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Wave Payroll

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Simple payroll software that pays employees and contractors and syncs automatically with Wave accounting

Stand Alone Payroll Software
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  • Deployment Cloud Based
  • Starting price $40/month + $6 per active employee + $6 per contractor
  • Free trial Available
  • Best for Freelancers, Startups, SMEs

What is Wave Payroll?

Wave Payroll is a payroll add-on for Wave's free accounting and invoicing platform, built for small business owners in the United States and Canada who need to pay employees and independent contractors without complex HR software. It handles direct deposit, automatic payroll tax calculations, and generates year-end tax forms (W-2/1099 in the US, T4/T4A in Canada). Payroll runs are recorded automatically as journal entries in Wave's accounting books, so bookkeeping stays reconciled without manual entry.

In the US, Wave offers full-service payroll with automatic tax payments and filings in all 50 states. In Canada, tax filings must be completed manually by the business owner, as Wave does not yet offer full-service tax remittance there. Employees get a self-service portal for pay stubs, tax forms, and banking details. Pricing is a flat monthly base fee plus a per-worker fee, with no long-term contracts.

Key Features of Wave Payroll

Wave Payroll lists 10 documented features, including One-click payroll processing for employees and contractors, Unlimited free direct deposit to employee bank accounts and Automatic payroll tax calculations. The list below covers what the product does rather than how it is marketed.

  • One-click payroll processing for employees and contractors
  • Unlimited free direct deposit to employee bank accounts
  • Automatic payroll tax calculations
  • Full-service automatic tax payments and filings in all 50 US states
  • Automatic generation of W-2 and 1099 forms (US) and T4/T4A slips (Canada)
  • Employee self-service portal for pay stubs, tax forms, and banking updates
  • Automatic payroll journal entries synced with Wave accounting
  • Employee self-onboarding
  • Leave and time-off tracking
  • Payroll expense breakdown by employee and expense type

Wave Payroll Pricing

Wave Payroll lists 4 plans, from $10 to $40.

Full-Access Payroll (US)

$40/month + $6 per active employee + $6 per contractor

Per active employee/contractor paid per month

Request pricing

Includes automatic payroll tax payments and filings in all 50 US states, direct deposit, W-2/1099 generation, and employee self-service portal. 30-day free trial available.

Full-Access Payroll (Canada)

CA$25/month + CA$6 per active employee + CA$6 per contractor

Per active employee/contractor paid per month

Request pricing

Includes direct deposit, T4/T4A generation, and employee self-service portal. Payroll tax remittance to CRA is manual. 30-day free trial available.

Limited-Access Payroll (US)

$17/month

For businesses pausing payroll

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Retains customer support, payroll reporting, past pay stub/tax form access, and W-2s, but cannot process new payrolls or edit timesheets.

Limited-Access Payroll (Canada)

CA$10/month

For businesses pausing payroll

Request pricing

Retains customer support, payroll reporting, past pay stub/tax form access, and year-end tax slips, but cannot process new payrolls or edit timesheets.

Wave Payroll Specifications

Wave Payroll is available on web app. It has a free trial.

Deployment
  • Cloud Based
Billing cycle
Monthly
Desktop
  • Web App
Languages
  • English
Built for
  • Freelancers
  • Startups
  • SMEs
Support
  • Email
  • Live Support
Integrations
Integrates natively with Wave's own accounting, invoicing, and online payments products, automatically posting payroll journal entries to the Wave accounting ledger. Wave Payroll does not offer a broad third-party app marketplace or public API for external integrations.
Public API
No
Free trial
Yes
Free plan
No
Runs in browser
Yes
Customisable
No
Website
waveapps.com

Wave Payroll Videos

Wave Payroll Screenshots

Wave Payroll screenshot 1

Wave Payroll Comparisons

Side by side comparisons of Wave Payroll against 3 other Stand Alone Payroll Software options listed here.

Wave Payroll
Zoho Payroll
VS
Wave Payroll
CheckMark Payroll
VS
Wave Payroll
eNETEmployer
VS

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Wave Payroll FAQs

In the United States, full-access Wave Payroll costs a $40 monthly base fee plus $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid each month. In Canada, the base fee is $25 per month plus the same $6 per active employee and $6 per contractor fees. Prices are in local currency (USD for the US, CAD for Canada) and there are no setup fees.

Yes. Wave offers a 30-day free payroll trial that begins on the day you approve your first payroll run and ends automatically 30 days later.

In the US, Wave handles automatic payroll tax payments and filings in all 50 states. In Canada, Wave calculates remittances but business owners must file and remit payroll taxes to the CRA themselves.

You can switch to a limited-access subscription, which costs $17/month in the US or $10/month in Canada. This keeps prior payroll records, tax forms, and employee self-service access available, but you cannot process new payrolls or edit timesheets until you reactivate full access.

Yes. Every payroll run automatically creates the corresponding journal entries in Wave's accounting ledger, keeping payroll expenses reconciled with the rest of the business's books without manual data entry.

Wave Payroll does not have a dedicated mobile app; it is accessed through a web browser, which works on both desktop and mobile devices.