Running payroll is a complex, time-consuming task that most small business owners find extremely frustrating.
SurePayroll aims to make payroll easy and accurate for small businesses by providing customized payroll services designed specifically for their needs.
In this SurePayroll review, we'll take an in-depth look at their services, including:
- An introduction to SurePayroll and their key offerings
- The major benefits of using their platform over doing payroll yourself
- Details on payroll features like direct deposit and tax payments
- Integrations with popular accounting software
- Mobile apps that allow access from anywhere
- Customer support options they provide
By the end, you'll know whether SurePayroll is the right customized payroll solution for your small business needs.
Introduction to SurePayroll
Overview of SurePayroll
SurePayroll is an online payroll processing service founded in 2000 that provides customized payroll and tax filing for small businesses in the United States. Their services are designed to simplify payroll for business owners by calculating paychecks, withholding taxes, filing paperwork, and providing access to payroll data.
History and Founding
SurePayroll was founded in 2000 by Michael Alter in Chicago, Illinois to provide an online payroll service aimed at helping small business owners. The company was created to simplify payroll processing and tax filing for entrepreneurs and small teams who did not have large HR departments to handle these tasks efficiently.
Key Services Offered
Some of the key services offered by SurePayroll include:
- Payroll processing - Automatic calculation of gross and net pay, payroll tax withholdings, direct deposits.
- Tax filing services - Filing of quarterly and annual payroll tax returns.
- Mobile access - Ability to access payroll data and run reports from anywhere.
- Direct deposit - Electronic paycheck deposits into employee bank accounts.
- Integrations - Connections with accounting, time tracking, HR, and other business software.
By handling these critical but complex payroll tasks, SurePayroll helps small business owners reduce administrative workload and ensures payroll and tax compliance.
Benefits of Using SurePayroll
Cost Savings
SurePayroll helps small businesses significantly reduce the overhead costs associated with managing payroll in-house. By outsourcing payroll processing and tax calculations to SurePayroll, businesses can avoid expenses related to payroll staff salaries, software, compliance, and errors. Specifically, SurePayroll offers:
- Lower payroll processing fees compared to traditional payroll services
- Free direct deposit for employees
- No fees for W-2 printing and filing
- Potential tax penalty protection
This allows small business owners to redirect savings to other critical areas of their operations.
Accuracy and Compliance
With frequent changes to payroll tax laws, properly calculating, reporting, and submitting payroll taxes can be extremely complex. SurePayroll removes this burden for small businesses by:
- Automatically calculating federal, state, and local payroll taxes
- Filing all necessary returns
- Depositing taxes on the business’s behalf
- Providing audit support
Rather than risking costly payroll tax mistakes or noncompliance, SurePayroll ensures payroll taxes are handled accurately and legally.
Ease of Use
Between tracking hours, calculating wages, withholding taxes, reporting, and paying employees, running payroll can demand significant time and effort. SurePayroll streamlines payroll processing through:
- User-friendly web interface
- Mobile access
- Simple payroll workflows
- Employee self-service portal
- US-based customer support
With SurePayroll, business owners can run payroll in just minutes. The platform reduces administrative workload so small businesses can focus their efforts on core operations and growth.
Payroll Features in Depth
SurePayroll offers a comprehensive suite of payroll management features to help small businesses pay employees and comply with tax regulations.
Payroll Processing
SurePayroll allows businesses to set up customized payroll schedules, whether weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. The system supports paying employees through:
- Hourly wages
- Salaries
- Tips
- Bonuses
- Reimbursements
- Commissions
- More
With customizable pay types and frequencies, SurePayroll adapts to a wide range of small business payroll needs and employee payment structures.
Direct Deposit
On payday, SurePayroll can automatically transfer employee net pay to their designated bank accounts through direct deposit. This convenient feature ensures employees reliably receive their wages on time without having to physically collect printed checks.
Key advantages include:
- Employees gain immediate access to their pay on the scheduled date
- Businesses save on check printing and mailing costs
- Payroll funds reach employees even if they are traveling or working remotely
Enrollment is simple through the SurePayroll online dashboard or mobile app.
Tax Filing and Payments
SurePayroll handles the complex tasks of calculating, filing, and paying federal, state, and local payroll taxes on the business's behalf. Services include:
- Automatic calculation of income taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and other tax withholdings
- Electronic filing and payment of quarterly and annual payroll tax returns
- Depositing taxes to the relevant government agencies by each due date
- Providing on-demand access to tax documents and payment histories
By managing payroll taxes end-to-end, SurePayroll reduces administrative overhead for small business owners. The automated compliance features also minimize legal risks related to inaccurate tax filings and late payments.
sbb-itb-beb59a9
Integrations and Partnerships
SurePayroll offers seamless integration with top accounting platforms and HRIS systems to streamline payroll and employee data management.
