11 Best Benefits Administration Systems (2024)
The best benefits administration systems, hand-picked and field-tested by SelectSoftware Reviews' HR tech experts. See info on pricing, features, integrations, and more below.

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As a benefits leader, you have the rewarding job of making your company a great place to work. After all, employee benefits packages and other perks can help you attract top talent, retain current employees, and build a culture that aligns with your values.
The downside, of course, is all the administrative work that benefit plans and benefits enrollment creates for you. Fortunately, benefits administration software can help you automate your benefits management, improve efficiency, and streamline open enrollment — all while staying compliant.
Benefits administration software serves as a one-stop-shop for all your employee benefits. With everything centralized, the setup and management is easier for you and open enrollment is easier for your employees.
The result? Employees make smarter, more informed decisions about their benefits, and you have less administrative work to manage. To help you find the right benefits management software, we put together the following guide with top software platforms, features to look out for, common mistakes to consider, pricing, and more.
We assessed dozens of benefits administration software platforms with special consideration given to the three most critical functions performed by this type of tool: integration/configuration, self-service for employees, and compliance.
We used our HR industry experience to refine the scope of our research and applied our multi-dimensional assessment process to test each contender for these quality standards.
- Integration and Configuration: First-class benefits administration software integrates smoothly with each customer’s tech stack.To test for this, our team compared the quality and quantity of integration partners against a list of common business ops tools.
Our HR tech experts also determined the most important workflow automations, and we audited each product for the ease with which a user could configure these features.
- Self-Service for Employees: Self-service features reduce the burden of data entry on your HR team, improve the accuracy of employee information, and support employee empowerment. Our expert researchers performed simulations using each tool as if they were an employee and graded each platform's performance on the ease with which they could enter and change information across different data types.
- Compliance: Legal compliance is imperative, so we scrutinized the fine print, checking for each company’s capacity to keep customers complaint. We considered the product's state-by-state adaptability, as well as its capacity to handle multi-national organizations.
We’re data nerds and love a good dashboard, so we also checked for each tool’s reporting and analytics capacity. To learn more about how we approach our work from the granular to the gigantic, read this article on how we assess HR tech vendors.

ForUsAll

ForUsAll is a great choice for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) because it is very quick to set up and quite affordable.
PROS
CONS

ForUsAll is a cloud-based 401(k) administration platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Acting as both your 3(38) and 3(16) fiduciary, ForUsAll ensures you stay compliant while automating manual tasks such as contributions, 401(k) loans, eligibility tracking, hardships, and notifications. You can integrate ForUsAll with most cloud-based payroll systems for an automatic synchronization of your data. Payroll integration also allows it to automatically update deferrals, notify new participants when they become eligible, and more.
CMC Properties, Lever, Arbor Lodging, Smart Biz, Bolt Threads
ForUsAll costs as follows:
- For the employer: Employers using ForUsAll pay a base monthly fee of $120 with an addition of $6 per participant per month.
- For employees: Employees pay 0.50% of assets under management annually.
Best For
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Deel
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Deel localizes your offerings in accordance with local guidelines so that you can stay compliant with your global workforce.
PROS
- 24/7 in-app support and an impressively fast onboarding speed of 2-3 days.
- Access to local payroll experts in various jurisdictions, and support is available for contractors navigating the process of setting themselves up as an LLC.
- Self-service approach with tech-enabled features helps workers swiftly adopt the tool.
- Worker identity verification is reported to take less than 24 hours on average, and sometimes mere minutes.
- Offers APIs as well as over 100 native HR software integrations.
- Automated invoices (English language only).
- Excellent 24/7 customer service with fast onboarding (2-3 days) and local payroll experts in each jurisdiction.
- Deel HR is free for companies of all sizes.
- Seamless integration with platforms like QuickBooks, BambooHR, and Greenhouse, plus custom integration options.
- User-friendly, self-service features enable quick setup; identity verification often takes under 24 hours.
- Automated invoices simplify payments, provided they're in English.
CONS
- Some of Deel’s best features, like onboarding automation, are add-ons, which can be cost-prohibitive.
- Modifying contracts or service agreements with Deel is difficult and often requires addendums for any changes.
- Each payout comes with a $5 fee.
- Invoicing feature is limited to generating invoices in English, with no option for other languages.
- Key features like onboarding automation are add-ons, which may increase costs.
- Limited flexibility in modifying contracts or service agreements; changes often require an addendum.
- Invoices cannot be generated in languages other than English.
If your benefits-management needs feel complex due to the presence of team members in different geographies, Deel is worth looking into.

Deel can help with hiring and providing benefits and perks for people in various geographies. The benefits themselves would vary depending on the region. Still, you’d streamline their management through the same platform you’d use for payroll, contracts, timesheets, invoicing, and even some core HR functions.
As to the specific benefits offered, the best way to vet them is to go to their benefits tool on their website. You select a country and the type of benefits, and they present what they can provide.
For example, if you want to hire in Canada, you can choose Statutory and/or Common benefits. These include employment and worker compensation insurance, transportation and electronic coverage, and certifications.
35,000+ companies, including Andela, Brex, and Makerpad.
Deel offers various payroll and benefits solutions:
- Contractor: $49/month for onboarding, compliance, and payments for contractors.
- EOR: $499/month enables hiring employees in foreign countries without a legal entity.
- Payroll: $29/employee/month for all-in-one international payroll management.
- US Payroll: $19/employee/month for US payroll services.
- US PEO: $89/employee/month for end-to-end HR solution including payroll, benefits, and compliance.
- Immigration: Customized pricing.
Best For
Deel is a good bet for those businesses that want to provide benefits on top of payroll for an overseas workforce, whether it’s through an EOR arrangement or for their contractors. It’s worth noting that they have a way for you to offer interesting perks apart from the law-required benefits.
I use Deel to manage multiple contractors in various countries and to maintain compliance with contractor/freelancer working relationships. Deel provides a reliable solution for handling international payments efficiently.
The platform processes payments quickly and in a streamlined way. I also have the ability to conduct background checks on international workers, which I find to be very valuable. Deel also provides compliance guides for employers to help keep everything organized and in one place.

I like the following aspects of Deel:
- The ability to pay international contractors/freelancers in US currency or their local currency.
- The ability to pay international contractors/freelancers on a timely schedule without delays.
- The compliance guides and knowledge base that Deel provides for customers.
My organization decided to implement Deel for several key reasons. Last year, I was managing multiple projects that required hiring contractors from various countries. I needed a solution that could handle international payments seamlessly and efficiently.
While I had been using platforms like Bill.com and QuickBooks, the payment processing times for international contractors were often lengthy. Deel offered a much faster and more streamlined process, including the ability to conduct background checks on international contract workers and freelancers. This made it the ideal solution for my organization's needs.
- Deel's customer service is not always available during EST or PST hours when issues arise.
- Deel can be costly when hiring multiple workers; there should be bundled rates or plans for several workers.
- There have been issues with entering banking information, and Deel doesn't work with certain banks, without providing an explanation.
Deel is similar to Oyster. I have tried both with clients and prefer Deel, as it is more cost-effective and provides a more streamlined process.
Consider what countries the freelancers/contractors/workers are located in and whether Deel supports those countries.
The company also needs to consider compliance and how contracts should be executed. Several countries, including the US, have strict labor laws regarding how a freelancer/contractor should be classified versus an employee.
I have been a Deel customer for almost two years. During that time, they have resolved many issues with the platform, and it is now much more user-friendly and easier to use.
Deel is good for businesses that hire freelancers and contractors and want to avoid the risk of misclassification.
Deel is not good for companies that do not hire any freelancers or contractors.

