specific SurePayroll app for viewing pay slips, PTO balances, retirement deductions and contribution rates, and tax forms. If you prefer having only one app for both employers and employees, then try either Fingercheck, Roll by ADP, or Paychex. In our evaluation of the best payroll apps, SurePayroll earned an overall score of 3.11 out of 5. It posted ratings of 3 and up in pricing, reporting, ease of use, and payroll functionalities but received the lowest ratings in mobile app-specific features and popularity given its lack of in-app PTO tracking tools and the limited number of average user reviews online (fewer than 500), respectively. Several users also complained about its “clunky” app that crashes most of the time. Other reviewers, on the other hand, like its user-friendly and intuitive interface. With SurePayroll, you can preview and submit payroll summaries for approval while on the go. (Source: SurePayroll) SurePayroll Standout Features Still not seeing what you’re looking for? Check out our guide to the best payroll software for small businesses. How We Chose the Best Payroll Apps We looked at pricing—software subscription fees and whether the app is free—ease of use, payroll functionalities, and HR features such as online onboarding, new hire reporting, and benefits administration. We rated each function on a 5-star scale designed to assess payroll apps. To see our full evaluation criteria for best payroll apps, click through the tabs in the box below. Payroll App Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Bottom Line Using mobile apps to manage payroll out of the office is a necessity for many business owners. Those that are considered good are designed to provide payroll services that help employers pay their staff accurately and on time and avoid potential tax-filing penalties. The best payroll apps for your business also depend on the type of workers you hire (employees versus contractors), your compliance needs, and whether or not you have in-house payroll or HR support staff to handle employee pay processing. Our recommendation for the best payroll app is Square Payroll. It lets you run payroll, manage tax deductions, track PTO, access benefits plans, and set up automatic pay runs all from your mobile device. Moreover, it’s easy to use and integrates with Square POS seamlessly—a plus for retail shops and restaurants already using the provider’s point-of-sale software. Sign up for a Square Payroll plan today.

Gusto is an excellent choice for small businesses as it offers reasonably priced plans―starting at $40 plus $6 per employee monthly―and has a wide range of payroll and basic human resources (HR) functions. However, it may not fit every company’s needs and budget. In that case, a top competitor’s product may be the best option. For this guide, we looked at a dozen payroll software and narrowed the list down to nine best Gusto competitors. : Best (overall) for small businesses needing all-in-one HR payroll system : Best for small retailers and restaurants, especially those using Square POS : Best for QuickBooks accounting users and employers wanting fast direct deposit options : Best for tech-heavy companies : Best for scalable payroll solutions : Best for robust tools to delegate payroll tasks and analyze labor costs : Best for startups and small companies that need flexible payroll plans : Best for budget-conscious small businesses and household employers : Best for one-location businesses Top Gusto Competitors Compared All the Gusto alternatives on our list (and Gusto) offer full-service payroll, automatic tax calculations and tax filings, paid time off (PTO) tracking, and a self-service portal where employees can view pay stubs and access their personal information. Below are each software’s standout features. *Monthly fee is based on a quote we received. **Pricing is for the Full Service payroll plan. The provider also offers a low-cost self-service option with do-it-yourself (DIY) payroll tax filings. ***Note that Homebase Payroll is a paid add-on to the Homebase scheduling and time tracking platform, which has a free plan for one-location businesses. Best Gusto Competitors Monthly Pricing Calculator Use our online calculator to compute and compare the estimated monthly and annual fees for Gusto and our top-recommended Gusto alternatives. TriNet Zenefits: Best Gusto Competitor for Small Businesses Looking for an All-in-One HR Payroll Solution At its core, is primarily an HR software with payroll capabilities. Similar to Rippling and Homebase Payroll, it offers its pay processing tools as a paid add-on. It’s ideal for small businesses needing an all-in-one HR payroll software because it has a wide suite of HR solutions—more robust than those of Gusto and the other providers in this guide. It helps you hire, onboard, and pay employees while allowing you to track PTO, plan work schedules, and monitor staff attendance. It even comes with compensation planning tools and custom salary benchmark reports to help you understand how much to pay employees. While its per-employee monthly fees may seem budget-friendly, you may end up having to pay more, especially if you have many employees. This makes TriNet Zenefits one of the most expensive Gusto alternatives on our list―Rippling is another―with estimated annual fees of $1,920 for a business with 10 employees. TriNet Zenefits Features Square Payroll: Best Gusto Competitor for Small Retail Shops and Restaurants is a popular payroll system for small retailers and restaurants, especially those already using Square’s point-of-sale (POS) solution. It handles payroll for both contractors and employees, calculates and files taxes, manages benefits, and has free time tracking—a bonus for those who employ hourly workers. However, its standard four-day direct deposit timeline is slower than Gusto’s and most of the other competitors in this guide. The provider made our list of best Gusto alternatives because it offers unlimited pay runs at no extra charge and imports tips and commissions from Square POS automatically into its payroll module for processing. It also syncs seamlessly with QuickBooks Online and other third-party timecard partners. Plus, unlike the other Gusto competitors we reviewed, Square Payroll has a contractor-only payroll plan that’s cheaper than Gusto’s at $5 per contractor monthly vs $35 plus $6 per contractor monthly. Square Payroll Features QuickBooks Payroll: Best Gusto Competitor for QuickBooks Users is a great payroll software for small business owners already using or planning to use QuickBooks accounting. Data flows seamlessly between the two solutions, making it easy to capture payroll details for your accounting ledgers. QuickBooks Payroll offers online employee onboarding tools, access to employee benefits, and more. However, it doesn’t handle local tax filings automatically unless you upgrade to its higher tiers—a feature that Gusto and the other providers on our list offer in their starter plans. What sets QuickBooks Payroll apart from Gusto and its alternatives is its robust tax penalty protection. This program, which is included in the premium Elite plan, covers all tax penalty fees and interests up to $25,000 per year, regardless of who made the error. Note that most providers may have a similar penalty protection program, but it’s only for tax filing mistakes that they make. QuickBooks Payroll Features Rippling: Best Gusto Competitor for Tech-heavy Businesses Needing HR, IT & Payroll Tools offers a wide range of integrated and modular HR, payroll, and IT products. Its core platform is a workforce management solution, wherein payroll and other modules like benefits, app management, and HR help desk are paid add-ons. It offers an excellent payroll feature set with automatic tax calculations, tax filing services, and year-end tax reporting. It also has online tools to help you handle onboarding and offboarding, time and attendance, document management, and benefits administration. The program also has essential IT solutions for managing business apps and company computers assigned to employees, and it can store units in its warehouse for you. The downside of using Rippling is that you have to pay for each module, so it can get expensive as you get more features. You also have to pay for its HR help desk feature, which lets you call or email HR professionals if you need expert support. Its live chat function has been praised by users though, and the company now shows the customer service wait time live on its site. Rippling Features Paychex: Best Gusto Competitor for Businesses Needing a Scalable Payroll Solution is a full-featured payroll system with different packages to meet the needs of small to large businesses. Its plans and HR products are flexible enough to handle your growing HR requirements, and it even has a PEO option for when you need expert help in handling day-to-day HR and payroll tasks. In addition to paying employees and contractors, it can handle online onboarding, staff benefits, and payroll tax administration. Subscribing to its premium plans even grants you access to a dedicated payroll specialist and check signing and stuffing services. Gusto and most alternatives on this guide have fully transparent pricing. However, Paychex and Rippling don’t list full pricing on their websites. Both show the starter monthly fees, while the rest of their payroll plans and products are custom-priced. Plus, with Paychex, you need to pay additional fees for some of its quarterly and annual payroll tax filings. Note that these are available for free in almost all the other options we reviewed—except for SurePayroll, which charges extra for Ohio or Pennsylvania local tax form submissions, and QuickBooks Payroll, which requires you to upgrade to its higher tiers for local tax filings. Paychex Features OnPay: Best Gusto Competitor for Delegating Payroll Tasks & Analyzing Labor Costs is a good Gusto alternative, especially for small companies (with up to 200 employees) that need an efficient way to view and analyze labor costs. In addition to its premade reports, it has a report designer for creating custom payroll reports. This allows you to set up filters, add/remove 50+ data points, and save report templates. The other providers on our list may have customizable reports, but OnPay’s is more robust. OnPay even has customizable checklists and onboarding workflows, including six levels of system permissions for delegating tasks and controlling HR and payroll access. Aside from providing a modern interface that rivals Gusto’s, OnPay offers unlimited pay runs, manages employee benefits, and files payroll taxes on your behalf. While Gusto and most of the providers in this guide require you to upgrade to higher tiers to get all of their tools, you get full access to all of OnPay’s functionalities for a flat monthly fee of $40 plus $6 per employee. This makes OnPay one of the three most affordably priced Gusto competitors on our list—Patriot Payroll and SurePayroll are the other two—with sample annual fees costing $1,200 for a company with 10 employees. However, its tax penalty guarantee only covers mistakes OnPay representatives make—unlike