Compare OnPay Payroll Service

Updated Dec 21, 2021


OnPay is touted as one of the best payroll services for small businesses, but what does it offer that other companies don't? Can it really help your business? Today we'll be taking an in-depth look at OnPay to see how it measures up to the competition. Let's get started.

Why Use OnPay Service?

OnPay only offers one plan option and the costs scale as you increase the number of employees in the system-no matter what you pay, you get the same features.

This transparent pricing system makes it easy to know what you can expect to pay. Accurate budgeting is crucial for any small business, and mistakes can have serious consequences for the cash flow outlook of a company. OnPay's base plan ensures you get access to all the features you need, and the cost only increases if your business grows.

However, you will pay extra for employee benefits such as health care, insurance, and retirement plans. The cost of these add-ons depend on the type of benefits you choose, but OnPay has an excellent partner network of benefits companies, so you're sure to find something that works with your company's budget.

You can also go with the free trial option to give OnPay a try risk-free before making a financial commitment. The trial is available for 30 days and only takes a few minutes to set up. Fill out a form, verify your email, and enter employee data to get started.

OnPay will handle the rest free of charge. Their customer service agents provide reliable, accurate data entry-a huge plus since the data entered impacts your employees' lives! The trial package also has tools to handles taxes and form completion for daily business operations.

The free trial offers an accurate impression of what you can expect if you decide to keep your subscription, allowing you to make an informed decision about whether OnPay's payroll system is the right choice for your business.

Compare OnPay Prices

Looking to cut costs and wondering who is the cheapest online payroll service? OnPay is a top contender when it comes to pricing. The service only costs $36 per month and an extra $4 per month for each employee added to the system.

Meaning, as an example, if your business has ten employees, the cost would be $76 per month ($36 base plus $4 per employee). If you have 100 employees, you will pay $436 per month. In either case, you'd enjoy the same great benefits.

Even better, since the cost only increases as the number of employees you have increases, your payroll overhead will always be relative to the size of your operations. It also makes OnPay and affordable option if you run a small company with a limited budget.

The per-employee cost also only applies to workers that receive payment for that month. As a result, your costs decrease if you need to scale down for a month due to a lack of business. However, the base fee stays regardless of how many workers are getting paid.

There are no hidden costs when using OnPay. You can execute unlimited monthly pay runs, do data migration, or change the integrations on your account without paying anything extra. You have the flexibility to play around with the system until you are happy without worrying about incurring fees.

On top of that, you can use the set of HR tools for free to look after your employees. They are a great bonus if you don't have an HR department.

How do OnPay prices compare with competitors, then? Overall, OnPay's prices are about average compared with competing payroll systems. For example, Gusto Payroll charges $6 per employee and has a base price of $39. Quickbooks Plus Payroll has a base price of $13.50 per month and charges $4 per employee.

The cost per employee for each option can create significant price differences as your business grows. However, while your business is small, the monthly cost of each payroll system will be similar.

Since initial pricing is so similar, features are the best way to differentiate between payroll systems. Create a list of features that are most important to your business. Then look for a payroll system that ticks all or the majority of those boxes.

One simple fee for payroll
First month and Free Setup
Free Account Migration
One fee. All our services
76.00
Average Bill/Month
@ 10 Employees
4.00
per employee/mo
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OnPay Payroll Features

OnPay is an all-in-one payroll solution. Its impressive range of features allows you to execute all your payroll tasks from one interface. You don't need to invest in additional software or outsource any aspect of payroll management. Here are a few noteworthy OnPay features:
  • Tax filing: OnPay sets aside state and federal taxes. At the end of the year, the system automatically sends taxes and relevant documents, removing the burden of figuring out how much tax to pay.
  • Unlimited payroll reports: You can run payroll as often as you need and won't have to pay anything extra. Payroll can also be set up separately for different employees. For example, if you have some employees on salary and some paid hourly.
  • Different contracts: The system can handle payroll for 1099 workers and W-2 employees, and you can print tax forms and paychecks using one system.
  • Direct payment: OnPay lets you use debit and credit cards for direct payments with no fees. That way, workers get money on time, and you can choose the payment schedule and pay rate for each employee. The program has the flexibility to meet the unique needs of each employee on the system.
  • Mobile optimization: Want to handle payroll on the go? OnPay offers an intuitive, mobile-optimized website to execute basic payroll tasks. This convenience means you can follow up on payroll issues in any location with an internet connection.
  • Garnishments: Deducting or stopping garnishments from net pay is easy using OnPay. The automated approach allows you to set rules to apply or remove garnishment programs and let the system handle it from there.
  • Unemployment insurance withholding: Unemployment insurance payments are deducted from wages and stored separately. These are processed automatically, which includes company contributions.
  • 40+ payroll reports: Want to monitor your payroll based on different filters? OnPay provides filters such as department, location, and employment type. Reports help business managers keep track of internal finances, which helps with cash flow and being aware of workforce costs.

The list above represents the general features most businesses will find beneficial. However, there are many more. The specific features that will benefit you the most will depend on the nature of your business. Flexibility is one of OnPay's key strengths. The range of features provided means you can set up a payroll system that works best for you.

No matter what you decide, OnPay's customer service agents are trained by the American Payroll Association and can help with free site migrations and show you how to use platform features. Their award-winning customer service team is available by chat, phone, and email.