Remote

While Remote is mainly known for their global payroll product, teams interested in options for benefits administration for internationally distributed teams should pay attention! That is because, unlike many vendors, Remote owns local entities in the countries in which they operate. This means, in very general terms, that its customers can offer their employees a more straightforward, more “local” experience regarding payroll and benefits.
PROS
- Remote provides flat rates, so you can easily compare its pricing with other vendors. The platform doesn’t add a markup on any benefits premiums.
- Self-service options for employees.
- Local specialists provide 24/7 support.
- Benefits plans are locally curated. Health, dental, vision, life, mental health support, and disability are all covered, as is pension/401(k).
- Helpful resources are available on their site, offering tips for specific to geographic regions.
- Equity-based compensation is available.
- Fast and compliant payroll in 170+ countries.
- Live chat support with local payroll experts.
- Flexible, localized benefit packages.
- Flat-rate pricing structure, no deposits or hidden fees.
- Mobile app streamlines expense reimbursement with autofill from receipt photos.
CONS
- Some employers reported a steep learning curve in learning to navigate the software.
- No off-cycle pay runs are available at the moment.
- Though the current live chat and email support have been great, there is no phone support users can reach out to.
- Remote offers limited integration options, yet you can access its custom API for free.
- Doesn’t have a free trial.
- Redundant for organizations solely recruiting within the U.S.
- Help center documentation isn’t easiest to understand.

Remote lets you offer customized benefits packages to fit each country where you have employees. The platform enables compliance by providing country-specific benefits and perks that adhere to local laws. We like that Remote is one of just a few vendors that own local legal entities in countries that the platform services. Since it has no intermediaries, it can offer more flexibility and speed.
Though they were a bit hard to locate in their respective app stores, both the Android and iOS apps are in good shape – they are easy to use and equipped with essential features.
Arduino, GitLab, Paystack, Loom, cargo.one, Secureframe, Phaidra.
- Contractor Management plan: $29/contractor/mo
- Employer of Record plan: $599/employee/mo (when paid annually)
- Global Payroll and Remote Enterprise plans: Customized pricing – contact Remote for details
- Startup and nonprofit discount: Eligible startups and nonprofits can get 15% off EOR and Contractor Management services for 12 months.
- Refugee discount: Up to 10 employees free when hiring refugees
Best For
Remote is a robust solution for startups and distributed teams to provide their employees and contractors with country-specific benefits and easy onboarding and payroll.
We employ about 15 employees within Remote's platform. In this platform, they hire the employees we identify, provide them with a platform for payment and time tracking, and manage benefits on our behalf that our employees can enroll in. Additionally, the platform integrates with our HCM Dayforce, allowing us to update employee data automatically without having to manage multiple systems. Remote also gives us tools to ensure we are paying competitively in countries where we aren't experts.
It is easy to set up new countries depending on business needs as an EOR provider. The easy-to-use platform helps us identify and manage our talent well. Global benefits allow us to navigate new countries without worrying about the nuances of benefit offerings.
We are a global company with needs in various countries for employee benefits, payroll, and HRIS. Specifically, we needed assistance with paying employees in countries where we do not have a legal entity. Remote provides Employer of Record services for us in multiple countries, allowing us to employ top talent without the burden of legal requirements and compliance. They have an easy-to-use platform that helps our employees stay on top of their pay and benefits, and they have dedicated team members that assist employees with any questions they may have. It's a cost-effective solution for our global payroll needs.
Remote could be more cost-effective. I have found other EOR services with cheaper offerings. The platform is fine, but it could have more features related to global compensation and access to more community-based groups that would allow companies to connect with each other.
Their platform is easy to use, and the recent addition of support tickets has made it very easy to access help in any situation. Additionally, Remote has a singular pricing model, which is convenient because we do not have to worry about charges for leavers, joiners, or year-end.
Consider hidden costs around processing and setup. The bottom-line monthly cost is not always the full price, as some of these EOR services will charge setup fees and year-end fees that, although mentioned in their proposals, are not included in the annual cost. Remote does this very well, and their pricing is very easy to understand.
I have not used Remote long enough to see changes over time.
Remote is good for global companies that have a few international employees.
EOR services, in general, are not great for companies that have a lot of employees in many different countries. Operating Remote would be cumbersome with more than 10 employees per country.

Gusto

Gusto provides full-service payroll services with benefits and HR. The software takes care of the administration and deductions by syncing them with payroll and makes things easier for you and your employees with its built-in employee self-service.
PROS
- Gusto has an eye-catching UI and is compatible with several devices.
- Automatic payroll deductions for easier benefits administration.
- The dashboard feature keeps tabs on compliance tasks.
- The hiring and onboarding sequence is nicely streamlined between HR and the new hire
- Post-offer, pre-start tasks are made easy with integrations like CorpNet and Checkr.
- Easy payroll for U.S.-based W-2 folks, domestic and international contractors.
- Phone support, email, and other customer service resources.
- Licensed benefits advisors for all plan users.
- The business model is responsive to customer needs.
- Transparent pricing structure. Doesn’t require long-term contracts.
- Free account setup.
- Ability to create onboarding checklists, send offer letters, collect signatures, and store all onboarding documents online.
- The dashboard feature keeps tabs on compliance tasks
- The hiring and onboarding sequence is nicely streamlined between HR and the new hire
- Post-offer, pre-start tasks are made easy with integrations like CorpNet (state tax set up) Checkr (background checks)
- Easy payroll for U.S.-based W-2 folks, domestic, and international contractors
- Person-to-person phone support, email, and other customer service resources
- The business model is responsive to customer needs
CONS
- Gusto facilitates payments for international contractors but not for employees.
- There is no built-in accounting feature, so the management of earnings and expenses can’t happen in one place.
- Analytics dashboard capabilities are underwhelming
- Simple plan users do not have access to native time tracking, necessitating third-party integrations.
- Users of the Simple plan cannot access federal and state compliance alerts – they are not even available as add-ons.
- Plus plan users have access to compliance alerts, but they must be added on.
- No free trial or free version
- Gusto can support payments for international contractors, but not employees
- No native accounting feature to keep earning and spending under the same roof
- Analytics dashboard is simplistic

