8 Best Enterprise Payroll Software for Large Companies (2025)
We’ve picked out the 8 best payroll software platforms for large companies. Use our extensive research for pricing guidelines, benefits, pitfalls, and more.
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Looking to get your large company new payroll software? Payroll is a crucial part of every organization, especially for companies with over 250 employees. Not only does it help streamline and automate an essential HR service, but it can even help protect companies from confusing tax laws. We also go in-depth on cloud-based payroll software features, benefits, ROI, pricing, and more.
It’s important to understand all the net positives that payroll software can provide so that you can make an informed decision. Is getting payroll software the right move for your organization? Or are you guys better off outsourcing payroll to a PEO?
To help you with those decisions, we’ve condensed months of research into this article about the best payroll software for large companies. Though the vendors listed below are more geared towards US-based companies, some of them would be able to accommodate an international business. Also, before you dig in, it’s worth mentioning that some of the vendors listed below can even act as a PEO if that’s better for your situation.
We demoed dozens of tools to determine the best enterprise payroll software options. We also leveraged user feedback and our years of experience in this field, since we’ve been writing about various types of payroll and accounting software since 2018. It wasn’t hard to reach a shortlist of the tools we knew or had recommended by our community of HR experts that could tackle payroll for large businesses.
However, we wanted to pick the top 8— the best of the best. Hence, we conducted an extensive evaluation based on numerous criteria, not least these three key points: enterprise payroll capabilities, expert payroll services, and integrations with essential payroll-related software.
- Enterprise Payroll Capabilities: We prioritized payroll software solutions that offer robust capabilities specifically designed to meet the needs of large companies. These solutions provide advanced features such as multi-country payroll management, complex earnings and deduction calculations, support for various employment types (including full-time, part-time, and contract workers), employee self-service, and extensive reporting capabilities.
- Expert Payroll Services: Access to expert payroll and compliance services can be paramount in the enterprise space. We identified payroll software solutions that enable enterprises to leverage the expertise and support of dedicated professionals. These services typically cover payroll tax compliance, regulatory reporting, and comprehensive HR support.
- Integrations: We focused on payroll software that seamlessly integrates with essential payroll-related software, such as accounting systems, human resource information systems (HRIS), time and attendance tracking systems, and benefits administration platforms. The selected solutions offer robust integration capabilities, enabling smooth data flow between systems and minimizing manual data entry.
Our unique guides are exhaustively researched and follow a refined, rigorous approach. To learn more, read our blog on evaluating HR tech vendors.
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Deel
Deel is easy to automate and makes scaling a breeze in 150+ countries. Their support and set-up assistance are also worth a mention.
PROS
- Deel boasts exceptional customer support, offering around-the-clock in-app assistance and an impressively rapid onboarding process, usually completed within just 2-3 days.
- In various jurisdictions, dedicated local payroll experts ensure comprehensive and tailored assistance.
- Features APIs and native integrations with over 100 recruiting and HR solutions.
- With a self-service focus, Deel enables users to swiftly immerse themselves in its functionalities. Our research indicates that setting up is hassle-free, often finalizing identity verification in under 24 hours, sometimes even minutes.
- Automated invoicing streamlines financial tasks, benefiting both companies and contractors.
- 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
- Additional charges apply for specific advanced features, such as onboarding automation.
- Deel's rigidity in altering contracts or service agreements may be limiting for companies seeking greater adaptability. Modifications often require addendums, introducing potential administrative intricacies.
- Incurring a $5 fee per payout, Deel's pricing structure could accumulate over time, potentially impacting cost-efficiency for businesses frequently processing payouts.
- Currently, Deel exclusively supports invoice generation in English, which could pose constraints for organizations or individuals requiring multi-language invoicing capabilities.
- 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 you're looking at payroll solutions to help with paying a remote and global team, you should definitely check out Deel. This American company offers a wide range of services, but at their core is the ability to hire both contractors and full-time employees compliantly. You can create contracts for the former or go the EOR or PEO route for the latter.
We find their software product to be user-friendly and intuitive to navigate on the employee and manager side alike. One thing we appreciate as researchers is how much it has grown since we first encountered them. Recently, they added Core HR features and more hiring-related capabilities— like immigration services, background checks, equity management, and flexible workspaces.
Over 35,000 companies have used Deel, including HomeLight, Makerpad, and Duffel.
Deel offers multiple payroll solutions with varying prices: Deel Payroll ($29/employee/month) for businesses with existing entities; Deel U.S. Payroll ($19/employee/month) for U.S. companies; Deel Contractor ($49/month) for compliance, payments, and contractor management in 150+ countries; Deel EOR ($499/month) for international hiring without an entity; and Deel US PEO ($89/employee/month) for U.S. companies needing HR, payroll, and benefits administration.
Best For
Deel is a worthy consideration for enteprises with an international workforce.
Paylocity
Paylocity is a well-established payroll tech provider in the United States for many reasons, but its friendly user interface and exceptional customer support take the cake. It is also quite comprehensive, covering a host of features for tax management, global payroll, and benefits administration.