QuickBooks, which covers any tax errors. Plus, its direct deposits have a longer turnaround than some of its competitors—with either a two- or four-day option depending on OnPay’s risk assessment. OnPay Features Patriot Payroll: Best Gusto Competitor for Startups Looking for Flexible Payroll Plans is a cost-effective small business payroll software that’s perfect for those looking for a budget-friendly solution. It offers reasonably priced full-service payroll plans and a basic DIY option that costs only $17 plus $4 per employee monthly—provided you file your own payroll taxes. All plans come with unlimited pay runs, multiple payroll frequencies, and customizable hours, money, and deduction types. And you can pay your employees through manual checks and direct deposits. However, the turnaround time for direct deposits (four days) is longer than that of Gusto and the other providers we reviewed. Like SurePayroll, Patriot Payroll will handle the payments and filings of all federal, state, and local taxes if you get its full-service plan. Also, it offers a penalty-free guarantee in case of tax filing errors, but only for its representatives’ mistakes. This is unlike QuickBooks Payroll, which covers all mistakes regardless of who made them. While it lets you add custom deduction types, like benefits contributions, into its system, Patriot Payroll doesn’t offer employee benefits options and manage benefits plans for you. Patriot Payroll Features SurePayroll: Best Gusto Competitor for Budget-conscious Small Businesses & Household Employers Similar to Patriot Payroll, offers a full-service payroll package and a self-service option, which lets you handle payroll tax filings yourself. While the latter is great for those with a small team that prefer DIY tax filings, the former has all the essential tools you need to process payroll for both employees and contractors. It comes with payroll tax payments and form submission services, including year-end tax reporting. However, unlike Gusto and the other providers we reviewed, you have to pay extra if you require local tax filings in Ohio or Pennsylvania. Accounting and time tracking software integrations also cost extra, plus the choices are limited compared to Rippling’s 500-plus partner apps. While you get two-day direct deposits with SurePayroll’s full-service option, it doesn’t have Square Payroll’s instant payments and QuickBooks Payroll’s same- and next-day options. SurePayroll Features Homebase Payroll: Best Gusto Competitor for One-location Businesses is a paid add-on to its core HR platform, like Rippling and TriNet Zenefits, but more budget-friendly than these two providers. This is mainly because of Homebase’s Basic plan (for its core system) that allows one-location businesses to use its time tracking, scheduling, hiring, and onboarding tools for free—you just need to pay $39 plus $6 per employee monthly for payroll. With TriNet Zenefits, you have to pay per-employee monthly fees for its core platform ($10 per employee) and payroll module ($6 per employee), which can get pricey if you have a large team. Despite having a feature-rich payroll plan, Homebase’s HR tools aren’t as robust as Gusto’s. It lacks the performance management, employee benefits, and survey tools that Gusto offers. It also doesn’t assign dedicated payroll specialists to its clients as Paychex does. Plus, it only provides two-day direct deposits to qualified companies (its standard processing timeline is four days), unlike most of the Gusto competitors we reviewed that have this as its standard processing timeline. QuickBooks Payroll and Gusto even have same-day options included in their higher tiers. Homebase Payroll Features Are you looking for a wider range of payroll options? Check out our buyer’s guides on the best online payroll services and best payroll software. How We Evaluated the Best Gusto Competitors We considered a dozen top payroll services, looking at how they competed with Gusto. Apart from comparing each software’s pricing, we looked for features and HR tools that are most important to small businesses. Finally, we chose the top nine Gusto competitors to help you decide which payroll software is best for your business. Gusto Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Bottom Line Gusto is an excellent payroll service, but there are several other great options that you can explore depending on your needs. Like Gusto, its competitors automatically run payroll and offer paycheck and direct deposit services, onboarding and employee self-service, tax and benefits calculations, and HR support. They are all competitively priced as well.

is an international payroll and hiring solution for businesses with plans to expand globally. In our review of the best international payroll services, Deel earned an overall score of 4.41 out of 5. It offers employer of record (EoR) services, which enables you to hire, onboard, and pay employees and contractors in more than 150 countries. Running global payroll is also a breeze with its easy-to-use online platform and multiple payment options. Further, its network of over 200 in-country expert partners ensures you remain compliant with local laws and tax regulations. Its monthly fees for hiring and paying international contractors start at $49 per worker. If you need EoR services, Deel will charge you $599 per employee monthly. For qualified venture capital (VC)-backed startups, you get discounted pricing on your first year. Deel Deciding Factors Looking for something different? If you only want online tools to pay US-based employees, check out our list of the best payroll services. If you need help deciding which payroll software to get, read our guide to finding the right payroll solution. Top Deel Alternatives In our evaluation, Deel nearly earned a perfect score for pricing given its reasonable fees, multiple plan options, and separate payroll plan for contractors. It lost points because not all of its product’s pricing details are available on its website. For contractors, Deel offers three packages with monthly fees that start at $49 per worker. Meanwhile, its pricing plans for employees are based on whether or not you own business entities in countries you want to expand to. Note that aside from automated payroll with one-click payments, all Deel pricing packages include access to local benefits plans, expense and time-off tracking, tax document management, customizable contracts, data protection agreements, compliance support, and intellectual property and invention rights protection. Contractors Hire contractors: For $49 per worker monthly, you can compliantly hire and pay contractors in 150+ countries, as well as use Deel’s localized contracts, online onboarding, automated invoicing, and document management tools. Deel Premium: This custom-priced package comes with an additional layer of protection against contractor misclassification issues. If a misclassification claim arises, Deel will cover all legal fees, tax penalties, and third-party indemnity costs of up to $25,000. Deel Shield: The differences between this custom-priced plan and the Deel Premium tier include access to a global team who can help manage administrative HR tasks and a more robust contractor misclassification protection service. With this plan, Deel will review each contract and confirm whether or not you can hire the worker as a contractor. Deel will even assume total liability for contractor misclassification cases. Employees Hire employees: For $599 per employee monthly, you can make use of Deel’s local entities in 80+ countries to hire, onboard, offboard, and pay employees. Run global payroll: This custom-priced plan is ideal for businesses with local entities worldwide and only need a payroll tool to pay international employees. In our evaluation of Deel’s payroll features, the provider earned a 3.88 out of 5 score. It didn’t get a perfect rating in this criterion because it lacks time tracking tools (only offers PTO management) and doesn’t own local entities in all the 150+ countries it services (only 80+ as of this writing). Deel earned perfect marks for HR functionalities given its solid compliance support and onboarding/offboarding tools. With its EoR services, Deel handles hiring and essential HR administrative tasks for you so you can find and hire qualified candidates. Aside from granting access to customizable employment contracts and local benefits plans, it has online global hiring guides that you can use for free. In our evaluation of Deel’s reporting functionalities, the provider received a perfect rating in this criterion given the payroll and tax reports it provides. Reports are also downloadable in CSV and PDF file formats. In addition to localized employment contracts that you can customize, it has a library of job profiles you can use to identify your contractors’ scope of work. It even comes with salary benchmarks based on market insights to help you check whether or not the salary you’re offering for a specific job title is below, at par, or above market rates. Deel earned high marks in this category given its user-friendly platform, solid HR and compliance support, and 24/7 customer assistance. It didn’t get a perfect rating because it lacks phone support and doesn’t provide dedicated account managers to all of its clients (only to large businesses). Easy-to-use platform One-click payments and automated processes Visa support Online global hiring guides and tools How-to guides 24/7 in-app live chat support Dedicated customer success manager Access to legal and compliance experts Accounting and HR software integrations with open API What I appreciate about Deel is the compliance support it offers, helping you manage global employees while ensuring you remain compliant with local labor laws and tax regulations. Its online platform is relatively simple to learn and use, plus it comes with online tools that make global hiring and pay processing easier to handle. Tracking important deadlines and tasks (such as payment and time-off requests) is also made easy through Deel’s online dashboard. Reminders are sent to you via email, and you can choose what type of notifications you can receive from Deel. For those who are using accounting, financial, and HR software, Deel integrates with popular systems like QuickBooks, Xero, Workday, Expensify, Greenhouse, BambooHR, HiBob, and Workable. It also supports custom integrations via an application programming interface (API). If you require assistance, its help center contains how-to guides, FAQs, and articles that provide more insight into its services. If you have questions about global recruiting, Deel’s website has a hiring toolkit that contains salary insights, a misclassification quiz for identifying the risks of hiring a contractor, and online tools for exploring local benefits packages, calculating employee costs, and comparing local laws and employer costs in more than 80 countries. What I don’t appreciate about Deel is the lack of phone support. You can only contact its support team through live chat and submit inquiries via the “Submit a request” online form. While it has dedicated account managers, Deel only provides