We have had a positive experience with Gusto's benefits administration features. The software seamlessly integrates payroll and benefits administration, simplifying the process with automatic deductions and syncing capabilities. The built-in employee self-service functionality is also a nice touch that makes it easy for employers and employees to manage benefits and access relevant information.
Gusto's user interface is visually appealing. Being browser-based lets it provide a smooth user experience across multiple devices. Additionally, Gusto provides licensed benefits advisors to assist and guide users in optimizing their benefit plans.
We appreciate Gusto's customer-centric approach, as they remain responsive to customer needs and continuously improve their services based on feedback. Their transparent pricing structure and flexibility without long-term contracts add to the appeal. Moreover, Gusto offers free account setup, making it convenient for businesses to get started.
The availability of person-to-person phone support, email assistance, and other customer service resources reflects Gusto's commitment to providing excellent support. However, it's worth noting that some features, such as federal and state compliance alerts and integrating existing broker and health insurance plans, are only available in the Premium plan or as add-ons for the Plus plan. Simple plan users may need to consider third-party integrations for certain functionalities like time tracking.
While it doesn't offer a free trial, Gusto's consistent focus on core functionalities sets it apart from other platforms that often get sidetracked by unnecessary features.
Gusto powers HR and benefits management for over 400,000 businesses across the U.S.
Gusto’s benefits management tools are part of its HR software packages, with pricing starting at $49 per month plus $6 per employee. Premium plans cost more but unlock expanded HR features, including access to certified HR experts and advanced benefits administration tools.
Best For
Even budget-strapped startups can afford Gusto’s basic plan. For companies with some bank capital to invest in human capital, the top-tier Premium plan is a great choice, especially if they have an HR department of one person.
We use Gusto for applicant tracking, onboarding, offboarding, HR documentation, and expense tracking. We were using Gusto's benefit brokerage, FSA, and COBRA options as well, but we recently changed to our own broker in March 2024. Some of the workflows we use are "to-do" type lists for onboarding and offboarding. We set these up so that tasks will send to each individual (manager, admin, or employee) when it is time to action the task in the onboarding process. Gusto does not have any advanced workflows, and even their basic workflows mentioned above are more similar to email reminders than typical HRIS workflows. The main benefit of these types of workflows is that they are very beginner-friendly. The main drawback is that there is little to no customizability.
Gusto is a great beginner HRIS with basic functionality that is easy to use. Gusto is a cost-effective, affordable HR and payroll solution for small businesses. Gusto's document functions are very customizable, allowing for check mark boxes along with basic and more common features like signature boxes and text boxes.
Our company originally bought Gusto in 2020 and has been using it for four years. I have personally been using it for six months and have used it in the past while working contracts for other start-ups. We use Gusto as a solution for small businesses that need an HR and payroll system. The key benefits it provides include a time tracking system, payroll system, HR storage system, ATS, benefits solution, and more. When originally buying the tool, the company aimed to use it mainly for payroll purposes and to move off of QuickBooks for payroll and paper copies of documentation. Gusto provides document signing as well.
Gusto's customer service lacks urgency and has put us into very difficult situations regarding compliance around our benefits. While Gusto is very beginner-friendly, this means it also lacks the workflows and customizability that most experienced HR professionals are accustomed to when setting up and using an HRIS. Gusto does not have many options for custom reporting, which can be difficult for HR personnel and business operations.
I prefer a more customizable HRIS, even if it is a little more expensive. I think Gusto is a good start solution, but once you grow past 25+ employees, you will need to look into more advanced HR and payroll solutions. I would not recommend Gusto to anyone that has over 25 employees due to this.
Businesses should consider their projected growth and hiring plans. You do not want to implement an HR system if you will need to switch to another HR system further down the road. If you plan on keeping your business small or do not plan on hiring a dedicated HR person, then Gusto might be the solution for you.
I have not been with Gusto long enough to see any change or evolution.
Gusto is good for small businesses with under 25 employees and/or businesses looking for a very cost-effective solution.
Gusto is not a fit for teams larger than 25 employees. Gusto is not a fit for a team in high growth stages. Gusto is not a fit for anyone with a dedicated HR person who likes the functionality of advanced workflows and custom reporting.

OnPay

OnPay ensures compliance and takes no upfront payment for its benefits administration software. When you decide to use it, you'll be connected with their team of licensed brokers so that your employees can get their favorite benefits from the best companies.
PROS
- Transparent pricing is among the most budget-friendly in the industry.
- Offers a one-month free trial.
- The plan combines payroll, benefits, and HR tools.
- Supports several pay types: regular hours, salary, overtime, and bonus. You can also create your own.
- Ability to act as an insurance broker to help businesses find medical, vision, and dental insurance in 50 states.
- Special payroll services for certain industries like restaurants, farms and agricultures, churches and clergy, and nonprofits.
- Free tax form handling for W-2 employees and 1099 contractors.
- Some HR services included within the plan at no additional cost.
- 30-day free trial available (starts after OnPay verification).
- Well-developed online help resources.
CONS
- Incompetent mobile app with poor ratings (2.1/5) from iOS users.
- Limited integrations.
- Takes two to four days for direct deposit. No faster direct deposit option is available.
- Lacks advanced HR features like employee surveys and performance reviews.
- Poor functioned employee mobile app.
- Requires payment four days before payday for direct deposit.
- Doesn’t support automatic payroll.
- Customer support sometimes hard to reach.

We recommended OnPay because, besides being a solid cloud-based payroll software solution, it also offers features for HR management and benefits administration at an affordable, transparent monthly price. For businesses in certain industries like restaurants and agriculture, the platform also provides special payroll services (tip calculations, separate tax filings, etc.) without charging additional fees.
OnPay partners with several low-cost benefits administration providers so that you can choose several health insurances and 401(k) retirement plans for your employees. While we found that OnPay’s integration is quite limited compared to its rival Gusto, its feature-rich HR tools are offered without requiring users to upgrade their plans or pay more, making the platform a more cost-effective option for several startups and small businesses.
- OnPay charges a base fee of $40 plus $6 per employee per month.
- Setup and migration of employee data are free of charge.
- You can use the price calculator on their website to see exactly how much it’ll run you for your team size.
- One-month free trial is available on the website.
Best For
Businesses looking for an affordable software tool that can carry HR, payroll, and benefits in one place. Its special payroll offerings also make the software a better bet for businesses in industries like restaurants, farms and agricultures, churches and clergy, as well as nonprofits.
I use OnPay daily. The platform reduces the workload for my department, especially concerning taxes and payroll runs. It also provides in-depth reports on employee compensation, ensuring we stay updated on compensation compared to industry standards. The platform is very user-friendly and easy to teach to my colleagues in the department.
- It minimizes mistakes during payroll runs.
- It allows for unlimited payroll runs.
- I also appreciate the automated tax filings.
We were looking for software to help streamline our tax processes. OnPay offers an automated tax system that handles most of the work, and it also allows us to run unlimited payrolls. This feature was crucial for us since we have multiple shifts within our organization. With OnPay, we found that these two pain points became much more manageable. I have personally used this platform for over two years.
- I wish there was more flexibility in drilling down into specific reports.
- The company’s customer support could be better.
- The pricing structure could also use improvement.
The payroll runs and automated tax filings are two specific features that set OnPay apart from its competitors.
If you're facing increased payroll runs that add extra costs per month, I would certainly consider this platform for your organization. This feature handles most of the heavy lifting regarding payroll, saving you time and effort. The automated tax filings are also a significant benefit for any business looking to streamline this process, reducing the workload for your HR or Accounting/Finance departments.
From my experience, the overall customer service has improved significantly. Getting support when needed, even for simple questions, has become easier since I started using the platform.
OnPay is well-suited for any organization or industry, particularly small to medium-sized businesses.
Large corporations may not find OnPay the best fit.

