Payroll apps are a handy and cost-effective alternative for small businesses that need to handle the pay and benefits of their employees. Small businesses can save time, reduce mistakes, and enhance their whole payroll process by employing payroll software.
These new and improved payroll apps offer a variety of tools and features to assist small businesses in streamlining their payroll process and reducing the time and effort necessary to handle their employees’ pay.
In this post, we’ll make a rundown of some of the best payroll apps for small businesses on the market.
I want small business payroll apps that help with
1
Accurate time tracker that enables a one-click payroll experience
One of the hardest aspects of managing payroll for hourly employees is accurately capturing their hours, calculating overtime and finally data entering their hours into a payroll system. Workyard is a GPS enabled time tracking solution specifically designed for accurately capturing hours for your hourly employees and 1099 workers, and then sending those hours to your payroll app.
To be clear, Workyard isn’t a payroll system, but it’s essential if you are running payroll for hourly workers. Workyard’s super accurate GPS time clock gives you the assurance that every minute logged is a minute actually worked. Workyard GPS enables you to track the real-time locations of your employees on the field and also see for any time card, the exact time arrived and departed for every work site, and in addition any driving trips with exact mileage calculated.
In-built mileage tracking is particularly useful for small businesses that have employees using their own cars for work assignments and need to reimburse employees for the mileage incurred during work hours. Workyard will automatically calculate mileage for every time card and also provides convenient mileage reporting by pay period, saving you a huge amount of time when it’s time to run payroll and you need to calculate reimbursements.
With Workyard, payroll processing then becomes an easy task of simply reviewing and approving the prepared timesheets on the Workyard dashboard. With payroll integrations to QuickBooks Online, Quickbooks Desktop, Gusto, Sage, Foundation and many more you can execute your payroll run payroll in just a couple of clicks.
Overall the Workyard is a perfect pairing with any of the other payroll apps we have listed in this article for small businesses that have hourly workers in the field, that want to ensure their payroll is accurate, compliant and streamlined.
Key Features
- Streamlined payroll processing with completed timesheets
- Integrations with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Gusto, Sage, ADP, Foundation, and more
- Simple job scheduling from the office to the field
Best Suited For
- Employee GPS Tracking
- Scheduling
- Time Tracking
Explore & try out Workyard for 14 days.
No credit card required.
2
Online accounting software for small business
QuickBooks Online is a leading payroll and accounting software solution for small businesses that is hosted in the cloud. With three different QuickBooks Online payroll plans to choose from you can be sure there is a perfect fit for your company.
With the QuickBooks features, you can automate your payment process for the entire team no matter if they are salaried or hourly employees, rely on professional HR help, and even ensure all the taxes are submitted and paid on time. The QuickBooks online payroll system has additional integrations that will help you track time and even approve the timesheets on the go, create and file unlimited 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms, calculate paychecks and taxes and file and pay the federal and state payroll taxes.
QuickBooks also offers a detailed reporting system where you can create and download reports for payroll history, contractor payments, bank transactions, tax payments, and more.
Key Features
- Auto Payroll
- 1099 E-File & Pay
- Same-day direct deposit
- Track time on the go
- 401(k) plans
- Health benefits for your team
- Auto taxes and forms
- Tax penalty protection
Best Suited For
- Employee Benefits
- Executing Payroll
- Sending Payments
3
Automated payroll app for small business
Gusto is a simple and intuitive small business payroll software that’s becoming very popular for a good reason. On the user-friendly dashboard, you can see all the things you need to do and when you need to do them, with the help of reminders and notifications to keep your business compliant and on the right track.
With the Gusto AutoPilot feature, you can set automated payments for your team in just a couple of clicks, sync the hours automatically, review the timesheets and submit the payments. In addition, the Gusto app will take care of your taxes, make all the calculations and file them to the right government agencies. The built-in compliance will ensure your employee I-9s and W-2s, and contractor 1099s are stored and organized online, the state tax registrations are complete and even tax law changes are tracked.
Additional integrations will help you with health insurance, time tracking, PTO, 401(k), workers’ comp, and more. You can also rely on a couple of integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, CLover, and others for seamless and fast payments. Gusto also covers worker’s comp policy online and offers one of the best customer support systems.
Key Features
- Automated local, state, and federal payroll taxes
- Issuing and filing W-2s and 1099s
- Child-support garnishments
- 1099-NECs at the end of the year
- Payroll on AutoPilot
- New hire reporting
- Tip credits: minimum wage adjustment
- Payroll reports
Best Suited For
- Employee Benefits
- Executing Payroll
- Onboarding
- Sending Payments
- Workers Compensation
4
Full-service payroll for small business owners
Square Payroll is one of the best small business payroll software that can help you with payroll, automated payroll tax filing, direct deposit, and employee benefits for hourly and salaried workers. Square Payroll was created with the idea to enable everyone to manage their business with ease and ensure payments and taxes are paid on time.
