Best Payroll Software

Zoho Payroll is cloud-based payroll software that automates gross-to-net pay calculations, tax withholding, and compliance filing for small and mid-sized businesses. It supports multiple pay schedules (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly), handles single-state and multi-state payroll runs, and automatically calculates and files federal and state payroll taxes, generating IRS forms 940, 941, and 944. Employees can enroll in benefits such as health insurance and 401(k) retirement plans, and access a self-service portal to view payslips and tax documents.

The product integrates natively with other Zoho applications including Zoho Books, Zoho People, and Zoho Expense, making it a fit for businesses already using the Zoho ecosystem. It offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, tiered pricing based on organization size and number of employees, and role-based access for accountants and HR staff to collaborate on payroll tasks.

Zoho Books is cloud-based accounting software built for small and mid-sized businesses. It handles invoicing, expense and bill tracking, bank reconciliation, sales and purchase orders, inventory, and tax compliance, with over 50 built-in reports. Higher tiers add multi-currency support, project time tracking, fixed assets, budgeting, cashflow forecasting, and advanced inventory with warehouse management. It integrates with the wider Zoho suite (CRM, Inventory, Payroll) as well as payment gateways and banks.

While positioned primarily as accounting software, Zoho Books includes project and timesheet features that let teams log billable and non-billable hours against projects and convert tracked time directly into client invoices, which makes it relevant to time-tracking workflows for service businesses. It is available as a web app with iOS and Android mobile apps, offers a free plan for very small businesses under a revenue threshold, and a 14-day free trial on paid plans. Pricing is tiered by organization, with limits on users, invoices, and bills that increase at each level.

BUSY is an accounting and business management software built for small and medium enterprises in India. It combines invoicing, accounting, GST compliance, inventory management, and payroll into a single platform, available as desktop software (BUSY Desktop) and as a cloud-based product (BUSY Magic / BUSY Online). The software handles GST return filing, e-invoicing, e-way bill generation, GSTR reconciliation, and multi-branch, multi-GSTIN operations for larger businesses.

Payroll functionality, including salary structures, attendance and leave tracking, PF/ESI/TDS statutory compliance, and payslip generation, is available as part of the Enterprise desktop plan and as an add-on module. BUSY serves over 20 industries including retail, pharmacy, FMCG, and e-commerce, and offers mobile apps for Android and iOS alongside its Windows desktop and web-based offerings.

QuickBooks Online is Intuit's cloud-based accounting platform used by small and mid-sized businesses to manage bookkeeping, invoicing, expenses, and financial reporting. Within the payroll and workforce category, QuickBooks Online connects to QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets), letting businesses track employee hours, manage timesheets, approve time for payroll, and run payroll runs that sync directly with the company's books. Time tracking is available on the Essentials, Plus, and Advanced plans, or bundled when a QuickBooks Payroll subscription is added.

The platform supports employee clock in/out via web dashboard or mobile app, job and customer-based time tracking, break tracking, and time-off requests, with approved hours flowing into payroll runs, invoicing, and project reporting. QuickBooks Online is offered in multiple tiered plans that scale from single-user basic bookkeeping up to multi-user plans with advanced reporting, batch invoicing, and role-based permissions, with payroll and time tracking available as add-on or bundled services depending on the plan.

Sage Intacct is a cloud-based financial management and ERP platform built for mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, and multi-entity businesses. Its core is accounting and financial reporting, but it extends into human capital management through Sage HCM (formerly Criterion), which unifies payroll processing, benefits administration, time and attendance, leave management, scheduling, and employee self-service directly with the general ledger. Sage Intelligent Time adds AI-powered timesheet reconstruction, letting employees review and submit hours pulled from calendar and activity data, feeding accurate labor costs straight into payroll and project billing.

