2018 Review of Denali Payroll Accounting Software

800-388-3038

From the 2018 reviews of professional payroll systems.

Denali Payroll is part of Cougar Mountain Software’s suite of accounting applications. Best suited for small to mid-sized businesses currently using Denali products and wish to process payroll in-house, the product can also be used as a stand-alone payroll application if desired. Denali Payroll can be used in accounting firms, but will be better utilized if combined with other Denali products.

Denali Payroll is an on-premises payroll product, like all products in the Denali suite, and does not offer mobile or remote access, though it can be deployed in the cloud. Denali Payroll handles multi-state payroll and handles a variety of pay types including hourly, salaried, or a combination of the two. The product supports direct deposit and can handle wage garnishments as well.

Denali’s Prepare Payroll interface offers a grid-type interface which displays all current payroll for each employee, with an option to edit the information displayed or add additional employees by entering the appropriate information and choosing to add the information to the grid. Denali Payroll easily handles multiple companies, so users can simply access the company they wish to process payroll for. Users can also process After-the-Fact checks, though this is limited to manually entering check information.

Denali Payroll offers tax tables for all 50 states. All federal and state tax forms and remittance processing is handled by Aatrix, an add-on, third-party option available from Cougar Mountain that handles 1099 and W-2 e-filing, and 940 and 941 processing. Both quarterly and year-end reporting is also handled through Aatrix.

Denali Payroll offers a good selection of payroll and payroll-related reporting options, including an Employee List, Taxable Wage Report, Department Codes Report, and a Benefits/Deductions Report. A Comprehensive Employee History Report is also available. Users can also create custom reports or customize standard reports through Crystal Reports. All reports are exportable to Microsoft Excel for further customization if desired.

Denali Payroll is part of the Denali suite of accounting products, which include GL, AP, AR, Bank Reconciliation, Controller, Cougar Dtails (offers dashboard functionality), Inventory, Sales, Purchase Order, and Multi-Location Inventory, along with the Payroll module. All Denali modules integrate seamlessly. Add-on modules for job costing, merchant transaction services, time tracking, and sales tax are also available for Denali. Users can import or export data from a variety of third-party accounting and timekeeping applications if desired.

As an on-premises application, Denali does not currently offer features such as client or employee access, though users can choose to use Denali eDelivery, an add-on module that sends paystubs to employees via secure email.

Though there are no HR tools available in Denali, the numerous user-defined fields available can be used to track HR data for employees. Documents such as job applications, insurance and other benefit enrollment forms, employee job descriptions, and performance reviews can be attached to the employee file in Denali, making it easy to track HR data.

Denali Payroll offers excellent help and support options to take advantage of. Users can easily access the robust Help function from any screen in Denali and access a variety of product documentation, such as user guides and technical manuals. The Products & Services option provides detailed descriptions of all available modules and add-ons. Users can sign in and download any product updates directly from the website as well. Customer support is available during regular business hours, with users able to access support from the Cougar Mountain Denali website or by clicking on the support option within the product.

Denali Payroll, part of Cougar Mountain Software’s Business suite can be used as a stand-alone payroll application, but is best-suited for small to mid-sized businesses currently using other Denali applications or plan to do so in the future. Available in three customizable packages: Basecamp, Ascent, and Summit, Denali Payroll starts at less than $1,000.00, with other modules available at an additional cost.

2018 Payroll Rating – 4.5 Stars