Paychex Flex: Is It the Right Payroll Software for Your Business?

Paychex Flex is a payroll system that allows you to manage your company’s payroll on the go, in real-time. It integrates with other third party software like Quickbooks and Paycor. Using this software will allow companies more control over their finances but it comes at a cost of time and money.

Paychex Flex is a payroll software for small businesses. It has many features that make it easy to use, and it’s compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.

Paychex Flex is a cloud-based platform for managing payroll, benefits, and HR operations for small to medium-sized organizations. It’s the best payroll software for organizations in fast expansion since it’s readily expandable and comes with customizable options to accommodate your expanding HR and payroll demands. It also has mobile applications (for iOS and Android) that allow you to access payroll and HR functions on the go.

Paychex Flex is a great place to start.

What Paychex Flex Is Good For

Paychex Flex is one of the most highly rated and top payroll services for companies of all sizes, and we’ve analyzed and compared hundreds of HR and payroll solutions. It provides tools for onboarding new workers, paying employees and contractors, administering benefits, and managing online training programs in order to help employees grow. Paychex also offers professional employer organization (PEO) services to businesses who need expert help with day-to-day HR activities. This supplier featured in numerous of our buyer’s recommendations, from best nanny payroll to HR payroll software and top payroll solution for accountants, due to its feature-rich solution suite.

In a nutshell, Paychex Flex is the best option for:

• Paychex Flex includes a variety of options and features that are intended to expand with your company. Paychex Solo is a good place to start for solopreneurs, and if their business grows, they can upgrade to Paychex Flex’s beginning plan, which includes full-service payroll, new hire reporting, and payroll tax administration. If their company grows, they may upgrade to Paychex Flex, which offers extra HR tools and support, such as new recruit onboarding, background screening, Management of Learning, and access to a dedicated payroll professional.
• Companies having staff in several states: Paychex Flex allows for multi-location payroll and tax processing, as well as compliance. In addition to health insurance and other advantages, it is available in all 50 states.
• Paychex placed high on our list of top restaurant payroll software because their system is sophisticated enough to handle the payroll demands of restaurants and even retail enterprises (such as tip reporting and different pay rates). You may also monitor the real hours worked by hourly workers and utilize the time data to pay staff if you purchase the time and attendance add-on.
• Companies with a high risk of workplace injuries and layoffs include: Many small firms, particularly those in the construction and manufacturing industries, find managing workers’ compensation to be a nightmare. Workers’ compensation is one of the insurance policies offered by Paychex Flex (although this costs extra). If you subscribe to its top tier, it also offers state unemployment insurance (SUI) services, which include regular monitoring of SUI laws.
• Businesses in need of PEO services: Paychex PEO, which is on our list of the finest PEO businesses, relieves you of the strain of managing HR and payroll responsibilities by handling them for you. Paychex Flex is also used to handle employee benefits, onboarding new hires, and other HR activities.

When Paychex Flex Isn’t the Right Fit

• Companies employing exclusively 1099 contract employees: Paychex Flex does not yet provide a more inexpensive contractor-only payroll package, despite the fact that many industry analysts believe independent contractor growth is surpassing employee recruiting. Gusto or Square Payroll both feature low-cost contractor-only plans ($6 and $5 per contractor monthly, respectively) if you’re mostly paying contractors. Check out our top selections for contractor payroll services for more possibilities.
• Small enterprises that do not intend to expand in the near future: Paychex Flex provides with HR features that you may not require if you don’t expect to expand your firm. It includes scalable plans meant to grow with your company. If you operate a tiny company and simply require basic HR capabilities and payroll processing, see our guide to small business payroll software to discover a better match.

Are you looking for something unique? Our guide to the finest HRIS software will help you select a service or solution that’s ideal for your company if you need to manage employee data throughout the employee lifecycle.

Overview of Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex is a great place to start.

