Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in Phoenix of 2022: An Overview
Every small business owner needs employees to keep his business running and reach out to the public. And to keep the employees motivated and active, they need to be treated professionally. This means making payrolls regularly and timely.
Managing this particular task – the payroll – manually is not easy. There are a lot of calculations to be done. It’s a time-consuming, error-prone process. And you certainly don’t want that!
Payday is the most important day for all the employees. Imagine the disappointment in their face when you say that there has been a miscalculation or delay while sending out their payments. For some of them, it could mean the difference between paying rent on time!
A payroll system can automatically keep track of your employees’ payments, avoiding unwanted miscalculations in the math. In a city like Phoenix, with tons of companies jockeying for highly-skilled employees, you definitely want to make sure your own are happy and satisfied!
In my pursuit of finding the best payroll software for small businesses in Phoenix of 2022, I reviewed dozens of tools. Let’s check out the best ones!
Quick Picks
- Best for small businesses looking to grow – Paychex
- Best for HR and comprehensive coverage – ADP
- Best for Small and Indie Businesses – Gusto
- Best for a Quick and Easy Solution – Phoenix Phive Payroll
- Best for local full Financial Management – Carvin FMS
Best payroll software for small businesses in Phoenix of 2022: In-Depth Review
Paychex: Award-Winning Customer Service, Just a Phone Call Away.
Paychex is one of the big names in payroll software in the US. Sure enough, they are also a great option for businesses in Phoenix. Paychex’s payroll software, Paychex Flex, can keep up with any fast-paced startup – including yours.
Paychex Flex 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.
With Paychex, you get a very flexible payroll processing system. The user interface and dashboard can be customized and configured to fit the exact needs of your business. Plus, there are a lot of ways to interface with it.
For instance, if you want your employees to check in at the start of the day and check out at the end, you can set up time tracking features and link them to the mobile app. Employees can get a lot of options for ‘Punching-In’, like by an app on their personal or work phones, a web app they can open on their PCs, or a kiosk or something else.
The star feature of Paychex Flex lies in its customer support. When you first sign up and start using their services, they will place a dedicated HR professional at your disposal to guide you through the process. This could be a godsend to small business owners who do not have HR experience or have not managed payrolls electronically before.
This support actually lasts beyond the initial setup. At any time, you may request help with payroll management or other HR work.
Paychex Flex is also quite affordable. The basic plan starts at $39 fixed plus $5 for each employee every month. A small business could get away with paying less than $100 a month, while for medium-sized businesses the cost is not prohibitive at all.
Upgrading to higher-tier plans such as Select and Pro requires an in-depth quotation and consultation, as Paychex works out what would be best for your business.
If you want to know more about Paychex before deciding on it, check out our full review.
You will really like:
- Excellent customer support and guidance for new users.
- Self-service and mobile accessibility for both employers and employees
- Searches out tax credits and applies for them immediately.
You should look out for:
- FAQs and guides are lacking.
- Relatively steep learning curve.
Or read our complete review of Paychex
ADP RUN: The biggest name in Payroll, now for your Small Business
If you’ve done any kind of research into payroll and HR management software in the US before now, you have probably stumbled across ADP already. They are one of the biggest payroll and HR software developers in the US for a reason.
The ADP HR software has a huge selection of tools. Everything you need to run a business from the top to the bottom is available. The mainline ADP software is capable of handling businesses with hundreds of employees. However, that is a little unnecessary for smaller businesses.
ADP RUN is the limited version of their comprehensive payroll software that is geared towards this market. Most of the large-scale features have been toned down, replaced by a program that is easy to use and manage.
There are very clear guides and instructions given for each and every part of the software. Everything can be found from the dashboard, so it’s best to get used to navigating it. The dashboard can be pretty complicated, but with a little time and effort, you will be up and running in no time.
The initial setup for running payroll includes adding employees to the database, adding all their information, selecting the payment method, and finally adding the recurring payroll on schedule so that you don’t have to remember to do this every month.
In terms of taxes, ADP RUN grabs the latest information about taxes and deductibles in all 50 states from reliable sources. It automatically creates W-2s, 1099s and other forms and files them, making sure that no mistakes are made.
Nearly 800,000 small businesses run on ADP RUN, proving its reliability. The majority of customers spend less than 15 minutes running their payrolls on ADP, which showcases its speed and ease of use.
