Top 5 Payroll Services

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Paychex Guide

See why Paychex ranks as one of the best payroll service provider for small businesses in our ultimate Paychex guide.

Advertising Disclosure: Many or all of the companies featured provide compensation to us. These commissions are how we maintain our free service for consumers.  Compensation,  along with hours of in-depth research, determines where & how companies appear on our site.

paychex

Advertising Disclosure


Many or all of the companies featured provide compensation to us. These commissions are how we maintain our free service for consumers. Compensation, along with hours of in-depth research, determines where & how companies appear on our site.

4.8/5
4.8/5
Pros:
  • Good customer support
  • Syncs with both Sage and Quickbooks
  • Handles direct deposit as well as paper checks
  • Allows you to submit payroll records in multiple ways
  • Offers custom quotes based on your needs
Cons:
  • No option for printing checks
  • Somewhat expensive when compared to similar services
  • Needs a better user interface

What is Paychex?

Up until the 1960s, doing payroll took a lot of time and even more effort. B. Thomas Golisano believed that there was a better alternative and opened a company in 1971 to prove it. He wanted to offer an affordable option for small business owners who needed help with their payrolls and saw his company grow from just one employee to more than 14,000 today. Those employees help business owners with just a few employees as well as those with thousands of workers. More than 650,000 clients now turn to Paychex for help with their payroll needs. As one of those clients, you can choose a basic plan that includes payroll support or one that includes more services.

Features and Services

With Paychex Express Payroll, you get all the services that you need to handle weekly and biweekly payments, but you can also send out paychecks on any schedule that you need. Paychex has strong customer support that allows you to send requests through email and talk to live representatives when you need one. If you use Sage or Quickbooks, you’ll find that you can sync those services to Paychex to keep track of both accounting and bookkeeping records. This allows you to more easily access your records and create documents for tax payments.

When you use Paychex, you can create checks that you send to your suppliers and other businesses. The money automatically comes out of your linked bank account and does not require that you use a separate check. Though you cannot print paper checks to give or mail to employees, you can add their bank account details and pay them via direct deposit. It also includes options for sending their paychecks to a bank or pay card. A nice benefit of using Paychex is that it lets you set up login details for your employees too. They can then go online and fill out their banking details as well as access services designed for workers.

Unlike other payroll service providers that give you only one way to enter payment information, Paychex gives you multiple options. You can use your online account to upload new records and update old records. You also have the choice of sharing records over the phone or submitting documents through fax. Paychex also has a mobile app that many find helpful. This app works on both iPhones and Android phones. Employees can use the app to view their records and view every paycheck that they received from your company.

Who is This for?

Paychex is the best payroll service provider for a small business with no more than 50 employees. As your customer base grows, you can change your plan and still get the services that you need. Some services are available for companies with as many as 1,000 employees. It is also a strong choice for those who don’t want to use multiple tools and pieces of software to run a business. Paychex puts all the features that you need on your desktop to help you track attendance records, send out checks, handle human resource issues and change the benefits that workers get. You’ll also find prices for the basic payroll services that you can easily afford.

How it Works

When you visit the Paychex website today, you can take advantage of an exclusive deal designed for new clients. You need to fill out a short form that asks for your full name, email address and phone number as well as the name of your company, zip code of its headquarters or head office and the number of employees it has. This allows you to set up an account and get three months of payroll service for free. If you find that it isn’t the best fit for you, you can cancel without paying any fees. Those who decide to stick with it can then add a credit card and pay both the base fee and a cost based on how many employees they have. The payroll only plan charges just $4 for each person who works for you.

Pricing

Paychex encourages prospective clients to call in and speak with a representative. Once the rep finds out a little more about your business, they can send it through the system and create a custom quote. The quote looks at factors such as what you need to do payroll and how many employees work for you. Paychex Flex Enterprise requires that you answer a few questions to get a quote, but all other plans have upfront pricing available. Those prices start at $60 per month for Paychex Express Payroll. This base rate does not include the $4 you pay each month per employee. Both the Paychex Flex Select and Paychex Flex Pro are more expensive and range from $90 to $158 a month along with $3 to $3.65 per employee each month. Those plans include more features than Paychex Express Payroll does.

Customer Support

One reason why Paychex is so popular is its customer service. This is one of the few payroll service companies that we found with 24/7 customer support. Whether you need to have your questions answered in the middle of the night or a long weekend, you can call in and talk to a live representative. When you call (855) 263-1021, you can talk to someone about your account and the issues that you have. This number also lets you reach a representative who can go through the available plans and help you choose one based on what you need. Paychex also accepts emails. You just need to visit the site and click on the email button, which will then access your email system and allow you to write and send a message.

Final Verdict

Paychex offers multiple plans for those who need payroll services. While you can sign up for an expensive plan that includes extra features, the Paychex Express Payroll costs just $4 per employee and $60 per month. It gives you access to great tools that you can use to track the hours that your employees work and send out paychecks that account for each hour as well as any paid time off they took. You can choose from different methods to pay your employees and let them download a mobile app to keep track of their hours. Paychex is a good payroll service for small businesses of all types.

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