To compile our list of the best payroll software for accountants, we looked at a variety of factors related to the 16 different payroll services that we included in our initial review. We then scored these contenders across six categories of features with 15 different metrics that were weighted to favor features that small accounting firms and individual accountants find useful in a provider. We assigned weighted scores to each software based on these factors, and then we calculated an average score. The software with the highest average score is our top pick.
Pricing – 20%
Forbes Advisor considered the price of the payroll software. We looked for software that offered a variety of pricing options as well as discounts for accounting professionals. This included the starting price for the software, the range of pricing for all of a provider’s plans and whether the provider offers a free trial of its product. Pricing accounted for 20% of our weighted scoring.
Features – 30%
We considered the features offered by each software. We looked for software that included tax modules, third-party integrations and analytics as these are the features that are most important to accountants. Other features we consider important included compliance features, new hire reporting and the availability of a ledger report. Features accounted for 30% of our total score.
Third-party Reviews – 15%
We also gave consideration to real-user experiences. Do accountants like the software? What pain points does it fail to address? We got this information by looking at third-party review sites, including Capterra and G2, focusing specifically on reviews left for payroll software for accountants that had ratings of 3.5 or higher out of 5 on those sites. Third-party reviews accounted for 15% of the total score.
Expert Analysis – 35%
Based on our market research and the categories listed above, we also ranked additional criteria from customer reviews that included stand-out features, popularity, value for the price and ease of use. Altogether, these criteria make up 35% of the total score.
Learn how we evaluate payroll software.
Featured Partners
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Yes
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$40 per month plus $6 per user