This software includes features I haven’t mentioned yet, such as employee onboarding, handbooks and records, handling of legal matters through a prepaid legal service, marketing services, managing health insurance, workers’ compensation, 401(k)s and other retirement funds, timing and scheduling via check-ins or geofencing, and so on.
There are four plans for ADP RUN – Essential, Enhanced, Complete an HR Pro. Unfortunately, none of the pricing is given. You will have to request a quote. Some features, like legal and marketing help, are exclusive to the HR Pro version and sure to command a heavy price tag.
Read our ADP RUN review for more information on it.
You will really like:
- Very comprehensive list of features.
- Some unique features like Legal and Marketing assistance
- Automatic scheduling of payroll processing
You should look out for:
- Too many features, some of which are unnecessary for small businesses.
- High price in general
Or read our complete review of ADP
Gusto: Payroll Provider with Free Year-End Tax Filing
Gusto has been a top choice for many new Phoenix startups and businesses for quite some time now. Considering how busy it can get running a business in the heart of the city, Gusto’s convenience and time-saving features are extremely welcome.
Some of the best features here are the automatic tax filing systems. It includes both 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 can set up the payroll dash with a few clicks on the software dashboard. It includes general payroll, worker’s comp, employee benefits, etc. features all in one place. All of the data is updated in real-time to save you time and money in the long run.
You get access to all of these additional 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
- A pool of professionals to guide you
- Informative dashboard
You Should Look Out for:
- Relatively expensive monthly subscription
- Limited HR management features
Or read our complete review of Gusto
Phoenix Phive Payroll: Easy-to-use Industrial Strength Payroll Software
Phoenix Phive is a local company dealing with all kinds of business management software. In addition to accounting or bookkeeping and time management, they offer two Payroll software options!
The first is an ‘industrial-strength’ payroll that can cover multiple companies at the same time and up to 5,000 employees. That’s quite overkill for a small business, but they also have a scaled down version for small-medium sized companies up to 200.
It can be used to automate payroll processing on a (bi)weekly, semi-monthly or monthly payroll. It can be scheduled so that it processes payrolls in and W-2s before the new year starts. The user interface is extremely simple and minimal, with no fancy designs to distract users.
Employee details can be recorded easily and the forms can be filled up in-software. It’s a simple solution for simple needs.
You will really like:
- Various scheduling options
- Customizable and detailed forms and data input.
- Free 30-day trial.
You should look out for:
- Very outdated-looking interface
- High fixed cost – $125, making it a bad choice for small businesses.
Get Phoenix Phive Payroll now!
Carvin Financial Management Software: Full-scale Financial Management
For those looking for something extra beyond just payroll, Carvin’s FMS is a great local solution. They offer intelligent staffing and financial management software, which comes with not just payroll processing but also bookkeeping and HR tools.
With Carvin’s FMS, you can easily carry out payroll processing in all 50 states. All taxes – federal, state and local, are reported and filed. The software supports producing and writing different types of forms and invoices, such as W2, 1099 and 941R.
There are separate web portal permissions for Consumers, Agencies, Employees and Case Managers. Any member of the business can use the portal to check different things.
The payout process is also handled by this software. Payouts can be done using Paycard, ACH, Direct Deposits and Checks. Furthermore, the staffing software ensures all of this is done smoothly and easily, with plenty of vendor integration options with card providers like Money Network or Kittrel.
There are also over 190 different reporting options, for those who want to stay up to date on practically everything.
The price is kept low, and there’s also a 30 day free trial. During this free trial, you may get full customer support.
You will really like:
- Comprehensive budgeting, payroll and payout tools.
- Huge variety of reporting options
- Free 30-day trial with full customer support.
You should look out for:
- The software is complex and with a steep learning curve
- Actual cost is not given. Need to request a quotation.
Bottom Line: Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in Phoenix of 2022
Phoenix is a great place to start a small business. If you want to grow your business rapidly, Phoenix is the place to be. It is a burgeoning hub of both young professionals and prospective investors.
And as said, in order to compete on this scene, you must keep your business modern and up to date, running at full efficiency. That means using payroll software to both reduce HR fees, improve efficiency and employee morale, and save yourself plenty of time.
My ultimate recommendation would be Paychex. Not only is it affordable and offers a lot of utility, but it also has great support with the opportunity for direct guidance from experienced HR personnel.
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
