Wave Payroll Review Pricing, Comparisons, and FAQs

wave payroll

Rather, you’ll set them up as Vendors on the main Wave site, specifying that they’re 1099-MISC Contractors so you can create those forms every January. The Vendor link is accessible from the same navigation tool that contains links to payroll functions; it’s just not included as a function under Payroll. To further work on your payroll run, you must click Review this Payroll in the upper-right corner. You then see a list of employees along with any pay you’ve already documented; click Details to see a list of withholding items for that employee. Here, finally, you’ll see a list of employees with the hours worked that have already been entered. Click Edit Hours if you need to add or change any time entries you’ve already created and Add Pay if you haven’t yet entered additional pay items.

  • Wave generates revenue through payment processing; when a client pays an invoice created with the platform, the company charges a credit card fee.
  • I like that it’s completely free and has many easy aspects of adding receipts, reporting, tracking your expenses, bank accounts and more.
  • It is not easily accessible I.e wave payroll don’t have an app that work on Andriod and IOS devices.
  • Wave Payroll also lacks benefits add-ons beyond workers compensation packages.
  • For contractors, the process of adding independent contract workers into its system is slightly different.

Onboarding new employees is easy with Wave Payroll, thanks to the self-serve employee portal. Your workers can complete their profiles, enter personal and tax deduction info themselves and they can view pay stubs and tax forms by logging into the system. Pricing for Wave Payroll is a bit different in that you pay either $20 or $35 per month as a base payment, depending on the state in which you’re running payroll.

Wave Financial

It will be your responsibility to ensure that taxes after the month you cancel are submitted and filed to the applicable agencies. Wave Payroll also offers plan downgrade and cancellation options, including a Limited Access tier that allows you to temporarily pause payroll. While Wave Payroll does offer a few customer support options, including email support and chatbot support, they’re not necessarily reliable. We tried to ask a question through the chatbot feature and didn’t receive a helpful response. You may have better luck seeking support via the self-service Help Center.

wave payroll

Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the vendor or bank advertiser. It is not the vendor or bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. Wave Payroll’s security measures are on par with those of banking institutions. Wave Payroll doesn’t publish a list of its integrations but does integrate with Google Sheets and Zapier, which functions as a bridge to over 1,000 applications.

Developed with smaller businesses in mind, Wave Payroll offers basic payroll capability. Designed to be used in conjunction with Wave Accounting, Wave Payroll lets small business owners easily pay their employees. With Wave Payroll, businesses can customize their payroll schedules.

Tax Support

Both QuickBooks Payroll and Wave Payroll lack compliance management, but Wave Payroll features a detailed employee portal, which QuickBooks Payroll lacks. Check out our Gusto review or SurePayroll review for comparable options with stronger payroll features and HR support. Each of these Wave Payroll alternatives offers more support and operates in more states than Wave. Wave Payroll’s full-service payroll tax support is currently only available in 14 states, but there are goals to expand full-service options nationwide in the future. For contractors, the process of adding independent contract workers into its system is slightly different.

  • The point-and-click interface is structured so that even novices can dish out paychecks stress-free.
  • All feedback, positive or negative, helps us to improve the way we help small businesses.
  • It’s not uncommon for payroll software to offer self-serve onboarding for employees.
  • Let’s cut to the chase; the platform doesn’t provide worker benefit packages.
  • However, Wave Payroll’s help center is fully-fledged and consistently updated.
  • You can also click on the Review this Payroll button to take a look at your current payroll, with the total payroll amount displayed prominently.

Wave’s payroll software is accurate, includes direct deposit, tax forms and has all the tools you need to run your business. TriNet Zenefits is also more affordable than How to Calculate Depreciation Rate % From Depreciation Amount, with a base monthly price of $16.00 for its payroll-inclusive plan, compared to $20.00. With a base price of $40.00 per month, Gusto is the costlier option compared to Wave’s base price of $20.00. Gusto is a reliable software, as is Wave, but Gusto features multi-state payroll functions, automatic net-to-gross calculations, and lifetime accounts for employees, which Wave Payroll lacks. While Wave’s main product is its free accounting platform, Wave Payroll is a paid, mid-tier solution that is equipped with standard features like automatic payments and multi-state filing. Although Wave Payroll lacks the flexibility of different payroll schedules, it is still a budget-friendly solution for small businesses.

