The Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in Texas of 2022: An Overview
The most important part of being a business owner is managing your employees effectively. Your employees can make or break the business, so you certainly don’t want to mess up their payrolls, taxes or benefits.
Today, I want to tell you all about the best payroll software for small businesses in Texas of 2022. Using software makes payroll and employee management so much faster and easier, so there is no reason to do so. After I explain the benefits and disadvantages of each one, you will be able to choose the best one for yourself.
Quick Picks
- Best Overall Payroll System – ADP RUN
- Best for Tech Companies – Gusto
- Best for Businesses on a Budget – Paychex Flex
- Best Comprehensive Payroll and HR – Solid Business Solutions
- Best Boutique Custom Option – Payroll Vault
The Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in Texas for 2022: In-Depth Review
ADP RUN: The most Feature-Packed Payroll Software ever, now for Small Businesses
ADP is the biggest name in HR and Payroll software in the US. The ADP software package is extremely comprehensive, meant for companies with hundreds or thousands of employees. But that’s not all
For small businesses who still want all the amazing features, they have ADP RUN. RUN is basically a compact version of ADP’s full suite. Almost all the functions are still there, but the program is simpler and easier to use. For small businesses without dedicated HR personnel or departments, this is the perfect solution.
RUN features a dashboard where you can carry out the majority of payroll tasks. You will be guided through each task. Clear step-by-step instructions and explanations are given, making the software extremely easy to use even for those with no clue about HR.
Any recurring tasks can be fully automated. They will be carried out automatically at the scheduled time, whether it’s daily, biweekly, monthly or annually.
RUN also handles all taxes and deductibles. It always uses the latest tax details from the Federal laws and Texas’ state laws. W-2s, 1099s, health insurance, benefits and everything else are automatically calculated and filed.
ADP has a marketplace filled with hundreds of add-ons and modules developed by third parties. These modules add extra features to RUN in order to streamline HR and Business Administration work. Browse through the modules to see if there are any that would be particularly useful!
The pricing is not given publicly. There are four packages – Essential, Enhanced, Complete and Pro. I recommend getting the Enhanced package at least since it opens up unemployment tax filing and background checks. Since you are getting all other tax filing tools, it is only sensible to complete unemployment tax alongside them.
We have a full, detailed review of ADP RUN. As it could end up costing you a lot, please check out the review before going ahead!
You’ll Really Like
- Detailed, Step-By-Step Instructions for everything.
- Automatic payroll tasks carried out at regular intervals
- Automatic calculation and filing of W-2s, 1099, etc.
- More features and functions are available as add-ons on the market
You Should Look Out For
- Information and feature overload for small businesses
- Pricing is not given and must be quoted.
Gusto: Payroll Provider with Free Year-End Tax Filing
Gusto’s sophistication and elegance make it a top choice for the latest Texas startups and small businesses. It is extremely easy to use – even someone clueless about HR work can carry out payrolls with it.
You can set up the payroll dash with a few clicks on the software dashboard. It includes all the general payroll, worker’s comp, employee benefits, etc. features in one place. The data is updated in real-time so there is no fear of desynchronization and inconsistency.
One of the best features of the payroll software is the automatic tax filing that includes W-2s and 1099s! It works on local, state, and federal levels equally. Employee benefit options include HSA, FSA, college savings, and so on!
You get access to all of these features for free. It’s something very few payroll software providers can claim. Although the pricing plan is on the expensive side, it still beats other providers if you consider long-term added charges.
Moreover, you get 24/7 support from a team that has professional payroll experts, insurance brokers, HR specialists, and so on. They will guide you through the setup process. For its integrated approach, Gusto has won multiple awards over the years.
To know more about Gusto, please read our in-depth review!
You’ll Really Like:
- Automatic tax filing at regular intervals
- A pool of professionals to guide you
- Informative and easy-to-use dashboard
You Should Look Out for:
- Relatively expensive monthly subscription compared to others
- Mostly focused on Payroll, with minimal HR features
Paychex: Best Combined HR and Payroll Customer Support
Paychex is one of the big names in payroll software in the US. Sure enough, they are also a great option for businesses in Texas. Cities like Dallas and Austin have startup scenes growing incredibly rapidly.
Paychex’s payroll software, Paychex Flex, can keep up with any fast-paced startup – including yours. It is suitable for all small and medium businesses.
Whether you run a small coffee shop or an indie store with less than ten employees, or a software startup with over forty employees, Paychex will fit your needs. It is quite scalable, and its excellent customer service is always at hand.
Paychex’s cloud-based payroll software offers payroll tax filing, new-hire status reporting, employee wellness programs, etc. The dashboard is highly customizable to your liking.
One of the biggest benefits of Paychex is scalability. As it operates on the cloud and the data is synced in real-time, you can include as many employee tabs as you want! It does not even get all that expensive with more employees
The support team of the payroll software includes over 600 HR professionals and over 200 compliance experts! They are always on hand to help support your business.
Apart from the HR and payroll benefits, you also get Time & Attendance Management, Health & Benefits management, and 401(k) & Retirement plans for your employees!