Square Payroll tools can help you run full-service payroll and manage every aspect of your business including time tracking for your employees, payment processing, scheduling, invoicing, and onboarding. You can count on automatic filings of payroll taxes no matter if they are on the federal, state, or local level, and direct and easy payments to your employees with additional integrations with AP Intego that allow pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation.
Key Features
- Full-service payroll
- Automatic quarterly and annual payroll tax filings
- All tax filings and payments
- Timecards and employee app
- Track and import tips and commissions
- Pay by check, direct deposit, or Cash App
- Pay W2s/1099s hourly, salary, or custom amounts
Best Suited For
- Employee Benefits
- Executing Payroll
- Onboarding
- Sending Payments
- Workers Compensation
5
Online payroll service app
SurePayroll is a software that can help small business owners with payroll, automated tax filing, and employee benefits. SurePayroll was created with the idea to enable everyone to manage their business with ease and ensure payments and taxes are paid on time.
SurePayroll tools can help you run and manage every aspect of your business including time tracking for your employees, payroll execution, and onboarding. There are two available plans Self-service and full-service and each one is adjusted to the needs and budgets of smaller businesses, but with the more expensive options, you can also rely on state and local tax filings.
SurePayroll is a great and affordable option for smaller companies that need their payroll process automatic and available on any mobile device. They also offer great customer support that’s available during the evening and on Saturdays.
Key Features
- Employee self-service with a web and mobile portal
- Administration of payroll entry and processing
- Tax calculations and filing
- Detailed reporting
- Performance and reliability tools
- Additional support center for prolonged working hours
Best Suited For
- Executing Payroll
- Onboarding
- Sending Payments
6
Small business payroll provider
ADP-powered app RUN is one of the best payroll providers created for small business owners who need easy payroll, taxes paid on time, and HR services for their employees. With the customized and personalized RUN & DONE solutions, you will automate the entire payment process.
This all-in-one app offers a variety of features that will help you manage your teams, create an easy and fast payroll system, worry less about taxes, and rely on plenty of integrations to help your business run smoothly.
All features are available right on the dashboard and on any smart device so you can easily access the next payroll, to-do lists, and even payroll history. In addition, this software will automatically calculate and file payroll taxes, with the option to include benefit and retirement deductions. So, you can manage your employee’s salaries, checks, and benefits in one place and rely on the built-in AI to register any potential mistakes and avoid penalties.
Key Features
- Fast and easy payroll services
- Tax filing and compliance
- Improved employee experience
- RUN by ADP mobile app available
- Business insurance and health benefits
- Retirement solutions
- Onboarding and HR services
Best Suited For
- Executing Payroll
- Onboarding
- Sending Payments
7
Payroll software & expert support for payroll processing
With the Justworks app, you can count on full payroll service to help you manage your small business with payroll features that you can use to pay employees in all 50 states.
Justworks app is the right payroll software for small companies that want to streamline payroll but at the same time focus on the employees and their experience with the automatic time clock.
The payroll process is simplified and allows you to do everything online, create automated deposits, one-off payments, and even set up reminders. In addition, the Justworks app will ensure you are compliant with payroll tax and employment regulations. The W2s and 1099s are filed automatically and you can create elaborate payroll reports. It’s also easy to manage all the payments including direct deposits, bonuses, overtime payments, and much more.
Key Features
- Payroll for hourly and salaried employees
- Employer Payroll Tax Filings
- W-2 & 1099 Filings
- Online employee onboarding
- Accounting software integrations
- Off-cycle payments
- Vendor & Contractor Payments
Best Suited For
- Employee Benefits
- Executing Payroll
- Onboarding
- Sending Payments
- Workers Compensation
8
Simple tax filing & payroll software
Paychex Flex software offers an easy way to manage payroll online or with the help of their Paychex Voice Assist hands-free, no matter if you have a small or large company.
With Paychex Flex solutions you can make all the payments from your mobile app with options that include multiple employee pay, direct deposit, pay cards, paper checks, and Pay-on-Demand on their solution called Redychex. Before making the final payroll runs the system will review and report any potential problems with the customized Paychex Pre-Check service.
The Paychex Flex app also supports the automatic calculations, filing, and payment of payroll taxes. All features are available on the dashboard with configurable views that will make your payroll process a breeze.
Key Features
- Flexible and automated small business payroll processing online from desktop and mobile
- Option to submit payroll by phone to a payroll specialist
- Ability to pay different types of workers — exempt and non-exempt employees, contractors
- Automatic payroll tax administration
- Paychex Voice Assist capability
- Direct deposit, paycards2, paper checks, online tip sharing, and on-demand access to earned wages
Best Suited For
- Executing Payroll
- Onboarding
- Sending Payments