Flex Pricing at Paychex

Paychex Flex has three options (Essentials, Select, and Pro), all of which start at $39 a month + $5 per employee. Access to sophisticated payroll and HR tools and support, such as onboarding, Management of Learning, SUI services, and a dedicated payroll professional, is the primary distinction.

*There may be additional charges.

These services are provided free of charge by Paychex Flex:

• Electronically deposit salary payments to prepaid cards using the pay card payment option.
• Employee financial wellness program: Tools and instructional courses to assist workers in achieving their financial objectives.
• Expert help in locating and applying for tax credits that your company may be eligible for.
• Employee assistance program (EAP): Assists workers in resolving personal concerns that may be interfering with their professional performance.

Features of Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex includes the tools you need to compute earnings and deductions as well as generate the needed tax forms for both W-2 and 1099 workers for year-end reporting, whether you’re paying employees or contractors. While certain of its services and solutions have additional costs (such as workers’ compensation and W-2/1099 tax filings), it may save you time by eliminating the need to handle these tasks yourself while also assuring compliance with federal requirements. Here are some of its most important characteristics.

Payroll

Paychex Flex’s major function is online payroll processing. It may process pay for hourly and salaried employees, as well as contract personnel. It accepts employee payments through pay cards and paychecks in addition to direct deposits. Paychecks with signature and stuffing services, on the other hand, are only offered in the company’s highest levels.

Paychex Flex offers three alternative pay input methods, one of which includes a grid view for quick data entering. You may also personalize your earnings and deductions, and the system will figure out the appropriate amounts for you. Wage garnishments are also deducted and submitted to the proper authorities on a regular basis.

Paychex Flex also makes payroll administration simple with its mobile app (for iOS and Android devices). It’s one of our top small company payroll applications because it allows you to continue pay processing that you began on your computer and submit payroll instantly from your smartphone or tablet—as long as you have an internet connection.

The Payroll Center in Paychex Flex displays your current and future pay periods, making it simple to initiate and stop pay runs. (Paychex source)

Taxes on Wages

Paychex Flex can manage federal, state, and local Taxes on Wages. Its payroll tax administration services cover tax calculations, form filings, and payments to the applicable agencies—although some of these services may require add-on fees. To help you file accurate taxes, Paychex offers compliance support to ensure you’re up-to-date and comply with the latest regulations and tax rulings. It can even help you find tax credits that your business may qualify for.

Tracking of Time

Paychex Flex Time is a paid add-on that monitors paid time off, captures employee clock-ins/outs, and maintains staff scheduling (PTO). Time is collected using biometric and face verification technologies, which prohibit buddy punching and time theft. Paychex Time is a smartphone app that allows workers to clock in and out, move jobs or assignments, and seek PTO. Its geolocation function may help you verify the whereabouts of personnel who are clocking in, and its geofencing skills enable you to build up virtual perimeters around approved locations where your staff are permitted to punch in, which is useful for those tracking the hours spent by field staff.

Employees may submit time card and time-related pay adjustment requests to their manager for approval using Paychex Flex Time. (Paychex source)

HR Tools

You may utilize a digital library of HR and business forms with Paychex Flex’s HR solutions. The Paychex Flex Pro plan comes with a limited number of background screenings if you need to do background checks on suitable individuals who fulfill your hiring standards. You also receive onboarding features, which allow your new recruits to submit needed papers online, such as direct deposit and tax forms, in addition to new hire reports.

You may also store documents such as corporate rules and forms on its site. You also receive an online employee handbook builder with choices to produce Microsoft Word or PDF file documents for simple distribution if you subscribe to Paychex Flex’s top tier.

Your new recruits may use Paychex Flex’s onboarding service to access papers, forms, and rules that they need to fill out or review. (Paychex source)

Management of Learning

Paychex Flex provides online learning classes to help your employees improve the skills they need to thrive at work. This feature may help improve staff engagement and retention in addition to increasing employee growth.

