Best Accounting Software for Payroll

Xero is one of the only programs out there to offer payroll as part of their overall service – you don’t have to add on payroll or use a third party app integration. And, the program is remarkably affordable.

With Xero, you get the basic accounting features, but then you also get the convenience of tracking employee time, printing and preparing W2s as well as 1099s, printing payroll checks, depositing checks directly and e-filing your payroll taxes.

You will have to upgrade to the Standard account to add payroll and you are limited on the number of employees per account, but even their increased prices make them more affordable than most programs out there that let you add-on payroll later.

A Few Details about this Software:

You can enjoy a 30-day free trial with any level of Xero Accounting – so you can test it out and see if the program as well as its payroll capabilities are what you need.

With Standard, you can provide payroll for up to five employees for $21 per month and then $30 per month after the introductory rate. With Premium, you get payroll for up to 10 employees. This starts at $49 per month and then $70 per month after the introductory. Premium 20 and Premium 100 are also offered, giving you access to payroll for employees of 20 or up to 100. Premium 20 will cost $90 per month while Premium 100 will cost $180 per month.

Customized Invoices:	Credit Card/Paypal Processing: Added Fee
Expense Tracking:	Import Bank Transactions:
Estimates or Quotes:	Employee Time Sheets
Converts Estimates/Quotes to Invoices:	1099's:
Managing and Paying Bills:	W2's:
Inventory Tracking:	Prints or Electronically Processes Payroll Checks:

QuickBooks Plus comes from the family of QuickBooks online products. It is the highest tier of their online software and offers everything you need to manage your business.

Payroll is an add-on with your QuickBooks Plus account, but it gives you the ability to choose from full-service or self-service payroll – meaning if you don’t have the time, you outsource your payroll to the QuickBooks in-house team directly for processing.

With their Payroll add-on you can track employee time, file and pay payroll taxes, pay employees (manually or via direct deposit) and prepare/print 1099s and W2s.

A Few Details about this Software:

To add on payroll to your QuickBooks account, you will get to choose two different payroll options. QuickBooks Plus with Enhanced Payroll is a self-service option that starts at $32.97 per month for six months and then $65.95 per month after that. For QuickBooks Plus with Full Service Payroll, you will pay $69.47 per month for six months and then $138.95 per month. You also pay a per employee fee, which is $1.50 per employee with self-service payroll and $2.00 per employee for full-service payroll.

Customized Invoices:	Credit Card/Paypal Processing: Added Fee
Expense Tracking:	Import Bank Transactions:
Estimates or Quotes:	Employee Time Sheets
Converts Estimates/Quotes to Invoices:	1099's:
Managing and Paying Bills:	W2's:
Inventory Tracking:	Prints or Electronically Processes Payroll Checks:

QuickBooks Pro is one of the better known software programs out there and instead of being cloud-based, it is a desktop program.

With QuickBooks Pro, payroll is not included, but can be added on. Without adding on payroll you are still able to manage and track employees, create and manage timesheets, etc. You also get all of the in-depth accounting features of QuickBooks.

With the Pro account, you can upgrade to payroll and then be able to print paychecks, print/prepare 1099s and W2s, pay and file payroll taxes, and print checks for manual deposit.

A Few Details about this Software:

QuickBooks Pro with Enhanced Payroll starts at $27.30 per month for six months and then you will pay $39.00 per month after the introductory period. You will also pay $2.00 per employee.

Customized Invoices:	Credit Card/Paypal Processing: Added Fee
Expense Tracking:	Import Bank Transactions:
Estimates or Quotes:	Employee Time Sheets
Converts Estimates/Quotes to Invoices:	1099's:
Managing and Paying Bills:	W2's:
Inventory Tracking:	Prints or Electronically Processes Payroll Checks:

Sage 100 ERP is an enterprise resource program for small to medium-sized businesses. With Sage 100, you can track inventory and manage employees as part of the program, but you will have to add on their payroll package in addition to the Sage 100 program to start paying employees.

When you upgrade to their payroll account, you can print and/or auto deposit paychecks, print and prepare 1099s and W2s, and pay and file your payroll taxes. They also have human resources options so you can better track employees – including positions in the company and positions you are soon adding.

A Few Details about this Software:

Sage 100 starts at $45 per user per month initially and then $110 per user per month. To add payroll, you will pay an extra $49.95 per month.

Customized Invoices:	Credit Card/Paypal Processing: Added Fee
Expense Tracking:	Import Bank Transactions:
Estimates or Quotes:	Employee Time Sheets
Converts Estimates/Quotes to Invoices:	1099's:
Managing and Paying Bills:	W2's:
Inventory Tracking:	Prints or Electronically Processes Payroll Checks:

AccountEdge is a lesser known accounting program, but for businesses that want to manage everything from a single program, it does offer an impressive list of features. With AccountEdge, you can manage everything from your employees to inventory to materials on hand.

When it comes to payroll, it is automatically included on all plans for up to 10 employees. So as long as your business doesn’t have more than 10 people to pay, it could work for you. You can choose between the cloud or desktop version – though the cloud is reported to be more attractive and user-friendly.

With their payroll you can print or deposit paychecks, file and pay payroll taxes and prepare 1099s as well as W2s for tax time.

A Few Details about this Software:

AccountEdge Basic doesn’t come with payroll, and if you were to add it on as an extra, the cost is more than the Pro. AccountEdge Pro starts at $399 for a first-time user and $159 per year after that to upgrade to the latest version. There is no free trial at this time.

Customized Invoices:	Credit Card/Paypal Processing: Added Fee
Expense Tracking:	Import Bank Transactions:
Estimates or Quotes:	Employee Time Sheets
Converts Estimates/Quotes to Invoices:	1099's:
Managing and Paying Bills:	W2's:
Inventory Tracking:	Prints or Electronically Processes Payroll Checks: