Some of the best small business payroll software programs, as voted on by Small Business Trends readers, include the following
1) Xero
Xero is an accounting platform that features double-entry bookkeeping and a real-time dashboard. It’s also simple to set up, easy to use, and comes with free customer support. Xero is perfect for small businesses that are just starting out. This is because it has software templates that can be used right away, and it supports all types of pricing plans (monthly, quarterly, yearly). One thing that might need improvement is the lack of mobile app access—Xero needs to offer this in order to keep up with industry trends.
2) Gusto
Gusto is one of the best small business payroll software programs on the market. The app integrates seamlessly with dozens of other apps, which means less hassle on your end. Your employees will be able to create their own login and the Gusto mobile app. Employees can submit time from any location, work from anywhere and request time off via the mobile app, so there are no excuses not to go paperless! If you have employees who travel, Gusto also has a suite of tools that cater specifically to them. They have options for taxes in multiple countries and they even offer employee mobility services if you need help keeping track of how much they’ve been working while they’re out of office. Pricing: Free up to 5 team members; $9 per user each month after that. Contact Gusto for pricing information at or call 888-460-9488.
3) InDinero
InDinero is a software company that offers powerful yet easy-to-use tools for small business payroll. These services are important for compliance with ever-changing laws. They provide accurate wage and withholding calculations, as well as premium tax tracking and direct deposit compliance. You can also set up employee attendance tracking or create HR documents like onboarding and termination paperwork. You can manage all of your finance, from finances to workflows, with one platform. This is what makes InDinero different from other payroll programs on the market: it simplifies not only the most tedious tasks but also some of the most confusing aspects of running a small business.
4) Zoho Books
A business owner can now be organized, keep up with the day-to-day management of a company, and enjoy a better work-life balance.
Zoho Books is the only provider of small business payroll software that includes: invoicing, time tracking, project management, timesheets, billing, expenses, and budgets. Zoho Books works well on any device from a desktop computer to an iPhone. And it integrates with over 2 million apps and services so you can have the best product catalog or recipe just at your fingertips!
5) ProPay
Looking to take the hassle out of running your small business? ProPay offers all-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits management software to help save you time and money. All plans include unlimited employee profiles, deduction scheduling, and automatic tax filing – saving you up to $1,800 per year! You can also upgrade at any time and choose from additional features such as health care tracking. No wonder it was voted Best Online Payroll Provider by PC Magazine in 2018!
6) Intuit QuickBooks
Intuit QuickBooks is often used by small business owners, as it offers all the features and functionality that are needed to run a successful business.
Intuit QuickBooks has all the necessary payroll-related features, like configurable pay periods, the ability to record time worked by hourly employees, vacation tracking, reporting, and more. Intuit also offers an intuitive dashboard that breaks down finances in a manner so they can be easily understood.
Intuit offers many different service packages that are sure to fit any budget. One of these packages includes The Full-Service Payroll Company which includes everything an entrepreneur needs in order to handle their company’s payroll-from end-to-end online support and top-level customer service.
7) WaveApps
WaveApps is a small business payroll software that was founded in 2016 and launched in 2017. The WaveApps team has strived to maintain an enterprise-grade, world-class service while being one of the fastest-growing cloud ERP solutions in the US. WaveApps offers its clients personalized and award-winning customer service as well as automated products that can help manage your entire organization with an all-inclusive package: human resources, finance, accounting, operations, customer service, and insights. This is a simplified payroll software where you just have to install the program on your phone or PC to take care of everything from employee tracking to onboarding new hires in less than five minutes. Wave apps will even run your payroll when needed so all you have to do is approve it once a month!
8) FreeAgent
FreeAgent is a cloud-based program, available on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. FreeAgent provides business services that include accounting software, payroll and HR management tools, loans and financing products, invoice management and generation features, and time tracking features.
FreeAgent is optimized to be used by sole proprietorships with one employee who typically has less than $1 million in revenue annually. However, more complex companies can also use the software thanks to its many configuration options that allow it to be scaled as needed.
It’s also possible to use FreeAgent as a way of outsourcing bookkeeping services to an external provider.
9) FreshBooks
Here are our favorite small business payroll software programs that will make managing and balancing your financials easier. Some of these options are highly customizable, while others come with a lot of pre-built templates, which can cut down on the amount of time it takes to learn how to use them. Regardless of what you’re looking for, there’s bound to be something in this list that will work for you:
-Bizify–Bizify is one of the simplest accounting programs we’ve seen, and has support for invoicing as well as data collection. What sets it apart from the others is its preorganized dashboard, which breaks down where every dollar goes without any extra steps on your part.
10) ZenPayroll
ZenPayroll is a popular small business payroll software because of its low prices and high accuracy. The system includes tools to calculate taxes, track hours, print paychecks, and manage employee expenses. It’s available as a SaaS (Software as a Service) or on-premise solution.
To manage time-sensitive documents like W2s, quarterly tax deposits, and export data for payroll filing, ZenPayroll offers an electronic filing service called SageIntegration that integrates with accounting software like QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop Pro to automatically fill out tax forms in the background.
There are no setup fees with ZenPayroll–the company does offer a free 30-day trial period–so it might be worth trying before making your final decision.
