Paychex - Top Payroll Services

Our Verdict

Paychex is an old player in the payroll services space with the infrastructure and services to prove it. It combines multiple services like benefits administration, time tracking, business insurance, employee recruitment, onboarding, and automated payroll taxes into one. On top of the solid feature set, you’re paired with an account representative that makes sure you get the most out of Paychex.

The integration marketplace picks up where Paychex leaves off and allows you to connect with the other tools in your business stack. The entry-level plan is reasonably priced for small businesses but the Flex Select and Flex Enterprise can get expensive fairly quickly. This is even more apparent if you take advantage of the add-ons available. Paychex is the ideal tool for you if you want to manage everything related to payroll and human resources in one place and don’t mind paying a bit more for advanced features and dedicated support.

Pros

Provides employee information: pay stubs, W-2, benefits, etc.
Easy-to-use platform
Custom reports
Personal account manager for customers

Cons

Employees unable to change their e-mail address in portal
The app is slow to load at times

Plans & Pricing

Limited-Time Promotion: Three Months Free*

*The Three Months Free Payroll Over One Year Promotion (the “Promotion”) will run from 3/1/24 until 5/31/24 (the “Promotion Period”) and is subject to the following terms and conditions. The Promotion will consist of three (3) months of free payroll services to Eligible Clients. An “Eligible Client” is a client that: (1) is not currently receiving payroll services from Paychex; (2) elects either the Paychex Flex® Pro, Select, Enterprise or Express payroll services package by entering into a service agreement with Paychex; (3) has between 1–250 employees at the time it commences payroll services; (4) processes its first payroll, on or before 6/20/24, with Paychex during the Promotion Period; and (5) continues to process payroll with Paychex for twelve (12) consecutive months.

Paychex will credit an Eligible Client’s invoice for free payroll services in months one (1), three (3) and five (5) following commencement of payroll processing services. An Eligible Client must be processing payroll with Paychex in order to receive one month of free payroll services, and any unused month is not redeemable in U.S. currency or for any other entity. The Promotion only applies to payroll services, and Eligible Clients will be solely responsible for all fees due for services other than payroll services. The Promotion cannot be combined with any other offer and is a limited time offer that is only available during the Promotion Period. For businesses with 251+ employees, ask about Paychex’s other special offers.

Only limited pricing information is publicly available because each company that signs up for Paychex gets a solution tailored to their needs. With that being said, there are three core pricing plans and multiple add-ons you can choose from.

Paychex Go

The entry-level plan brings the core payroll features for smaller teams and costs $59/m +$4/m/user. It includes online payroll, tax filing for all levels of government, time tracking, integrations with popular accounting tools, and basic reports.

Paychex Flex Select

Paychex Flex pricing is only available through a quote because things are customized based on your needs. This plan caters to larger brands and builds on top of the entry-level plan with a mobile app, an integrated system for HR management, $1,000 in digital marketing services, and a dedicated payroll expert.

Paychex Flex Enterprise

The final plan is geared towards large enterprises and continues to build on top of the previous plans. It adds state unemployment insurance, workers comp reporting, a custom reports builder, the ability to garnish wages, employee onboarding, employee screening, and advanced HR administration.

Paychex is more expensive than many other tools on the market – especially if you have a smaller team. Part of that is because it bundles many services that would be an add-on with other providers into its core offering.

Paychex Go

$59 /mo

+$4/m/user

Paychex Flex Select

Custom Pricing

Paychex Flex Enterprise

Custom Pricing

In-depth review

Features and Functionality

Paychex brings a lot to the table in terms of features. It covers the bases such as allowing you to register employees and run payroll through an online platform or on a mobile device. It also provides basic and custom reports so you can see exactly how well you’re managing your human capital and benefits administration. Paychex goes a bit further by offering additional features to users.

360-degree feedback

Paychex provides the tools that allow staff to get a clear picture of their performance based on feedback from bosses, peers, direct reports, and even clients. The information is stored and easily accessible to gauge performance over time.

Wage garnishment

There are many reasons why wages need to be garnished and Paychex allows you to handle the entire process automatically. Garnish wages, remit them, and report the activity so there’s a clear paper trail in case you need to defend your actions.

Time and attendance tracking

Time tracking through Paychex uses multiple biometric safeguards to make sure the right person is punching in and getting paid for the work. It calculates over time and keeps you compliant with the applicable regulations in your region with no extra work on your part.

Integrations & Add-ons

The platform has a healthy integration ecosystem where over 100 providers are represented. It includes partners across many categories like Bank of America in banking and Clover in POS systems. In addition to the integrations, it offers add-on services that help you achieve more in your business.

Employee Benefits

Many employee benefits can be administered directly through Paychex and it’ll even help you find providers. Group health insurance, 401K, and even HSA accounts are available.

Business insurance

Depending on your industry, you may need multiple types of insurance. Paychex provides different business insurance like worker’s compensation and general liability. After finding the plan that’s right for you, it’s possible to administer it directly from your Paychex account.

Quickbooks

Of course, it integrates with popular accounting software like Quickbooks. With this integration, you can sync your payroll expenses and add them to the right account while drastically reducing human error and the time it takes for manual data entry.

Ease of Use

Paychex seems to have mixed feelings associated with its ease of use. Some say it’s simple to learn and set up while others complain that it’s convoluted. It seems that if you’re making the switch from another payroll provider, you will feel right at home. If it’s your first time, it may be more challenging. It can be used right out the box after you add your information and there are many ways to customize it to meet your needs. The good news is that there are multiple training resources to take advantage of so you can get up and running quickly.

Customer Service

The support team at Paychex is often lauded for being knowledgeable and responsive. When you register an account, you’re assigned an account rep that will handle most of your relationship but if the issue is complex, it may be forwarded to a specific department. Operating like this allows your rep to learn your business and deliver better support over the long haul.

Phone Support

Phone support is available to all customers 24/7.

Live Online Chat

Live chat is also available to all customers and maintains short wait times.

Email is available and is especially useful when the issue isn’t an emergency.

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Andrew Omalley

Andrew is a freelance writer who has been crafting valuable pieces of content relating to personal finance for more than five years. Previously, he studied Economics & Finance at university and he has professional qualifications relating to financial advice.

We make the best effort to present up-to-date information; however, the terms of each offer can be revised according to the service provider’s discretion. The above shall not be considered as an expert or professional advice for any matter.