this to large businesses. In our expert assessment, Deel earned a rating of 3.75 out of 5. Its relatively user-friendly interface, efficient EoR services, and solid global payroll tools contributed to its score. It lost points because its HR solutions, while sufficient enough to handle global hiring and onboarding, aren’t as robust as competitors like Rippling’s all-in-one HR platform. For example, aside from hiring and payroll, Rippling comes with time tracking, learning management, employee surveys, and a flexible professional employment organization (PEO) service you can easily turn on and off—features that Deel doesn’t have. Further, Deel’s EoR and global contractor solutions aren’t as budget-friendly as similar international payroll services. For instance, Papaya Global offers contractor management for only $25 per worker, per pay cycle (Deel’s monthly fee starts at $49 per contractor). Meanwhile, Oyster’s EoR service starts at $399 per employee monthly (Deel’s is priced at $599 per employee monthly). Many of the Deel reviews on third-party review sites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot are positive. In our evaluation of this provider’s popularity among users, Deel received a 3.75 out of 5 score in this criterion given its average rating of 4 and up on online review sites. It didn’t get a perfect score in our assessment because its average user reviews didn’t reach 1,000. However, most of the positive Deel reviews are about its solid EoR and payroll solutions that make handling hiring and employee management processes easy for global businesses. Several users also appreciate the onboarding and account support that Deel offers through its customer success managers (CSMs). Those who left Deel payroll reviews like that its online platform provides visibility on all payments and comes with various currency options and salary withdrawal methods. They even highlighted its software’s ease of use, legal local contracts, and online onboarding tools as some of Deel’s best features. On the other hand, some reviewers said that Deel’s pricing can be a little high, especially if you have a large team. Others mentioned that its reporting tools aren’t robust and that its in-app chat support tool can be glitchy at times. Several users also commented that while you get good service from Deel’s CSMs, the quality of support you receive from its general customer service team is less than ideal. A few reviewers complained of having experienced poor after-sales service and encountering unresponsive support reps. At the time of publication, Deel reviews earned the following scores on popular user review sites: G2: 4.3 out of 5 based on more than 200 reviews Capterra: 3.7 out of 5 based on nearly 30 reviews Trustpilot: 4.8 out of 5 based on 1,700+ reviews How We Evaluated Deel We looked at the provider’s features (both HR and payroll) and payment options. We also considered ease of use, transparency in pricing, HR and compliance support, and customer support. Access to third-party integrations, employee benefits plans, and onboarding tools is also important. We even check the feedback that actual users posted on popular user review sites. Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria: Bottom Line If you plan to expand business operations outside of the US and ramp up hiring to complete your global workforce, is a good option. Its EoR service removes the burden of handling global hiring, payroll, tax, benefits, and HR processes by yourself. Deel’s international payroll services also cover more than 150 countries, with the provider owning local entities in 80+ locations. And even if it lacks a legal entity in a country, its partner of 200+ local experts can guide you through the complexities of finding, recruiting, paying, and managing a global workforce. Sign up for a Deel plan today.

The best PEO companies offer full HR and payroll services and provide solid support in handling regulatory compliances, payroll tax regulations, and labor laws. PEO services should also include access to a wide range of benefits at better rates—options and pricing that, at times, you can’t normally get as a small or midsize business. For this guide, we reviewed 12 PEO companies for small businesses and narrowed the list down to our top eight recommendations. : Best (overall) for small businesses needing a low-cost, high-functioning PEO : Best for IT and tech-heavy businesses : Best for benefits and employee assistance plans : Best for highly customizable PEO plans : Best for industry-specific PEO services : Best for midsize businesses needing PEO services with a focus on training : Best for global payroll and employer of record (EoR) services : Best for growing businesses that want the expertise of a large PEO Best PEO Providers for Small Businesses Compared All the PEO companies we reviewed offer hire-to-retire services, pay processing, payroll tax administration, year-end tax forms, employee benefits plans, and compliance assistance. Below are the providers’ standout features. *Pricing is based on a quote we received Top PEO Providers Quiz Justworks: Best Overall PEO Service for Small Businesses is an excellent choice for small businesses with limited HR experience because of its affordability and solid PEO services. It offers payroll processing, tax filing services, and employee benefits administration. With 70,000 employees through its clients, its packages include enterprise-level options from top carriers and insurers. It also provides access to HR professionals who can help you stay compliant. Scoring 4.46 out of 5 in our evaluation, Justworks received perfect marks in many of our criteria because of its transparent pricing, robust payroll and HR administration features, and reliable PEO services. While it has an intuitive interface with online tools that are simple to learn and use, it lost points due to its limited report customization options and lack of mobile apps that allow employees to view pay slips and benefits information while on the go. Plus, unlike the PEO companies we reviewed (except Papaya Global), all of which have feature-rich HR tools, Justworks has limited learning management tools and a time tracking solution that costs extra (monthly fees start at 20 plus $5 per employee). In terms of user reviews, those who left feedback on third-party review sites (like G2 and Capterra) said that its HR solutions and PEO services are affordable and efficient. However, some complained about its limited reporting and third-party software integrations. Justworks Key Features Rippling: Best for Tech-heavy Companies Needing Robust Integrations & IT Hardware Support We recommend for companies whose employees need IT onboarding support like issuance and management of company computers and software licenses. Rippling offers all the essential features of a PEO, from HR support to enterprise-level benefits and compliance advising to payroll tax filing services. Its modular system is unique among PEO software and makes for an intuitive interface, even with many integrations. Users even praised its ease of use and robust integration options. Aside from PEO services, Rippling has a solid suite of HR and IT management solutions—making it one of our top-recommended HR payroll software for small businesses. The platform scored 4.30 out of 5, receiving perfect marks in payroll, HR administration, and expert assessment. Its intuitive interface, efficient payroll tools, strong HR and compliance support, and flexible PEO services, which you can easily turn off to start using its HR software, contributed to its high ratings. It scored the lowest in additional non-payroll tools because users have to pay for learning management, benefits administration, and applicant tracking functionalities. Rippling Key Features XcelHR: Best PEO for Benefits & Employee Assistance Plans is another excellent PEO with a wide range of services and efficient payroll and HR tools. We were impressed by the range of standard and nonstandard benefits XcelHR offers, including telehealth services and pet insurance, which is more varied than PEO companies like Rippling, Insperity, and Papaya Global. Scoring 4.26 out of 5, XcelHR received a perfect mark for HR administration solutions. Similar to ADP TotalSource and Paychex, it provides robust compliance help that includes safety audits and inspections to ensure that your workplace complies with OSHA regulations. While XcelHR’s online tools are generally easy to use, the software looks dated. Its custom pricing, lack of ESAC and IRS certifications, paid recruiting tools, and limited user reviews also prevented XcelHR from ranking higher on our list. XcelHR Key Features Paychex PEO: Best for Businesses Seeking Highly Customized PEO Plans offers a comprehensive suite of HR, payroll, and compliance solutions, including a wide variety of employee benefits. If you have specific needs, it can create a highly customized PEO package, allowing you to select online tools and benefits options that best meet your company’s needs. Given its more than 300 solutions and services, you can have a PEO package that, aside from the essential HR and payroll tools, includes new hire screening services, medical contribution tracking for Form W-2 reporting, and retirement plan services. This is unlike other PEO companies that either offer preset features you can’t customize or have a product suite that isn’t as robust. Paychex PEO’s online tools and benefits options are managed through Paychex Flex, the provider’s all-in-one HR solution. If you want to know more about the platform, our Paychex Flex review tackles its essential features and pricing information. Scoring 4.22 out of 5 in our evaluation, it didn’t rank higher on our list because some of its non-payroll tools cost extra (like time tracking and applicant tracking) and it lacks the flexible PEO service that Rippling offers. In terms of user feedback, Paychex itself has a lot of negative reviews. Most complaints are around nontransparent pricing and being billed for functions the user did not want (this is also a common complaint with ADP TotalSource). Of more concern are the complaints of incorrect tax withholdings—and Paychex not honoring its guarantee. It should be noted that where those complaints are seen, Paychex has responded, offering to resolve the issue. Paychex PEO Key Features TriNet: Best for Businesses With Industry-specific Needs The offerings are highly competitive compared to those on our list. Its claim to fame is it will customize your PEO plan according to your industry. For example, TriNet can add specific solutions if companies require certain insurances due to its industry (such as critical accident and illness policies for manufacturing firms) or if a business needs certain benefits to remain competitive. It also has experts on hand that can advise you on the regulations and compliances of your industry and general employment and payroll law. In our evaluation, TriNet earned an overall score of 4.21 out of 5. It offers solid payroll tools, efficient payroll tax filing services, and a wide range of HR offerings, which resulted in perfect marks for payroll features, additional