Bennie

Designed to make benefits more accessible and less complicated, Bennie is available both as a web and a mobile app. With it, employees can track claims spending, estimate cost of care, find a doctor, access a live concierge team, and more.
PROS
CONS

Bennie is a hub for your employee benefits information on a mobile-first platform. If employees have any questions about their benefits, they simply go to the app and interact with Ask Bennie, a smart healthcare concierge.
For employers, Bennie skips the typical brokerage experience. Instead, Bennie partners with major regional and national carriers to bring your company more personalized benefits. HR teams have their own backend to manage everything in one place. Customers also get access to strategic benefits and HR technology consulting.
- Schedulicity
- Superhuman
- Nabis
The Bennie app is free to use for your company and employees. Bennie shops around for the best plan for your company, and takes a commission from the insurance company you decide on.
Best For
Companies in the 50-500 employee range.
We use Bennie regularly to manage and streamline our employee benefits processes, ensuring that our team has easy access to the information they need. The platform is especially helpful during open enrollment periods, allowing employees to compare options and make informed decisions effortlessly.
The integration with our HRIS system and real-time support features has made it a valuable tool for reducing administrative work. Bennie’s educational resources also help employees better understand their benefit options throughout the year. Overall, it improves the benefits experience for both employees and the HR team.
The platform makes it simple for employees to navigate benefits options and access important information without confusion. Bennie provides fast and reliable customer service, helping employees and HR teams resolve benefits-related questions efficiently. The clean and well-organized dashboard ensures a smooth user experience, making it easy to find what you need quickly.
Our organization purchased Bennie to address inefficiencies in managing employee benefits and improve accessibility for our workforce. Before Bennie, navigating benefits enrollment and handling HR inquiries was very time-consuming.
We needed a user-friendly platform that could simplify benefits selection, provide guidance to our employees, and integrate with our existing HR systems. Bennie has significantly streamlined our processes by offering personalized benefits recommendations, cost transparency, and real-time support for employees.
While Bennie offers great features, the pricing can be steep for smaller teams looking to manage costs effectively. Expanding the range of benefits, such as additional wellness perks or financial planning tools, would make the platform even more valuable. Some features could offer more flexibility to tailor the experience to our company’s specific needs.
I prefer all-in-one solutions such as Rippling and Justworks. However, Bennie provides a strong option for benefits management, especially for smaller organizations that do not want to invest in the higher cost of platforms like Rippling.
Buyers should consider the size of their company—Bennie is well-suited for smaller organizations. It's important to evaluate how the platform integrates with existing systems and whether it offers the flexibility to scale up or down as the company grows.
Bennie has remained fairly consistent over time, without significant changes or updates to adapt to evolving user needs. While the platform continues to provide a simple and intuitive interface, there haven't been many enhancements or expanded features beyond its core offerings. Users who have been on the platform for a while may notice that benefit options and integrations have stayed largely the same.
Bennie is best for smaller organizations.
Larger organizations would likely benefit more from an all-in-one solution such as Rippling.

PapayaGlobal

Papaya Global lets you manage payroll and provide benefits for your employees and contractors, wherever they are. They operate in 160+ countries, most of them through their EOR model. Their benefits offering has evolved notably with time, encompassing telehealth services and other forms of holistic wellbeing.
PROS
- Employees get a personalized physical and mental health plan tailored to their location. They can then access these services through the web and mobile versions of the platform.
- Papaya ensures prompt payouts within 72 hours across 160+ countries through the platform.
- Transparent pricing with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- Dedicated customer success managers in your time zone for localized assistance.
- The starter monthly fee is reduced to $12 per employee for full-service payroll.
- Papaya Global packs the EOR services you need to do global payroll and employment compliantly in over 160 countries.
- Automated payments in over 100 currencies, 80 of them directly to the worker's bank account through its global banking partners.
- Dedicated customer support providing locations-specific knowledge regarding employment and payroll.
- End-to-end payroll guaranteed payouts in 72 hours.
- Offers four standalone solutions: data and insights, supplemental benefits & immigration support, payment services, and employee data management, making the platform more affordable and scalable.
CONS
- Lacks local entities in some of the countries they operate in; no tax penalty guarantee information available.
- No free trial or plan is offered.
- Additional fees include setup, onboarding, cycle per employee, year-end fees, and a required deposit.
- Limited existing integrations, but free use of pre-built APIs and custom API integrations.
- No free trial or free plan.
- Doesn’t own entities in all the countries it serves. The platform forms relationships with existing local in-country partners to handle employment in a specific region on the client’s behalf.
- BI analytics reports and global immigration services cost additional fees.
- Charges extra fees for setup, onboarding, employee cycle, and tax filing. Also requires a refundable deposit.
- Built-in integration options aren’t very robust. However, the platform does offer pre-built APIs, SFTP, and custom API integrations for free.
Paya Global is one of the best platforms for handling international benefits and payroll. With Papaya Global, you offer an overseas employee a similar benefits package (including equity) as if you had an operating entity in their region.
They can do this both through the Employer of Record and Contractor models. Of course, the pricing varies for both cases. It’s also worth mentioning that the global benefits offering is an add-on, starting at $190 per employee per month.
Papaya Global has garnered high praise from both users we've interacted with and our editorial team. Our familiarity with the tool dates back to early 2021, and it immediately impressed us with its transparent pricing, extensive HR capabilities, robust BI analytics, and localized customer support.
The platform serves both employers and employees, offering seamless access to payroll, payments, and workforce analytics. It guarantees automated payments in local currencies, personalized benefit packages, and multilingual pay slips across 160+ countries.
That said, when considering Papaya Global for your global payroll software, remember that it may not have a local entity in the particular service region you need one and, when that is the case, they rely on third-party local partners. Note that while pricing transparency is a strength, additional expenses like setup fees per location, onboarding fees, cycle fees per employee, year-end tax filing fees, and a refundable deposit should be considered.
Wix, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Deezer, Fiverr, Microsoft
- Full-Service Payroll service: Starts at $12 per employee per month, with flexible options based on operational needs.
- Payroll Platform License service: Begins at $3 per employee per location for tech upgrades.
- Data and Insights Platform License service: From $150 per employee per month, offering real-time analytics on payroll costs and headcount.
- Payments-as-a-Service service: Starting at $3 per employee per month, delivering a dedicated workforce payment platform.
- Global EOR plan: Ranges from $650 to $1000 per employee per month for comprehensive EOR management.
- Contractor Management & IC Compliance plan: Tailored services for outsourced contractors, starting at $2 per contractor per month.
- Global expertise services: Starting at $190 per month per employee, this lets you add the global health plan, immigration support, and global equity for employees.
Best For
Papaya Global is a top choice for streamlining global payroll and benefits operations in countries with established entities, especially for businesses with international hires located within Papaya Global’s extensive country coverage.
I primarily used Papaya Global to ensure we were hiring the right people globally while complying with local labor laws. It was invaluable when onboarding new employees, making sure everyone felt welcome and informed, no matter their location. The tool’s reporting capabilities were also extremely useful, particularly when reviewing compensation to ensure fair and competitive pay.
Additionally, it helped manage day-to-day HR tasks like monitoring employee well-being and managing benefits. It was essential in keeping everything organized and transparent across the company, regardless of where employees were based. I used it frequently, as it was like a Swiss Army knife for all HR tasks, especially for managing global operations.

