The Best Accounting Software for Small Businesses in 2025

The company engages client companies in a co-employment relationship, serving as an employer of record for your employees. In addition, when trying to access tax services, I was simply upsold by a partner Accounting Periods and Methods company that wanted $500 plus $150 to do my taxes. In other screens, I was prompted to buy more products from Wave Payroll. I would have preferred to be contacted some other way to be asked to buy more products from Wave or its partners.

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• Xero is an advanced accounting software for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers.
• This global human capital management software is fairly comprehensive and helps to streamline and automate payroll activities.
• Accounting software automates invoicing, tracks outstanding payments, and sends reminders to clients, helping businesses get paid faster and avoid cash flow shortages.
• AccountEdge is a powerful and easy-to-use desktop accounting software for small businesses on Mac or Windows.
• Many payroll software providers offer discounts for accounting professionals, so be sure to ask about any available discounts.
• But it doesn’t offer advanced HRIS, IT, or Spend capabilities, which limits its ability to scale with its customers.

R&D tax credit, or research and experimentation tax credit, is awarded to businesses that incur expenses from research and development projects in the U.S. This includes wages paid to employees conducting research, money spent on equipment, and payments to energy consortia. Paychex offers several payroll plans to suit different business needs and includes most standard features, plus some uncommon ones, such as new hire reporting and custom analytics. It includes standard features such as accounting and time-tracking integrations but lacks telephonic support. To create our rankings we reviewed more than 70 different payroll software providers, looking at features, pricing, and customer reviews. Ultimately, we chose Gusto as our top pick because it offers a plethora of features at a very affordable price.

How Does a Payroll Service Work?

Integrations include Salesforce, Slack, Marketo, NetSuite, ServiceNow, Workday, Sage Intacct, Xero, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Teams, BambooHR, and Greenhouse. Integrations include QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Workday, Slack, Zapier, Expensify, and Gusto. Transform your payroll workflow-flexible enough to fit your needs while maintaining 100% accuracy through automation. Integrations include QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, ADP, Paychex, Gusto, BambooHR, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, and Oracle HCM. Integrations include Ashby, BambooHR, Greenhouse, HiBob, Lever, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Slack, Workday, Xero, and others. This refers to a tool for calculating tax and benefits deductions from wages.

• Support options for payroll software vary by payroll providers but typically include resources such as online help centers, user guides, video tutorials, and customer support via phone, email, or live chat.
• I would have preferred to be contacted some other way to be asked to buy more products from Wave or its partners.
• Square Payroll is the best choice for small restaurants and retail shops, especially those already using Square’s POS system.
• Accountants who work with firms with large-scale payroll requirements should choose Paychex Flex.
• If you hire contractors instead of working with a full-time team of employees, choose Gusto’s Contractor plan, which has no monthly base cost.

Easily manage your large company’s payroll with Rippling

While hourly employees typically are paid weekly or biweekly, monthly payment generally is more common for salaried employees. The cost depends on the features you need and the size of your business. Typically, costs operate on a per-employee basis plus a bookkeeping and payroll services flat monthly fee. Just the basics will run about $40 per employee, per month, and more comprehensive software can be hundreds of dollars per employee, per month. Some payroll services are part of comprehensive HR platforms that include not only pay and benefits but also employee development, education and coaching programs.

• Between managing hundreds—or even thousands—of employees, keeping up with ever-changing labor laws, and maintaining ironclad data security, HR teams have their hands full.
• Look for a platform that offers online payroll tools to streamline running payroll tasks for large companies.
• It integrates easily—you access it within the same system with the click of a button—and all information flows throughout both systems so you don’t have to enter twice.
• This helps you save time, enables you to manage payroll easily, and ensures you remain compliant with federal regulations and labor laws.
• Rippling stands out from the rest given its feature-rich platform, PEO and EOR services, and global payroll capabilities.
• Good payroll software updates you on any noteworthy changes and automatically calculates, deducts, and files taxes as required.

Nothing I experienced was particularly confusing, but some tasks were a bit more labor-intensive than I preferred. It would have been far easier to just input a name and have an email be sent to the employee to do all of this work, leaving me to only approve its accuracy. Through TriNet’s PEO, you can outsource all of your HR and payroll functions or you can choose which functions you want to outsource and which you’d like to keep in-house. Simon Litt is the editor of The CFO Club, specializing in covering a range of financial topics. His career has seen him focus on both personal and corporate finance for digital publications, public companies, and digital media brands across the globe. QuickBooks Payroll Grocery Store Accounting has what you need to stay compliant, from labor law posters to expert support.