non-payroll solutions, and HR administration. It lost points because its software isn’t as intuitive as the others on our list. Unlike Papaya and Justworks, it requires you to call for a quote. And while it charges by employee, TriNet reduces the price for certain payroll milestones—although the overall cost seems higher based on the quote we got. Several users even said that its fees are expensive. One thing TriNet does that we have not seen with other PEO companies in this guide is that its prices decrease as employees either max out their Social Security deductions or unemployment taxes. It also reduces your rates if employees elect for a pretax medical deduction. TriNet Key Features Insperity: Best for Midsize Businesses Wanting Complete PEO Services Focused on Training With over 30 years of experience, is another big PEO company like ADP and Paychex. It has 70 offices across the US, so its specialists know their regions well. It is best for midsize businesses that want a strong HR partner and robust training tools. It even has extensive training options for both employees and managers. Of the eight PEOs in this guide, Insperity is the only provider that offers 5,000+ self-paced learning courses, 2,000+ audiobooks, and 30,000+ online books. Insperity scored 4.20 out of 5 in our rubric, with perfect marks in HR administration, licensing and reporting, and additional payroll tools. Non-transparent pricing and limited how-to guides contributed to its low scores. Plus, while Insperity generally has a user-friendly interface, learning to navigate through all of its features may take some time. Several users even complained about its somewhat steep learning curve. If you want a PEO service with an intuitive platform, we recommend Justworks or Rippling. Insperity Key Features Papaya Global: Best for Global Businesses Needing International Payroll & Compliance Support tops our list for the best international payroll services as it can help you with hiring international employees and managing benefits. In addition to immigration law compliance support, Papaya Global acts as the EoR in over 160 countries, taking on payroll and HR liabilities so that you can concentrate on work. Overall, it earned a score of 4.18 out of 5 in our evaluation. What’s great about Papaya Global is that its pricing is fully transparent, which is why it received a perfect mark in pricing. It also has an intuitive interface praised by real-world users for tools that are easy to learn and use. However, unlike ADP TotalSource, Paychex, Insperity, and Justworks, Papaya Global isn’t IRS- and ESAC-certified. Plus, it doesn’t offer employee development tools that professional employer organization companies like ADP TotalSource and Insperity have. These factors prevented Papaya Global from climbing higher on our list. Papaya Global Key Features ADP: Best for Growing Businesses Wanting the Expertise of a Big PEO ADP’s PEO services, , is a goliath among PEOs in size and range. Similar to Paychex and Insperity, it offers decades of HR expertise and experience (30+ years) and a wide set of features and products to choose from. It’s ideal for a growing business that may want to start with simple payroll and HR, then transition into full PEO services when it needs expert assistance in managing day-to-day HR tasks. Able to handle even thousands of employees, ADP TotalSource is a great choice for companies that expect to expand business operations. Overall, it scored 4.12 out of 5 in our evaluation. It received perfect marks in HR administration and licensing and reporting—mainly due to its strong HR support tools, compliance assistance, competitive benefits with employee discounts, and IRS and ESAC certifications. It posted the lowest score in pricing because, unlike Justworks and Papaya Global, it isn’t fully transparent. Many users even complained about ADP’s pricing complexity, including having received confusing billings. Others also mentioned that while its support team is generally reliable, they sometimes experience difficulties contacting a customer representative. ADP Key Features Need something simpler? For a wider range of payroll options, check out our buyers’ guides on the best payroll services and best payroll software. How We Chose the Top PEO Companies We examined 12 top-of-the-line professional employer organization companies for essential HR and payroll tools small businesses need, weighing attributes accordingly. We considered size, special features, user feedback, and more. Overall, Justworks ranked highest among small business PEOs. To see our full evaluation criteria, click through the tabs in the box below. PEO Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Bottom Line PEO companies invariably say that the biggest benefits their clients get are relief from HR administrative tasks and protection from noncompliance issues. These save their clients time and money—sometimes thousands of dollars. Studies by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) have shown that employers using a PEO see an average ROI of 27.3% and a retention improvement of 10% or better. If you want to remove some of the headaches of managing HR and doing payroll on your own, contact a PEO and see how it can help you. We recommend Justworks as it has efficient HR, compliance, and payroll tools with enterprise-level benefits that small businesses normally don’t have access to. Its plans are also reasonably priced with monthly fees that become more affordable as you grow your workforce. Sign up for a Justworks plan today.

offers a suite of solutions to simplify global payroll, hiring, and workforce management. In our review of the best international payroll services, Papaya Global earned an overall score of 4.59 out of 5. Its employer of record (EoR) services allow you to recruit local employees while keeping you compliant with country employment laws. Compliance support is also provided when making cross-border payments and filing local tax forms. Similar to a professional employer organization (PEO), Papaya Global manages benefits plans and grants you access to Fortune 500-caliber benefits you can provide to employees. If you need to pay your global staff, Papaya Global offers international payroll services for $20–$650 per employee monthly. Apart from basic HR and payroll, Papaya Global offers immigration services to assist you in securing work permits for employees on either long- or short-term assignments outside of their home countries. And if you have local and foreign contract workers, its contractor management solution can help you process payments and avoid worker misclassification errors. Papaya Global Deciding Factors Looking for something different? If you only want online tools to pay US-based employees, check out our list of the best payroll services. If you need help deciding which payroll software to get, read our guide to finding the right payroll solution. Top Papaya Global Alternatives In our evaluation, Papaya Global earned a perfect score for pricing given its transparent fees, reasonable rates, multiple plan options, and separate payroll package for contractors. It offers three plans: Payroll, Employer of Record, and Contractor Management and Independent Contractor (IC) Compliance. All Papaya Global plans come with pay processing, local tax filing assistance, full benefits management and administration, and HR support. The main difference between the three packages is access to additional services like worker classification checks and third-party payments for national insurance, pension schemes, and the IRS. Papaya Global also offers a Payroll Intelligence Suite (monthly fees start at $250) to help you get real-time insights into your workforce spending. This solution provides a clear picture of your employer and employee costs across business locations and time periods. It even integrates with third-party payroll systems, and you can convert its data for uploading to any financial and ERP software. With Papaya Global, you get a fully automated platform with flexible workflows and robust system security. Apart from helping you save time, its workflow automation streamlines global payroll and workforce management processes. In our evaluation of its payroll features, the provider earned a score of 4.13 out of 5. It didn’t get a perfect rating in this criterion because it doesn’t own local entities in the countries it services and lacks a robust tax penalty guarantee that covers all tax filing errors—regardless of who makes the mistake. Through its network of in-country partners, Papaya Global can process payments for your international employees and contractors accurately and on time. It supports multiple currencies, provides local tax filing assistance, and handles payroll requirements in more than 160 countries. Processing cross-border payments is easy with its fully automated platform—you can even complete the entire process in just a few clicks. Payments are made in the employees’ local currency and through licensed third-party payment processors. In our evaluation of Papaya Global’s HR functionalities, the provider earned perfect marks given its solid EoR, compliance, benefits management, PTO tracking, and onboarding/offboarding tools. It also comes with employee profiles and an online storage for workers' documents. Papaya Global even has an org chart module and offers immigration services if your employees need work permit assistance. This is another criterion where Papaya Global earned a perfect rating. Its extensive HR and payroll report options contributed to its high scores. It has more than 50 standard reports, which include payroll summaries, cost simulations, HR workforce data, billing comparisons, annual statutory reports, and an audit trail. Getting real-time insight into your workforce spending is also made possible through Papaya Global’s Payroll Intelligence Suite (monthly fees start at $250). This add-on solution grants you access to advanced reports, which allow you to view employer costs and total payroll amounts across your global operations. Papaya Global earned perfect marks in this criterion because of its user-friendly interface that makes it easy to learn and use. It also has comprehensive EoR and contractor management solutions with solid global payroll tools. These functionalities take the stress away from finding, hiring, paying, and managing international workers yourself. User-friendly platform Phone and email support Access to legal and compliance experts Dedicated customer success manager Dedicated support team In-country partners/specialists Online FAQs and help articles Downloadable form templates “CountryPedia” guides with per-country employment details I appreciate that it has in-app form templates (such as payment requests and salary update forms) that you can easily download. It even contains the required data fields that the system needs, so you only have to input the necessary information and upload the form into Papaya Global for processing. If you have questions about its features and services, Papaya Global has online FAQs and how-to articles, but the selection is limited. You may contact its support