I liked the main dashboard because it was user-friendly, allowing me to access important information quickly. Papaya Global integrated well with the client's existing HR tools, making it easier for everyone and ensuring smooth data flow. The reporting was accurate, providing the exact details needed for decision-making. Lastly, the tool had great scalability, adapting to the client’s needs as they grew without any issues.
I used Papaya Global while working with a client as a freelancer in HR. They started using it because managing HR tasks across different countries was becoming overly complicated and time-consuming. They struggled to keep up with the various labor laws and maintain communication with their team spread around the globe. The tool was a lifesaver, providing a single platform to handle everything and keep everyone aligned.
Personally, I’ve been using it for about two years, and it has been incredibly helpful. It automates repetitive tasks that used to take up a lot of my time, all with the click of a button. It also integrates seamlessly with their other HR systems, allowing information to flow smoothly. It has saved both me and the client significant time and effort.
One major downside is that Papaya Global is quite expensive for what it offers. It doesn’t have enough advanced features to fully justify the cost. Additionally, it’s not very customizable, so it can be difficult to adapt it to specific business needs. While it automates some tasks, many actions still need to be done manually, which is disappointing considering the price. It also has a steep learning curve, so new users might struggle to get accustomed to it quickly, which can slow down adoption. Finally, customer support is not very responsive, which can disrupt workflows when issues arise.
Papaya Global stands out for its Employer of Record feature, which is especially helpful for managing legal compliance overseas. It effectively handles the regulatory challenges of working across different countries, providing peace of mind without the need for a large legal team. Although I haven’t used other tools, this one excels in handling international employment and compliance. The biggest advantage is the confidence it offers in ensuring compliance globally. Managing complex HR tasks across different countries is much easier with this tool, making it invaluable to our company.
When considering a tool like Papaya Global, it’s crucial to assess your company’s global footprint and ensure the tool can handle payroll, legal matters, and hiring across multiple countries. It’s also important to choose a tool that works in locations where you don’t have an office, as this helps you stay compliant with local laws.
Usability is another key factor; a user-friendly tool will help your HR team get up to speed quickly and keep operations running smoothly. Lastly, verify that the tool integrates well with your existing HR systems to allow for seamless data transfer.
By expanding to more countries, Papaya Global has stayed ahead of the competition. It now offers a broader range of services, helping companies manage global offices effectively. Over time, it has improved its legal compliance capabilities, which is critical when dealing with different countries' regulations. The tool has also become smarter with automation and reporting, streamlining processes and freeing up users to focus on more important decisions.
In addition, the platform has been enhanced to make navigation easier, even as it grows more powerful. This has made it a go-to choice for companies with employees spread across the globe.
Let's not forget about the look and feel of the thing. Papaya Global has put a lot of effort into making sure that using their platform is as easy as pie. It's all about making it simple to understand and navigate, even as it gets bigger and more powerful. This has turned it into a go-to choice for companies with employees scattered across the globe.
Papaya Global is ideal for large businesses that deal with complex salary management, especially when they operate in multiple countries. It’s perfect for companies with a diverse global workforce that need a robust system to comply with various labor laws and regulations.
Businesses that value seamless integration with existing HR systems and require advanced technology to handle complex tasks will find this tool especially beneficial. Even if a company doesn’t have offices in every country they hire from, this tool can manage payroll effortlessly.
Papaya Global might not be the best pick for companies with basic payroll needs because it could come with more bells and whistles than they actually need. If you're a small business with a tight wallet, the price might seem a bit steep, especially if you're not looking to manage payroll across different countries.
Plus, if your team isn't full of tech personnel or HR minded individuals, you might find it a bit tricky to use and might not get the most out of all its fancy features. For places like that, something simpler and easier on the budget might be the way to go.

Namely

Easy to navigate, Namely is extremely organized and uses the best-in-class technology. Its benefits administration software is integrated with its HR and payroll system to save time and complexity.
PROS
- Namely’s user interface is highly praised for its intuitiveness and cleanliness, allowing users to navigate the platform effortlessly despite its extensive features.
- Users appreciate Namely's employee onboarding module, which includes a user-friendly wizard that helps new hires quickly understand their tasks and responsibilities.
- In addition to the platform's built-in tools for data management, recruiting, onboarding, time off tracking, payroll, and benefits administration, Namely offers managed payroll and benefits administration services, alleviating the workload for internal teams.
- The majority of users are able to navigate Namely without any issues. They find the UI to be intuitive and clean, despite the fact that the platform has lots of features.
- Namely’s employee onboarding module gets a alot of praise from users. It features an easy-to-follow wizard, which helps new hires get on quickly and be clear on what they need to do.
- Besides the platform’s built in features for data management, recruiting, onboarding, time off tracking, payroll and benefits administration, there are also managed payroll and benefits administration services you can opt for to reduce the burden on your internal teams.
CONS
- Namely's primary focus is on the U.S. market, limiting its suitability for those seeking a global payroll and benefits provider.
- Implementing Namely can take a while, with an average implementation period of 6-8 weeks, according to the platform's own team.
- Namely lacks dedicated features for employee development, such as skill training, career pathing, and succession planning.
- Users should verify if Namely is compatible with their existing benefits provider, as there have been reports of Namely's team persuading customers to switch to providers that charge higher fees.
- Namely primarily operates in the U.S., which means if you’re looking for a global payroll and benefits provider, this platform isn’t for you.
- Though many praise the platform’s ease of use, it does take long to implement it. Namely’s own team says that an average implementation takes between 6-8 weeks.
- For a platform of Namely’s size, there currently aren’t any features that focus on employee development such as skill training, career pathing, succession planning etc.
- You’ll need to check beforehand if Namely can work with your existing benefits provider, if you have one. There have been a few reports (but not few enough to ignore) about Namely’s team convincing customers to change their benefits provider to providers that charged them more.

