The 6 Best Payroll Companies for your Business

OnPay is an affordable full-service payroll platform that promises an easy-to-use system. We love OnPay because it’s been designed for a variety of industries, including NGOs, startups, and hospitality. OnPay is able to cater to your unique small business needs, such as providing a great benefits package, onboarding for new hires and multiple pay schedules. Because it’s a straightforward platform, implementation is easy: the OnPay team will set up the service, at no extra cost to you. So there’s no need to worry about the implementation and complexity of a new system.

OnPay offers a one-month free trial to help you decide if this is the best platform for your business. OnPay allows for integrations including Xero, streamlining your business processes from one platform. 

We recommend Gusto to startups that are keen to use a simple, easy to use, cloud-based platform. As a full-service payroll platform, Gusto has all the necessary tools to run payroll and manage taxes. It also doesn't require you to sign up for a fixed-term contract, which gives great flexibility to businesses that are just starting out. For this, our experts considered it one of the best payroll software for small businesses in the market.

Gusto offers automated payroll, and once set up, you can have payroll run automatically, as long as no changes are required. This gives you peace of mind, and is one less thing to worry about. Gusto sends timely reminders on payroll and tax updates, ensuring you stay compliant. 

It provides comprehensive tax management, ensuring tax calculations, filings, and payments are made correctly and on time. Gusto being cloud-based means you can run payroll from anywhere in the world. 

Plus, if you’re moving state or country, Gusto can help you calculate and file taxes for your new location, keeping your business compliant. Employees have access to their own platform, where they can access payslips, W2s, and even request an advance on pay. 

You can also integrate with Gusto with other platforms, such as Quickbooks, which can help your business increase productivity and efficiency. 

Deluxe is a full-service payroll platform that also provides HR solutions, including hiring processes. It offers a unique feature called Text to Apply, where potential employees can easily apply to any of your open roles, and you’re able to easily track any applications, including those from other sources, from the Deluxe dashboard. You’re also able to easily post job openings on relevant social media or job boards, making hiring the right people easier and more streamlined.

Deluxe’s customizable onboarding tools make it easy to bring your new talent on board, with relevant tax documentation. Payroll processes are also a breeze with this easy-to-use, intuitive platform. That said, there is limited customization, which can be a problem if you want a platform that’ll work to your exact specifications. However, all of the necessary functions are available. 

Deluxe provides tax filings for all 50 states and ensures you’re kept up to date with any relevant legislation changes. You can run payroll from anywhere in the world, as well as change your payroll date, which is helpful if you need this kind of flexibility. 

ADP Payroll is an OG of the payroll industry, providing full-service payroll software with HR solutions. ADP offers a number of integrations with third-party providers such as Wave, ClockShark, and Cornerstone, creating a seamless experience for you to manage various business processes. 

The hiring solutions ADP offers make it easier for you to manage potential and new hires. You can run background checks, schedule interviews, send out offers of employment, and access thousands of job boards. The reason we love ADP for businesses that are predicting rapid growth is that you won’t need to change platforms as your business grows – instead, you can change plans as you scale, as the ADP packages are designed to accommodate this. 

ADP allows you to only pay for what you need, meaning you don’t need to waste money and resources on features you don’t use. ADP’s pricing is flexible, as you pay per employee, per month meaning you don’t need to limit yourself in a contract. 

QuickBooks payroll packages are all full-service, which is rare for payroll companies, as packages tend to be limited depending on cost. All of QuickBooks’ packages include unlimited payroll runs, automated tax calculations, filing and payment, direct deposit, and an employee portal.

As well as providing great tax management, QuickBooks provides a tax penalty protection. If an error with the software leads to a tax penalty, QuickBooks offers up to $25,000 to cover the penalty. If you want a service that deals with your taxes and prevents you from being hit by a big fine, QuickBooks is the provider for your business. 

If you use other QuickBooks platforms, this payroll software is a great way for you to seamlessly integrate several aspects of your business into one program. QuickBooks offers various plans for its payroll service, including online plans, desktop plans, and a plan that brings together both payroll and accounting software. These various plans can accommodate various business needs, and you can opt for the plan that suits your business best. 

QuickBooks allows for unlimited payroll runs, meaning you can pay employees using different pay frequencies. This can be helpful when you have both full-time employees and independent contractors. 

One of the main reasons you may be using a payroll service is to ensure your employees are able to receive healthcare and insurance benefits. This is one thing Paychex does well, alongside the usual payroll services and tax management. 

You can automate federal and state tax filings and payments with Paychex, and make use of hiring tools, including background checks, and the ability to contact Paychex HR reps for professional advice. Paychex also provides easy digital forms that improve the onboarding process. 

Paychex’s cloud-based time tracking system means you can accurately track employee hours without needing a third-party provider, or having to integrate another platform. The time-tracking solution can also be accessed by employees to ensure transparency, and can be accessed from anywhere, providing flexibility. 

Paychex effectively manages employee benefits, and provides a way to seamlessly integrate 401k deductions and contributions into your payroll runs. With Paychex, you can offer employees group health insurance plans, which include their families, as well as workers comp and property insurance. All of this is integrated into the payroll service, allowing you to easily manage these various benefits. 

A unique feature with Pachex is solutions for the self-employed. Namely that, if you’re self-employed, Paychex provides features for dealing with retirement, and working out taxes. One of Paychex’s drawbacks is that, because it offers so many solutions, it can be hard to get to grips with the platform, making the learning curve very steep indeed.