team via phone and email, your dedicated account manager, and its “Center of Excellence” teams of payroll, compliance, and legal experts. You also don’t have to constantly check the employment and tax rules in countries where your business operates—Papaya Global’s in-country partners are always up-to-date with the latest regulations to ensure that you are compliant at all times. And if you’re planning to expand business operations in another country but are not familiar with local employment laws, Papaya Global offers an online “CountryPedia” that shows important information about a country’s payroll, tax, and labor regulations. It even displays the country’s mandatory PTO entitlements and minimum wage details, including work visa requirements. If you need integration options, note that Papaya Global doesn’t have a robust network. However, the software it connects with are systems most businesses use. These include HRIS, expense management, time and attendance, ERP, and financial software. Here are some of its partner systems: SAP Concur Workday Expensify BambooHR Namely SuccessFactors Microsoft Dynamics Papaya Global earned perfect marks in our expert assessment. Its reasonable pricing, user-friendly interface, robust global payroll solutions, and efficient EoR services contributed to its high score. Plus, it has the essential HR tools that businesses need to manage international hiring, onboarding, and pay processing. Papaya Global’s low score in this area is primarily due to the very limited number of reviews on third-party review sites. Those who left positive Papaya reviews appreciate its user-friendly interface and how its online tools help simplify month-to-month payroll and HR processes. They also like the quality of support they received, adding that its customer representatives are helpful. On the other hand, some users said that its platform needs system improvements and additional workflow automation to make it more robust. Other reviewers commented that while Papaya Global has a generally user-friendly platform, some of its features are difficult to find. At the time of publication, Papaya Global earned the following scores on popular reviews sites: Capterra: 4.2 out of 5 based on 10+ reviews G2: 4.3 out of 5 based on about 5 reviews Trustpilot: 3.3 out of 5 based on about 5 reviews How We Evaluated Papaya Global We looked at the provider’s features (both HR and payroll) and payment options. We also considered ease of use, transparency in pricing, HR and compliance support, and customer support. Access to third-party integrations, employee benefits plans, and onboarding tools is also important. We even check the feedback that actual users posted on popular user review sites. Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria: Bottom Line If you have plans to expand your business in other countries and need to recruit local employees, finding a reliable partner who can handle all of your global hiring and payroll needs is critical. With and its network of in-country partners, you get solid EoR services and strong compliance support to help prevent employment and tax issues. What’s also great about it is that it has fully transparent pricing—most PEO companies and global payroll providers require you to call and request a quote. Plus, it has efficient online tools that can handle the payroll needs of employees and contractors in more than 160 countries, so sign up for a Papaya Global account today.

If you use Mac computers and laptops for your business, it’s important to find a payroll solution that’s intuitive, user-friendly, and can help you pay employees accurately. Besides that, the best payroll software for Mac not only provides solid pay processing tools, but it also allows you to access its features across various Apple devices—from Mac computers to iPads and the iPhone. However, with a cloud-based system, you shouldn’t have to worry about Mac compatibility issues, as its tools are accessible online. In this guide, we looked at a dozen payroll software that work on a Mac and narrowed our list down to the nine best options. : Best overall payroll software for Mac and those looking for solid HR tools : Best for small business QuickBooks users : Best for solopreneurs and startups needing a dedicated payroll specialist : Best for small restaurants and retailers already using or planning to use Square POS : Best for businesses looking for an affordable payroll software with robust system permissions : Best for companies that want customizable payroll tools and a wide range of HR solutions : Best for companies that rely heavily on technology and require global pay processing tools : Best for growing companies needing flexible plans that scale with their business : Best for microbusinesses needing a simple payroll solution If you want a computer-installed system rather than a cloud-based solution, you should consider downloadable Mac payroll software that’s easy to use and comes with up-to-date tax tables. : Best for budget-conscious companies that don’t need cloud-based software : Best for small businesses that prefer a downloadable payroll system to print high-security checks Gusto: Best Overall Payroll Software for Mac Users is a cloud-based payroll software that works well for both Mac and Windows computers. Given its reasonably priced plans and user-friendly online payroll tools, Gusto is an ideal pay processing solution for small business Mac users. Aside from automatic and unlimited pay runs, you get tax filings and payments for federal, state, and local taxes, including year-end W-2 and 1099 reporting. It also offers employee benefits plans and basic HR tools to help you onboard new hires and track staff attendance. With an overall rating of 4.71 out of 5 in our evaluation, Gusto scored perfect marks in pricing, reporting capabilities, and popularity among users. Many find its online tools easy to use, allowing them to compute and remit employee payments with just a few clicks. However, it lost points due to its limited customizability and health insurance coverage (available only in 39 states as of this writing). Gusto Key Features Multiple direct deposit and pay options: Apart from pay card and pay-on-demand, Gusto offers four- and two-day direct deposits. While it has a next-day option, this is available only in its higher tiers. If you require fast payments, consider QuickBooks Payroll since it offers next- and same-day direct deposits. For instant payouts, we recommend Square Payroll, although you need to have a Square Payments account to pay employees instantly. Employee benefits: For small businesses that don’t have an in-house HR team to handle benefits, the provider’s licensed brokers can help you select health insurance plans for your staff and manage online employee enrollments. Gusto offers commuter benefits, health insurance, retirement, college savings, life and disability, HSA, FSA, and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation options. Note, however, its health benefits, life and disability, FSA, and HSA, are unavailable in 11 states (Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming). For benefits coverage that includes all US states, consider any of the other Apple payroll software on our list. Hiring and time tracking tools: Gusto offers basic hiring tools and services that include offer letter templates, electronic signatures, onboarding checklists, new hire reporting, and online document storage. Like QuickBooks Payroll, if you subscribe to Gusto’s higher tiers, you get additional tools for monitoring PTO and tracking your workers’ actual work hours. ADP Run, Paycor, and Rippling offer time tracking solutions as well, but these are paid add-ons. Meanwhile, with Square Payroll, you need to use its Square Team App (for iOS/Android devices) to capture employee clock-ins/outs and import them into its payroll solution. Third-party software integrations: Gusto integrates with several software like accounting, expense management, performance, collaboration, time tracking, and point-of-sale (POS) systems. However, if you want a robust integration network, Rippling is a good choice, as it connects with more than 500 apps. QuickBooks Payroll: Best for Small Business QuickBooks Users offers reasonably priced plans with essential pay processing tools small businesses need. Given that its cloud-based payroll solution can be directly and easily accessed through the QuickBooks system, it saves QuickBooks accounting users time from having to separately set up a chart of accounts and import pay-related data into its platform. Similar to Gusto, it offers unlimited pay runs, full-service payroll, payroll tax filings and payments, employee benefits, online onboarding, and year-end tax reporting. Scoring 4.58 out of 5 in our evaluation, QuickBooks Payroll was rated favorably for ease of use, payroll functionalities, and HR features—even getting perfect marks in pricing and reporting capabilities. However, it didn’t rank higher than Gusto due to its limited payment options (doesn’t have pay-on-demand) and small number of user reviews (average number of reviews on G2 and Capterra is below 500). You also have to upgrade to its highest tier if you want QuickBooks Payroll’s tax filing services to include local taxes. In terms of user feedback, reviewers who left reviews on G2 and Capterra said that its simple, yet efficient tools make running payroll easier for them. On the other hand, some users commented that its app can be glitchy and that connecting with its support team via phone can be difficult at times. QuickBooks Payroll Key Features Payroll processing: You can set up payroll to run automatically—provided that all employees are under direct deposits and your first pay run using QuickBooks has been successful. You also get unlimited payrolls, wage garnishments, and automated taxes (federal and state) with year-end filings for Forms W-2 and 1099. However, you have to upgrade to its Elite plan if you want automatic local tax payments and filings too. This is unlike most of the providers on this guide (except if you’re on SurePayroll’s self-service plan, in which you handle tax filings yourself) whose basic plans have tax filing services that cover federal, state, and local taxes. Fast payment options: QuickBooks Payroll is the only provider on this list that offers next-day payouts as its standard direct deposit processing timeline. It even has a same-day option for Premium and Elite plan holders. Tax accuracy and penalty protection: All plans are covered by QuickBooks Payroll’s tax accuracy guarantee, in which it will pay for any penalties arising from late payments and form submissions—provided that you forwarded the correct tax information and have available funds in your account to pay the applicable taxes. Those on the Elite plan also get an extra tax penalty coverage, wherein QuickBooks will pay for all the penalties (up to $25,000 per year), regardless of who makes the mistake—none of the other providers offer this as an option. HR support and tools: QuickBooks Payroll’s partnership with Mineral grants you access to HR advisers and compliance support, as well as customizable job