Services

The platform lacks advanced abilities, like talent and performance management and advanced data analytics. But beyond the aesthetic visuals, this small-business payroll software is limited. Its lack of support outside the United States and Canada is a dealbreaker for global organizations. Plus, there are no advanced capabilities such as performance management. Wave Payroll runs on multiple devices, giving you access whether you’re on a desktop, laptop, or utilizing mobile devices such as Android or Apple smartphones.

Among the few complaints are a step-heavy process to set up certain benefits, a long lead time to run payroll and difficulty running an extra payroll cycle. There are also a few complaints about inadequate customer service to resolve certain issues. It was easy for me to add bank accounts and integrate other key extensions. I prefer this over Xero only because it’s free and easy to use on both mobile and desktop. It’s packed with many things that I still have to explore when I get the chance. I think everyone should give this software a shot before they decide on moving on to a paid platform.

Second, you can also «Add to Pay» as described above in the Employee’s records if the worker is slated to receive a bonus, commission, or other emolument. If you’re not using Wave Accounting, you’d be better served using another payroll services provider. Wave Payroll currently only offers chat support, though a good knowledge base with numerous payroll-related articles and step-by-step instructions is also available. For less urgent inquiries, you can also submit a support request directly from the Wave website.

We also check the provider’s customer support and whether it offers unlimited pay runs, multiple pay options, full-service payroll, and tax filing services. If you’re on the Tax Service States plan but prefer to handle payroll tax payments and filings yourself, Wave Payroll will allow you to downgrade your plan. You still have to pay the $40 base fee per month (plus the per-employee costs) even if you opt not to get the provider’s automated tax filing services. Gusto’s payroll software offers small businesses features for managing employee pay and more. Its plans offer a variety of features that let you pick what you need to support your business.

Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface. Additionally, competitive analysis was conducted to understand how Wave Payroll stands compared to industry peers. And unlike Wave Payroll, Square Payroll is tailored for businesses that employ both salaried employees and hourly workers who might earn tips. This niche appeal ensures that payroll computations are accurate and compliant in tip-heavy industries.

Wave Payroll Review 2023

Businesses that use Wave Payroll are generally happy about their experience. The software receives 4.2/5 stars on Capterra (based on 56 ratings). However, despite its simplicity, onboarding new employees can be a bit cumbersome, although Wave has a self-onboarding option for companies to offer to employees. If you are already accustomed to Wave Accounting, Wave Payroll’s cloud-based system will seem familiar and easy to get used to. Wave Payroll is great for those needing a simple interface, intuitive categories, and not a ton of ways to get turned around inside of a program. If you use Wave Accounting, you can view even more reports, such as profits and loss, cash flow, sales tax, and account transactions.

Payroll by Wave Technical Details

Wave is an excellent option for payroll and accounting software for small businesses. Wave’s entire mission is to bring robust accounting, payments, and payroll programs to more small businesses. If you already love using Wave’s free accounting software and don’t mind a simple payroll system without a ton of robust features, Wave’s payroll software could be a solid, inexpensive fit. However, that’s not to say that Wave Payroll is bad payroll software.

There are currently 13 different reports available, and only two are specific to payroll. Wave Payroll offers all the basic features necessary to run payroll but not much else. In addition to changing personal information, you can update the workers’ employment status from active to inactive.

Patriot Software Full Service Payroll

Payroll itself isn’t automated, but it is easy to set up Wave Payroll with your pay schedules and get reminders to run payroll on time. Employees and contract workers can set up their profiles and taxes themselves in an employee portal, and they’ll get paid three days after you process payroll if they choose direct deposit. Wave’s optional paid features include online payment processing, payroll software, and access to personalized bookkeeping services and coaching through Wave Advisors. If you’re interested in using payroll software, you can start a free 30-day trial when you sign up for Wave. Users can use this payroll processing software with little to zero experience in running payrolls. You will find step-by-step instructions for most of the processes.

This is because all payroll-related expenses incurred in Wave Payroll will automatically post in your Wave Accounting general ledger (G/L). Wave Payroll also includes an easy setup process and offers some nice features, including an employee access feature. Wave Payroll offers basic payroll processing capability and is best suited for smaller businesses with fewer than five employees who are currently using or planning to use Wave Accounting. It’s also a good fit for businesses that pay seasonal employees. Wave Payroll is cloud-based payroll software designed to help small business owners simplify and automate payroll processes while remaining compliant with taxes and deductions.