Namely’s comprehensive HR suite packs a range of features that make it an excellent choice for benefits administration. You can enroll your employees in, track, and manage various benefits programs such as health insurance, retirement plans, and flexible spending accounts. All of this is simplified through customizable online enrollment forms that provide employees with plan details. The software also allows for seamless integration with insurance carriers and third-party administrators to automate data transfers and reduce manual entry errors.
We appreciate a good reporting module, and the one Namely has can not only generate reports but also give you deep insights into benefits utilization, costs, and trends, which is a nice feature to have if you want to frequently improve your benefits plans and compete in today’s super competitive hiring landscape.
Over 1200 companies use Namely, including Greenhouse, The Channel Company, Life is Good, and OneLogin.
Namely does not disclose their pricing upfront. However, having no benchmark provides the unique opportunity to negotiate with sales to determine the right price for your company specifically.
Best For
Namely targets mid-sized companies. They specifically mention companies with 50-1000 employees.
I used Namely for every payroll of course, but also onboarding staff and making sure they are set up in payroll. Additionally, things like getting employees data regarding payroll such as w2s was much easier. It was especially helpful that our staff can self-serve, which in a company with a small HR department is critical. It was really easy for them to learn, and employees are able to enter PTO requests and track their balances without having to reach out to an HR professional. So that feature was used throughout the company every week. Also, the social feature was appreciated by the staff, such as seeing coworkers' birthdays and anniversary, so they can congratulate and interact.
I really liked the fact that our staff, who had never used any kind of HRIS before, was able to pick up on this so easily and didn't have trouble or need intensive instruction. I also liked the degree to which they were able to solve problems and access information on their own. I also felt the onboarding features were robust and easy to use.
At the time we switched to Namely we didn't have an HRIS and were manually doing everything from onboarding to payroll. Since we were growing, we needed a proper system. It definitely made things like reporting and providing employee data far more efficient and accurate. Also, the onboarding process was easy and saved a lot of time and prevented overlooked details and errors. The staff also liked using it and clocking in and out became easier with fewer mistakes. Once it was all set up, running payroll, making payroll changes, and accessing payroll records was much faster, easier and problems became rare. I used it for a year.
When I needed customer service, it wasn't the best I have ever experienced or the quickest, with a lot of different representatives involved of varying knowledge and understanding. I think better built in help resources would improve the product overall. I didn't find the benefits administration easy to use either.
I have used many similar tools and feel like Namely is a solid system compared to similar products. I don't think it is the very best, as it did lack some features such as an ATS, but for a smaller company these may not be as needed. The ease of use was a bit better than others, but the customer support needed improvement. Overall, I was happy with it.
People should consider what features they may need, and compare them to similar tools, since there are similar products with more features. Also, they should consider the size of the company, since Namely is best for small to medium sized organizations. If people are without any kind of tool like this, they should consider the cost involved is worth the many efficiencies they will gain from employing Namely.
In the time I used Namely, I think they did improve the customer service somewhat, which was a problem in the beginning. This is important because the work done in Namely is often time sensitive, such as payroll, and problems can have a major impact on staff, so customer service is critical.
I think this is perfect for small companies with employees who need an easy-to-use tool. It is great for companies who have never used a system like this before because the user interface is very intuitive.
Very large companies that do a great deal of hiring may find Namely not robust enough and lacking in certain features.

Maxwell Health

A one-stop technology solution that merges your HR ecosystem with benefits administration system, Maxwell Health helps employees save time and make sound decisions about their benefits.
PROS
CONS

Maxwell Health, now owned by Sun Life Insurance, offers companies a modern approach to managing benefits for employees. From open enrollment to COBRA, they can help you stay compliant, and give employees a wide range of options all available through an easy to use mobile interface.
- Rose Street Advisors
- Taney County, Missouri
- Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Maxwell does not release their pricing online. You will have to contact a sales representative.
Best For
If your company isn’t picky about what insurance company to work with, Maxwell Health’s partnership with Sun Life Insurance is ideal. You get a simplified end-to-end experience, requiring even less administrative work on your part.
We used Maxwell primarily for open enrollment. It also allowed employees to manage their benefits throughout the year. The platform was instrumental in streamlining workflows for employee benefits administration. It was utilized year-round, ensuring employees could access and update their benefits as needed.
Employees also used it to make personal changes to their benefits, such as updating dependents or coverage options.
- The platform is user-friendly for both employers and employees.
- It provides a centralized system to manage all employee benefits.
- It simplifies and streamlines the open enrollment process.
Maxwell Health was provided to my company through our insurance provider. Prior to this, my company did not have a centralized platform for managing employee benefits. Maxwell streamlined our open enrollment process and overall benefits management. It provided a single platform for employees to access and manage their benefits easily.
Additionally, it simplified benefits administration for the HR team, making the process much more efficient.
- It can be challenging to get direct support within the system.
- There were occasional issues with employee records after they updated their personal information.
- From an employer’s perspective, it was difficult to make changes during open enrollment once the official deadline had passed.
Maxwell offers a simplified and user-friendly platform that employees can easily navigate and understand.
Pricing should be a key consideration when selecting a platform. Ensure the tool is user-friendly for both employers and employees to avoid unnecessary complications. Integration with your payroll platform is highly beneficial for seamless administration.
Confirm that it is compatible with your offered benefits and your insurance broker’s platform(s) to avoid technical issues.
he platform has undergone slight modifications to improve usability, making it more user-friendly for employees.
Maxwell is well-suited for organizations that provide multiple benefits to their employees.
It may not be ideal for companies that offer only a few employee benefits, as the platform’s capabilities might be underutilized.

Rippling

Rippling is geared toward SMBs with its terrific automation and built-in integrations. Besides common features like self-service and onboarding, the benefits administration tool lets you work with your picked broker within the app and choose benefits packages from over 4,000 plans.
PROS
- Rippling can operate globally with almost any currency.
- 500+ integrations.
- Automates issuance processes.
- Provides a holistic view of company outflows—headcount costs included.
- All-in-one platform for employee management + PEO services offered, and even a suite of other IT products
- With 500 integrations, it’s very likely that they integrate with other key tools from your tech stack.
- Operates globally with any currency
- Workflow automation
- Analytics opportunities
- Provides a holistic view of company outflows—headcount costs included
CONS
- Total buy-in to Rippling is essential.
- No free trial.
- Phone support is available via the HR Help Desk service, which costs extra.
- Very SMB-oriented, so perhaps not the best option for larger companies.
- Total buy-in to Rippling is essential
- Very SMB-oriented, in case you’re a larger company.
- New features tend to be buggy in ways that tech teams are not accustomed to fixing

