The Small Business Payroll Software Site

Whether your small business has staff who work-from-home or on-site, sound HR policies and effective small business payroll software are must-haves that can help you sleep soundly. Invoicing and payroll processing are routine tasks that shouldn’t take so much of your time. Whether your small business has 3 employees or 500+ staff, housed in one building or across 6 timezones, there is a suitable payroll software solution for you.

Buying Payroll Software for your Small Business

In an SME, every single dollar counts. Yet as a business owner, you have to be careful not to be penny-wise but pound-foolish. Let’s go over the questions in making a software investment posed by Gene Marks, CPA and owner of Marks Group and adapt them to our small business payroll software investment decision:

1. Who makes it?
   Are you comfortable with the payroll software maker you will be partnering with? How long have they been in business?
2. Who supports it?
   Smaller, newer online payroll providers have ticket support systems you can access online. Most established accounting software companies have phone and email support and online knowledge bases. Will you have to pay extra for support from the provider? Does the payroll software maker for your small business have a large following and a large community you can access aside from their in-house support?
3. What are all the costs?
   Is the design of the payroll software intuitive and user-friendly or will you have to obtain special training just to learn how to use it? Given that you have basic accounting knowledge, if you’re still home-based and supervise less than 10 employees, you may find that you can accomplish the payroll in half a day. However, as your business grows, you may have to either outsource your bookkeeping to a virtual bookkeeper or to an offshore small accounting firm or hire your own accountant (part-time or full-time) - to be part of your operating expenses.
   It’s definitely easier to find a virtual bookkeeper who is proficient in major bookkeeping software such as Quickbooks or MYOB.
4. Who else is using it?
   Check with other users and ask other business owners about their experience with their payroll software. Doing research and obtaining recommendations from fellow business owners like you’re doing now is the smart way to go.
5. Can I take a test drive?
   If there isn’t a demo, check if there’s a return guarantee. Look out for product demonstrations. Check comparison tables and determine which plan or version is the right fit for you. Then again, if you find a highly-recommended  accounting software from the start that you’re comfortable with, it can also make sense to stick to it rather than trying different software every two weeks! That’s precious time better spent building your business.
6. Will it speak to my other systems?
   If you use web-based payroll software, will it integrate with your desktop software and bank accounts? Do you know how to backup? Same with desktop accounting software — can you print the paychecks and tax forms straight from your software?

When you’ve grown out of payroll issues and want to integrate with your invoicing, asset management, and inventory processes, is this possible or will you have to start from scratch all over again? Buying cheap software now could easily cost you hundreds more in man-hours and profits forgone than if you choose the right small business software today.

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