From the 2015 reviews of professional payroll systems.
Best Fit: Made exclusively for accountants, Payroll Relief is suitable for firms of any size that wish to offer payroll processing services to clients.
Product Strengths:
- Designed specifically for accountants
- Private labeling allows accountants to brand payroll as needed
- Cloud-based for easy access
- Free support is included in pricing
Potential Limitations:
- Product does not contain any HR related functions
Designed specifically for accountants, Payroll Relief offers anytime access along with mobile capability. Offered only to accounting professionals, Payroll Relief provides the tools accountants need to offer payroll processing profitably.
Basic System Functions: 5 Stars
Easily accessible using any device, including smart phones, Payroll Relief offers an easily navigated user entry screen. All payroll clients are listed on a single screen for added convenience, and the dashboard offers a summary of each payroll processed. Batch processing is now available in Payroll Relief; allowing accountants to quickly processes large volumes of payroll. The dashboard can also display a series of graphs that detail specific payroll data such as compensation levels over a specified period. The Firm Administration menu allows users to manage all clients from a single interface, which is customizable to suit the user’s needs. Accountants can choose to print checks, or authorize clients to print checks locally.
Payroll Relief allows firms to process an unlimited number of payrolls for an unlimited number of clients, and offers special pricing for the first year after purchase. Payroll Relief handles payroll tax calculations for all 50 states, as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. The product easily handles ‘after-the-fact’ payroll entry, and easily handles functions such as multiple pay schedules, multiple checks per employee, multiple withholding states per employee, and even multiple unemployment states per employer. Payroll runs are exception-based, automating the process considerably, with users able to easily address exceptions such as varying hours or adjusting deductions easily. Payroll Relief fully supports direct deposit for multiple banking institutions and accounts, as well as direct deposits for employee contributions to an HSA account.
Reporting & Monitoring: 5 Stars
The Payroll Center offers users a series of tools that make it easy to manage multiple payrolls for multiple clients from a single screen; providing detail on the current status of each payroll, upcoming due dates, pending tax payments, and the corresponding amounts. The Payroll Center can also be easily customized to suit the needs of any firm.
The product offers electronic filing of federal and most state forms, and provides with an automatic e-filing option. Payroll Relief also offers electronic filing for other related forms such as W-2’s, W-3’s, 1099-MISC, and 1096 forms, with users able to submit a single application for all e-fling services. The e-Services Snapshot allows users to review and monitor electronic services for all clients from a single screen. W-2’s can now be processed in batches as well.
Payroll Relief offers a solid selection of payroll-related reports, including payroll analysis reports, which firms can use to analyze payroll for a particular client. Both pre-approval and post-approval reports are available for quick payroll review, and Payroll Relief has added a Full-Time Equivalents report to comply with Affordable Care Act requirements. Compliance reports allow firms to monitor federal and state tax obligations, and management reports are available that allow users to monitor and track all payroll and related activities in relation to the firm. Users can also create customizable report sets, a series of reports that are defined in a collection, and run on a regular basis. Reports can be emailed to clients, viewed on screen, or exported as a PDF file, as well as to Microsoft Word and Excel. Payroll Relief offers a comprehensive dashboard, mentioned earlier, and can also track workers’ compensation categories for premium computation.
Integration/Import/Export: 5 Stars
Payroll Relief easily integrates with all AccountantsWorld products including both document management and practice management applications. Payroll Relief also integrates with both Swipeclock and Advantek for easy time and attendance management, and the product also integrates with QuickBooks, CS Accounting, Sage 50 (formerly Peachtree) products, and Accounting Power, as well as many others.
The product also allows easy import of employee data and other payroll information through Excel, and firms can choose to export payroll files to a client for approval, and import approved or edited files back into Payroll Relief.
Help/Support: 5 Stars
Solid help and support options can be found throughout Payroll Relief. Links to forms, federal and state sites are also available as well. Firms will also be assigned a Professional Development Consultant that will assist in both technical support and initial product setup. A series of free web-based seminars are available on a variety of payroll related subjects, system support can be accessed via the Internet at any time. Telephone support is also available 8:30 am – 5 pm EST. A chat line and access to the product knowledgebase is also available. Updates are handled by AccountantsWorld automatically, so no uploading of files is necessary.
Client Self-Service Features: 5 Stars
Users can set up employee portals for their clients if desired. Firms can provide a list of permissions to each client, who in turn can assign their own level of restrictions on their employees. Permission are fully customizable, so firms can determine which clients have access, and what level of access they are permitted, ranging from reporting access only to complete access to payroll entry functionality.
For clients not wishing to enter payroll data directly in Payroll Relief, they can enter payroll information on an Excel spreadsheet and firms can simply import the data. Those granted access to Payroll Relief can easily access employee related data such as W-2’s, paystubs, and year to date payroll totals.
Advanced Features: 4.75 Stars
Payroll Relief easily handles specialized payroll calculations for unions, as well as special overtime calculations. In addition, AccountantsWorld offers encrypts all data transmitted to ensure security.
Summary & Pricing
Designed specifically and solely for accountants, Payroll Relief offers easy cloud access and a simplified user entry screen that expedites payroll processing considerably. AccountantsWorld offers special pricing of $1,495 for the first year, with that price including an unlimited number of payrolls, along with system support. After the first year, pricing starts as low as $.50 per check.
2015 Overall Rating: 5 Stars
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Tags: Payroll, Payroll Software