PROS
- Paylocity is easy to get the hang of, even for people who may not be tech wizards.
- Users highly rate the responsiveness of Paylocity’s support team, both for employer and employee questions and problems.
- Reasonable price compared to other enterprise payroll software in the space.
- The Paylocity team will walk you through the tool setup.
- Employees found Paylocity’s mobile app quite intuitive.
- Paylocity’s customer support is highly rated for always being available to answer questions.
- Global payroll support for 100+ countries.
- Provides free and unlimited training modules on the website.
- Paylocity’s mobile app has a good UI and functionality
- The tool is easy to use for both employees and employers.
- Has 350+ pre-built integrations.
CONS
- Large teams may want a tool with better reporting capabilities.
- You need to use a broker for benefits integration.
- Only English customer support, no country-specific support.
- It isn’t the best solution for global teams to manage payroll and benefits for both their employees and contractors.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- It doesn’t have a free trial or free plan.
- Support is available in English only.
- It isn’t the best solution for remote teams looking for a tool to manage payroll and benefits for their contractors.
Paylocity is among the largest payroll providers in the United States and is an excellent option if you’re looking for payroll tech by a well-established company.
Our first impression of Paylocity is that it is easy to navigate. It is mobile-friendly too. While the features on the mobile version are not as rich as the ones on the web app, from an employee perspective, we found the functionality of the mobile app decent enough to access payroll, HR, and make changes as needed.
Self-service is another pro of Paylocity: employees can manage their payrolls, such as direct deposit and tax withholdings, and get real-time notifications on things like direct deposit status and tax refund information. This, while seems small, can help quite a bit in reducing time spent on payroll administration.
Another thing worth highlighting is Paylocity’s reporting function. We were able to easily generate reports on things like payroll history, tax withholdings, and more. That said, it does lack some reports which can be found in other payroll tools. To use such reports, you do have to pay extra. We also looked at Paylocity’s integrations. The good news is that the payroll module can integrate with several HR tools, thanks to its API support. But if you use bSwift for your benefits management, we’d recommend you get in touch with the Paylocity team, as we’ve heard from users in our community that they encountered delays in processing payroll due to occasional disconnects between the two tools.
Momentus, Watters, Weigel’s, ILC, Upward, HMC, Polywood.
The exact pricing for Paylocity's offering is not publicly-disclosed.
Best For
Paylocity works best for medium-sized companies, especially for those based in the U.S. who are looking for a well-established solution that can help them streamline their payroll processes.
We use Paylocity daily as our central hub for Human Resources. It supports our recruiting efforts by funneling applicants into the onboarding process, where it integrates with E-Verify for compliance. Once onboarding is complete, we use Paylocity to track time and labor, process payroll, conduct performance evaluations, and provide feedback and coaching.
The platform also includes a mass communication feature called "Community," which helps keep our team aligned and informed. The system allows for a variety of customizable workflows; for example, we recently implemented a workflow to ensure all active team members acknowledged the new employee handbook release.
The platform makes it easy to build APIs that integrate with our other vendors. Customer service is consistently timely and helpful. The data insights platform offers detailed charts and tables without requiring the use of Excel.
We were looking for an HRIS that could manage the entire employee lifecycle, including an LMS, cloud storage for documents, FMLA tracking tools, and OSHA 300 tracking. After evaluating several HRIS systems, it became clear that Paylocity was the best all-in-one solution.
We chose Paylocity because it serves as the central hub for our team members, consolidating multiple HR functions into a single platform. We have been using Paylocity for a little under a year. Our team utilizes its payroll and HR, performance, learning, surveys, and scheduling platforms to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
The time and labor platform lacks forecast scheduling capabilities. It does not allow for the setup of custom rules, which can be limiting. Transferring employees between EINs within the company is difficult and time-consuming.
Paylocity stands out by continuously evolving and incorporating user feedback to improve its platform. They offer an early adopter program for users interested in trying new features. Their customer service is exceptional, with dedicated account representatives who respond promptly to inquiries. Paylocity is a comprehensive solution that covers everything from recruiting to compliance, training, and performance management.
The first consideration should be how to transfer data from your current provider to Paylocity, as this process can be time-consuming and may require external assistance. It is also important to assess how well your organization adapts to change, as implementing the system involves a significant amount of training in a short period.
Having a dedicated team available to support training and implementation is crucial for a smooth transition.
Paylocity continuously adds new features and enhancements based on user feedback. They actively listen to their customers and implement improvements to better meet business needs.
Paylocity is designed to be user-friendly, with extensive training resources available for users who need guidance. It can serve a wide range of industries, including companies that employ 1099 contractors, allowing for easy payroll processing.
There are few situations where Paylocity would not be a good fit, as it is highly customizable and can accommodate businesses of various sizes, from small companies to large enterprises.
