Best Payroll Software for Mac Users in 2021

Gusto Features

Regardless of which Gusto plan you choose, all come with robust yet easy-to-learn pay processing tools. You can set payroll up to run automatically. Plus, you get automated tax filings and payments for federal, state, and local taxes (including digital Form W-2s and 1099s).

Here are some of Gusto’s exceptional features.

• Multiple direct deposit and pay options: Its Core plan includes four-day and two-day direct deposit options. However, if you subscribe to its higher tiers, you get next-day direct deposits. Additionally, Gusto supports paper checks and pay cards.
• Wage garnishments and child support payments: Apart from deducting garnishments, Gusto can handle child support payments and even send the said transactions across 49 states (South Carolina isn’t included as of this writing).
• Tip credits: For restaurateurs that use Mac to run payroll, you can choose to have Gusto automatically adjust employees’ salaries to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) tip credit and minimum wage adjustment requirement. If you are eligible for a Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tip credit tax incentive, the provider can also assist you in claiming it.
• 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. However, note that Gusto’s health benefits are available only in 39 states as of this writing. Additionally, Gusto offers commuter benefits, retirement, college savings, HSA, FSA, and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation options.
• Hiring and time tracking tools: Apart from payroll, Gusto provides onboarding, offer letter templates, electronic signatures, new hire reporting, and document storage solutions. You can even get online tools to monitor workforce costs, track employees’ actual work hours, and capture the time that your staff spent on projects.
• Customer support: For new clients who have more than 10 employees, Gusto has a dedicated team who will help import all of your data securely into its platform. You can also contact its support team either through email, chat, and phone from Mondays to Fridays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time.
• Third-party software integrations: Gusto’s software integration options include FreshBooks, Xero, QuickBooks, TSheets, When I Work, Homebase, and Expensify.

ADP Run Features

Similar to Gusto, ADP Run offers full-service payroll with unlimited pay runs that cover all states. It’s designed to simplify and automate processing, enabling you to manage payroll, tax and compliance, and HR all from a single platform. Here are some of its essential 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 it out to employees.
• 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.
• 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.
• Hiring solutions: What’s great about ADP is that aside from payroll, you have additional access to basic hiring tools that include background checks, electronic HR forms, and job postings on ZipRecruiter—provided you subscribe to its higher tiers. Other payroll providers don’t offer these functionalities, while some will require you to purchase a separate recruitment module.
• 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 Success Factors, Workday, TSheets, Homebase, iCIMS, Docufree, OrgChart Now, Slack, and Pingboard.

SurePayroll Features

For a provider that offers simple pay processing tools, SurePayroll received high marks in our evaluation criteria for payroll features, having scored 4.25 out of 5 points. While its payment options aren’t as robust as similar providers, you get direct deposit options that allow you to pay employees either the next or same day after having submitted your payroll. It also offers other essential functionalities, such as:

• Payroll processing: SurePayroll provides automatic pay runs, unlimited payrolls, and pay processing for contractors, hourly and salaried employees, nannies, and household staff. It also caters to the specific payroll needs of businesses in the agriculture and restaurant industries, including churches and non-profit organizations.
• Payroll cancellation window: If you notice erroneous amounts shortly after having run payroll, SurePayroll has a cancellation time window that enables you to stop the process and correct these entries. Note that the system will provide a link to cancel payroll if you’re within the cancellation time window.
• Employee benefits: SurePayroll has a wide range of affordable benefits options that include retirement, health insurance, and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation plans.
• Live customer support with extended hours: You can contact its US-based support team six days a week (with extended weekday evening hours), through email, phone, or live chat.
• Third-party software integrations: It integrates with some accounting and time clock software.

Rippling Features

Rippling has an intuitive interface and a unified HR platform designed to help you efficiently manage the entire employee lifecycle—from hiring to retirement. The provider even claims that its robust pay processing tools can help you run payroll in as quick as 90 seconds.

