Some features I wish were better include its automation options, customization options and chat support. There are almost no automation options and you cannot customize the dashboard at all. In addition, when I contacted the chat support to ask if I had missed any customization options, I was given irrelevant responses and prompted to contact customer support via email.

• Some providers may charge extra for additional features or services, such as employee self-service portals, filing back payroll tax documents, or postage and handling.
• Employees can use it to request time off, view pay stubs, and record attendance.
• OnPay comes with additional pay-related capabilities such as custom reports, HR features and integration with other apps for accounting, time tracking, retirement and HR compliance.
• You can also create custom reports, such as reports showing your cash requirements, job costing, tax deposit notices, W-2s and more in real time.

Enable Direct Deposits and Payment Options

It helps finance teams as well, allowing them to focus more on analysis and strategy rather than on low-value tasks like payroll processing. Instead of spending time and energy on manual data entry, your team can focus on higher-level HR processes, like new hire onboarding and employee engagement. Plus, you can save money by reducing operating costs and eliminating time-consuming payroll functions. Making sure that your employees get paid is one of the most important parts of running a business or being a small business owner. Some companies handle their own payroll processing in-house, while others prefer outsourcing it to a payroll provider.

Integrate with Time-Tracking and HR Systems

Lisa Lindsey is a seasoned HR consultant and coach and the founder of Peale Piper, a boutique human resources consulting firm. She helps small to mid-size businesses transform their culture, move their human resources practices from transactional to strategic, as well as develop and retain their employees. Lisa has over 20 years of corporate human resources, legal operations and start-up experience, including executive roles in cybersecurity and building services industries. As the chief people officer of SkOUT Cybersecurity, Lisa was a member of the Executive Leadership Team. During her tenure, she collaborated with senior leadership to develop the company’s culture. These activities improved business operations and culture, leading to a successful $25 million capital raise.

Types of payroll automation software

And with fewer of these tasks to attend to, your HR team can devote more of their attention to ensuring positive employee relations. This article is a comprehensive guide to common payroll forms, their key elements, benefits, and how to use them. It explains the importance of using the correct payroll forms for accurate payroll processing you work for a company that provides payroll automation and compliance with federal, state, and local tax laws.

• Conduct payroll audits at regular intervals to identify and rectify any issues.
• And, if the IRS contacts you with inquiries about your filings or payments, RUN will handle those communications for you.
• Payroll systems integrate with various tools—like attendance tracking, timesheets, HR software, and employee self-service portals—to collect the necessary data for payroll calculations.
• Wave Payroll customers posting reviews on product rating sites like that the software is extremely easy to use and set up, is affordable and has free features such as invoicing.
• When rolling out a new payroll system, be sure to import existing employee data and connect your new system to the tools you’re already using.
• ChatGPT can help you set clear, achievable goals and break them down into manageable steps.
• The dashboard had a handful of reports and optional action items but didn’t feel cluttered or overwhelming.

As a small business owner, you wear many hats, juggling various responsibilities to keep your company running smoothly. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation. “It’s a big moment, writing your first payroll check,” he told CO—. “You want to make sure you’re doing it the right way.” You will also need to define your pay periods (e.g., weekly, biweekly, twice monthly or monthly) before you can run your first payroll. Dennis O’Reilly brings a unique perspective to his work evaluating tech products for small businesses.

This article explores back pay calculation and its significance in ensuring fair employee compensation. We cover the definition, examples, determining factors, and differences from retroactive pay. Additionally, we provide a step-by-step guide for accurate calculations and highlight factors like interest, penalties, and taxes. Our goal is to emphasize the importance of back pay calculations for a fair and equitable workplace. We have tried and reviewed the following payroll automation systems Bookkeeping for Veterinarians for you.

QuickBooks Payroll is a cloud-based payroll service that fully integrates with Intuit’s other software solutions. You can also use it as a stand-alone payroll processing service for your small to medium-sized business. It provides useful payroll features including automated tax calculations and filing, unlimited payroll runs, benefits administration and reporting. The last thing you want is a penalty because of a mistake in tax filing. It’s not easy to stay in compliance when tax rates and rules change from year to year. Some automation payroll processing solutions can help manage tax forms, tax deductions, tax withholdings and related responsibilities.

Benefits of Payroll Automation — and How to Implement It

Businesses may find these solutions more advanced and user-friendly than ERPs. They reduce manual data entry, minimize errors, and update information across all HR functions, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Besides affordability, it offers robust payroll services that would take the stress of managing it off your plate. Learn more about it in our Justworks review—or check out our best PEO companies guide for an in-depth look at the top PEO companies. Surprisingly, 14% of small businesses still use traditional payroll processing!

Our ability to test the features was limited, as they required entering real bank account information and signing into external accounts. The Gusto payroll run screen shows at a glance all payroll expenses per employee. The Consumer Sentiment Index from Forbes Advisor uses a proprietary weighting system designed by our subject matter experts. It evaluates thousands of consumer insights and reviews from leading online forums to determine customer satisfaction at scale. The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, first-person testing, strategic methodologies and expert insights petty cash to inform all of our content so we can guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.