ADP
ADP is a widely-trusted payroll solution that also offers many other HR tools if you need them. Their expertise is a good fit at SMBs but also enterprises.
PROS
- Native, all-in-one technology suite for recruitment, payroll, and compliance.
- 17 RPO service centers in 14 countries and provide services in 42 different languages.
- Dedicated team of AIRS-certified recruiting professionals.
CONS
- Technology options outside ADP’s dedicated HR tools are limited.
ADP is probably one of the largest names in the payroll space. They have been in the industry since payroll processing was done manually 70 years ago. Now, their product is able to cater to companies with the largest organizations in the world. Aside from PEOs and payroll management, ADP is also a complete HRIS.
- The Boston Globe
- Whole Foods
- The Bancorp
- BP
- Douglas Ellman Real Estate
- Margaritaville
- LongHorn Steakhouse
Sometimes ADP has special offers, like getting 3 months free when you sign up for their small business payroll processing plan. However, they don't share the prices for their payroll packages, so you'd have to request a quote to move forward.
Best For
ADP can work for companies with less than 50 employees, less than 1,000, or those with well over a thousand team members.
The company used ADP for payroll. It also uses it for 401k retirement programs. Our HR department has been happy with it. ADP has provided nice incentives to move to it.
Easy to use. Provided sign up incentives. Respected brand.
Colleagues had experience with ADP in the past and were lobbying for the company to make a change. We have made that change and then continued to increase the services that we were obtaining from them. It has been a positive experience. The vendor is exceeding our expectations. We don't foresee making changes in the near future.
It is a big company so you don't always feel like an important customer. We often deal with different people at the company. It would be nice to have one consistent contact.
The breadth of products that it offers is important to us. We know it has quality products and services.
A company with a long track record. Incentives to move to it. Suggested enhancements to the products.
It is continually updating its service offerings with improvements. It contacts us for associated products and services that may assist our business.
Small to medium business.
I cannot think of any.
Rippling
Rippling is a scalable payroll and HR solution designed for organizations with under 2,000 employees. Besides US and global payroll, the platform packs thousands of benefits plans and hundreds of integrations. It even lets you work with your preferred broker.
PROS
- Rippling payroll software automatically updates work hours, deductions, and tax filings.
- Supports US and global payroll.
- 500+ integration options.
- Lets users work with their chosen broker.
- Accessible via mobile devices.
- Modules can be bought separately or jointly.
- 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
- No option to automate payroll.
- Undisclosed pricing. Doesn’t offer a free trial.
- Support via phone calls costs extra.
- Not the best solution for organizations with 2,000+ employees.
- The mobile app doesn’t perform as well as the browser version.
- 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 a capable option that helps businesses manage their HR and payroll with greater efficiency. Despite the software's relative youth in the market (the company was founded in 2016), we are impressed by how quickly it has evolved since it was first introduced.
With over 500 integrations, Rippling stands out as a highly connected platform. The benefits management tool allows flexibility in choosing brokers and benefits packages, although the mobile app could benefit from improvements in speed and functionality.
Rippling's extensive feature set is another decisive factor for why the software is consistently on our best-of payroll selections. It consolidates payroll and HR tools in one place, enabling quick payments to employees and contractors. While full payroll automation is not available, many workflows can be automated, including updates to work hours, deductions, and tax filing.
Last but not least is Rippling’s UI. It looks nice and clean, with features that are easy to figure out. However, the one area where Rippling falls short is that we cannot use our brand color to tailor the interface.
What could be done better? We thought of the tool's pricing structure. Pricing details are not transparent, requiring a demo with a sales representative for module costs and potential additional fees. It's worth noting that Rippling Unity is added by default to any module purchase, and while Rippling has support via phone, it will cost you additional fees.
Vox, Maximum Games, Superhuman, Compass Coffee, Highnoon.
Rippling pricing starts at $8 per employee per month. For more information, please contact the Sales representative.
Best For
Rippling can be used by US-based businesses as well as global organizations to pay their employees and contractors. The ideal team size is between 50 and 2,000 employees.
I use Rippling daily to manage various HR functions, including recruitment, payroll, benefits administration, and employee engagement. The platform's integration capabilities allow me to streamline candidate analysis and facilitate a smoother recruitment process. Additionally, I rely on Rippling for time and attendance tracking, ensuring accurate payroll processing. The learning management system helps in organizing and tracking employee training programs. Overall, Rippling's comprehensive features enable efficient handling of all HR-related tasks within a single platform.
Rippling encompasses features for every HR component, including recruitment, payroll, HRIS, benefits administration, and engagement. The platform's user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and use. Rippling's integration with other systems ensures seamless data flow and process automation. The comprehensive nature of Rippling's suite of products allows us to manage all HR functions within a single platform, enhancing overall efficiency.