Integrations with Third-Party Software

Accounting, HR, banking, insurance, retirement, and time clock systems are all compatible with Paychex Flex. Here are a few of the company’s partner solutions:

• Glassdoor, Indeed, SimplyHired, BambooHR, HireRight, and TalentReef are some of the best sites for hiring and HR.
• Deputy, OnShift, and TIMECO are three companies that track time and attendance.
• Aetna, AIG, Ameritas, Cigna, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, and Vanguard are among the companies that provide retirement and health benefits.
• QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, SAP, and Xero are examples of financial and accounting software.
• POSITION: Clover
• Chase, Capital Bank, Bank of America, and US Bank are among the banking institutions.

Ease of Use with Paychex Flex

• For new customers, data migration services are provided.
• Customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from professionals in the United States.
• Support is available by phone, chat, and email.
• You’ll have access to a dedicated payroll expert.
• HR forms and business papers library
• Help articles and how-to guides

A Paychex Flex Essentials account is simple to open online. If you prefer the Select or Pro versions, you’ll need to speak with a customer service professional who can assist you in creating your own personalized plan. Its system is simple to set up, particularly if you simply have a few employees. Of course, if you have a large number of workers to add with various payment forms, it will take longer. If necessary, Paychex Flex may even assist you in setting up your account or migrating your data.

Those who subscribe to Paychex Flex Select and Pro have access to a dedicated payroll support professional. This means you can reach out to a payroll specialist who is familiar with your company’s pay processing requirements and can promptly respond to your phone and email inquiries. If you’re on Paychex’s basic tier and have questions about its features, you may look for how-to manuals or contact Paychex’s 24/7 customer service (via phone, chat, and email).

Paychex Flex: What Users Have to Say

Paychex Flex is typically straightforward to use and set up, according to users who wrote online evaluations. They also said that the system is user-friendly for employees and that it is easy to access since it is housed online. However, several people said they couldn’t get in touch with a customer support professional to get assistance with particular concerns like taxes.

Paychex Flex reviews received the following ratings on prominent user review sites at the time of publication:

Alternatives to Paychex Flex

If you’ve reduced your search to a few payroll providers but are still undecided, see our guide to selecting the best payroll solution.

When Should Paychex’s PEO Services Be Considered?

Paychex’s PEO services are a good option if you wish to outsource your company’s critical HR operations. It comes with a full variety of HR services, including big group benefit rates and HR professionals that help you remain compliant with laws and regulations. It’s ideal for developing businesses with limited HR assistance and at least five workers. Let’s take a look at some of its most important PEO services.

• experts in human resources: These experts can provide tailored suggestions and advise based on your company’s goals, risk tolerance, and requirements. They may also help you update your business rules, as well as develop and manage a corporate culture plan to increase employee engagement. If your company is subject to OSHA regulations (such as manufacturing or dealing with chemicals), having a designated safety representative will come in useful. This service will assist you in complying with OSHA laws and maintaining control over your workers’ compensation insurance.
• Employee benefits and insurance plans are available via Paychex PEO, including health insurance, dental, vision, 401(k) plans, and health benefits accounts (such as FSA, dependent care FSA, HSA, HRA). Paychex Flex will also help you manage these benefits, ensuring that deductions and premium payments go smoothly. State unemployment insurance (SUI) administration, employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), and cyber liability insurance are also accessible.

PEO Pricing at Paychex

The cost of Paychex PEO vary based on your region and the amount of workers you have. It costs a fixed payment per employee rather than a percentage of payroll, making it more cost-effective if you have high-paid personnel on staff.

Conclusion

Paychex Flex can grow with you, whether you’re a solopreneur or a small firm looking to develop to a midsize or big operation in the near future. It offers the skills and resources to help your firm expand, having provided HR and payroll solutions and services for over 45 years. It offers a comprehensive set of HR tools for managing the whole employee lifetime, from recruitment to retirement.

Sign up for a free Paychex Flex demonstration right now.

Paychex Flex is a great place to start.

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Paychex Flex is a payroll software that allows small businesses to manage their payroll with ease. The software is available for both Mac and Windows computers, and it also comes with a mobile app. Reference: payroll services for small business.

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