Do you know manual data entry is a primary reason behind around 40 percent of payroll errors, and businesses using payroll software witness around 31 percent fewer errors? This clearly shows why you should start using payroll software. While running a business, it can be very difficult to manage paperwork and you may feel like drowning in compliance and tax issues. Besides, handling such issues manually can take a lot of time. Well, don’t worry at all as a good payroll program can make it a lot easier to manage all these tasks.
Whether you are a well-established organization or a small startup, choosing a payroll system can greatly reduce errors, and streamline your payroll operations while ensuring compliance with changing tax regulations. Some companies have witnessed around an 80 percent reduction in their payroll processing cost by automating the payroll process using payroll software.
Now the question arises is, how to choose payroll software that can be a perfect fit for your business? To help you with this, we have outlined some important tips that you can consider to choose the best one. Let’s have a look.
What is Payroll Software and what does it Do?
Payroll software services streamline the lengthy and complex process of paying the employees and also help keep an organization compliant. Before exploring the major specifics of selecting the perfect payroll program, we think knowing more about these programs and their roles in a business is crucial. Let’s have a look at some common features and tasks these services can perform:
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Processing of Payroll:
Every payroll program is equipped with advanced features to ensure every employee is paid correctly through their desired payment option.
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Automate Tax Filling:
Payroll services can help you stay compliant with local, state, and federal taxes by filling documents on time, automating tax calculations, and more.
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Direct Salary Deposits:
Most of the payroll programs have direct deposit features. That means your employee can receive their payments or salaries in their respective bank account directly. There is no need to give them a physical check.
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Can Handle Various Non-Traditional Compensation:
Apart from your regular payroll processing, today’s payroll software can also handle other payments such as bonuses, workers’ compensation, etc.
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Reporting and Recordkeeping:
Payroll systems also generate different useful reports for compliance HR and accounting purposes. Now, analyzing payroll-related data will be a lot easier than before.
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Attendance and Time Tracking:
These tools are designed to help businesses maintain accurate attendance and time records. They can easily eliminate the risk of unnecessary overtime.
Pros and cons of Using a Payroll Software
Pros of Using Payroll Software
- These software programs are quite effective in reducing payroll errors.
- A payroll program with advanced security features can keep your files and employee’s data secure.
- Generates 100 percent accurate payslips.
- Automates various tasks, like tax filing, year-end reporting, salary processing, etc.
- Helps calculate holiday pay, expenses, bonuses, etc, quickly.
- No need to worry about complex tax rules.
- Reduces response time
Cons of Using Payroll Software
- Using a payroll software may require training, especially when you are using a complex one.
- You may witness initial trial and error.
- For businesses with a limited budget, it can be an additional expense.
- It can be costly compared to manual payroll processing.
- Technical errors can lead to data loss or you may lose control over the software.
- Some businesses may face coordination challenges with the payroll solution provider.
There are negatives as well as positive aspects of everything. The same goes for the payroll software programs. But you can easily manage the cons by understanding what makes a good payroll software.
What Payroll Features Are Crucial For Your Business Needs?
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Integration
Seamless third-party integration in the payroll program plays an important role in the process of streamlining your HR, finance and payroll systems. This also allows you to automate various payroll processes like making bulk payments, evaluating wages accurately, etc. While choosing one, ensure that the system integrates with your existing accounting software.
Moreover, It should also support the integrations of other systems like time tracking systems, project management programs, human resource information systems, CRM and sales software, etc. This way, you can easily attain end-to-end task automation and lower human intervention.
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Direct Deposit
One of the major elements of every payroll system is the payment release process. Most employees prefer to opt for direct deposit. So, while opting for a payroll solution, make sure that supports direct deposit features and can automate disbursements and other payments directly to your employees’ bank accounts. It would be much better if the program supported payment disbursement to multiple banks.
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Payroll Processing
Reliable, on-time and efficient payroll processing is one of the crucial factors of a business’s success. This way you can show your employees that their efforts and time are valued and can also gain their trust. Besides, paying them on time and accurately can also help your business meet the compliance requirements.
So, the payroll software you choose should have the ability to process the payroll accurately while ensuring your employees are getting paid on time, through their desired payment preference.
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Attendance and Time Tracking
Accurate employees’ time and attendance can improve your employees’ productivity as well as business performance. Besides, it can also help your team to keep up with the deadlines and project goals. For this, choosing payroll software with a time-tracking feature can help you a lot.
Such software programs are designed to allow employees to record their total working hours on an easy-to-read dashboard. A system will record and calculate their wages based on the recorded hours. Some tools can also improve work validation with the help of geo-location locks. That means, an employee can clock in only when he is at the specific location.
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User-Friendliness
A payroll software may come with a lot of amazing features. But if it isn’t user-friendly and has complex navigation, then it will be not much useful for your business. You may end up with spending more time understanding how to use the features.
A payroll program with a intuitive interface will streamline the process and there will be fewer chances of errors. Go for software that is simple to use and configure.