Rippling is in a class by itself compared to other benefits administration software. With a remarkable 500 app connectors, it surpasses most vendors we've tested across multiple categories. This helps the tool not only perform standard features an average benefits tracking system does, like parsing a paper receipt image captured with a phone but can also contextualize spending activity within the larger framework of employee data.
We tested Rippling's benefits management features and discovered that despite being a relatively new solution, it stands out for its strong emphasis on automation. Alongside standard functionalities like online onboarding, benefits enrollment, and employee self-service portals, Rippling offers unique capabilities.
One notable feature is the ability to add your existing broker as a user or receive recommendations if you don't have one. Additionally, Rippling excels in automation by automatically updating employee deductions when qualifying life events occur, such as location changes or marital status updates.
In the past two years, Rippling has expanded its offerings to include time and attendance, talent management, learning management, licensed PEO services, and global payroll. Remarkably, the platform has maintained its eye-catching UI despite the additions. However, there are a few aspects to keep in mind.
While you have the flexibility to select and purchase modules separately, Rippling’s core HR offering is the starter plan for all iterations.
Vox, Maximum Games, Superhuman, Compass Coffee, Highnoon.
Rippling's Core HR platform starts at $8 per employee per month. Contact Rippling regarding a custom Benefits Administration quote.
Best For
Rippling is best for small to medium-sized companies, globally or nationally distributed with multiple levels of organization.
I frequently used the hiring and onboarding workflows. I used the system to post jobs, track candidates, and coordinate with hiring managers. It was helpful that hiring managers could leave feedback on candidates directly in the platform.
Tracking candidate progress through hiring stages was simple and transparent. Interview scheduling was streamlined with calendar sync capabilities. Email templates also supported quick follow-ups and added efficiency to the recruitment process.
- BambooHR automates many tedious HR tasks, saving time for higher-value work.
- The system supports seamless collaboration across departments, keeping everyone aligned.
- The onboarding experience for new hires is smooth and creates a welcoming impression.
At the time, the organization was experiencing challenges with recruitment and was using an outdated HRIS. They adopted BambooHR, which was extremely helpful due to its built-in ATS. This enabled faster and more streamlined recruitment processes.
Over time, the organization transitioned away from the previous HRIS entirely, as BambooHR proved to be an effective all-in-one solution. It handled several key HR functions efficiently, which added value across the organization.
- More customization options would be beneficial, as there are limitations on the number of workflows that can be created.
- The ATS is fairly basic and lacks features like resume screening, which is a drawback.
- Pricing became a concern as the organization grew—while manageable at first, costs increased significantly with scale.
BambooHR is a strong option for small to mid-sized businesses that don't require complex systems. The simplicity and ease of use make it accessible and easy to adopt.
Scalability and customization are two important factors to consider. For small businesses needing a basic, user-friendly system, BambooHR is a great option that’s cost-effective and easy to learn.
I am unsure, as I have not used BambooHR recently.
BambooHR is well suited for small organizations and users with limited HRIS experience.
BambooHR may not be suitable for large organizations with complex HR processes or those requiring advanced functionality for experienced HR professionals.
Why Use Benefits Administration Software
As an employer, you are required to offer certain benefits (like health insurance and Social Security), while others are “nice-to-haves” that can help with recruiting and retention.
The more benefits you offer, the more administrative work you have to manage — unless, of course, you use benefits administration software. If you offer any or all of the following benefits, a benefits admin platform can streamline how you manage them — and how employees sign up for them:
- Social Security: A federal benefits program that provides insurance for older workers and their spouses, those whose spouse or qualifying ex-spouse have died, and the disabled.
- Worker’s Comp: Benefits given to employees who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses. It helps cover medical care, wages from lost wok time, and more.
- Health Insurance: A type of insurance that covers medical and surgical expenses. This is arguably your biggest benefits expense.
- Unemployment Insurance: A state-provided insurance that workers are eligible for if they lose their job and meet other requirements.
- Family Medical Leave: The Family and Medical Leave Act (also known as FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave per year to care for a seriously injured or ill immediate family member (i.e. spouse, child, or parent). While the leave is unpaid, FMLA requires that health benefits remain intact.
- Vacation Time & Other Paid Leave: This can include a certain number of PTO days, sick days, and parental leave for your full-time employees.
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) Coverage: The landmark health reform, also known as Obamacare. Under the ACA, employers with 50 or more full-time employees are required to offer affordable, essential coverage to their full-time employees or choose to pay a tax penalty.
- Dental Insurance: A type of insurance that covers certain dental procedures and expenses.
- Vision Insurance: A type of insurance that covers certain vision procedures and expenses.
- Pet Insurance: A type of insurance that covers certain veterinary costs when your pet gets sick or injured.
- Wellness Programs: While these differ per company, wellness programs are designed to promote long-term health for employees. Some programs include discounts on gym memberships, providing on-site fitness classes, offering preventative health screenings, hosting stress management workshops, stocking kitchens with healthy snacks, etc.
- Financial Wellness: Financial wellness programs are designed to help employees take control of their finances so they can spend smarter, reduce debt, and save more money. Such programs include retirement/401k plans, student debt repayment, and more.
- Education Benefits: Also known as tuition benefits, education programs are designed to give employees opportunities to further their education. For example, some companies offer employees a reimbursement benefit up to a certain amount that covers classes, courses, certifications, etc.
- Life Insurance: A type of insurance that provides a lump-sum payment to the insured’s beneficiaries upon the insured’s passing.
- HSA & FSA: Pre-tax dollars that can be used for health-related and other approved expenses.
If you're not sure what benefits to offer at your company (besides, of course, the bare minimum requirements), consider who your full-time employees are.
In other words, what is important to them? For example, if the bulk of your employees are fresh out of college, a financial wellness benefit that helps them pay off their student debt will be a very attractive offering. You could also survey your employees if you're on the fence about a certain benefit to see if it’s something they actually want and would use.
Considerations for Employee Benefits Admin — Plus, Common Mistakes to Avoid
The features we just listed are pretty comprehensive, but benefits admin software won't take everything benefits-related off of your plate. Not only that, benefits management in general has its share of challenges. To make sure you do benefits "right," have successful open enrollment periods, and don't blow your benefits budget, here are six considerations and common mistakes to look out for:
- Choosing benefits that fit your company's need vs everything: As you probably already know, there are seemingly endless benefits you could offer to your employees. While it might be tempting to offer everything under the sun (which can be a great recruiting tool), you might end up creating more work and spending more money than it’s worth. In other words, you could wind up offering (and paying for) benefits that your employees don’t actually use. So think about what makes sense for your company and your employees — and start there.
- Not allowing employees to pick and choose benefits: By nature, people like having choices and making informed decisions for themselves. So give them different options so they can pick and choose the benefits that are right for them.
- Compliance with mandated benefits: Under laws like the Affordable Care Act, certain benefits are required for businesses of 50 or more full-time employees. If you don’t stay compliant, you could be charged fees. Fortunately, many benefits admin solutions offer automated compliance workflows so you can get the right forms to the right regulatory bodies when you need to.
