Payroll Software Resources

Articles, Glossary Terms, Discussions, Topics, and Reports to expand your knowledge on Payroll Software

Resource pages are designed to give you a cross-section of information we have on specific categories. You'll find articles from our experts, feature definitions, discussions from users like you, topics to contrast viewpoints, and reports from industry data.

Contents

Payroll Software Articles

W-9 vs. 1099 Forms: What's the Difference?

Is there anything more confusing or nerve-wracking than doing your own taxes?

by Lauren Pope

Payroll Management vs. Processing: The Difference Matters

With so many options from payroll software to outside services to manage payroll, paying employees shouldn't be a challenge.

by Gabriel Gheorghiu

What Is Payroll? (+How to Do It Yourself)

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, a streamlined payroll process is crucial to keeping your employees happy and your finances in order.

by Michael Gigante

Payroll Software Glossary Terms

Payroll Management

Payroll management is an administrative process that ensures employees are financially compensated for their work. Learn more about its types and benefits.

by Holly Landis

Combat Pay

Combat pay is extra military compensation for qualifying dangerous-duty service, including hostile fire, imminent danger, and combat-zone tax benefits.

by Whitney Rudeseal Peet

HRIS

Human resource teams use HRIS solutions to manage employee data and streamline tasks. Learn about the types, best practices, and features to consider.

by Alyssa Towns

Payroll

Payroll refers to the system a company uses to manage employee compensation and payment. Learn the essential elements and best practices.

by Kelly Fiorini

In-House

In-house refers to an activity performed within an organization using its employees and resources. Learn more about its advantages and disadvantages.

by Amanda Hahn-Peters

Wage Expense

A wage expense is the cost organizations incur to pay hourly employees and contractors. Learn more about the types of wage expenses.

by Amanda Hahn-Peters

Pre-Tax Deduction

A pre-tax deduction is money subtracted from an employee’s gross pay before taxes are withheld from their paycheck. Learn the types, benefits, and rules.

by Martha Kendall Custard

Admin Services

Admin services are practices needed for employee management within an organization or industry. Learn more about admin services and best practices for HR administration.

by Keerthi Rangan

Wage Garnishment

Wage garnishment can take its toll not only on employees but also on employers. Learn more about wage garnishment, how it can impact a business, and what to do if an employee receives a garnishment of their wages.

by Mara Calvello

Payroll Software Discussions

What's the best payroll software for small businesses with under 20 employees?

I've been helping a small business owner figure out what's the best payroll software for small businesses with under 20 employees, and the trap at that size is comparing enterprise HCM suites when the actual need is simple, accurate payroll and tax filing without a dedicated HR team behind it. Here's what stood out in the Payroll category on G2.

Gusto. Built with small business in mind from the start, with payroll, benefits, and basic HR bundled without enterprise complexity. Best for small businesses wanting an all-in-one starting point.
OnPay. Straightforward flat pricing aimed squarely at small teams rather than scaling fees by feature tier. Best for owners wanting predictable, simple pricing.
Justworks. PEO model that bundles payroll with benefits and compliance support, useful for small businesses without in-house HR expertise. Best for small teams wanting compliance handled for them.
SurePayroll. Focused specifically on small business and household payroll, with less overhead than platforms built for larger headcounts. Best for very small teams and household employers.
Paychex. Offers a small business tier alongside its larger enterprise offerings, useful if you expect to outgrow 20 employees relatively soon. Best for small businesses anticipating fast growth.

Worth being honest that under 20 employees, the real cost driver is usually the per-employee fee stacked on top of the base subscription, not the headline price. Run the math at your actual headcount before comparing platforms on sticker price alone.

For small business owners running payroll without a dedicated HR person, which platform actually got tax filing right without errors, and which one required you to catch its mistakes yourself?

Payroll reviews on G2 keep circling back to the same question for small teams: what happens automatically versus what still needs a human check. For a business without dedicated HR staff, the tax filing reliability question really comes down to how much the platform handles on autopilot versus how much you have to double-check yourself. Gusto reviewers consistently describe the tax and compliance side running automatically, with state and local filings submitted without anyone chasing deadlines, which lines up with the actual pain point owners describe here.

The tradeoff those same reviewers mention is that customization and reporting are limited once you want something more specific than the standard output, and per-employee costs start adding up as the team grows past that first small headcount. Worth weighing against whether you need flexible reporting later or would rather trade that away for a tax filing you can trust without babysitting it.

Answered: Shashank Shastry on September 16, 2026

Your answer

Question on: OnPay

Is OnPay a good payroll fit for agricultural businesses?

I am an agricultural business that is trying to find a payroll provider that can support our need for 941 and 943 filings. Can OnPay handle both, and is there any additional cost for the 943 filing?

Yes, OnPay is an excellent fit for agricultural businesses. We handle both Form 941 and Form 943 tax filings at no extra cost — it is completely included in our Payroll Essentials base plan. We are especially well-built to handle some of the unique complexities of farm/agriculture payroll. Mixed Agricultural & Standard Work: If you have an employee who splits their time — like working out in the fields (943) and also working in your farm gift shop or office (941) — OnPay tracks and processes both types of wages for that single worker seamlessly. H-2A & Seasonal Friendly: We are a perfect solution for managing payments for H-2A visa laborers. Plus, our simple per-worker pricing means you only pay for seasonal staff during the months they actually work. We even handle your initial payroll setup and data migration for free to make switching to OnPay completely seamless.

Answered: Monica Thysell on June 8, 2026

Your answer

Question on: OnPay

Is OnPay just payroll software, or can it also help with other tasks like onboarding, HR, and benefits administration?

I've been using OnPay primarily for payroll but I'm curious whether it can consolidate some of our other HR workflows. Looking to understand the full scope of what the platform covers before evaluating additional tools.

Yes — OnPay can help with much more than payroll, especially if you’re looking to bring more of your back-office workflows into one system. In addition to running payroll and handling tax filings and payments, OnPay can support HR-related tasks like employee self-onboarding, e-signable worker documents, document storage and audits, employee self-service, and PTO and time tracking management. OnPay also offers integrated benefits with free plan administration, and our dedicated team of licensed insurance agents can help you add benefits such as health, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, and more. You can also connect workers’ comp and 401(k) options so deductions can be calculated and applied to payroll automatically. In other words, OnPay is built to help simplify payroll, HR, benefits, and time tracking workflows — so you may be able to reduce the number of separate tools your team has to manage.

Answered: Monica Thysell on June 8, 2026

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