CompuPay –– PayrollOnline

From the Sept. 2010 Review of Professional
Payroll Systems.

CompuPay
offers three web-based payroll systems: XpressPayroll, PowerPayroll and PayrollOnline,
with the last being the most comprehensive solution. PayrollOnline is available
in Basic, Advanced and Premier versions, and provides options for businesses
who wish to fully outsource the payroll processing, check delivery and compliance
functions, while retaining HR management and providing employees with direct
deposit and self-service online portals. The program fits our “Outsourced/Referral”
model of payroll systems, where an accounting firm performs little or none of
the payroll tasking, but may have the ability to access reports and data export
functions. CompuPay also offers a variety of add-on services, including HR,
retirement, health spending, and workers’ comp options.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS:
As its name would suggest, PayrollOnline is a completely web-based system, designed
primarily for direct use by businesses and with the ability to handle any number
of employees. The program includes login security and user-based rights that
can be used to limit access to specific areas, while enabling multiple staff
to work in the payroll system at the same time. PayrollOnline allows for access
to multiple accounts via one login with no logging in and out required.

PayrollOnline’s primary work area provides a clean interface with easy-to-understand
and -use navigation structures, including a main menu that uses expandable text-based
links to give access to key feature areas, including employee management, employee
HR, company data, payroll functions, company-level HR management and system
security features. Reporting functions are available from a separate panel that
provides quick access to payroll, tax and managerial output options. Data-entry
screens are intuitive, with selection lists and calendars for quick entry and
multi-employee views for batch entry, editing and approval of time and other
data. Pricing for PayrollOnline is based on the number of employees and the
frequency of payroll runs, with the ability to set up multiple pay groups, departments
or other units, each with varying frequencies, if necessary. The program can
support all wage types, including salary, part-time, tipped, commissioned, bonus
and multiple overtimes, as well as reimbursements. Unlimited deductions can
be created per employee, allowing for the tracking and payment of garnishments,
insurance and other pre- and post-tax withholding. The system supports multi-state
employees with unlimited states.

PayrollOnline includes tax tables and processing for federal and all states
and localities, with the vendor handling all compliance filings and payments
as a service. This includes all quarterly and annual wage and hire reports,
as well as workers’ comp, check delivery (can also be printed on-site),
direct deposits to up to 99 accounts per employee, and third-party payments.
Accruals management features are included, and additional benefits options allow
for provision of 401(k) with employer matching and vesting, flexible spending
accounts, and COBRA administration.

REPORTING & MONITORING:
The primary user functions of PayrollOnline center around live payroll processing,
employee data management and HR functions, with all quarterly and annual reporting
and payments to federal, state and local entities performed by CompuPay as a
part of the PayrollOnline service. The vendor also manages workers’ comp
reporting and payments. The program includes reporting that notifies users of
deadlines and funds necessary in payment accounts, and also offers automated
email alerts for payroll run approval processes. The program’s managerial
reporting options include payroll summaries, registers, wages, deductions, benefit
accruals, benefits, labor distribution and job costing. Reports can be edited
using the built-in report writer for more extensive user customization. Output
is also available to PDF and HTML formats. Employee data and HR management screens
provide good overviews of wages, deductions, histories, and tracking options
for training and custom data.

INTEGRATION/IMPORT & EXPORT:
PayrollOnline integrates with the add-on HR and benefits services available
from CompuPay, and the payroll system includes a GL function for exporting data
into common formats for import into QuickBooks, Peachtree and other accounting
systems. The program can import from most time clock systems, and CompuPay also
offers an employee timekeeping and attendance program that can be used with
biometric or swipe clocks, telephone entry, web-based punch-in and mobile devices.
The system also offers bidirectional integration with Sage Peachtree.

HELP/SUPPORT:
PayrollOnline is easy to use and includes a basic Help utility, while the vendor’s
online resource center has payroll tools and calculators, form downloads, FAQs
and training options. It does not have an online user community. As a web-based
system, all program and tax table updates are automatically maintained by the
vendor. Live, phone-based technical support is included with pricing.

CLIENT SELF-SERVICE FEATURES:
The web-based program is intended for direct use by businesses, providing an
intuitive interface for entering employee data and time, and with the ability
for system administrators to limit user access to specific program areas. Employee
portals are also offered, allowing them to view paystubs and W-2s, although
there are no HR or benefits management self-service options. The PayrollOnline
interface is completely CompuPay branded.

SUMMARY & PRICING
PayrollOnline is a comprehensive payroll system with outsourced compliance management,
providing business users with streamlined data-entry and processing functions,
excellent benefits options, employee portals and other features. It is a good
option for professionals who wish to have their clients manage their own processing
functions with the guidance of a vendor, and while having the option for the
firm to have online access to client payroll functions if necessary. Pricing
is based on the number of employees and payroll frequency, with a 10-employee
biweekly scenario starting at about $61 per payroll, inclusive of direct deposit,
the federal/state/local filings and payments service, ESS, workers’ comp,
and new hire reporting.

2010 OVERALL RATING:

Payroll