Our organization chose Rippling to address the need for a comprehensive HR software solution that could handle multiple aspects of employee management. Prior to using Rippling, we faced challenges in integrating various HR functions such as payroll, benefits management, and time tracking into a single platform. Rippling provides a suite of products, including an applicant tracking system (ATS), full payroll and benefits management, time and attendance tracking, learning management, and professional employer organization (PEO) services. I have used Rippling for over a year and found it instrumental in streamlining our HR processes and enhancing overall efficiency.
The pricing structure lacks full transparency. Additional modules cannot be acquired independently; instead, the core Rippling Unity platform must be purchased first. Opting for the HR help desk feature, which includes phone and email support, incurs additional costs that escalate as more features are added.
I have not used other tools to know the difference between them and Rippling.
Rippling is a comprehensive HR platform designed to streamline and automate various employee management processes. Its extensive features empower users to seamlessly handle hiring, employee management, payroll, and training tasks. Beyond HR functionalities, Rippling also provides IT solutions for configuring and overseeing computer devices and application access. This platform is particularly well-suited for small to midsize companies, especially those with aspirations for international expansion.
I’m unsure of how WorkTango changed or evolved over time.
It is particularly well-suited for medium-sized businesses and large startups in need of a modern payroll platform.
Rippling is not suitable for smaller companies.
Remote
Remote is one of a few that wholly owns the entities it services. With its 24/7 customer service, Remote is a well-trusted partner for teams to hire and pay their contractors and employees with international compliance considerations in mind.
PROS
- Remote provides flat rates – no markup on the platform’s benefits premiums.
- Discounts and incentives for startups, nonprofits, and employers hiring refugees
- Supports multiple currencies for billing: EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, DKK, GBP, JPY, NZD, NOK, SEK, or CHF.
- Mobile apps are easy to use and updated frequently.
- 24/7 support is reported to be highly responsive.
- Remote offers free HR tools and guidelines specific to the places they operate.
- Equity-based compensation 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 difficulty using the platform, particularly when navigating tax management and compliance.
- No phone support.
- The platform only supports direct deposit and wire transfers in USD, GBP, and EUR. There are no off-cycle payrolls.
- Integrations are limited, but access to API is free.
- Doesn’t have a free trial.
- Redundant for organizations solely recruiting within the U.S.
- Help center documentation isn’t easiest to understand.
We recommended Remote because of its smart features and fair price guarantee.
For companies that own local entities in the countries in which they operate, Remote can provide local services for payroll, benefits administration, and contractor payments.
Those who do not have legal entities can use Remote’s global employment services: the platform acts as an employer of record (EOR) by employing workers on their behalf. It provides intellectual property protection, takes on labor law compliance, and manages invoices, payments, and benefits.
In this field, Remote is among the few that “owns local entities” in the countries where they offer global payroll services. In the most basic terms, this business structure allows Remote to pay people who live and work in those countries directly.
However, if you’re in the market for a payroll solution with extensive built-in integration options, Remote may not be the platform for you, though they do offer free access to their custom API.
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: Custom prices – contact Remote.
- 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
The platform is excellent for remote-first businesses operating in countries where Remote has local entities.
I use remote.com to hire contractors in multiple countries for our company. Once we find a candidate we want to hire, we send an offer letter and start the onboarding process in remote.com. Employees create their invoices at the end of the month and we complete payment through remote.com immediately.
- Ease of use - ability to learn how to use the system in a day
- You are able to contract from over 100 countries in remote.com
- Reporting is clear and easy to understand
As a small organization we were looking to hire many contractors in various countries. Remote.com is extremely easy to use and makes hiring internationally simple. I have been using Remote.com since March 2023.
- Customer service was not helpful and very rude. I had to get a manager involved.
- The system is not very robust. It really is just a payment and time tracking services system, any organization would need an employee performance management system.
- The integrations are underdeveloped and could be improved.
This is the first contractor tool that I have used, and I am very impressed. Remote.com does everything we need so I do not see us needing to switch to a different product.
I think people should assess what countries they need to hire contractors in, and make sure that remote.com is able to hire in those countries. Furthermore the cost of remote.com is pretty reasonable for the price that it costs.
I have not really seen a difference since I have been using it since March 2023. I will say that the reporting is great and I am always happy to improve my process while using it.
Companies with multiple contract workers
Companies with the majority of their hires in the United States.
UKG
UKG is more than a payroll tool. The platform offers enterprises worldwide solutions for paying, managing, and developing employees, and everything in between.
PROS
- Supports off-cycle payments and on-demand pay.
- Configurability allows administrators to determine what each user group can see within the system.
- The Ultimate Community feature offers valuable on-demand information and facilitates networking with other UKG Pro users.
- Customer support includes dedicated account managers and 24/7 customer support in English and Spanish.
- A mobile app is available for both Android and iOS users.
- Payroll + HRMS + workforce management needs can be met with one tool
- Super robust product, packing years of experience with HCM and Workforce Management technology
- Since they offer UKG Pro for HRMS and UKG Ready for workforce management, you could arrive at a combination of products that suits many of your HR needs from the same set of tools.
