Payroll Software

What is Payroll Software?

Payroll software offers a centralized suite of tools that help organizations manage and automate employee payments, achieve compliance with tax laws, and reduce operational and HR costs. Payroll systems integrate with other business software systems to help guarantee accurate, timely compensation, and allow employees to manage their personal information and payment preferences.

Payroll software benefits organizations by improving payment reliability, streamlining payroll tasks, and increasing flexibility in payment types for global employees. Companies using payroll software can also obtain deep business insights, and improve employee payment reporting capabilities.

Key Features of Payroll Software

The key features and capabilities of Payroll software include the following:

  • Payroll Processing: Payroll software helps organizations streamline payroll processing by integrating with time and attendance tools to automatically pull necessary data, make ACH deposits, and print checks.
  • Direct Deposit: Payroll software provides direct deposit functionality, which helps companies reduce payroll processing costs, provides employees with immediate access to funds, and reduces the risk of fraud or lost paychecks.
  • Tax Calculations & Filing: Payroll software automates tax calculations and filing by automatically generating necessary forms with tax information, which helps businesses reduce errors and file taxes on time.
  • Payroll Compliance: Payroll software helps organizations maintain compliance with federal, state, county, and city payroll regulations by double-checking entries against current laws, to minimize the chance of legal problems and fines.
  • Mobile Apps for Self-Service: Payroll software often provides mobile access that organizations can use to run payroll and view reports while on the go. Employees can also use mobile payroll apps to manage personal information and view pay stubs.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Payroll software offers extensive reporting capabilities that help organizations analyze spend, budgets, tax summaries, and other financial metrics to better manage employee resources and payroll.

Common Payroll Software Integrations

Payroll software often integrates with the following business software systems:

  • HR Software: Integrating Payroll software with HR software helps organizations process payments, manage employees more efficiently, and frees up HR teams to focus on improving employee experience and building a positive workplace culture. This integration also streamlines HR and payroll workflows, improves compliance, and enhances data visibility to help HR teams work with increased efficiency and accuracy.
  • Accounting Software: Integrating Payroll software with Accounting software eliminates the need for double data entry, automatically updates ledgers, and reduces the risk of manual data entry errors. This integration also helps companies improve financial efficiency by ensuring that payroll data such as deductions, overtime, and other payroll spending is accurately tracked within their business accounting system.
  • Expense Management Software: Integrating Payroll software with Expense Management software helps companies streamline their employee reimbursement processes, ensure timely, accurate reimbursements, and improve HR team efficiency by automatically incorporating expenses into payroll.

Top 10 Payroll Software Providers

NetSuite / Sage Intacct / Gusto / APS / RUN / QuickBooks Accounting / isolved / Oracle ERP / Paychex Flex / Patriot Payroll

WH Score
9.3
NetSuite
94reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Oracle's NetSuite is the world's #1 cloud ERP solution. This ERP provides over 40,000 organizations worldwide with a modern, scalable, and unified platform to streamline all crucial back-office processes, from financial management and planning, to warehouse and fulfillment, and beyond. With built-in...
WH Score
9.2
Sage Intacct
113reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Sage Intacct is a powerful ERP software that provides businesses with a comprehensive suite of tools to manage their financials, operations, and customer relationship management. With Sage Intacct, businesses can streamline their processes and gain greater visibility and control over their operation...
WH Score
9.2
Gusto
87reviews
Starting Price:$6 per employee / per month
Gusto offers a modern HR software system that is complete with tools for payroll, HR, benefits, and compliance. 
WH Score
9.0
APS
87reviews
Starting Price:N/A
APS (Automatic Payroll Systems, Inc.) provides payroll and tax compliance services to small to medium-sized companies, and has been for almost 20 years. 
WH Score
8.9
RUN
74reviews
Starting Price:N/A
RUN, powered by ADP, is a web-based payroll solution tailored to the payroll needs of small businesses. RUN can integrate with multiple third-party accounting software and human resource management services from ADP to give you a full spectrum of features and tools you need to manage everything from...
WH Score
8.9
QuickBooks Accounting

QuickBooks Accounting

204reviews
Starting Price:$35 per user / per month
QuickBooks, powered by Intuit, is an accounting software that is designed to fit the accounting needs of small and mid-sized companies. QuickBooks offers an array of tools and features that can be customized to fit the exact needs of your business. 
WH Score
8.9
isolved
119reviews
Starting Price:N/A
isolved is the most-trusted HCM technology leader, providing the best combination of software and services to meet the needs of today’s People Heroes – HR, payroll, and benefits professionals. 
WH Score
8.9
Oracle ERP
152reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Oracle ERP represents one of the globe’s leading enterprise software organizations. They have built a sophisticated portfolio of business software applications through high-profile acquisitions. The company is well-known for its strengths in the database, and infrastructure systems. It offers ...
WH Score
8.8
Paychex Flex
13reviews
Starting Price:$5 per employee / per month
Save time and improve payroll accuracy. Paychex makes it easier to enter employee hours, calculate payroll taxes, and keep up with wage and hour laws – without taking time away from your business.
WH Score
8.8
Patriot Payroll
84reviews
Starting Price:$4 per employee / per month
Patriot Payroll from Patriot Software is a cloud-based payroll software tailored to American businesses up to 500 employees who need powerful, but affordable, tools for managing payroll processing and tax filing. With this solution, you can easily maintain payroll records, print checks, establish di...
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