5 Best Construction Payroll Software

eBacon offers custom pricing for its construction payroll services. Based on a quote we received, certified payroll with union and prevailing wage calculations for 25 people can be as much as $20,000 or more annually. Note that fees may vary depending on your location.

• Payroll: Of the payroll software for contractors on our list, only eBacon and Payroll4Construction are made for construction companies that need certified payroll reports and prevailing wage reporting. It also supports city-shifting calculations and offers fringe pay trust funds, which allow you to enjoy tax benefits. Like Gusto and ADP Run, eBacon offers pay cards in addition to direct deposit.
• Multiple time tracking and wage rates: eBacon is our list’s only construction payroll provider offering eight ways to track time. It can also handle multiple wage rates for a single employee on a single job in a single day.
• Tax filing: Tax features are typical—federal, state, and local taxes and year-end report prep and delivery of W2s and 1099s.
• Construction-specific tools: eBacon offers multiple job designations at multiple pay grades. Union employee and government contracting reports, such as WH-347, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports, are also available. Only Payroll4Construction also meets these specific construction needs without paying for customization.
• HR: eBacon can help manage onboarding, paid time off (PTO), employee attendance, and background checks. It offers benefits tools to simplify online enrollments in health, dental, vision, flexible spending account (FSA), and health savings account (HSA) plans. While it can generate new hire reports, you have to submit these yourself. If automating this task is vital for you, consider ADP or Gusto (Payroll4Construction also offers this for an additional fee).

• Workforce Payroll: $50 per month + $6.50 per employee monthly
• Workforce Premium: $88 per month + $10 per employee monthly
• Workforce Elite: $134 per month + $12 per employee monthly
• Contractor payments: $15 monthly for 20 contractors + $2 per additional worker
• • This is for businesses that only pay contractors

Note that QuickBooks also offers bundled plans for QuickBooks Accounting Online + Payroll. Visit the provider’s website to get pricing information.

• Payroll: You get unlimited and automatic pay runs with the option to pay employees via manual checks and next-day or same-day direct deposits. It also has PTO management tools and time trackers via QuickBooks Time (if you upgrade to its higher tiers). While QuickBooks Workforce lets you create multiple pay types for employees, it lacks union codes. Unlike eBacon and Payroll4Construction, you only get certified payroll reporting via its integration with Points North.
• Tax filing: All QuickBooks Workforce plans include federal and state tax filings, year-end report preparation, and delivery of W2s and 1099s. While local tax filings are only included in its premium tiers, the Core plan calculates them so you can file yourself. Its Elite Plan also helps you resolve tax penalties and reimburses you up to $25,000, regardless of who is at fault. None of the providers on our list offer a similar tax penalty protection program.
• Construction-specific tools: Take advantage of its multiple pay rates, multistate payroll, job-based codes (though not specifically union), and flexible options for running weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payroll. If you use QuickBooks Accounting, it can integrate with construction-specific apps, such as Buildertrend, and provide job costing and industry-specific reporting. If you want these features right in your payroll software, consider either eBacon or Payroll4Construction.
• HR: While not a full HR platform like ADP Run, QuickBooks Workforce provides essential tools for onboarding, document management, and workers’ compensation administration. It also has HR advisory services, provided you get its Elite plan.

• Essential: $2.50 per employee, per weekly payroll + $49 base fee monthly*
• Enhanced: Custom-priced
• Complete: Custom-priced
• HR Pro: Custom-priced

*Pricing is based on a quote we received for a business with 25 employees. Setup fees apply but are often waived for new clients.

• Payroll: ADP Run offers automated pay runs with two-day direct deposits and, like Payroll4Construction, paycheck signing and delivery services. It’s one of the three providers (Gusto and eBacon being the others) we reviewed that lets you process payments via pay cards. Similar to the other payroll services for construction companies on our list, its time-tracking features include geofencing, which is handy for monitoring the attendance of remote administrative staff and on-site workers. You can integrate it with Points North for certified payroll.
• Tax filing: All plans include tax filings at federal, state, and local levels as opposed to QuickBooks Workforce, which does not do local tax filings in its basic plan. It can create, deliver, and file W2s/1099 forms, and even offers a tax liability guarantee where it will work with you on misfilings and handle any fines.
• Construction-specific tools: ADP lets you manage multiple pay rates and has multistate, union-specific, and job-costing tools. However, unlike Payroll4Construction and eBacon, it doesn’t have construction-specific reports—you need to create these or pay extra for them to be included.
• HR: ADP excels with its full HR suite, which includes onboarding, workers’ comp, new hire reporting, and document management. If you get its higher tiers, you get access to expert HR advisers, ZipRecruiter job postings, an HR handbook wizard, and more. It offers benefits from major providers, including employee discounts with its partner retail shops. It can expand to a full PEO if you want to outsource your HR fully.

• Simple: $49 per month + $6 per person per month
• Plus: $12 per employee monthly + $80 base fee per month
• Premium: Custom-priced
• Contractor-only payroll: $6 per contractor monthly + $35 base fee per month
• • This is for businesses that only pay contractors

Add-ons

• State payroll tax registration: Pricing varies per state
• HR advisory services for Plus plan only: $8 per employee monthly (this is included for free in the Premium tier)
• International contractor payments: Custom-priced
• R&D tax credits: 15% of identified tax credits
• Health insurance and other benefits: Pricing varies by benefit

• Payroll: You get unlimited and automatic pay runs with Gusto, but it doesn’t offer certified payrolls like eBacon and Payroll4Construction do, nor does it offer integrations for certified payroll like ADP Run and QuickBooks. You get multiple payment options, from manual checks to pay cards and direct deposits. Similar to QuickBooks Workforce and eBacon, it has next-day direct deposits, which the other providers don’t have.
• Tax filing: Gusto handles federal, state, and local tax filing, plus garnishments and levies. It files and sends W-2 and 1099 forms at no extra cost.
• Construction-specific tools: Gusto doesn’t have union payroll codes, but you can create job codes and conduct project tracking and workforce costing. Unlike eBacon and Payroll4Construction, it lacks construction-specific reports—you need to build your own.
• HR: Employee benefits include workers’ comp, medical, 401(k), commuter, and Gusto Wallet financial tools. With higher plans, you get advanced hiring and onboarding, team and project management, access to HR advisers, and a dedicated support team. However, if you want more HR tools, such as ZipRecruiter job postings, learning management, salary benchmarks, and PEO services, consider ADP Run.

With Payroll4Construction, you have to call its sales team to discuss your requirements and request a quote. However, we were able to get basic pricing details from the provider’s online quote tool. For a business with 25 workers, running a bi-weekly payroll will cost you $136.25 per pay run.

• Payroll: Payroll4Construction offers automatic pay runs, two-day direct deposits, and PTO tracking. It allows you to pay hourly and salaried employees as well as contractors. The time trackers with geofencing cost extra, however, including garnishments.
• Tax filing: It handles federal, state, and local tax filings but, unlike the other construction payroll solutions on our list, end-of-year reports cost extra.
• Construction-specific tools: Since it is designed for construction, you should find all the tools you need. Examples include multiple pay rates for jobs or states, job costing, and certified payroll reports. It prepares construction-specific reports like Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) minority compliance and union reporting automatically.
• HR: Payroll4Construction offers a self-service portal for employees and time tracking via its Foundation mobile app. It can handle benefits deductions and works with partner organizations to help manage benefits plans. However, if you want HR functions like onboarding or hiring tools, consider Gusto or ADP.