- Knowing which benefits are offered tax free: Offering tax-free benefits are a win-win for your company and your employees. For example, tax-free benefits like health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, even tuition benefits can save your employees — and your company — money. After all, the income your employees set aside pre-tax for these benefits does NOT count toward your payroll tax dues. So, you could be leaving money on the table if you don’t offer tax-free benefits — or if your employees aren’t taking advantage of them.
- Costs can get high quickly: Your benefits offering can get expensive very quickly, especially when it comes to healthcare coverage. There are a variety of ways to keep your costs in check — from cost-sharing with employees (i.e. with increased employee contributions and higher deductibles), to changing vendor partners (like moving retirees from group plans to Medicare), to managing pharmacy spend (for example, encouraging the use of generic prescriptions or adding a narrow network).
Benefits & ROI
Benefits admin software can help your company in a myriad of ways. Here is a summary of the benefits we’ve mentioned:
- Compliance: At the most basic level, you’re required by law to offer certain benefits — and benefits admin software makes it easier for you to stay compliant with these laws.
- Less Busy Work: Because benefits admin software lets you automate the paperwork-heavy busy-work associated with benefits, your team will have more time to focus on other high-priority areas.
- Employee Satisfaction: Open enrollment will no longer feel like a chore for your employees — instead, they’ll be able to make smart enrollment decisions online and, in most cases, with just a few clicks. Offering a full-suite of benefits (that are easy to elect) will help you attract top candidates to your organization — and keep them once they’re hired.
- Smarter Investments: Because benefits admin software offers reporting, you’ll be able to see what benefits are being utilized the most — and which ones aren’t worth investing in further.
To get an idea of what benefits like these can actually do for your bottom line, check out our HR Tech ROI Calculators.
Pricing: What Employee Benefits Admin Platforms Cost
Most benefits admin platforms charge on a per-employee-per month basis and offer tiered pricing depending on the amount of features and functionality you’re looking for. We’ve seen pricing start as low as $8/employee/month.
When you have your demo(s), you should get a pricing plan that is customized for your company and needs. Just make sure that each quote you get breaks down the features that are included so you can easily compare and make the most informed investment for your company.
Features: What You Can Expect from Benefits Administration Software
Benefits administration software isn’t just a way to centralize your benefits management and alleviate the burdens of paperwork and other administrative tasks. They also offer a host of integrations and features to make your job easier, keep you compliant, save you money, and promote employee engagement. Let’s take a look:
- Suite of Benefits: Depending on the vendor you choose, you can manage all of your benefits in one place. We’ll talk about this later in the guide, but remember to ask your vendor(s) of choice which benefits are included with their solution.
- Online Enrollment & Self-Service for Employees: Allow employees to opt-in to their benefits elections themselves — and say goodbye to endless paperwork. With a safe and secure benefits admin platform, your employees can easily enroll in their plans of choice online — or even through a mobile app.
- Plan Configuration: Easily set up and manage all plans and benefits in one place. This not only makes things easier for your HR/people operations team, it also makes benefits shopping easier for your employees. They can more easily compare plans and sign up online.
- Payroll Integration: Integrate your benefits and payroll data so the right deductions automatically sync to each employee’s payroll record.
- Simple Onboarding: Make onboarding easy for new employees by centralizing all necessary paperwork and enrollment opportunities in one place. What’s more, if an employee leaves your company, you can just as easily un-enroll them and initiate COBRA.
- COBRA: Easily manage COBRA eligibility and compliance with automated reporting to your COBRA administrator.
- ACA Reporting: The Affordable Care Act requires employers with 50+ full-time employees to report healthcare coverage to the IRS. With benefits administration software, you can easily generate forms 1094 and 1095 and submit your reports for you so you stay compliant (and avoid fees).
- More Compliance: In addition to ACA and COBRA compliance, benefits administration software can help you stay compliant in other areas — and get ahead of changing regulations. This includes compliance with HIPAA (i.e. protecting employees’ Personal Health Information, or PHI), ERISA, the Dept. of Labor, the IRS, and OSHA.
- Reporting: Automate reporting of your HR data — including billing insights, headcount and attrition reports, job and salary reports, and more — to make more strategic, data-driven people decisions. You could even benchmark against other companies in your space to see if there are opportunities or areas of improvement.
As you develop your full benefits package, think about the features that would benefit your employees the most AND that would help make your job easier.
Demo Questions: What to Ask About Benefits Administration Software
We always recommend demoing a couple vendors so you can see their platforms in action before you actually invest. To prepare for your demos, create a list of questions specific to your company’s benefits needs. Here are some sample questions to get you started:
- What benefits does your platform have?
- What benefits do you find are most attractive to employees like mine?
- How can employees sign up for benefits?
- Can employees access their benefits plan on their phones?
- How does HR create a benefits plan?
- How will this solution fit into the rest of my tech stack and therefore what integrations do I need?
- How will others in the organization use this solution?
- What are the key features I want to ask about?
- What are the things that would make me nervous about buying this sort of solution?
Implementation: Getting Your Employee Benefits Software Off the Ground
The first step to implementing benefits admin software is figuring out what your suite of benefits looks like. From there — and based on the information you gathered during your demo — you’ll know what is required to get your platform of choice up and running. For example, you might need to engage your IT team to help with any necessary integrations.
Then, you’ll need to encourage utilization of the platform during open enrollment periods, for new employees who are onboarding, and for employees who are leaving and need to sign up for COBRA. To get employees to make their benefits elections before your open enrollment period ends, we recommend a variety of touch-points, including:
Software Training Sessions: If you're using a new system, you're going to need to train your HR or People Ops team on setting up and managing each benefit. Then, you'll need to introduce the platform to your employees so they know how to use it. You could do this a number of ways:
- Ask your vendor if they have pre-recorded training videos that you can share with your employees
- Meet with individual teams to walk them through the platform
- Give a brief demo of the platform at an all-staff meeting
All-Staff Emails: Send a note to the entire company at the beginning of open enrollment with instructions on how to use the platform, what actions they need to take by the deadline, what happens if they don't do anything, etc. Then follow-up with "last-call" reminders as the deadline approaches.
Engage Team Leads: Ask team leads and managers to remind their direct reports to make their benefits selections before the deadline.
Benefits Administration Software FAQs
What is benefits administration software?
Benefits administration software are platforms built specifically to plan and provide benefits packages to employees, while also maintaining compliance with government regulations.
Why use benefits administration software?
Benefits administration software streamlines all benefits operations, saving your HR team much needed time. In addition, all employee benefits data is held in one portal, meaning you can analyze all benefits information and create detailed reports about what benefits are used most or least. This provides you with valuable action points for benefits administration. Finally, letting software maintain compliance for you ensures simple, fast, and accurate reports to the IRS and other government entities.
What are some features of benefits administration software?
Features of benefits administration software include reporting, ACA and COBRA compliance, onboarding tools, plan configuration, self-service portal, online enrollment, and payroll integrations.
Next Steps for Your Employee Benefits Administration
Broadly speaking, there are two ways to get benefits admin support: a platform that only focuses on benefits admin or a more comprehensive Human Capital Management (HCM) suite that offers benefits admin as one of many HR features.
So, you’ll need to figure out which one will make the most sense for your company. We recommend demoing a couple vendors that fit into these two buckets so you can see how their solutions and features align with your needs and budget.
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