Cloud Payroll & Accounting Systems Integrate for Simplified SMB Management

In a move the companies say will make managing payroll and accounting easier for small businesses, cloud accounting company FreshBooks and the web-based payroll developer ZenPayroll have announced a partnership that will integrate the two systems.

The integration between ZenPayroll and FreshBooks will allow direct flow of data, so that users no longer have to manually enter payroll information, thereby saving time and reducing data entry errors. Payroll expenses automatically show up in FreshBooks every time payroll is run. Even payroll adjustments and cancellations are reflected in FreshBooks.

“People go into business to pursue their passion, not to learn accounting or manage their payroll,” said Mike McDerment, CEO and Co-Founder of FreshBooks. “FreshBooks' partnership with ZenPayroll will allow small business owners to automatically capture payroll transactions for their accounting needs, which frees up time to work on their business, not their paperwork.”

“We are thrilled to work with the team at FreshBooks because they share our passion for creating incredibly easy to use, delightful software. This partnership will help millions of small business owners manage both payroll and accounting in the cloud,” said Joshua Reeves, CEO of ZenPayroll. “By automating processes that previously required manual data entry, we’re freeing people to focus on growing their small businesses, the lifeblood of our economy.”

The number of small businesses is growing faster than ever. According to a survey by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, entrepreneurship and new business formation in the United States hit a 14-year high in 2012. As more people launch their own businesses, they need modern accounting and payroll solutions that are easy to use and work well together. With the new seamless integration between FreshBooks and ZenPayroll, small business owners can manage their accounting in a centralized way from any device or location.

“As a creative agency, our whole focus is on serving clients, not administration,” said Joshua McCowen, founder and principal of Lofty Word, a branding and design firm. “I trust FreshBooks and ZenPayroll because they’re both designed to be simple and straightforward, which fits my needs as a small business owner. Now that there’s an integration between the two tools I no longer have to create manual entries, and that saves me even more time.”