CONS
- Compared to many newer tools, it lacks a unique selling point or specific focus. Though suitable for enterprises across industries, niche operations are not well-matched.
- UKG is an all-in-one, so it’s not good for uses with just a few, specific use cases.
- Can be expensive for teams with limited budgets.
- Some users reported issues with logging in on the Android app.
- Compared to newer tools, UKG Pro and UKG Ready tend to miss a unique selling point or a specific focus on a certain type of business. While they work great for bigger companies in all sorts of industries, very niche operations might have a hard time adapting to the tool.
- Similarly, UKG offers many solutions under one umbrella, so it's not the best fit if you're looking for only a handful of specific use cases.
In our assessment of UKG Ready, we dove deep into its offerings beyond payroll management. The platform aims to address the scope of needs of enterprises worldwide, providing diverse solutions for payroll, employee management, development, and more.\
Their support for off-cycle payments and on-demand pay is a stand-out feature. This flexibility allows employers to adapt to unique situations and gives employees timely access to their earnings. Additionally, UKG Ready covers multinational payroll, ensuring compliance and accuracy in the complex landscape of global payroll processing.
We've found that UKG Ready's configurability plays a crucial role in tailoring user experiences. Administrators can fine-tune what each user group can see within the system, providing enhanced security and personalized access to relevant information.
The Ultimate Community has been a valuable resource as we explored UKG Ready. It offers on-demand information and facilitates networking opportunities with other UKG Pro users. This community provided insights, and we learned from the experience of other organizations.
Customer support is an important aspect of any software, and UKG Ready doesn't disappoint. With dedicated account managers and 24/7 assistance in English and Spanish, users can find support when needed.
While UKG Ready boasts a mobile app for employees, accessible to both Android and iOS devices, we must acknowledge that user reviews have been mixed. Some users have encountered issues logging in and accessing timesheets, which can negatively impact the overall user experience.
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- Pricing for UKG is not disclosed on their website.
- It is typically based on a per-employee-per-month model, with options for annual or monthly billing.
- Based on our research, licenses typically start at around $600.00 per year for every 5 users. For an accurate quote, contacting a sales representative is necessary.
Best For
UKG Pro primarily targets businesses with over 75-500 employees, while UKG Ready is designed for companies with more than 500 employees. Its versatile software finds utility across diverse industries. Even smaller teams seeking an HCM-driven approach to workforce management can effectively harness the capabilities of this software solution.
We used UKG as our HRIS primary system of record to feed all other systems that relied on employee data. It was used for payroll, performance management, and compensation management. Again, a selling point of this tool for the transportation company was the multi-state tax calculations it was able to deliver.
UKG is a comprehensive solution when looking for an HRIS. It also has favorable integration capabilities with other systems. I also appreciate that UKG is a scalable system that allows your business to expand as needed.
I used UKG with a past employer in the transportation industry. We implemented it and used it for several years. We selected UKG due to the fact that the transportation company I worked for had a few separate subsidiaries in different states under the primary corporate umbrella. UKG was able to handle the complexity that came with managing a distributed workforce under multiple EINs. The taxation functionality was particularly helpful for their mobile and transient 1099 workforce.
UKG would benefit from expanding its reporting and data analytics capabilities. Other competitors have more robust tools and functionality In this area. The cost for this platform has also been an obstacle for smaller organizations.
No HRIS is perfect and has the solution for all employer pain points and needs. That said, UKG is very versatile and flexible to customize and modify to the needs of different types and sizes of businesses.
People should consider scalability, integration, cost, and ease of use. These will be critical, especially for companies planning on growing and expanding their workforce. Also important not to “over buy” modules that the business may not be ready to utilize yet. Scale its functionality as the business grows and matures.
UKG has moved to a cloud-based platform and developed a mobile app
UKG would be a great HRIS platform for companies of all sizes but especially for those looking for flexibility and to scale.
Companies not looking to grow and scale would not maximize the use of a tool like UKG.
Paycom
Paycom is known for being an all-in-one payroll solution. The software handles data analysis or tax responsibilities, expenses, and garnishments without needing a third-party tool. They’ve also recently launched a global HCM, making it accessible for both U.S.-based and global enterprises.
PROS
- Paycom is easy to use for both administrators and employees.
- It offers a variety of features, including payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, recruiting and onboarding, performance management, and more.
- It has several pricing options that are relatively competitive.
- Customer support includes phone support, email support, and online resources.
- The self-service portal makes it easy for employees to access their information and submit timesheets.
- It has a mobile app.
- A dedicated customer success manager is available.
- They recently launched the Global HCM software to expand access to users in over 180 countries.
CONS
- Paycom does not directly load into QuickBooks, which can be a hassle for businesses to manually enter the data.
- Access to tax reports may be slow.
- Some members of the customer support team are new and may not have the best knowledge to answer customers’ questions at times.
- Paycom has raised its prices in recent years.
- There isn’t a free trial.
- Limited integrations
After extensive research, we decided to list Paycom as our recommendation for enterprises due to the comprehensiveness of their payroll and HR offering.