Read the full Paychex review to understand how you can use Paychex to grow your business beyond imagination!
You’ll Really Like:
- Excellent customer support and guidance for new users.
- Self-service and mobile accessibility for both employers and employees
- Flexible plans for different business sizes
You Should Look Out for:
- FAQs and Guides are lacking, due to too much focus on live customer support
- Steeper learning curve
Solid Business Solutions: Reliable Payroll for all Businesses
For a decade, Solid Business Solutions has been the most reliable payroll service provider in Texas. They offer end-to-end solutions for managing all business personnel.
Solid Business Solutions combines a payroll vendor, businesses insurance provider and HR consultancy into one package.
Solid’s payroll and Tax services are fully integrated. They will combine seamlessly into your existing business workflow. Their software is fully cloud-based and available from anywhere. Plus, they have experienced payroll specialists on hand who guarantee that the payroll will be 100% correct.
The Solid payroll solution integrates a lot of HR services. For example, it integrates new hire onboarding with the payroll software. From the moment new employees join the company, they are accounted for and automatically handled. This saves some manual work or potential mistakes.
In addition to enrollment, things such as making payments and integrating the payroll into the system can be done. They can also handle ACA compliance and local rules and regulations about employees.
Employee Benefits from this payroll provider include health insurance, dental insurance, flexible spending, health savings account, life and disability insurance, 401k retirement plans, plus any other supplementary insurances or policies an employee might qualify for.
All the benefits are managed by Solid, leaving you free to run the business instead. Solid has been around since 2009, so they have more than a decade of experience with local businesses in Texas and how to manage all the county, state, and federal laws.
If you want to set up their services, first you can get a consultation and work out the needs of your business. Afterwards, an analysis is carried out and a proposal is designed. Based on this proposal, they will build a payroll management system for you and train you or your employees on how to use them.
Like most custom payroll services, you must book a meeting with them. They are normally based in Houston.
You’ll Really Like
- Huge number of employee benefits
- Consolidated HR, Recruitment and Payroll tools in one platform
- Cloud-based software is easy to install and integrate
You Should Look Out For
- Not a lot of different types of reporting
- May not be available everywhere in Texas, as it is a big state and they are based in Houston only
Get Solid Business Solutions Payroll Now!
Payroll Vault: A Boutique HR Solution for Small Retails and Restaurants
Payroll Vault is a Texas-based Payroll and HR firm, though they also have offices in several other states. They are a boutique provider focused on designing the optimal, customized solution for your specific business case.
When you engage Payroll Vault’s services, you will no longer have to worry about setting up payroll, benefits, enrollment, etc. They will set you up with a dedicated specialist and all the necessary tools for managing the above.
One big advantage of Payroll Vault is that it integrates with Quickbooks easily. Quickbooks is used by thousands of businesses around the US for keeping records. This means you don’t need to overhaul your entire Bookkeeping system just to implement payroll.
Payroll Vault will calculate and process Checks and W-2s, automatically calculate tax deductions and file them appropriately, then pay out through direct deposits or paycards.
New hire reporting is automatically carried out. Wage garnishing and various other benefits are paid out as well. There’s a customizable ledger reporting interface where business owners can get an overview of their finances and payrolls.
You can also get other workforce management tools from Payroll Vault. These include Time and Attendance management, Workers’ Compensation, Background Checks, Employee Retention Tax Credits, Labor Law compliance, and even an integrated Point-of-Sale terminal.
The latter is a nice bonus if your small business happens to be a retail store or a restaurant.
They are also very transparent when it comes to explaining how their pricing packages and solution planning works. Simply reach out to them to discuss how things will work.
You’ll Really Like
- Lots of Workforce Management Tools
- Comprehensive and custom reporting
- Integrates with Quickbooks
You Should Look Out For
- A lot of hassle if you miss the payroll reporting deadline, which is 3 whole working days before payroll day.
The Bottom Line: Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in Texas
Carrying out payroll is an important affair. Do it incorrectly, and you could find yourself dragged in court under federal employment laws. However, it does not mean that you should be scared of doing the payroll yourself.
Doing it by hand is still an option. However, it takes a lot more time and is a lot more stressful. Why waste that time when it could be done automatically? Plus, it is hard for one business owner to learn all the ins and outs of HR, yet at the same time hiring a proper HR department is expensive.
A great payroll software will do part of an HR department’s job at very affordable prices. You won’t have to hire a single HR professional if you can leverage the program properly.
We would recommend Gusto due to its user-friendliness and ease of use. However, it only does Payroll. HR services from Gusto are expensive.
That’s why our ultimate decision is the ADP RUN payroll software. It has every feature, a great price, and even if it’s complicated it can be used to great effect in small businesses.
Top 3 Payroll Services
- 1 month free trial
- Trusted by over 200,000 businesses
- All-in-one payroll and HR solution
- Best for small businesses
- “Autopilot” runs payroll itself
- 6 months free with signup
- Trusted by 850,000+ businesses
- Dedicated customer service
- Also offer HR and benefits management
- 3 months FREE with signup
- Trusted by 700,000 companies
- Over 45 years of experience
- All-in-one platform
