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Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses of November 2024

These top payroll products are reliable, easy to use and full of helpful features.
By Lisa A. Anthony, Hillary Crawford
Last updated on April 4, 2024
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Payroll software automates your business’s payroll process by calculating employees’ deductions and wages and making sure they get paid, typically via direct deposit. The best payroll software for small businesses takes care of payroll dependably and with minimal fuss. For most companies, that means offering automated features, tax filing and payment options, direct deposit options, live support and employee online access to past pay stubs. NerdWallet’s top payroll software picks stand out by offering those features and more.

Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses

Product
Promotion
Learn more

Gusto Payroll

Learn more

on Gusto Payroll's secure website

5.0/5

Best for Overall payroll software

$40/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $80, $180. Fee per employee varies by tier.

6 months free

for contractor-only businesses.

Learn more

on Gusto Payroll's secure website

QuickBooks Payroll

Learn more

on QuickBooks Payroll's secure website

5.0/5

Best for Accounting and payroll software

$45/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $80, $125. Fee per employee varies by tier.

One month free trial

or 50% off for three months; terms apply.

Learn more

on QuickBooks Payroll's secure website

OnPay Payroll

Learn more

on OnPay Payroll's secure website

4.5/5

Best for Restaurant payroll software

$40/month

Plus $6 per employee.

One month free

Terms apply

Learn more

on OnPay Payroll's secure website

RUN Powered by ADP

Learn more

on RUN Powered by ADP's secure website

4.5/5

Best for Easy payroll software

$79/month

Plus $4 per employee. Custom pricing also available.

Three months free

Terms apply

Learn more

on RUN Powered by ADP's secure website

Roll by ADP

Learn more

on Roll by ADP's secure website

4.0/5

Best for Mobile payroll app

$39/month

Plus $5 per employee.

Three months free

Terms apply

Learn more

on Roll by ADP's secure website

Patriot Payroll

Learn more

on Patriot Payroll's secure website

4.0/5

Best for Cheap payroll software

$17/month

Plus $4 per employee. Additional pricing tiers (per month): $37.

One month free

Terms apply

Learn more

on Patriot Payroll's secure website

Payroll4Free

Best for Free payroll software

$0

For 1-10 employees. Additional pricing tiers (per month): $10, $35.

N/A

Our pick for

Overall payroll software

Gusto Payroll

Learn more

on Gusto Payroll's secure website

Starting at
$40/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $80, $180. Fee per employee varies by tier.

Promotion
6 months free

for contractor-only businesses.

Our pick for

Accounting and payroll software

QuickBooks Payroll

Learn more

on QuickBooks Payroll's secure website

Starting at
$45/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $80, $125. Fee per employee varies by tier.

Promotion
One month free trial

or 50% off for three months; terms apply.

Our pick for

Restaurant payroll software

OnPay Payroll

Learn more

on OnPay Payroll's secure website

Starting at
$40/month

Plus $6 per employee.

Promotion
One month free

Terms apply

Our pick for

Easy payroll software

RUN Powered by ADP

Learn more

on RUN Powered by ADP's secure website

Starting at
$79/month

Plus $4 per employee. Custom pricing also available.

Promotion
Three months free

Terms apply

Our pick for

Mobile payroll app

Roll by ADP

Learn more

on Roll by ADP's secure website

Starting at
$39/month

Plus $5 per employee.

Promotion
Three months free

Terms apply

Our pick for

Cheap payroll software

Patriot Payroll

Learn more

on Patriot Payroll's secure website

Starting at
$17/month

Plus $4 per employee. Additional pricing tiers (per month): $37.

Promotion
One month free

Terms apply

Our pick for

Free payroll software

Payroll4Free

Starting at
$0

For 1-10 employees. Additional pricing tiers (per month): $10, $35.

Our picks for best online payroll software

Gusto Payroll

Best overall payroll software
Highlights:
  • Unlimited payroll runs for users in all states.
  • Time-saving automation and integrations.
  • Ability to upgrade, downgrade or cancel plans at any time.
Why we like it: Gusto offers full-service payroll with unlimited payroll runs, tax filings and payments, and automated payroll options. HR features such as health insurance administration, employee self-onboarding and state new hire reporting are included at all pricing tiers. Employees also get access to a mobile app called Gusto Wallet to help them track their finances, and they can opt to be paid through a debit card. For businesses that want a human touch, the Premium level offers dedicated HR support. Gusto integrates with many third-party software products, including popular accounting apps like QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks and Xero. Read our full review of Gusto.

QuickBooks Payroll

Best accounting and payroll software
Highlights:
  • Payroll data automatically syncs with QuickBooks Online.
  • Next-day or same-day direct deposit options, depending on plan.
  • Elite plan includes tax penalty protection.
Why we like it: For the many small-business owners who use QuickBooks Online for accounting needs, turning to QuickBooks Payroll is a logical choice for the fast, convenient integration. The Core plan offers a full suite of payroll features, including unlimited payroll runs, automated tax filing, robust payroll reports and next-day direct deposit. Higher tiers add features such as same-day direct deposit, HR Support Center and mobile time tracking. At $125 a month plus $10 per employee, the Elite plan includes a personal HR advisor, expert setup help and a tax-penalty-free guarantee. Through the QuickBooks Workforce portal, employees can access their pay stubs and personal information. Read our QuickBooks Payroll review.

OnPay Payroll

Best restaurant payroll software
Highlights:
  • Simple pricing with first month at no cost.
  • Employee self-service for onboarding and personal account management.
  • Special payroll services for industries with unique needs.
Why we like it: OnPay keeps it simple, offering a wide range of features encompassing payroll, HR and benefits for one base rate — and the first month is free. While designed for smaller businesses, it can run larger payrolls and boasts support for specialized industries such as restaurants, farms, nonprofits and churches. OnPay provides self-onboarding tools and additional self-service features that let employees access pay stubs, update personal information, request time off and download tax forms. It integrates with accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero. Read our complete OnPay review.