We were particularly impressed with Beti, their guided self-service system, which empowers employees to review and approve their pay accuracy before submission. Beti also allows employees to manage their HR data, including work hours, expenses, promotions, and personal information. On the employer side, real-time updates are available on the dashboard, providing visibility into pending tasks, required actions, terminations, retroactive pay needs, and check adjustments. HR is promptly notified when checks are ready after employee confirmation.
We also had a positive experience with the Paycom mobile app, featuring a well-designed user interface and intuitive functionality. However, it's important to note that Paycom only supports direct deposit and paper checks, lacking the pay card option available in other payroll solutions like ADP.
We chose Paycom primarily for its wide range of features, including payroll tax management, time and attendance, and talent acquisition. However, what sets it apart now is its recent expansion into global payroll and HR services. With the introduction of Global HCM, Paycom now serves users in over 180 countries, a significant improvement from its previous coverage of only 9 countries.
While all of the above is great, we haven’t seen much progress in Paycom’s integration capabilities. The platform only supports API integrations and does not offer specific integrations with other providers, resulting in potential time-consuming tasks such as manual data entry. Additionally, while the customer support team is generally helpful, some of the newer representatives lack expertise, leading to delays in issue resolution.
The pricing of Paycom’s plans isn’t disclosed upfront, so you must contact their sales team to get a custom quote.
Best For
Paycom is an excellent choice for medium and large-sized enterprises to house all their payroll and HR tasks in one system.
I don't use it as much as my team, but we do use it consistently for: tracking and reporting on various employee data, doing payroll, managing benefits, timesheets (clock in/out for hourly folks too), and storing documentation.
It is able to handle centralized payroll for multiple entities, affordable compared to some competitor options, has views for both managers and employee self-service, and allows employees to review and ‘approve’ their paychecks in advance.
We have worked with Paycom for about 5 years. We had outgrown BambooHR (at least at the time, they didn't have integrated payroll) and then had a really bad experience with BeyondPay. We needed a combined HR/payroll system that could accommodate multi-state as well as multiple legal entities (we have affiliates managed by central HR/acct). Paycom was the most affordable option that could accommodate our needs at the time.
- The reporting functions aren't great: the filtering options rarely work as they are supposed to so we often do a workaround where we run a huge report file and then use XLS filters to get the data we need as opposed to producing a report from the system that is what you need from the start.
- Limited customization options: we have many things we’d like to track and there is cap on the number of custom fields that can be added.
- The clock in/out functionality is clunky: it works fine if people all work under one company code/work type. If you need to assign hours to different projects (say you want to track learning hours, or you have funding partners and you need to track hours on their grant) it’s very cumbersome for hourly employees.
How much customization do you need” is an important thing to consider and also whether you need data sync between other platforms. If so, Paycom may not be the best fit for you.
Honestly don't feel like they've evolved much in the time we've used them.
Small, fairly simple organizations
Large and/or complicated organizations
PapayaGlobal
Papaya Global is one of the fastest-growing companies in the global workforce management space. It’s one of a few that can do a bunch of things — global workforce spending, connecting HCM and ERP processes, and strategic payroll data — with speed and accuracy.
PROS
- Papaya has a transparent pricing structure. The platform even provides a 60-day money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with its performance.
- The BI analytics suite lets you get a snapshot of your current payroll spending, drill down and compare costs over periods, projects, or locations.
- Local customer support. Dedicated account managers or compliance experts are available for all plans.
- Full-service payroll guaranteed payouts in 72 hours and EoR services in 160+ countries.
- The current starter monthly fee for the full-service payroll plan has decreased to $12 per employee (it was previously priced $20).
- Recently added data and insights, supplemental benefits & immigration support, payment services, and employee data management as four individual solutions, making the tool more affordable and scalable.
- 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
- Doesn’t have local entities in the countries it services. No tax penalty guarantee either.
- No free trial or free plan.
- Additional fees include a set-up fee per location, an onboarding fee, a cycle fee per employee, and a year-end fee for tax filing. A refundable deposit is required.
- 24/7 support is only available for the payroll payments category.
- Bulit-in integration options are limited.
- 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.
We have tested a dozen payroll software tools, and Papaya Global is among the most robust options for international operations. One of the main reasons we chose Papaya Global is because of its cross-border payment capabilities. The payroll software can handle multinational payouts and offers customized benefits packages tailored to each country. The platform also provides pay slips in the native languages of staff in over 160 countries. The self-service portal is also in good shape, allowing employees to submit their onboarding documents, request time off, and manage their payslips. Papaya Personal, the platform’s mobile app version, will be released this February, allowing users to view and download their payslips and supporting documents on their phones. The development team has been working on product updates, which will include a payment calendar, the ability to edit bank details, and company announcements.