Accounting Software Integrations
SurePayroll provides direct integration with popular small business accounting platforms like QuickBooks Online and Xero. This allows easy, automated transfer of payroll data like paychecks, taxes, deductions and more into the accounting system.
Key benefits include:
- Real-time syncing: Payroll data transfers automatically after each payroll run for up-to-date financial reporting.
- Accuracy: Automation eliminates manual data entry errors.
- Simplicity: Easy setup with no coding or IT required.
Supported platforms:
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
HRIS Integrations
In addition to accounting platforms, SurePayroll partners with HRIS systems like BambooHR for simplified employee record sharing.
This enables:
- Automatic transfer of employee and payroll information between the HR platform and SurePayroll.
- Streamlined maintenance of employee profiles in one centralized system.
- Reduced double data entry and chances for errors.
Key platforms:
- BambooHR
- Namely
- Zenefits
By integrating with HRIS and accounting systems, SurePayroll removes major administrative burdens for overworked small business owners and managers. The platform handles the heavy lifting of data transfers so you can focus on running your business.
SurePayroll Mobile Apps
SurePayroll offers user-friendly mobile apps for iOS and Android to give business owners and managers secure access to payroll tasks while on the go.
Key Mobile Features
The key features of SurePayroll's mobile apps include:
- Remote employee payments - Initiate direct deposits or print checks remotely to ensure employees get paid on time.
- Payroll reports - View, download, and share payroll summaries, tax reports, and other documents.
- Tax forms - Access, manage, and send annual tax forms like W-2s and 1099s.
- Notifications - Get alerts for upcoming tasks like approving timesheets or processing payroll.
- Touch ID support - Use fingerprint authentication for quick, secure access instead of typing passwords.
By centralizing these critical payroll capabilities into a mobile experience, SurePayroll makes it simple for managers to handle payroll tasks efficiently from anywhere.
App Security
SurePayroll prioritizes security in its mobile apps to protect sensitive business and employee data. Safeguards include:
- Passcode protection - Set up a numeric passcode to restrict app access.
- Touch ID support - Use Apple's Touch ID or fingerprint unlock on Android for faster access.
- Data encryption - All data transmission and storage uses modern encryption to prevent unauthorized access.
- Secure login - Login credentials are validated on secure servers, not directly on the mobile device.
With robust encryption, limited local data storage, and secure transmission practices, businesses can feel confident using SurePayroll's mobile apps to manage payroll on the go without compromising security.
Customer Support Resources
SurePayroll offers comprehensive customer support resources to help businesses get the most out of their payroll services.
Phone and Email Support
All SurePayroll customers have access to US-based phone and email support 24/7. Customers are assigned a dedicated payroll specialist who handles their account and is available to answer questions by phone or email at any time.
Some key features of SurePayroll's phone and email support include:
- Dedicated US-based payroll specialist assigned to each customer
- Available 24/7 by phone and email
- Quick response times - many issues resolved in just one call
- Payroll specialists have 5+ years experience on average
This level of dedicated support ensures customers can get payroll questions answered accurately and quickly when needed.
Knowledge Base and Training
In addition to live support, SurePayroll provides an extensive self-service payroll knowledge base and customized onboarding training.
The key highlights of these self-service resources include:
- Searchable knowledge base with hundreds of help articles on payroll topics
- On-demand training courses that cover getting started with SurePayroll, processing payroll, year-end tasks, and more
- Customized onboarding plan based on the customer's payroll needs and experience level
- Webinars and video tutorials on advanced payroll features and year-end preparation
These resources allow customers to learn at their own pace and minimize reliance on live support. Whether customers prefer learning through articles, courses, or videos, SurePayroll has a self-service option available.
With dedicated account management, 24/7 live support, and robust self-service resources, SurePayroll strives to provide exceptional assistance to customers of all types and experience levels. Their customer support offering is designed to help businesses handle payroll effectively while spending less time troubleshooting issues.
Conclusion and Recommendation
SurePayroll provides an affordable, accurate, and reliable payroll service tailored to meet the needs of small businesses.
Affordable Pricing
SurePayroll offers competitive pricing scaled for small business budgets. Their plans start at just $45 per month plus $4 per employee, with volume discounts available. There are no hidden fees or long-term contracts.
Top Payroll Accuracy
Automation and dedicated support result in highly accurate payroll processing by SurePayroll. They guarantee accurate tax calculations and filings to avoid penalties. Customers can also run test payrolls for peace of mind.
Industry-Leading Service
With strong customer service ratings, SurePayroll delivers exceptional overall value. They provide U.S.-based phone, email, and chat support as well as an online knowledge base. Their 4.7-star rating shows they prioritize customer satisfaction.
In summary, SurePayroll's customized payroll services provide an affordable, hassle-free solution for small business owners to pay employees accurately and on time. Their competitive pricing, stellar accuracy, and top-notch customer service make them a great choice for managing payroll.