descriptions, onboarding, and performance tools. However, these features, plus time tracking (via QuickBooks Time), are available only for those who subscribe to its higher tiers. Employee benefits: All of QuickBooks Payroll’s plans include access to health benefits and 401(k) options in all US states. Its integration with SimplyInsured for health benefits provides you with affordable coverage and an efficient way to manage your benefits, while its partnership with Guideline for retirement ensures that you get expert administration of 401(k) plans. However, it lacks Gusto’s college savings option and ADP’s employee discount perks. Paychex: Best for Solopreneurs & Startups Needing Dedicated Payroll Support What’s great about is that it offers solutions for all business sizes. Aside from its payroll plans for small to large companies, it has a special tier for solopreneurs and the self-employed, which includes payroll, startup/incorporation services, and a retirement plan option. None of the Mac payroll providers we reviewed offer a similar package. And with Paychex Flex as its main payroll platform, you get solid pay processing tools with essential HR solutions for managing new hire reporting, onboarding, benefits, time tracking, and even learning programs. Scoring 4.53 out of 5 in our evaluation, Paychex posted perfect marks in reporting, HR features, and popularity among users. Its multiple payment options and tax filing services also contributed to its high scores. However, it lost points because not all of its pricing information is available on its website and it also charges extra for some of its payroll tax administration services (like year-end tax reporting). In terms of user feedback, those who left reviews on G2 and Capterra appreciate its user-friendly interface and efficient payroll tools. Others, on the other hand, said that its software runs slow at times and that the wait times when contacting its support team can be a bit long. Paychex Key Features Multiple plan options: With Paychex, you can select the payroll plan that fits your business size—regardless of whether you’re a very small company or solopreneur. Its Paychex Solo package comes with all the tools that self-employed business owners will need to pay themselves. And when the time comes for solopreneurs to expand their business and hire workers, Paychex offers multiple payroll packages that even comes with dedicated payroll support and payroll tax filing services. You may need to pay extra for its tax services, but if this is a deal-breaker for you, the other payroll software for Mac (except ADP Run) are great options. Employee payments: Paychex lets you pay employees either through direct deposits (two-day and same-day processing), paper checks, and pay cards. It offers pay check logo and signing services, although it doesn’t stuff checks into envelopes and deliver them to your office. HR tools: Paychex Flex may be a payroll platform, but it also comes with useful HR features to automate new hire onboarding, candidate screening, and learning management. You can even use its online library of HR documents to view and access business forms and important files, such as company policies. If you need to create an employee handbook, Paychex has an online handbook builder that includes federal and state policies—although, you can also add your company’s policies into the handbook. Square Payroll: Best for Small Retailers & Restaurants Using Square POS is optimal for small restaurants and retail shops already using or planning to use Square POS. Given the seamless integration between the two Square products, data imports of staff tips/commissions and employee attendance (Square POS can capture both information) for pay processing are much easier. Similar to Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll, Square Payroll comes with automatic and unlimited pay runs, as well as payroll tax filings and year-end tax reporting. Scoring 4.19 out of 5, Square Payroll earned 4 and above ratings in payroll features, HR functionalities, reporting, pricing, and in our expert review. While it has a platform that’s easy to learn, it didn’t get a high score in our ease of use criteria because of its limited customization options and phone support that requires a customer code for you to get through. Another hard-hit criteria is popularity, mainly because its average number of user reviews on third-party sites (G2 and Capterra) didn’t reach 500. However, users still gave Square Payroll positive reviews, wherein many raved about its affordability and efficient payroll tools. Square Payroll Key Features Seamless Square POS integration: Tracking and importing employee time data, as well as tips and commissions, are made easy given Square Payroll’s direct integration with Square POS. This reduces manual inputs while helping you manage payroll effectively. Affordable contractor-only plan: While both Gusto and Square Payroll have contractor-only plans, Square’s package is more affordable—costing only $5 per contractor monthly (Gusto’s is priced at $6 per contractor, per month). And similar to Square Payroll’s “pay employees and contractors” plan, this package comes with unlimited pay runs, full-service payroll, year-end tax reporting, and multiple payment options. Multiple payment options: Square Payroll supports employee payments made through manual checks, direct deposits, and its Cash App (for iOS/Android devices). Note, however, that the standard turnaround time for its direct deposits is four days. Although, you can pay employees the next day or even instantly if you have a Square Payments account. Tax filing and reporting services: Square Payroll offers automatic tax payments and filings for federal, state, and local taxes. It also prepares and files W-2s and 1099s at year-end (this costs extra with ADP Run). Employee benefits: Square Payroll will provide your employees access to health insurance, pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation plans, and even retirement packages that will automatically sync with your payroll. However, it doesn’t have ADP’s employee discounts and Gusto’s college savings plans. OnPay: Best for Companies Looking for Affordable Payroll With Robust System Permissions is great for budget-conscious businesses, given its flat-rate and reasonable pricing. With monthly fees of $40 plus $6 per employee, you are granted access to all of its features, unlike other Mac payroll software (like ADP, Paycor, QuickBooks Payroll, Gusto, and Paychex) that require you to upgrade to higher tiers to unlock all functionalities. It's also ideal for those needing robust system permissions to manage who has visibility into payroll and HR. Its six-level permissions even provide you with enough flexibility to control how you want to run payroll. In our evaluation, OnPay earned an overall score of 4.13 out of 5. Its affordability, unlimited pay runs, and HR tools for managing PTO, benefits, and new hire onboarding contributed to its high ratings (4 and up). However, it scored the lowest in user popularity given the low number of user reviews in G2 and Capterra (less than 500, as of this writing). Despite this, many users still appreciate its ease of use and intuitive interface. However, some reviewers said that its PTO customization and software integration options are limited. OnPay Key Features Unlimited payroll runs: Like most of the providers in this guide (except ADP Run), OnPay lets you run employee and contractor payroll as many times as you want in a month. Its services include tax payments and filings, as well as year-end tax reporting. This is unlike QuickBooks Payroll, which only offers local tax filings if you subscribe to its higher tiers, and ADP, which charges extra for W-2/1099 reporting at year-end. What’s also great about OnPay is that it can handle the payroll tax filing requirements for agricultural businesses—none of the payroll software for Mac we reviewed offers similar services. Essential HR tools: While it doesn’t have ADP, Rippling, and Paycor’s full suite of HR solutions, OnPay offers essential tools to help you streamline onboarding processes and state new hire reporting. It also has an online HR resource library if you need HR guides and legal templates. It even offers HR advisory services, but like Rippling, you have to pay extra if you want one-on-one HR support. Employee benefits: OnPay partners with top benefits carriers (like Aetna, United Healthcare, and Humana), allowing them to offer dental, vision, disability, and retirement plans to employees. And unlike Gusto’s health insurance, which covers only 39 states (as of this writing), OnPay’s health plans are available in all US states. Payroll support: If you have payroll inquiries or need assistance using its software, OnPay provides weekday support via phone, chat, and email support. However, you only get email support on Saturdays and Sundays. If you want 24/7 support, consider ADP Run. Paycor: Best for Businesses With Complex Pay Processing Needs has unified payroll and HR solutions designed to streamline day-to-day employee management tasks. It has robust online pay processing tools with paycheck stuffing and tax filings services, including proactive alerts to help reduce pay errors. It also provides a customizable pay grid with intuitive workflows, enabling you to process payroll based on your business’ unique and complex pay processing needs. In our evaluation, Payroll earned an overall score of 4.06 out of 5. It scored the highest in user popularity, reporting, payroll features, HR tools, and in our expert review. It lost points in pricing because of its expensive starter plan, which costs $99 plus $5 per employee monthly. This is unlike the other payroll software for Mac that we reviewed that allows you to run payroll for under $50 per month. Plus, similar to Rippling, you have to pay extra if you want to access its other HR modules such as recruitment, time and attendance, and benefits administration. In terms of user feedback, many reviewers gave Paycor positive ratings on third-party review sites (like Capterra and G2). Users commented that its wide range of payroll and HR tools are efficient and generally easy to use. Paycor Key Features Feature-rich solution suite: Similar to ADP and Rippling, Paycor has a wide range of HR and payroll solutions—including recruitment, onboarding, time and attendance, payroll, employee benefits, and learning management. It even offers employee pulse surveys and analytics. Payroll processing: It supports automated payrolls with multiple pay options, like pay cards and two-day direct deposits. Paycor also offers paycheck stuffing services like ADP Run. Further, Paycor has automated workflows and a flexible pay grid that you can customize to fit your payroll needs—none of the providers on this list have fully customizable pay grids. Payroll tax compliance: Aside from tax calculations and filings and W-2/1099 processing, Paycor offers expert tax compliance support to help keep you informed and compliant with the latest laws and regulations. Third-party software integrations: Paycor’s integration options include OnShift, Deputy, Square