Top Payroll Companies

The Milestone Team October 24, 2022
Top payroll companies

Searching for a payroll company can be confusing. Each company has its own strengths and weaknesses, but the most important factor for decision making is if the fit and price is right based on your current team. 

Let’s take a look at top payroll companies in different categories. This guide can help you narrow down your options and figure out which payroll company is the right fit for your team.

Top Payroll Company Overall

Our Choice: Rippling

Strengths: 

  • Employee Experience
  • Quality of Support
  • Integrations and built-in apps
  • Additional Services

Weaknesses:

  • Price for start-up companies
  • Admin

Rippling’s employee experience is fantastic, and they offer high quality customer service. Compared to competitors, Ripping offers an extremely easy set-up and high transparency into payroll. 

Rippling can also integrate with other apps such as 401k providers or employee services. This can give employees a dashboard experience with single sign-on to access all the applications they might need. This feature allows employees to have a streamlined and familiar experience for all their documentation and processes. 

The downside to Rippling is it can be too expensive for a company with only a few employees. While the ease of use is high, the utility it provides may not outweigh the cost. Therefore, we advocate for employers implementing Rippling only once they have around 25 employees or more. 

Top Payroll : Low Cost Payroll

Our Choices: Gusto and Patriot and Onpay

In the past, Gusto would have been our only answer to this question. However, Gusto updated their pricing, which makes it less cost-effective for workforces that span multiple states. Their base plan starts at $40/month plus $6/month per employee. This is not the lowest cost, but the services and support given within this base plan are great for the low price. Gusto’s extra benefit features and scalability make it a great option for small businesses. 

Patriot is a great option for small businesses as well. It starts at $37/month plus $4/month per employee or contractor. Thus, Patriot is a more cost effective option. They also have another package starting at $17/month that is strictly payroll with no tax filings. Patriots full-service package has great tax-filing services and a mobile app as well. Patriot was made for employers in the USA, making it limited in its international abilities. Patriot is a great option for small companies that are scaling. However, it does have fees for multiple state tax filings and 1099 e-documentation. These can add-up to be more expensive for your business, depending on the number of employees.

Onpay’s pricing starts at the same rates as Gusto. The main advantage of Onpay is that there is no extra fee for multiple state filings. Onpay can also help with onboarding and benefits administration. Onpay is not as feature rich as Gusto, but it is another great option for low-cost payroll, especially with a spread out workforce. 

Largest Payroll Company

Answer: ADP Honorable Mention: Paychex

ADP is the most prominent name in payroll services. ADP has nearly 1 million customers between payroll, HR outsourcing, and PEO. They serve many large businesses. Their website claims over 80% of the Fortune 500 companies are their customers. One in 6 workers gets paid by ADP’s payroll system. They also serve 140 countries. 

Paychex rivals ADP in its size. They serve around 750,000 clients worldwide. They claim to be the largest HR company for small-medium sized businesses. One in 12 private sector employees is paid via Paychex in America. 

Top PEO Company for Small Businesses

Our Choice: Justworks and Rippling

Before going forward with a PEO, it is important to understand the pros and cons. At Milestone, we work alongside PEOs and we unbundle PEOs, so we are familiar with their functioning. Although we typically do not recommend PEOs to our clients, they can be effective for certain situations. If your business decides to move forward with a PEO, Justworks and Rippling are great for small businesses. 

Rippling is not always a PEO service, but they have the robust ability to provide these services as well. Rippling is on the more expensive side, but their strengths with employee experience and ease of documentation make their software worth the price. Justworks is a cheaper option that works well with smaller businesses. Justworks is responsive and simple to use. These are both solid options for a PEO. 

Need Top Payroll Management?

At Milestone, we have a team of payroll professionals seasoned in navigating the complexities of payroll. Whether it be payroll processing services on any platform, or consulting on system selection for your business, our team is ready to assist. Reach out to us today to get started.

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