2019 Review of OnPay Payroll

From the 2019 review of professional payroll systems.

OnPay is an online payroll application designed for small businesses, though the product can run payroll for businesses with more than 500 employees.  OnPay also offers partner pricing for accountants, with the discount increased as the number of clients increase. Accounting professionals who sign up for OnPay also receive a free payroll account for their firm as well as custom QuickBooks or Xero setup if needed.  

OnPay Payroll offers full-service payroll, supporting an unlimited number of pay runs each month. Completely online, OnPay includes a mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, so users can enter payroll at any time, from any location. The product also handles niche payroll for restaurants, agricultural entities, nonprofits, churches, and offers up to six permission levels, to ensure that data is available only to those with the appropriate permission. OnPay includes an Employee Self-Service option where employees are invited to self-onboard. This option also allows employees to enter and manage personal information as well as access paystubs and year-end tax documents.

OnPay supports multiple pay types including direct deposit, debit cards, and checks, and also supports multi-state payroll, as well as multiple pay rates and multiple pay schedules. OnPay can also pay contract workers and will process both W-2s and 1099s at year end.

For those switching from another payroll application, OnPay personnel will assist in migrating clients from that system, and will even enter employee data into the system if necessary.

Once users log into OnPay, the user dashboard is displayed. The dashboard is completely customizable, and offers access to all OnPay features. A task list, a list of recent pay runs, and the next scheduled pay run are also displayed on the dashboard. 

OnPay offers good payroll related reporting options, with more than 40 reports available including a Payroll Listing, Payroll Register, Employee Summary, Department Summary, and Accrual Listing. Both quarterly and annual tax filing reports are processed in OnPay, with users able to access and review tax filings at any time. Users can customize reports by changing filters, and all reports can be exported to Microsoft Excel for further customizing, or saved as a PDF.

OnPay offers tax tables for all 50 states. The application automatically withholds all federal and state payroll taxes, with all tax payments and required tax forms such as Form 940 and 941 filed at the appropriate time.

OnPay offers integration with a variety of timekeeping applications including When I Work, Humanity, and TSheets, while integration with both Deputy and Tanda will be available in the near future. OnPay also offers integration with popular accounting applications such as QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero, with FreshBooks integration available soon. Both Workers’ Compensation and 401(k) plan administration is offered in OnPay as well.

OnPay includes excellent HR capability, with users able to create onboarding tasks for new employees, and track completion dates. Users can also create an organizational chart, set up and manage an employee directory, and assign time off to employees. OnPay also offers integration to Think HR, which offers HR advice, tools, and training, along with PosterElite, which provides access to the necessary posters that any business needs to display. 

OnPay’s Knowledge Center offers resources in a variety of categories including Getting Started, Payroll and Benefits, Tax Resources, and HR and Compliance. Users can access trending articles or enter search terms to locate the information desired.  In addition to the knowledgebase, OnPay also offers The Payroll Process, which offers numerous payroll related articles and setup guides. Toll-free product support is available in OnPay, with chat support available as well.

OnPay is well-suited for small business owners looking for an easy-to-use payroll solution. Easily navigated, with an uncluttered, easy to use interface, OnPay charges a base fee of $36.00 plus a $4.00 per person fee. For accounting firms that wish to partner with OnPay, a 10% discount is offered for more than two clients, with a 30% discount given to firms with more than 100 payroll clients. Firms also receive a free payroll account for their firm to use. A free-30-day trial is also available to those that wish to try out OnPay prior to purchasing. 

2019 Overall Rating – 5 Stars