POS, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, WageWorks, PlanSource, AssureHire, and GoodHire. But if you require extensive third-party integrations, consider Rippling’s partner network of more than 500 apps. Rippling: Best for Businesses That Rely Heavily on Technology & Require Global Payroll Tools base program is a workforce management platform with full-service payroll as an add-on module—international payroll included. It has the most integration options in this list of best Mac payroll software, with more than 500 partner apps—from accounting and information technology systems to office management and HR-related solutions. If you purchase its device management add-on, you can buy, set up, secure, and monitor software and company devices (like computers and laptops) that are issued to employees. Overall, it earned 3.95 out of 5 in our evaluation. Rippling scored the highest (4 and above) in our expert review, reporting, user popularity, HR features, and payroll functionalities. However, it lost points in pricing and ease of use because of its limited pricing transparency and the lack of phone support—you have to pay extra for its HR help desk services that include phone and email support. In terms of user feedback, those who left reviews on G2 and Capterra raved about its intuitive interface, payroll analytics, and ease of managing benefits. On the other hand, some users complained about having experienced poor customer support and software glitches from time to time. Rippling Key Features Feature-rich HR and IT solution suite: Rippling offers a full HR solution suite that includes recruiting, onboarding, time and attendance, payroll, employee benefits, and learning management. It even has IT products that allow you to manage business apps and computers issued to employees, a feature none of the other providers on our list offer. However, it doesn’t offer a variety of benefits options as Gusto and ADP Run do—the former offers a college savings plan and the latter has employee discount perks. Full-service payroll: You can pay both employees and contractors via paychecks and two-day direct deposits, although it lacks ADP Run and Paycor’s check-stuffing services and QuickBooks Payroll’s fast direct deposit timelines (next- and same-day options). If you have a lot of staff transferring from one work location to another, Rippling automatically calculates payroll taxes and files the applicable tax forms with the IRS and other federal, state, and local agencies. It also handles your business’ HR compliance work. This is to ensure that your company is always compliant and up-to-date with the latest laws and regulations, including the use of all relevant forms like I-9s and W-2s. Job costing tools: Apart from capturing your staff’s actual work hours, Rippling can help you track how your workers spent their time and compute the applicable cost of that time (either by client, task, or work location). You can even change your employees’ pay rate depending on the type of job they’re handling, and it will automatically calculate the costs as your staff move from job to job. Flexible PEO: Rated highly in our best PEO companies guide, Rippling can provide you with the expert assistance you need to manage payroll and day-to-day HR operations. And unlike ADP, if you decide that you no longer need a PEO, then you can simply turn off Rippling’s PEO services from your account and start using its software again. Third-party software integrations: Among all of the Mac payroll software that we reviewed, Rippling has the most extensive network of third-party software partners. It provides over 500 integration options that include TSheets, Homebase, When I Work, GoodHire, Checkr, SurveyMonkey, Greenhouse, Guru, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Slack, Asana, DocuSign, and Adobe Sign. ADP Run: Best for Companies Needing Flexible Plans That Scale With Their Business has a suite of cloud-based payroll and human capital management solutions. It’s great for businesses that plan to scale because it has a wide selection of products to fit your company’s growing HR and payroll software needs. It also has payroll packages for small businesses to large enterprises, including a professional employer organization (PEO) option. This enables businesses to easily upgrade their ADP plan without having to change providers and get extra HR support if the need for a team of HR professionals and experts arises. Earning an overall rating of 3.85 out of 5 stars in our evaluation, the criteria where ADP scored the highest include HR features, payroll tools, ease of use, and reporting capabilities. It’s also highly rated by users given its easy-to-use interface and robust solution suite. However, ADP scored the lowest in pricing because it lacks unlimited payroll and transparent pricing. ADP Run Key Features Multiple pay options: You can pay your employees via direct deposits, paychecks, and a Wisely direct debit card. If you prefer paychecks, ADP Run has check signing, stuffing, and delivery services—wherein it will send the checks to your business just in time for you to hand them out to employees. Apart from Paycor, the other providers we reviewed don’t offer this check-stuffing service. Secure paychecks: ADP offers highly secured payroll checks, which come with 10 advanced fraud protection features, that your company’s designated approver can sign off. None of the software on our list have this feature. Payroll tax support: ADP Run automatically calculates, pays, files, and reconciles payroll taxes (federal, state, and local). In addition, you get tax compliance support, wherein ADP will respond to tax agencies in case they have questions about tax deposits and returns that the provider made for you. However, year-end tax reporting costs extra. Plus, it lacks QuickBooks Payroll’s tax penalty protection that covers even your tax mistakes. Hiring solutions: What’s great about ADP is that aside from payroll, new hire reporting, and employee onboarding, you have additional access to basic hiring tools that include background checks and job postings on ZipRecruiter—provided you subscribe to its higher tiers. Rippling and Paycor require you to purchase a separate recruitment module, while Gusto offers its applicant tracking and job posting tools in its higher plans. The other Apple payroll software on our list lack hiring capabilities. HR documents: ADP has a library of key HR documents that you can use for your checklists, best practice guides, and company policies. Aside from HR documents, you also get an employee handbook wizard to help you create a comprehensive handbook based on federal employment laws. However, access to these resources requires a paid subscription to one of ADP’s premium payroll packages. Third-party software integrations: ADP’s integration options include QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, TSheets, Homebase, iCIMS, Docufree, OrgChart Now, Slack, and Pingboard. For those that want a bigger selection, we recommend Rippling, since its integration network includes more than 500 systems. SurePayroll: Best for Microbusinesses Needing a Simple Payroll Solution offers affordable and simple online tools for calculating salaries, taxes, and other earnings and deductions. This makes it ideal for those with less complex payroll needs such as small companies and microbusinesses, including household employers wanting to pay their housekeeping staff and nannies (check our nanny payroll buyer’s guide if you have a household employee). You also have the option to save money filing payroll taxes yourself or have SurePayroll manage this for you. Scoring 3.81 out of 5, SurePayroll’s ease of use, reporting capabilities, efficient payroll tools, and affordable pricing helped boost its ratings. It didn’t rank higher on our list given its limited payment options, third-party software integrations, and interface customizability. And while its average number of user reviews is below 500, and it isn’t as highly rated (with average scores of 4 and up on G2 and Capterra) as most of the Mac payroll software in this guide, many users left positive feedback that commended its solid customer support, user-friendly interface, and affordably priced plans. SurePayroll Key Features Payroll processing: Aside from automatic and unlimited pay runs, SurePayroll can handle pay processing for contractors, hourly and salaried employees, nannies, and household staff. It also caters to the specific payroll needs of restaurants, agriculture businesses, churches, and nonprofit organizations. Payroll tax filings: While self-service plan holders have to remit tax payments and file tax forms on their own, those on the full-service tier are assured that SurePayroll will handle all tax payments and filings for them. Aside from W-2 and 1099 reporting, it can also help you file 940, 941, W-3, and 1096 tax forms, as well as 1040-ES and Schedule-H for nanny taxes. Further, all tax filings are covered by SurePayroll’s tax accuracy guarantee in which it will pay all penalties for tax errors made by its representatives. However, it isn’t as robust as QuickBooks Payroll’s tax penalty protection (for its Elite plan subscribers) that covers even the tax mistakes you might make. Employee benefits: SurePayroll has a wide range of affordable benefits options that include retirement, health insurance, and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation plans. Although, it lacks ADP’s employee discount perks and Gusto’s college plan savings. Third-party software integrations: It integrates with some accounting and time clock software like QuickBooks, Xero, stratustime, and TimeForge. However, unlike most of the providers on this list, you have to pay extra for software integrations. How We Evaluated the Top Payroll Software for Mac In finding the best payroll software for Mac users, we compared several reputable providers and looked for essential features like automatic payroll runs, direct deposits, payroll tax payments and filings, and whether it offered basic and customizable payroll reports. We also considered its ease of use, pricing, customer support, and feedback from users. Click through the tabs below for a more detailed breakdown of our evaluation criteria. Bottom Line Just because you’re a Mac user doesn’t mean that you get limited access to payroll software. There are plenty of online payroll solutions that are easily accessible using Mac OS or iOS. Many of these options have the essential tools you need to process employee salaries. What’s important is finding the best payroll service that can handle your company’s needs. Based on our evaluation, we found Gusto to be the best overall payroll software for Mac users. With its cloud-based platform, you can easily access it through any device. It also offers reasonably priced plans with fees that start at $40 plus $6 per employee monthly, plus a contractor-only tier that costs $6 per person monthly. This makes Gusto an ideal option for small businesses that want quality services at reasonable rates. Sign up for a Gusto plan today and see how its online tools can help streamline your payroll processes.