Some of Rippling’s outstanding features include:

• Feature-rich HR 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 devices issued to employees, a feature none of the other providers on our list offer.
• Full-service payroll: You can pay both employees and contractors via direct deposits and paychecks, even if they’re working across the globe. 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.
• Automatic compliance: Similar to payroll taxes, Rippling automatically 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 (such as 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 Rippling will automatically calculate the costs as your staff move from job to job.
• Third-party software integrations: Rippling has over 400 integration options that include TSheets, Homebase, When I Work, GoodHire, Checkr, SurveyMonkey, Greenhouse, Guru, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Slack, Asana, DocuSign, and Adobe Sign.

QuickBooks Payroll Features

Both QuickBooks Payroll for Mac and QuickBooks Online Payroll provide the essential tools you need to efficiently pay your employees. Although, the latter’s tools are more robust than the former’s. Here are some of the two solutions’ functionalities.

QuickBooks Payroll for Mac Features

• Instant paycheck calculations: Employee salaries, including taxes and deductions, are instantly calculated, allowing you to easily review and approve payroll. In addition, QuickBooks Payroll for Mac provides an easy three-step process to completing pay runs.
• Payroll taxes: Apart from federal payroll taxes, it supports electronic tax payments and filings for most states.
• Free services: You don’t have to pay extra for direct deposit transactions. Plus, you get free support from QuickBooks’ team of payroll experts.

QuickBooks Online Payroll 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 like W-2s and 1099s.
• Multiple pay options: In addition to check payments, QuickBooks Payroll offers next-day deposits for its Core subscribers and same-day direct deposits for Premium and Elite plan holders.
• Employee benefits: All of QuickBooks Payroll’s plans include access to health benefits and 401(k) options. As of this writing, 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.
• Customer support: For new users, the provider has a guided setup and expert professionals who can help get QuickBooks Payroll up and running. It also has 24/7 chat support, including US-based phone support from Mondays through Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time and Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific time.

Aatrix Features

Aatrix offers fast and easy payroll processing that supports direct deposits and manual paycheck printing, although your Mac-compatible computer must run on at least OS 10.7 or higher. It also includes the following essential features:

• Unlimited payroll processing: It can handle pay runs for unlimited employees and departments, including contractors. Aside from tracking employees’ work hours and PTO, it automatically calculates deductions and liability payments.
• Time tracking: Aside from PTO tracking, you are granted free access to its “TimeCard” solution that allows your employees to clock-in/out from a Mac computer. The system then captures all employee time data and automatically totals the actual hours worked.
• Automatic tax table updater: With Aatrix, you don’t need to manually keep track of tax table changes and form updates. The system provides you with the latest tax information. You only have to pay annually for its tax table service, and the fee isn’t as high as similar payroll solutions. Having an up-to-date tax table is critical for payroll processing as it helps reduce the risk of incorrect tax deductions and costly penalties.
• Small business forms: If you get Aatrix’s Ultimate Payroll, you are granted access to a comprehensive library of online payroll and employee management-related documents. The provider also included a free sample employee handbook that you can use as a reference to create your own.
• QuickBooks integration: After you have processed employee paychecks (either through direct deposits or manual checks), you can post your payroll to QuickBooks with just one click. Note, however, that this feature is available only with Aatrix Top Pay.

Paycor Features

Paycor has a full HR platform with integrated solutions for employee information management, payroll, talent and workforce management, and benefits administration. It has payroll as its core program, enabling you to easily select other HR modules based on your business’ needs.

Here are some of its stand-out functionalities:

• Feature-rich solution suite: Similar to Rippling, Paycor has a wide range of HR and payroll solutions—from recruitment, time and attendance, and payroll to benefits administration, compensation planning, and learning management. It even offers employee pulse surveys and analytics.
• Payroll processing: It supports automated payrolls with multiple pay options like direct deposits and pay cards, including paycheck stuffing. Paycor also has workflows and a flexible pay grid that you can customize to fit your payroll needs.
• 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.
• Wage garnishment services: Paycor provides efficient wage garnishment services that include child support deductions and payments.
• Customer support: You get one-on-one support from a certified HR professional if you subscribe to its highest “Small Business” payroll package. It also offers live phone support, but it’s available only during weekdays.
• Third-party software integrations: Paycor’s integration options include OnShift, Deputy, Square POS, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, WageWorks, PlanSource, AssureHire, and GoodHire.