2015 Review of Real Business Solutions – Payroll Mate

• Low price and immediate installation
• Simple set up
• Export to QuickBooks and accounting packages allowing text file or Excel import
• Reports are available in Excel, text and PDF formats

Potential Limitations

• Support is limited to the following payroll forms: 941, 940, 944, W-2, W-3, California DE-9, California DE-9C, Texas C-3, Texas C-4, New York NYS-45, Illinois 941 and Illinois UI-3/40
• Report customization is limited
• Some advanced features require a software upgrade
• Payroll Mate is designed to manage payroll for small businesses with less than 75 employees. The product can also be used in accounting firms that wish to offer payroll services to small business clients.  

Basic System Functions: 4.5 Stars

Payroll Mate is only available as an on-premise product, and does not offer mobile or web access. The product contains an easily navigated user interface, with a vertical menu bar to the left of the main screen. Users can easily choose the option they wish, which will then populate the majority of the main screen. Data entry is straightforward, with the product offering wizards to assist in company setup. The product, while designed for small businesses can be easily used by accounting firms looking to offer payroll services to clients. Payroll Mate can handle 10 companies with up to 75 employees per company, but accounting firms can opt to purchase the Pro version of Payroll Mate, which can support up to 100 employers with up to 1,000 employees each. Payroll Mate offers base pricing, with the option to purchase additional options and services as desired.

The product offers tax calculations for all 50 states, and easily processes after-the-fact payroll entry. Multi-state taxes can be easily tracked and reported, and direct deposit is available, at an additional cost. Payroll Mate also hands custom income and employee deductions very well, and is a good fit for trucking and farming industries, as well as nonprofit organizations. Payroll Mate handles various payment types including regular and overtime, double time, mileage, piece work, fringe benefits, vacation and sick pay. The system also supports multiple deduction types.

Reporting & Monitoring: 4.25 Stars

Payroll Mate does not offer any compliance tools for tracking payroll tax due dates. The product automatically calculates basic payroll data such as net pay, federal and state withholding tax, Social Security Tax, Medicare, as well as all state and local taxes. The product easily handles different pay periods for each employer, and prepares payroll forms such as 941, 943, 944, 940, W2, and W3, but only provides reporting for a few states, including California DE-9, California DE-9C, Texas C-3, Texas C-4, New York NYS-45, Illinois 941, and Illinois UI-3/40, and Florida RT-6. Electronic filing is available at an additional cost.

Payroll Mate offers limited reporting capability, with reports limited to basic payroll and employee reports, with limited customization capability. The product uses a standard user interface for all payroll management, and does not offer a dashboard for employer management. Payroll reports can be exported to a variety of formats including PDF, Text, CSV, Excel, JPEG, GIF, and other formats.

Integration/Import/Export: 4.25 Stars

Payroll Mate integrates with both QuickBooks and Sage 50 (formerly Peachtree). The product also integrates with other third-party applications that allow the import of CSV files. In addition, users can import text files from third party applications including QuickBooks, Sage DacEasy, Kronos, ADP, and more. Payroll Mate currently does not offer time management tools such as built-in time sheet management, time clock integration, or timesheet integration.

Help/Support: 4.5 Stars

Payroll Mate contains built in help functionality throughout the product. There are also a set of tutorials available in a variety of topics that can be easily utilized by product users. Live product support is available, and is included in the pricing of the product. Email support options are available as well.

Client Self Service Features: N/A

As a standalone on-premise product, employee and client portals are not available.

Advanced Features: 4.5 Stars

Payroll Mate offers specialized payroll calculations that can be customized by users as needed. The product currently does not offer integration with any HR applications,

Summary & Pricing

Payroll Mate can be easily downloaded directly from Payroll Mate’s website. Well designed for small businesses, the product can also be used at accounting firms that wish to offer payroll to small business clients. Accounting firms can access all payroll clients from the Payroll Mate platform, making it easy to manage multiple clients. Base pricing for Payroll Mate starts at $99.00 per year for 10 companies with up to 75 employee each. Additional options such as electronic filing and direct deposit are available at an additional cost.

2015 Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars