The Best Payroll Software for Accountants 2024: Top 7 Compared

Paychex Flex is a favorite of accountants and their clients but also employees because of how many mobile, self-service features are offered directly to them.

The tool is a great option for businesses with multiple employee types and pay rates, as multiple options for payment, including pay-on-demand, are available.

Accountants who join the Paychex partner program gain access to more dedicated support, a more capable dashboard setup for accounting-specific data, new compliance features, and more.

Most significantly, the program includes access to a year-end reference center, which helps accountants and their clients comprehensively prepare for year-end tax deadlines with checklists, guides, notices, and additional resources.

Rippling is a top payroll software solution that works for both smaller and larger businesses’ payroll requirements. With a deep integration library for both accounting and general business tools, local experts and localization for payroll and tax runs, and the ability to easily manage multiple job codes and pay rates, this is a great solution for accountants working with businesses that have distributed workforces.

To simplify the work an accountant must do to manage a diverse client portfolio, Rippling offers some of the best and most varied automations and auditing features. These include automated error detection, configurable payroll reports, auditable employee records, pay rate adjustments, and tax filing and deduction calculations.

OnPay is one of the most intuitive payroll software solutions available, offering a straightforward pricing structure, a simple user interface, and easy customizations to meet the needs of your clients and employees.

Many users select this tool because its reporting and analytics features are more accessible than those from equivalent competitors but are also incredibly configurable, depending on the employee types, pay rates, periods, and other data you want to track.

Though OnPay’s partner program is somewhat smaller than competitors’ programs, including Gusto and QuickBooks, it is ideally suited to smaller accounting firms and those with small business clients.

The program includes free client setup and onboarding, free firm payroll, and marketing resources to grow your business. OnPay consistently receives some of the highest customer support ratings from customers on third-party review sites.

ADP is one of the best-known payroll solutions providers and has earned its reputation by supporting businesses of all sizes. Depending on the software and plan you select, ADP’s payroll solutions work for organizations with one to more than 1,000 employees; compared to the other competitors on this list, ADP is the best equipped to handle enterprise payroll requirements.

Through its free Accountant Connect program, accountants can manage all client data, payroll runs, and tax compliance needs from a single interface. They can also benefit from powerful analytics and dashboards, with analytics that focus on compensation benchmarking, payroll, tax, and retirement calculations, and customizable client reports and recommendations.

ADP also offers many accounting software integrations, as well as exclusive discounts with accounting and business technology partners like Avalara, Rootworks, and BizEquity.

QuickBooks Payroll is a favorite payroll solution for accountants who already use QuickBooks accounting products, which are some of the most popular for firms that work closely with SMBs.

This product integrates seamlessly with other Intuit software solutions while also giving users the benefits of dedicated tax penalty protection tools and strategies, several useful automations, extensive tax compliance and management features in all plans, and next-day or same-day direct deposit in all plans.

In addition to QuickBooks’ hefty portfolio of accounting software solutions and resources, accountants who use QuickBooks Online Accountant can join the ProAdvisor Program, which gives them training rewards, special access to discounts and promotions for clients, and the ability to be listed in the Find-a-ProAdvisor online directory.

Gusto is a leading payroll, HR, and accounting solutions provider that streamlines many of an accountant’s routine tasks. Its baseline plans are some of the easiest to use on the market for accountants and clients alike, allowing unlimited payroll runs, a range of payment types, and relevant accounting and business integrations.

In customer reviews, Gusto is consistently praised for its range of features and the high-quality customer support the vendor provides.

Compared to competitors’ accountant partner programs, Gusto offers an especially lucrative accounting partnership program that benefits both the client and the firm.

Depending on the number of clients you have, you’ll be able to access the robust Gusto Pro dashboard, referral tools, R&D tax credits, revenue sharing, and tools to build an effective advisory services approach.

Gusto emphasizes professional growth and development with its program, giving accountants the option to be featured in their partner directory, a partner peer community, and webinars and certification programs for upskilling.

Patriot is a small-business-focused payroll software provider that works well for accountants who work solely with U.S.-based clients. It is an affordable solution with highly-rated customer support and unique resources that meet the needs of smaller organizations. These include free employee portals, flexible pay rate adjustments, and calculations for accruals and deductions.

Compared to most other competitors on this list, Patriot offers a less comprehensive partner plan but makes up for it with affordability and customization. Many integrations are freely available, including HR software, time and attendance software, accounting software, 401(k), and workers’ comp support.