Choosing Payroll Software

Criteria: Choosing Payroll Software

Five articles. Narrow first, then one criterion at a time in weight order. Then the Playbook, if you want to run it with your team.

Articles in this series

How to choose payroll software before you sit through a single demo

A six-gate method for narrowing payroll software for a small business in Canada or the USA. Write the shape, run gate 0, pick the rung, then run the gates.

The pay run: the sixteen questions that decide whether payroll software belongs on your list

The weight-5 criterion for choosing payroll software. Sixteen questions on overtime, stat pay, contractors, multi-province or multi-state runs, corrections and approvals.

The filings: what payroll software files for you, and who pays when it is late

The weight-4 filings criterion for payroll software. CRA remittances, ROEs and T4s in Canada; 941, 940, W-2 and state filings in the USA. Plus the penalty clause.

The people: what your staff see every two weeks, and what the owner sees on the first

The weight-4 people criterion for choosing payroll software: employee self-service, pay stubs on a phone, onboarding, time off, support on payday, and the owner's labour report.

The deal: what payroll software actually costs at your size, next year, and on the way out

The weight-3 deal criterion for payroll software. Base and per-employee fees, year-end charges, implementation, contract term, price locks, off-cycle runs, contractor seats and float.

The tool

The Payroll Software Buyer's Playbook

Six gates. Four weighted criteria. Five platforms. Canada and USA editions.

Get the Playbook

The dispatch

One email a month. Just what we're working on.

A short note each month with every new criterion we've added. No promotions, no pitches, just a heads-up on what's in progress.