OnPay Integrations

Software integrations allow you to expand the functionality of OnPay. For example, payroll software benefits from having attendance data. OnPay can calculate the amount of money owed to a specific employee with attendance data. This simple integration reduces manual labor and improves the efficiency of your business by eliminating the need to add attendance data to the payroll system manually. Integrations also prevent mistakes as programmed software is doing the work. Imagine an employee is underpaid by 5% for months due to a data entry error. What problems could that situation cause? A lost employee? Legal complications? Avoid costly mistakes like these by utilizing the advantages of OnPay software integrations. OnPay allows integrations with software such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, TSheets, Tanda, ThinkHR, PosterElite, Magnify, and more. Explore each of these to see how you can simplify your payroll set-up. OnPay continuously updates their integration list to provide even more flexibility, too, so you never have to worry about your system becoming outdated. Many integration options provide the same functionality. However, the choice to pick the integration you want is beneficial if you spot unique features that appeal to your business.

OnPay Ad Ons

Do you want to give your employees various types of benefits? OnPay provides the functionality to add benefits and give your employees an extra reason to work for your company. You can add the following employee benefits: ? Health and dental: Provide employees with health and dental plans to give them peace of mind. These plans could help attract top talent in a fiercely competitive market. OnPay can also help you choose the plan that's a good fit for your business. You'll get access to top providers such as BlueCross, BlueShield, Anthem, Humana, Guardian, United Healthcare, and Atena. ? 401K retirement plans: Employees will be happier to work for your company with a retirement plan. OnPay provides insurance quotes from employee census data. ? Insurance: OnPay is also an insurance agency. They can provide several excellent packages for businesses that want to offer their employees insurance. The insurance details will depend on the nature of your business. For instance, construction sites may need coverage for equipment and injuries, but a taxi driver may need insurance for car crashes. Adding and removing benefits can be done at any time. You can also add unique benefits for individual employees. It's a good feature if your employees have different benefits based on contract negotiations.

OnPay Screen Shots

OnPay Video Demo

OnPay Video Demo 5

Top 5 OnPay Complaints

OnPay offers a lot of value to set up a fully functioning payroll system. However, there are a few drawbacks worth knowing about. Discovering limitations now avoids nasty surprises in the future. Here are the top five limitations of OnPay:

  1. No mobile app: Nowadays, employees expect companies to provide a complimentary mobile app alongside desktop-based platforms. Unfortunately, OnPay does not offer a mobile app. The website offers mobile optimization, but that's not the same as having a dedicated app.
  2. Charge for mail: You'll need to pay a charge for having any end of year forms mailed. Consider manually handing out these documents in the office to avoid this small charge.
  3. Not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB): The BBB is an organization focused on building marketplace trust. They rate businesses to give customers unbiased information. OnPay isn't BBB accredited, which deals a small blow to their credibility. However, they do have an A rating.
  4. Lots of scrolling: The website has a long structure, which means you need to scroll quite far to reach all info. It might be frustrating if you are using a small monitor or smartphone.
  5. More integrations: OnPay offers good integration options, but more could be added.

The drawbacks above won't be a deal-breaker for most businesses interested in using OnPay as their payroll system. However, being aware of the limitations before buying allows you to address them to minimize the negative effects.

Top 5 OnPay Pros

Despite some of these negative experiences that were just mentioned, OnPay is one of the names that come up when people ask "Who are the largest online payroll companies?" Among these payroll giants, OnPay is potentially the cheapest online payroll service for the full set of features that they offer.

OnPay offers many advantages, and it could take a lot of word count to list them all here, so we'll just share the top five.

  1. All-in-one payroll system: You don't need to use other payroll systems when you use OnPay. It offers enough features to handle all payroll and tax requirements-OnPay really thought of everything.
  2. Automated: OnPay handles tasks automatically, which means you can achieve a set and forget format. The software can set aside taxes and send them off with the appropriate documents. Want to give your employees benefits? Choose the benefits you want to give each employee, and that becomes automated too.
  3. Excellent user interface: OnPay offers an intuitive UX design that has a low learning curve. You'll get the hang of using the system shortly after installation. However, there are a lot of features to use with OnPay, so you may still need to set aside some time to learn the ones that are relevant to your business.
  4. Retirement health plans: OnPay offers the ability to provide retirement plans for your employees, and their range of health providers allows you to choose the perfect match for your company's needs.
  5. Fantastic customer service: Do you need help setting up your payroll system? Not sure what insurance plan to choose? OnPay has you covered! Their professionally trained customer service team is always willing to answer any questions you may have-whether you need help with the software or making choices to adjust your settings.

While all the above are great benefits, one of our favorite perks of choosing OnPay is the free payroll service set-up option. The hardest part of using a payroll system is the startup process. There is a lot of company data to enter, and it must be done accurately to avoid incorrect payments. During set-up, OnPay offers an accurate data entry service for free. They even take responsibility for mistakes, giving you the peace of mind that the job will be done right.

Summing It Up: Does OnPay Measure Up to the Competition?

OnPay's pricing is on par with its competitors-the extensive list of features is what sets it apart. This payroll system is an excellent choice for business of all sizes, whether you don't have a payroll department or just want to streamline operations in the department you have.