Another unique feature of Papaya Global is that it can be used for hiring global contractors and assessing their worker classification to prevent labor compliance issues. The platform even leverages AI-based engines to validate invoices for payment accuracy. It also offers a 72-hour payment guarantee and local tax filing assistance, along with 24/7 support. Additionally, it is unique in offering a global equity management tool that helps offer equity to employees as part of their compensation, regardless of where they are.
However, the most notable drawback of the product is that it does not have local entities in countries where it provides services. Instead, Papaya Global relies on its third-party network. While the platform's local partners handle payroll, the responsibility for payroll audit and approval remains with the user, along with any tax penalties that may arise. Furthermore, users should be aware of certain additional fees, such as a set-up fee per location, onboarding fee, cycle fee per employee, year-end fee for tax filing, and a refundable deposit. It is recommended that users contact the Papaya team to obtain exact numbers and compare them with other solutions before making a final purchase decision.
Microsoft, Intel, Toyota, Wix, Fiverr, Johnson & Johnson, Deezer
Papaya Global has added four standalone services in addition to its three plans:
- Full-Service Payroll service: Depending on your operation, fees start from $20 per employee per month. The solution includes its advanced payroll platform, embedded payments, global partner network, and employee portal.
- Payroll Platform License service: Starting from $20 per employee per location, this solution is for those that want to upgrade their payroll and payments technology without replacing the current payroll partners.
- Data and Insights Platform License service: Starting from $150 per employee per month, this solution includes tools for real-time analytics on payroll costs and headcount.
- Payments-as-a-Service service: Starting from $3 per employee per month, this solution comes with an embedded platform designed for workforce payment.
- Global EOR plan: Papaya Global’s in-country partners function as employers of record, being responsible for payroll, workforce management, employee benefits, compliance, and more. You can still stay up-to-date on everything through the platform, and this plan is between $770 and $1000 per employee per month.
- Contractor Management & IC Compliance plan: Particular services are outsourced to a domestic or foreign contractor for periods of rapid growth and the need to reduce labor costs. This plan starts at $25 per employee per pay cycle.
- Payroll Intelligence Suite plan: This plan lets you consolidate all workforce and payroll data from all your operations into a single dashboard, priced at $250 for an annual plan or $320 quarterly per location.
Best For
With the additional standalone solutions, Papaya Global has become a sound option to handle cross-border payments and multicurrency payouts for not only large enterprises but smaller ones that are expanding their global teams.
Large Company Payroll Software Use Cases
There are more than a few good reasons for large companies to acquire payroll software. Having a large number of employees means tasks revolving around human capital management can take an exorbitant amount of time and resources. Here are some of the common use cases and benefits of having payroll software:
- Pain-free payroll: The main reason for large companies to get payroll software is for them to have their payroll processes streamlined and automated. Payroll consists of highly extensive and tedious data entry, which can take employees long periods of time to finish.
- Access to experts: For the most part, payroll is repetitive and meticulous work. However, payroll becomes relatively complicated and confusing when it comes to federal taxes. Some payroll software allows access to experts to help during these times.
- Save time: Payroll software saves companies time in a few ways. Primarily, payroll software saves time in its automation. For example, payroll software allows companies to allocate more time and resources to other productive tasks when payroll software takes care of payroll, taxes, and withholdings. The same goes for employees. From new hires to seasoned team members, everyone can see their workload and stress levels reduced if the chosen tool helps them navigate the often complex world of state and federal taxes.
- Compliance guarantee: Complications in filing taxes are not uncommon in businesses, and human error can play a role in certain penalties such as late or incorrect filings and payments. Payroll software is often updated with the latest information regarding tax laws to avoid these common issues.
Large Enterprise Payroll Software Pitfalls
While payroll software can indeed be quite the asset, HR management has to consider some important factors when choosing a payroll service provider for their organization. Choosing payroll software for a large enterprise is a different challenge compared to choosing payroll software for different sized businesses. Here are pitfalls that we’ve identified to help you avoid when choosing payroll software:
- Size Capability: Vendors typically target clients of a certain size. It is important to choose a vendor that has a track record for serving companies your size.
- Scalability: Once you have determined that a vendor is capable of serving a company your size, check whether they are capable of growing along with your organization. Payroll software that could not keep up with your growth trajectory would just be replaced eventually.
- Remote Operations: Since payroll software typically deals with taxes, features are potentially limited to certain geographic regions. It is crucial to choose a vendor that operates in all the remote locations your organization operates in as well. Employer of record services can also help to reduce friction here.
- Compliance: Payroll software is often featured to be up-to-date with all the most recent regulations, but it’s beneficial to make sure. HIPAA and tax violations can be extremely costly.
Large Enterprise Payroll Software ROI
It can be quite tricky to measure the ROI of payroll software, especially for larger companies. For small businesses, outsourcing payroll is a simpler decision as pricing for companies of this size is usually cheaper than having a dedicated payroll administrator with an average salary of $50,000 a year. However, since prices increase as the size of the company increases, larger companies might find it more cost-effective to keep payroll in-house instead of getting a full-service payroll provider.
