The Best Online Payroll Platforms

It is becoming increasingly important for businesses to outsource their accountancy and payroll tasks, to a company like Gilmour Payroll, as these areas can expend an enormous amount of time and energy; particularly for larger businesses.  Thus, there are a growing number of solutions that can be found via the power of the Internet.  However, not all are alike.  There are indeed a few tried and tested platforms that have consistently received favorable reviews.  So, let us take a brief look at a handful of what are considered to be the best online payroll platforms for 2013 and well into the following year.

“Girls, don’t you think it’s about time that we outsource our payroll?”.  Women operators at Midvale Company payroll machine in Time Office, April 29, 1949 by Kheel Center, Cornell University, on Flickr.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Intuit

One of the hallmarks of professional online payroll management is one that is extremely user-friendly and that offers a flexibility depending on the discrete needs of the business.  As the name denotes, Intuit streamlines the entire payroll processing service; only the hours during a specific pay period need to be entered and everything else will occur automatically.  Another interesting feature is that Intuit allows employers to pay contracted employees as opposed to only those who are on a salary.  Additional features include an error-free paycheck guarantee, instant alerts and the ability to download an application for a smartphone device.  These are a few of the reasons that Intuit is considered to be amongst the most robust platforms currently available.

ProPayroll

One of the most respected features in regards to ProPayroll is that their customer service is said to be the best in the business.  In fact, they strive to resolve any problems within an hour of being contacted.  As opposed to only catering to payroll needs, this online platform also has tax filing services built directly into their package.  Also, employees can be paid by direct deposit, check or pay card.  This benefit is further enhanced by such features as email reminders, an employee smartphone application for logging in and out and the ability for this service to be used within a rather large network.  Thus, ProPayroll is seen to be advantageous when a company may host a great deal of employees in disparate locations.  Finally, there is no binding contract with this online service.  Should an employer wish to discontinue at any time, he or she can do so without being subject to any contractual cancellation fees.

FirmBee / Pixabay

IOIPay

This application is completely based in the cloud.  Therefore, there is no bulky download or software packages to install.  Instead, an employer can simply log on to the website and access all necessary payroll data quickly and easily.  IOIPay will also allow employers to give their employees access to their own accounts.  This enables employees to view their pay stubs and change any personal information as needed.  However, the employer still has central control over all data that is entered.  This functionality allows IOIPay to be extremely easy to use.  Many features of payroll such as deductions, bonuses and garnishments are built into the software, so employers will spend less time and energy than they would with an in-house system.

OnPay

The biggest advantage associated with OnPay is that this online service comes with a tax accuracy guarantee included.  This gives employers a peace of mind in knowing that all filings will be completely correct.  This tax-based service will also complete and file all tax returns at the end of the year.  From a payroll standpoint, OnPay shares many of the same features as the platforms previously mentioned.  These include allowing employees access to their records, remote access, cloud-based services and employers are not bound to a long-term contract.  Finally, OnPay allows employers to print out payroll checks; a service not provided by many other online providers.

Leslie works for Gilmour Co, an accounting company based in Glasgow.

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