Payroll outsourcing guide for small businesses

BambooHR starts at $108 per month per employee and goes up to $180 per month per employee. In the case of Gusto, they have two monthly pricing plans priced at $40 + $6 per worker and $80 + $12 per worker. Once you’ve selected a payroll provider, you can begin the real onboarding process. Clarify the degree and depth of service you need, go through roles and responsibilities, and finalize payment terms.

  • This gives you more flexibility when choosing different levels of service for your organization.
  • When choosing a payroll outsourcing provider, it’s important to remember what’s at stake.
  • For instance, you can avoid paying for internal HR staff, which can add up with all of the salaries, benefits and trainings.
  • Paycom helps you manage not just payroll, but all HR functions, right in our single software.
  • Sage HR pricing starts at $5.50 a month per employee and goes up to $216 a month per employee for the highest-tiered plan.

The terms “payroll service provider” and “payroll services” are often used to apply to either type of organization. We recommend checking out our 2024 guides for the best cheap payroll services, best payroll services for small businesses and best PEO services. Some PEOs or Employers of Record (EORs) offer payroll outsourcing as a standalone service.

Curated Expert Table: Outsourcing Payroll – Pros and Cons List

Many workers count on getting their paychecks on a predictable schedule. Ultimately, they’ll have to live with your decision if you change payroll frequency, but you should still carefully consider the fallout. For example, a company of employees that uses well-known payroll processing companies pay up to $1,500 a month for basic services. In many cases, larger companies will receive discounted package fees, bringing the per capita payroll cost down for large employers. For small businesses—like many field service companies—this cost can make a bigger difference.

  • Follow our step-by-step guide to identify and hire the right processing provider, ensure a smooth transition and optimize your payroll functions and requirements for the perfect offer and long-term success.
  • What’s more  it can take up many work hours when all related tasks are included.
  • Customization can drive up costs, but it ensures that the payroll system aligns perfectly with the company’s requirements.

By outsourcing payroll, you’re entrusting a third party with the data that matters most to employees. They should know what’s happening and have an opportunity to ask questions. If they have any issues about their pay, the provider should have a clear resolution strategy.

Services

These fees typically include services such as direct deposit, check signing, per-envelope stuffing, new employee reporting, and more. Additional fees can apply for payroll adjustments or emergency paychecks, so plan accordingly when choosing to outsource payroll. Payroll outsourcing certainly has advantages, but no single resource has the ability to point a company toward guaranteed success with payroll management.

Ways to save on outsourcing payroll costs

This gives you more flexibility when choosing different levels of service for your organization. As with all things in the business world, it’s a good idea to have a budget before committing. The great news is that full-service payroll outsourcing doesn’t have to be expensive. Chances are, that’s a fraction of the cost of the time you might spend on payroll if you’re doing it yourself.

What Is Outsource School?

Some of the biggest payroll costs come from setting up a time tracking system to record employee hours, then implementing updates to that system as time goes on. If your payroll company mails paper checks to your business, you may incur additional fees for printing and delivery. Even if you get free standard delivery, additional charges for expedited or out of state deliveries may apply. If you’re considering outsourcing your payroll service, it may also be a good idea to consider taking your payments system to the next level. Find out more about how GoCardless helps to take recurring payments and invoice payments.

Different figures doesn’t automatically mean they’re wrong; you just need to determine who’s right. This doesn’t mean you need to see every piece of the process, but you should never be cut out of it entirely. The advantages to using payroll outsourcing companies stretch further than just a phase of your business’s growth. That’s why it’s not unheard of for a company employee — like a dedicated HR pro — to verify the outsourcer’s work before payroll runs.

They will go on to report regularly on payroll performance so that you can confirm that everything is running as it should and that you are getting value from the outsourcing agreement. You will work with the service providers to get quickbooks accounting solutions them all the information they need to set up your payroll processing. This includes tax forms, job applications, worker information, payment amounts, benefits information, time sheets, and bank information for direct deposits.