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
8.2
Zenefits
59reviews
Starting Price:$8 per employee / per month
Zenefits is a comprehensive, all-in-one HR software that streamlines the HR process for small and medium-sized businesses. With Zenefits, you can manage everything from employee benefits and payroll to compliance and time-off requests all in one place.
WH Score
8.2
Viventium
20reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Viventium is a comprehensive HR solution which pays special focus to compliance and employee productivity. Stay compliant with Viventium in all 50 states, while also giving your employees access to their salary and vacation information over a mobile app.   
WH Score
8.2
AccountEdge
13reviews
Starting Price:$20 per user / per month
AccountEdge is powerful, easy-to-use desktop accounting software for small businesses on Mac or Windows. Plans start at $20/month.
WH Score
8.2
TriNet
6reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Trinet offers full-service human resources (HR) and payroll solutions tailored to the needs of small and midsize businesses including: payroll processing, payroll administration and electronic W-2 preparation and delivery. TriNet enables users to view estimated invoices, and it updates in real time....
WH Score
8.1
Paypro
11reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Paypro is a comprehensive workforce management platform that covers the entire HR gamut, by integrating time tracking, tax calculations, payroll, performance reviews and more.
WH Score
8.1
Paycom
17reviews
Starting Price:N/A
With Paycom, streamline HR processes so that you and your team can focus on what truly matters. Alleviate busywork by giving managers and employees the autonomy to manage requests via a mobile app.
WH Score
8.0
Workzoom
15reviews
Starting Price:$3.8 per employee / per month
Workzoom is a total HR management solution which offers different stakeholders a customized view of what matters most to them. While employees have the autonomy to collaborate via a self-service suite, managers can track performance with real-time dashboards.
WH Score
8.0
VIENNA Advantage
12reviews
Starting Price:$0 per user / per month
VIENNA Advantage is a business management solution that covers all functions of the modern enterprise. It realizes strategic goals with applications used across the company. They include tightly integrated ERP solution, CRM solution, DMS that suits your business. It doesn’t waste time to devel...
WH Score
8.0
Unit4
12reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Unit4  is a business and workflow management solution that offers non-profit organizations and related NGOs a complete, integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution. It was designed to accommodate continual change thus allowing organizations to evolve and meet emerging new requirement...
WH Score
7.9
SumTotal
11reviews
Starting Price:N/A
SumTotal Learn is an evolution of the aging, one-size-fits-all approach to learning management systems (LMS). Rather than simply throwing every possible feature into a single solution, the SumTotal team chose to focus on connecting the skills that your employees need for their careers with the measu...
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