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Payroll Automation
The program’s ability to automate various complex tasks can have a great impact on the effectiveness in improving the efficiency of payroll. An automated payroll tool can lower possible errors and you will save more time. While making your choice, understand how many processes you can automate using the software.
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Accuracy
An effective payroll program offers highly accurate calculation of taxes, deductions, bonuses, employee benefits, on-time process of salaries, leaves and more. This will help you ensure all your employees are paid the correct salaries while adhering to the industry’s legal norms.
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Tax Compliance
We all know that the legal and tax laws change with time. Every business should keep track of those changes to stay compliant. However, navigating today’s complex tax rules can be very challenging for some businesses. The best payroll software can make it easier for you.
To enjoy maximum benefits, ensure that the software is updated with the new tax regulations and can calculate tax deductions 100 percent accurately. As a result, you can avoid possible legal problems related to non-compliance.
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Approval Process
If you have a large group of employees, you should try your best to stay organized. Choosing software with a streamlined and quick approval process for payments and holidays can help keep your staff in the loop. Besides, this will also offer you and your finance team better control over the employee’s salary calculation.
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Security
Most payroll systems are designed to manage personal data as well as financial matters. That’s why it is important to ensure that the software prioritizes the highest level of security and can keep your business protected from possible cyber-attacks and threats. You should check for the types of security features available in the solution.
Ask the solution provider whether their system supports the password-sharing feature. Besides, check the level of user access control, data encryption and authentication protocols offered by the program.
While ensuring the availability of these features in payroll software, here are some useful tips that can help you find the best one for your business.
Tips to Find the Right Payroll For Your Organization
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Understand Your Needs
Before diving deep into the vast sea of payroll programs, take some time and analyze your business requirements. Understand your workforce size and your payroll process’s complexity. It is also advisable to consider any particular integration or features you may want, such as accounting program compatibility, time tracking, bonus management, etc.
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Size of Your Organization
Remember that payroll software requirements for a small organization will differ greatly from a large business. So, consider the size of your business. If you have a small business, then you can go for a program where you need to pay based on usage or the number of disbursements you make.
For a large business, an advanced payroll management program will be an ideal choice. You should also think about the approval process for making direct deposits. Choose one that supports multiple ways to complete direct deposits.
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Consider the Customer Support
Just like other systems, payroll software can develop some issues. So, it is important to pick one that comes with robust and professional customer support and the team is available 24/7. Your selected software should offer chat or email support. This will be beneficial when managing some urgent issues like financing or payment holds issues.
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Ask for A Free Trial or Demo
There is nothing wrong with having some reservations or feeling sceptical about a payroll tool. In fact, this is a wise move in the process of selecting the right software. To address your sceptical thoughts, you can opt for a free trial or demo.
Most solution providers are now offering this facility. A free trial can range between 7 days to 30 days. During that period, properly check the features and also check the user-friendliness of the program.
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Check the Scalability Of the Software
Your business may grow with time. So, it is advisable to choose a solution that can easily scale along in the future along with your business. Effective scalability of the tool ensures that it can accommodate the rising number of staff, extra integration and additional functionalities without requiring you to go for a new program.
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Compare Pricing
While thinking about how to choose a payroll service, don’t forget to compare the cost of different payroll programs. Create a list of software that meets your business requirements and start comparing pricing to know which one comes under your budget.
Some service providers charge an annual fee and some offer you a monthly payment option. You will also find software that charges based on team size. So, carefully compare the price and features. Apart from this, consider the additional fees, like support costs, implementation and upgrade costs.
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Types of Workers
Your selected payroll management tool should be able to handle various payment structures and working patterns specific to your organization. Do you have contractors, part-time workers or full-time employees?
While some programs handle full-time employees, some are designed for contractors. There are some software programs that can only disburse paychecks if there are withholdings. An all-in-one payroll solution will work great if you have different types of workers.
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Mobile Accessibility
Before releasing the payment, managers or owners should carefully review the timesheets and approve them. What if they are not in the office? This may lead to delays in payroll processing and can also make employees feel low. A mobile app can help them here as using that they can review the data and process payments from anywhere and anytime.
Besides, a payroll program with a mobile app can also allow your employees to easily access their payroll information, request leave and submit work reports from their mobile phones with a few simple clicks. This will bring more flexibility as well as convenience to your workforce.
After considering these tips, you can come up with an informed decision and choose the right payroll system for your business. Here, we also have mentioned some best payroll software options for your reference.
Conclusion
Choosing the best payroll software is not a decision that you should take lightly. The success of your business payroll management depends on this. Furthermore, without automation. It will be challenging and tedious to manage payroll which can only be possible by using the best software.
So, it is crucial to consider your business needs, security measures, key features, etc., before making your final decision. We hope this detailed guide will surely help you in your search. Just choose the best one and you can efficiently streamline the payroll management, and keep your employees satisfied while staying compliance with tax laws. Connect with AAPNA Infotech to know more about payroll software.