RUN Powered by ADP

Best easy payroll software
Highlights:
  • Quality payroll features offered at all plan levels.
  • Health insurance, retirement services and other add-ons.
  • Scalability with multiple ADP payroll packages.
Why we like it: ADP RUN offers a strong list of payroll features and solid customer support optimized for businesses with one to 49 employees. And if you’re planning to scale your business, ADP has products for every stage of growth up to 1,000 employees or more. With RUN, an employee portal is available to view pay history and tax forms, or employees can download the Mobile Solutions app to track time, access retirement accounts and review benefits. ADP integrates with a wide variety of apps, including popular accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero. Note that you have to talk to a sales rep to get a quote, and many features come with an extra price tag. Read our review of ADP RUN.

Roll by ADP

Best mobile payroll app
Highlights:
  • Chat-based payroll app with AI-driven technology.
  • Unlimited payroll runs in all 50 states.
  • Free trial period of three months.
Why we like it: Introduced in 2021, Roll takes full advantage of newer mobile-first technologies while retaining the useful features and reliability of ADP. Roll functions on a mobile device, using a natural-language, chat-style interface to run payroll, add new employees, award bonuses — even set up your company's payroll for the first time. No desktop work is required, though a desktop interface is available. Employee self-service options let employees manage their own profiles and information. Roll integrates with QuickBooks Online, and you can choose to have your payroll registers emailed to you and your bookkeeper. Read our review of Roll by ADP.

Patriot Payroll

Best cheap payroll software
Highlights:
  • Free trial period of 30 days.
  • Add-ons for HR and time and attendance tracking.
  • Tax filing accuracy guaranteed with Full Service plan.
Why we like it: Patriot Payroll offers an affordable suite of well-regarded products covering accounting and payroll, with add-ons that can cover HR and time and attendance reporting. For price-conscious companies looking for a single, integrated package, it's worth a look. Be aware that the Basic level doesn't include tax filing and depositing. These features are included at the Full Service level, which bumps the monthly base fee to $37 — but keeps the per-employee fee low at $4 per month. Patriot guarantees to file your tax obligations on time and accurately, or it will pay the penalties and interest. Accounting software integrations include Patriot Accounting as well as QuickBooks Online. Read our full Patriot Payroll review.

Payroll4Free

Best free payroll software
Highlights:
  • Free basic payroll services for 10 or fewer employees.
  • Tax filing and direct deposit services available for an additional fee.
  • Employee portal and time tracking features included.
Why we like it: For very small businesses, the features that Payroll4Free offers at no charge can serve basic payroll needs. The payroll software calculates taxes, allows the option to pay employees by check or direct deposit, gives employees access to pay stubs and W-2s and generates multiple payroll reports, among other features. Payroll4Free does offer paid services, as well, for businesses that would prefer to have payroll taxes filed on their behalf and for those preferring to transfer direct deposit funds through Payroll4Free’s bank. Read our review of Payroll4Free.

What is payroll software?

Payroll software helps streamline and automate how your business pays its employees and contractors. It typically keeps track of each person’s hours and wages, automates their payroll deductions and makes it easy to pay them via direct deposit. That means reliably accurate and timely paychecks. You can use payroll software to run reports on tax payments, payroll history and paid time off, too. Many products also calculate and file payroll taxes for you, so you don’t miss due dates or risk a miscalculation. Payroll tax rules can be confusing, so this is a big plus.
Most payroll software is cloud-based as opposed to being confined to a single computer. You’ll start by creating an account online, then entering information about your company, like its address, employees, bank account and payroll schedule. Most small businesses will want to set up integrations with their accounting software as well.

How to choose payroll software

First, consider payroll software that’s built for your size business. Payroll software companies often advertise themselves as solutions for businesses with a particular number of employees (e.g., one to 49). From there, find out which products integrate with your accounting software. If the systems don’t sync with each other, you may have to manually enter wage-related expense details into your accounting software.
Once you’ve narrowed down your options, consider the following components:
  • Payroll features. Some common features include automated payroll, a portal that lets employees view their pay stubs and automatic tax calculation, filing and payment. Be sure to find out whether this applies to federal, state and/or local payroll taxes — the more, the better. And don’t forget to look into direct deposit turnaround time, so you can let your employees know when to expect their paychecks. 
  • Cost. Sales reps should be transparent about pricing, and that goes for monthly subscription costs, extra per-employee fees and any potential filing costs. Factor all of these into your expenses to gauge whether they fit within your budget. There are also free payroll software options, though they’re usually less automated than paid ones. 
  • HR add-ons. Depending on how many employees you have, you may want to look into plans with HR features, like performance review guidance, employee onboarding tools and the ability to offer benefits. 
  • Time tracking. Some products come with their own in-house time-tracking modules that employees can use to track their hours. Others may integrate with third-party time trackers. Consider any additional fees here, as well.
  • Reporting. In addition to helping you pay employees, payroll software should provide insights into how much your business is spending on payroll and taxes. You may be able to filter reports by date and/or employee.  
  • Customer support. How difficult is it to connect with a representative if there’s a problem? Some small-business owners prefer phone support while others like the convenience of chat support. Pay attention to the hours and days both are available. 
Last updated on April 4, 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet’s ratings of payroll software providers rewards companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payroll scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, core features, employee access, HR features, integrations, reporting and customer service. Learn more about how we rate payroll software services.
These ratings are a guide, but cost, features and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
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