A pay period is the recurring period of time during which employees work and are paid. Pay periods are fixed and most often occur on a biweekly or semimonthly basis (state laws may require a certain frequency). Some industries follow a specific pay period calendar for certain workers, such as weekly payroll for hourly employees in manufacturing companies. Given that payroll impacts your business's cash flow and financial reporting requirements, you must select the pay period that best fits your company’s needs and worker types. Continue reading for a better understanding of what a pay period is and what it means for your small business, and download one of our free pay period calendars that correspond with your business’s pay cycles. Also, follow along with our pay periods video below: How Pay Periods Work Employers set a regular pay period to ensure their employees receive consistent paychecks. While most companies base their pay schedule on the needs of the business, there are labor laws in place that govern the minimum consistency with which these schedules must comply. Before choosing your pay schedule, it’s important to know how often your state requires employers to process payroll, which we detail in our state payroll guides. Employers consider the minimum frequency at which they can legally process payroll—usually monthly—to set a regular pay schedule. Remember, every pay schedule includes start and end dates for time worked and a payday on which employees receive their paychecks. The payday varies depending on the employer; some designate the payday to be the last date of every pay period, while others may opt to pay a week after the pay period ends. If you’re using a professional employer organization (PEO), your payday options may be limited (for instance, some larger payroll services only allow you to pay employees on Fridays). Types of Pay Periods & How to Choose A year can be divided into 52 weeks, 365 days, or 12 months, which means there are numerous schedules you can use for your payroll. Some businesses are more concerned with weekly payouts and opt to pay once a week or every other week. Others divide each month in half and choose to pay in the middle and at the end. Additionally, although not as frequent, a monthly pay schedule works better for some companies. Here are some factors you should consider when determining your pay schedule. Average wages: Restaurant employees who earn tipped minimum wage may be better suited for weekly paychecks. Forcing employees who receive low wages to wait two to three weeks for payday could damage morale. Company cash flow: Paying weekly means you must have enough cash available to pay more often. Some businesses have cash flow cycles that require more time before bank accounts are replenished—like stores that sell merchandise on credit. Profitability: Processing payroll more often usually costs more money ($50 to $100 per pay run for 10 employees), and some businesses, especially startups, have to manage their expenses more carefully. Using providers like Gusto allows employers to run unlimited monthly payrolls at no extra cost. Here are a few pay period examples and some of the most common pay schedules from which you can choose. Keep in mind that certain industries have norms, and you may need to follow your industry’s tradition to remain a competitive employer. Monthly With a monthly pay schedule, payroll is processed once a month. It’s not as common as the others and results in only 12 pay dates in the year. Some companies pay employees on the last Friday of each month, while others opt to pay on the last day of the month. If that happens to be on the weekend, they may pay on the last weekday before it. Monthly is used the least frequently of the pay schedules but is sometimes used by businesses that offer professional or business services. 2022 Monthly Calendar 2022 Monthly Pay Period Chart 2023 Monthly Calendar 2023 Monthly Pay Period Chart Semimonthly Semimonthly, which is sometimes confused with biweekly, means twice a month. Many companies opt to pay on the 15th and last day of every month. If either of those days falls on a weekend, payroll is processed on the closest weekday before it. The pay period can include 14 to 16 days, depending on the number of days in the month. Typically, businesses in the financial, information technology, professional, and business service industries pay semimonthly—it’s the second least frequently used pay schedule. 2022 Semimonthly Calendar 2022 Semimonthly Pay Period Chart 2023 Semimonthly Calendar 2023 Semimonthly Pay Period Chart Biweekly Biweekly means payroll is run once every two weeks or every other week, wherein employees are paid for two workweeks. For most months, this equates to two paydays, but three months in the year (that vary from year to year) have three biweekly paydays. The workweek for this pay period typically starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. One thing to note is that biweekly is the most common pay schedule overall, with more than a third of US private businesses historically paying their employees every two weeks. Many businesses in education, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and information technology industries follow it. 2022 Biweekly Calendar 2022 Biweekly Pay Period Chart 2023 Biweekly Calendar 2023 Biweekly Pay Period Chart Weekly Employees are paid once a week; their paychecks include hours worked (or salary) for a workweek—for instance, Sunday through Saturday. Many companies choose Friday as their payday since it’s the last weekday, but it can be any day of the week. Many businesses in the construction, manufacturing, restaurant, and mining industries pay on this cycle. 2022 Weekly Calendar 2022 Weekly Pay Period Chart 2023 Weekly Calendar 2023 Weekly Pay Period Chart Paying in Arrears vs Current When you pay on a current schedule, you pay employees as soon as or before their pay cycle ends. Paying in arrears means there’s a delay between the time employees work and when they receive pay for that work. This delay could be a week or more, depending on state laws. If you pay your employees for time that has not yet passed, there could be unexpected changes in their schedule for which you’ll need to make adjustments on the next pay period. This can become cumbersome, as you’ll have to keep track of pay cycles for which you’ve already processed payroll; it can also involve complying with federal overtime laws—paying time and a half (1.5 times regular hourly pay) for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Determining Whether to Pay in Arrears or Current There is no hard rule guiding whether you should pay in arrears or current. You should consider the needs of your business and your employees. Paying in arrears gives you time to gather all time sheets, tip reports, and other information to ensure you process payroll correctly; there’s no need to forecast employee schedules. Paying current is less confusing for some employees and works well in certain instances. Let’s assume a company has a Sunday through Saturday pay cycle, with Friday being the payday. If the employees only work weekdays, Monday through Friday, there would be less guesswork. Although Saturday is a part of the pay cycle, the employees don’t work on Saturdays. It also works for salaried employees who are paid the same amount every pay period, regardless of hours worked. Bottom Line Choosing the pay period that best suits your business is essential, and following it consistently is even more important. Our payroll calendars and charts make it easy to track the beginning and end dates of your pay cycle along with your pay dates, so you never miss payday or run payroll for the wrong period. However, if you want an easy way to pay your employees regardless of your pay schedule, consider . You can choose from the four major payroll schedules and even set up multiple and custom schedules if needed. Sign up for a 30-day free trial today.