The 10 highest-rated payroll products have more differences than similarities, but each addresses the requirements of a specific accounting niche. Whether your accounting firm is looking for a payroll partner that offers revenue sharing or one that provides your business clients with an affordable, reliable and easy-to-use solution, one of our top picks should fit the bill. These deductions help reduce the amount automatically withheld to cover the employee’s annual state and federal income tax bill. Workful’s Pro program lets accountants and payroll professionals work together on a client’s payroll, including access and edit controls and shared billing management.

Best for QuickBooks Clients

Due to recent employment trends, small and midsize businesses are more likely to recruit workers in multiple countries. Remote’s payroll solutions promise to make managing a company’s international payroll as intuitive and efficient as processing local payroll runs. This includes ensuring compliance with employment regulations in dozens of countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe.

OnPay’s stellar support for payroll accountants includes access to the company’s payroll experts to facilitate setting up and migrating their clients’ data. The right payroll solution can be a major revenue generator for an accounting practice and a productivity booster for the businesses they serve. With so many varying needs and dozens of payroll options, finding the perfect product for your accounting business can be daunting. Justworks complements its single payroll and HR plan with two professional employer organization (PEO) products. PEO Basic costs $59 a month per person and includes multi-state payroll, contractor payments and off-cycle payroll runs. The high-end PEO Plus is priced at $109 a month per person and adds vendor payments and advanced analytics.

The software also confirms that the company complies with all applicable payroll and workforce regulations at the federal, state and local level. ADP’s accountant partners have access to local sales support, individualized training for their team members and co-branded marketing opportunities. Justworks’ partner program gives accountants access to a dedicated relationship manager and the company’s payroll experts. Its Advisor Dashboard makes it easy to access client data and integrate clients’ payroll with third-party accounting, compliance and HR apps. However, the range of integrations Justworks offers can’t match those available with Rippling, ADP and other payroll vendors. Most accountant partner programs are geared toward relatively large accounting practices with many SMB clients.

How do a business’s employees benefit from payroll software for accountants?

Clients in project-based fields such as construction and professional services can benefit from Rippling’s ability to manage expenses by job code, simplifying cost allocation. The best payroll software makes it easy for employees to access their pay records and update their information and benefits options following such life events as a marriage or the birth of a child. Most provide an employee portal and mobile app that can be used to sign in to their accounts to view and change their records and settings. Accountants know how important it is to keep their clients happy, which also means keeping their clients’ employees happy. That’s why a proactive approach is necessary to prevent errors that can desktop payroll software for accountants gum up the processing of payroll.

Best for Client Management

• Gusto’s accountant partner program offers your company free payroll subscriptions, revenue sharing, and client discounts of as much as 20%.
• In addition to accounting apps such as Xero, Sage Intacct and QuickBooks, Rippling links to dozens of tools for expense management, legal, benefits, recruitment and employee performance management.
• The dashboard aims to let you spend more time communicating with clients and less on administrative tasks.
• Justworks’ partner program gives accountants access to a dedicated relationship manager and the company’s payroll experts.

The best payroll software for accountants offers referral and rebate programs that include free or steeply discounted software for their practice, as well as assistance with marketing and client setup. Wave stands out from our other picks by integrating payroll processing with its accounting software. This is especially helpful to businesses that want to offer their clients a simple and affordable solution that accommodates all the financial management needs of most startups and small businesses. Core payroll software functions can include payroll recordkeeping, tax filing and payments, payroll compliance and onboarding assistance.

Best for Integrated Payroll and Accounting Software

• Most provide an employee portal and mobile app that can be used to sign in to their accounts to view and change their records and settings.
• We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content to guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.
• Employees require access to a self-service portal that lets them view and update their payroll information, as well as expense reimbursement and benefits resources, such as accrued time off and flexible spending accounts.
• Payroll software for accountants integrates payroll processing with other financial services they provide for their clients.
• ADP doesn’t publish the prices of its payroll and other services, but the breadth of the payroll features in ADP RUN suggests that the product is best suited for businesses with several dozen or more employees.

QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisors gain access to Mailchimp email marketing tools, marketing templates and other promotions and discounts. They also have free access to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time, as well as expedited support in the U.S. and access to a range of accountant-related third-party apps. A large part of managing an organization’s payroll is keeping track of its all-important financial and employee data. Justworks facilitates client management with a single sign-in to access client accounts and set team and client permissions at a granular level, including who can view and edit data. Workful’s reports cover the basics of payroll management, such as time sheets, time off and employee expense reimbursements, as well as an analysis of the business’s tax liabilities and a detailed payroll register.

Best for Accountant Support

Granular permissions let your clients control access to employee and financial data by managers, HR business partners and controllers. Nothing can damage a client relationship faster than recurring payroll errors, which is why accountants pride themselves on offering error-free payroll runs. Rippling’s automated payroll processing eliminates many human errors by propagating each data entry or change throughout the system. For example, an accountant with 10 payroll clients and 100 paid workers earns a 10% revenue share of $100 a month, while one with 20 payroll clients and 200 paid workers receives a 15% revenue share of $300 a month. For many accounting businesses, their best bet is to join the QuickBooks ProAdvisor program that supports solo practitioners, small accounting practices and large accountant firms.

Payroll Service For Small Business

Businesses can offer their customers various payment options, including milestone-based payment schedules. Most businesses are best served by Wave’s Pro plan, which costs $16 a month and includes digital receipt capture, message templates and the ability to attach files to invoices and estimates. For $45 a month plus $7 per person, you get complete payroll processing along with automatic tracking of overtime, PTO and other payroll variables. Businesses with mobile workforces will appreciate Workful’s built-in mileage reimbursement and other expense tracking. Gusto’s accountant partner program offers your company free payroll subscriptions, revenue sharing, and client discounts of as much as 20%. Partners can consult with Gusto’s certified HR professionals and get assistance with compliance matters.

Conversely, accounting operations with primarily small businesses clients limited to a single location may find that a straightforward and inexpensive solution such as Square or Wave Payroll is best for their needs. When comparing payroll software for accountants, it’s easy to get caught up in the tech hype about automated processes and rewards offered by referral programs. For many small businesses, however, the most important aspect of payroll accounting is ensuring there’s enough money in the bank to cover their payroll costs. Payroll software for accountants integrates payroll processing with other financial services they provide for their clients. It creates and maintains a record of compensation paid to employees and other activities related to a business’s labor costs.

Author: Mide