Because of this, some vendors specifically offer flexible pricing plans that allow their clients to do most of their payroll in-house throughout the year, except when it comes to reviewing and filing tax forms.
Since payroll software is more expensive for larger companies, these companies would have to accurately determine which payroll system is cost-effective for them. This entails accurately determining how productive their current payroll system is, as well as considering their system’s accuracy. How much time does it take to process payroll? How quickly can their payroll system correct errors? How much time does it take to produce payroll reports? What are the business needs? These are some questions that can help tip the scale when deciding if a company could benefit from payroll software.
Large Enterprise Payroll Software Pricing
Pricing for payroll software varies greatly from one vendor to another. Usually offered as a SaaS product, a typical pricing structure for basic payroll without any add-ons would revolve around a base fee and then additional fees per user per month. However, many of these vendors offer customized plans where organizations can structure their plans so that they only pay for what they actually need. Understandably, plans with additional features will cost more.
You can find a sample pricing chart below for a few company sizes. The estimated cost already includes the base fee that organizations would have to pay upfront. You’d still need to contact and consult with each vendor to get an accurate quotation since there are many factors that go into payroll software pricing.
Take note that the price chart above is a highly rough estimate. Some vendors might only charge depending on the number of employees, while some would add a monthly base rate. Remember that there are times where you could still negotiate the prices with the vendor, especially when it comes to initial setup fees.
Key Features of Large Enterprise Payroll Software
Handling larger companies will require software with core features that can significantly reduce workload and ultimately benefit the company. Knowing the features available in these software is key when assessing a company’s payroll needs.
Most vendors offer feature-rich payroll software with highly intuitive, user-friendly interfaces that elevate user experience. It is key that business owners and HR teams are familiar with key payroll features to allow them to choose the best one for their organization.
- Automated and unlimited payroll runs: One of the primary features of payroll software is to automatically run payroll for an organization. This incredibly powerful function takes care of a task that can otherwise cost the organization significant time and human resources to do.
- Off-schedule payroll runs: While payroll software primarily functions to run payroll on regular pay periods, it can also run payroll off-cycle for certain situations.
- Direct deposit: Employers can use payroll software to pay salaries by electronically transferring funds to their bank accounts automatically.
- All tax filing/payments: Payroll software eliminates the trouble of filing and paying for payroll taxes, compliances, and regulations.
- Multiple pay rates and schedules: Payroll software simplifies payments for employees that may have multiple pay rates and schedules.
- Payroll reporting: A payroll report is an important document that allows employers to check financial data or confirm tax liabilities. Since payroll software has access to all this pertinent information, payroll reporting can be done regularly with ease. Online payroll software can even generate reports for team leaders and managers from anywhere in the world.
Questions to Ask During Large Enterprise Payroll Software Demos
Virtually all vendors can offer demos to showcase their payroll software. During demos, it is important to know which questions to ask to effectively assess their offerings. Here are some questions we think you should ask on demos:
- Are you capable of handling a company of our size?
- What is the size of your biggest customer right now? How far would you be able to effectively scale with them?
- Will pricing change as we scale? If so, how so?
- How do you keep data safe for a company this size?
- Do you have a regulatory compliance team?
- Do you operate in all our locations?
- Are you compliant with regulations in all our locations?
- How flexible are your plans?
- What integrations does your payroll software support? Can it integrate with our current technologies?
- Do you have an employee portal? How is its ease of use?
- How will direct deposit work?
- What’s your implementation like? How is customer support? Is it real-time?
- How does your interface work? Do you have a mobile app?
Large Enterprise Payroll Software Implementation
Implementation can look quite different from one vendor to another, but the primary factor involved in how long implementation will take is how big the client is. Understandably, implementation of new payroll software for a large enterprise can take up to a couple of weeks.
Fortunately, there are ways companies can help expedite the process. For example, implementation can take place much quicker when the client provides the relevant employee information as soon as possible. This relevant employee data includes employee names, departments, positions, salary information, and so on.
Large Enterprise Payroll Software FAQs
What is payroll software?
Payroll software is a technology designed to manage, streamline, and automate payments and invoicing to employees, as well as help maintain tax compliance and regulations. Many of these payroll software vendors also include other services such as benefits administration.
Does a company need software to do payroll?
No. Traditionally, companies have done payroll manually. However, processing payroll without the aid of a payroll software solution requires a significant amount of time and labor. Small business owners might typically assign payroll tasks to Human Resources, while larger companies can acquire dedicated payroll administrators to process payroll.
Last Advice on Buying Payroll Software for Large Enterprises
Payroll software can potentially allow employers to save time and resources that would have been dedicated to a task that software can do better and quicker. However, it’s important to assess which payroll system would actually yield a positive ROI for a company of your size.
If there’s anything we can advise, it’s that you should check out 2-3 demos to get started. Take notes of what you liked and things that you may have found lacking. From there, you can begin to check out other demos and eventually evaluate which payroll software offers the most benefits to your organization.
About the Author
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