The platform is aimed at finance and HR teams that need real-time visibility into workforce costs alongside financial performance, rather than reconciling separate payroll and accounting systems. Sage Intacct integrates with third-party payroll providers such as ADP and Greenshades as alternatives to native HCM. Pricing is fully custom, based on the modules, entities, and users an organization needs, and is only available by requesting a quote from Sage.

Wagepoint is a cloud-based payroll platform built specifically for small businesses and accounting professionals in Canada. It automates the core work of running payroll: calculating wages and deductions, issuing direct deposits, remitting federal, provincial, and territorial taxes (including CPP and EI), and generating year-end forms such as T4s, T4As, and Records of Employment. A self-serve employee portal lets staff view paystubs, check pay dates, and update personal details, while a companion mobile app allows employees to check pay information and submit time entries.

The platform is aimed at small business owners, bookkeepers, and accountants, with specific support for industries like healthcare, restaurants, hospitality, construction, retail, and law firms. Wagepoint integrates with accounting tools including QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and Xero, and offers add-on HR products (Studio and Growth plans) alongside its core payroll subscription. Security measures include two-factor authentication and SOC 2 certification.

SurePayroll, a Paychex company, is an online payroll service designed for small businesses, including specialized plans for household employers and nannies. It handles payroll runs, calculates and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, and manages year-end forms such as W-2 and 1099-NEC. The platform supports paying both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, offers free two-day direct deposit, and provides mobile apps for employers and employees to run payroll and view pay stubs from anywhere.

Beyond core payroll, SurePayroll offers add-on services such as accounting software integration, time clock integration, employment law support, and 401(k) plan options. It provides new-hire reporting in all states, live phone and chat support, and free onboarding assistance. The service is priced per month plus a per-employee fee, with a separate flat-rate multi-state payroll add-on, making it a straightforward option for businesses with a small number of employees.

OnPay is a cloud-based payroll and HR platform built for small and mid-sized businesses. It handles full-service payroll for both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, including automatic calculation and filing of federal, state, and local payroll taxes. The platform supports unlimited pay runs, multiple pay schedules and rates, direct deposit, debit card payment, and printed checks at no extra fee, along with year-end tax form generation.

Beyond payroll, OnPay offers HR tools such as employee self-onboarding with e-signatures, document storage, PTO tracking with customizable accrual policies, and organizational charts. It also provides benefits administration, including health insurance brokered in-house, 401(k) integrations, and workers' compensation plans. OnPay integrates with accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero and with time-tracking tools such as Deputy and When I Work. Pricing is a single transparent plan rather than tiered packages.

Deskera is an all-in-one business management platform combining accounting, CRM, inventory, payroll, and HR management (HRMS) in a single system. Its HR and payroll module lets businesses store employee records, manage recruitment, run payroll with automated compensation processing, track attendance and leave, handle employee claims and expenses, manage shift scheduling, and monitor employee performance through configurable dashboards and reports.

The platform is aimed at small and mid-sized businesses that want to consolidate finance, sales, and workforce operations without stitching together multiple point solutions. Plans are billed annually with a five-user minimum, and pricing scales by employee headcount tier rather than a flat per-seat rate. A 15-day free trial is available, and Deskera also offers mobile apps for on-the-go HR and expense management.

Tally Prime is a business management software developed by Tally Solutions, widely used in India for accounting, inventory, GST compliance, and payroll processing. Its payroll module is fully integrated with accounting, allowing businesses to automate salary calculations including basic pay, allowances, deductions, and bonuses, while managing employee records, attendance, leave, and overtime. It supports statutory compliance for Provident Fund (PF), Employee State Insurance (ESI), Professional Tax, Gratuity, and Income Tax, and generates related statutory forms, challans, and returns.

The software is available in two editions: Silver, a single-user edition for standalone PCs, and Gold, an unlimited multi-user edition for use on a local network. Tally Prime is sold as a one-time lifetime license or through monthly/annual rental subscriptions, targeted primarily at small and medium businesses in India needing combined accounting and payroll functionality.