2018 Review of Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex from Paychex is a scalable, online human capital management solution well suited for small- to mid-sized businesses, as well as accounting professionals looking to offer payroll, as well as other HR and benefits services to clients. Paychex Flex offers four versions of its popular product; Express, Select, Pro, and Enterprise, with each version offering increasingly robust features and functionality. Available strictly for accountants is AccountantHQ, a dashboard feature which provides complete client payroll and HR functionality from a single user interface.

All versions of Paychex Flex offer complete payroll tax administration, new-hire reporting, and a free mobile app that works with iPhone, iPad, and Android smart phones and tablets. Paychex Flex supports direct deposit, benefits management, multi-state payroll, and tax credit services, along with wage garnishment and other tax services.

The AccountantHQ dashboard displays a list of all current clients, along with a variety of options to the right of the client list. Once a client is chosen, the screen will display payroll and reporting options for that client. The payroll entry screen features a grid that makes entering or editing payroll data fast, and users can choose to have payroll processed automatically on a set date, which works well for clients with a large number of salaried employees.

Paychex Flex includes tax tables for all 50 states and handles all tax liability, submitting federal, state, and local taxes automatically, based on indicated due dates. Users can also opt to print forms and file taxes by mail, if desired.

Paychex Flex offers more than 160 reports, with users able to customize reports as needed. The Quick Reports option provides access to popular reporting options, or users can choose to access all reports. A Custom Analytics option allows users to create their own reports, and users can create report sets for each client, providing them with the custom reporting options they need. Reports can also be exported to a variety of applications.

Users can easily view both current and prior-period payroll reports directly from the dashboard. A payroll summary is also automatically created after each payroll is run. Paychex Flex offers a variety of time and attendance software, including Paychex Flex Time or Paychex Flex Time Essentials. Both products offer online timekeeping capability and integrate seamlessly with payroll. For those that prefer to use a time clock, Paychex TrueShift is available, offering a variety of ways to clock in and out including via fingerprint reader, badge, or PIN entry, or via the web using a desktop computer, smart phone or tablet.

Along with payroll, Paychex offers a variety of applications that are designed to integrate with its product, including finances and payments, business insurance, hiring services, employee benefits, and HR services. The product also offers complete integration with a variety of third-party accounting applications, including QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Xero and a variety of others.

Paychex Flex offers a self-service feature, which allows accountants to provide remote access to their clients, who in turn can provide access to their employees. Once granted access, employees can access time entry features, personal and contact information, as well as payroll-related data such as paystubs and W-2’s.

Paychex Flex offers complete HR management, including an online onboarding process for new employees which expedites the process considerably. There are also a variety of HR resources available including compliance services, automated benefits administration, and online records administration, enabling businesses to store all HR records on the cloud for easy access from anywhere.

Every Paychex Flex user is assigned their own client service advisor that assists with setup and can help to answer any questions. Product support is available via phone and chat 24/7/365. A variety of short training videos and help options are available as well.

Paychex Flex is a good fit for small- to mid-sized businesses, as well as accounting professionals. A variety of product package options are available, with pricing varying, depending on the package selected as well as options chosen.

2018 Overall Rating – 5 Stars