Simple Payroll for Small Businesses
Run payroll in minutes. Automate payroll taxes, pay employees and contractors, and offer benefits—without the spreadsheets.
Run Payroll in Minutes
Integrates With Your Accounting Stack
Built for Small Businesses and Solo Founders
Whether you’re running payroll for a team or paying yourself as an owner, the workflow is designed to be fast, accurate, and easy to manage.
Run payroll for employees, automate taxes, and keep everything organized for accounting.
- Employee payroll (hourly & salary)
- Payroll taxes handled automatically
- Clean exports and reports for your accountant
Run payroll for yourself, stay compliant, and build a repeatable owner-pay workflow.
- Owner payroll (especially common for S‑Corps)
- Helpful for retirement planning workflows like a Solo 401k
- Accurate paystubs and tax documents
Pay contractors, keep records clean, and generate year‑end forms without hassle.
- Contractor payments and tracking
- 1099 prep at year‑end
- Reports for bookkeeping and taxes
Solo 401k for Self-Employed Business Owners
If you run a business without employees, you may qualify for a Solo 401k—one of the most powerful retirement plans available for self‑employed individuals.
Many owners run payroll for themselves (especially S‑Corp owners) to keep compensation and reporting clean. That payroll workflow can also support retirement planning by making it easier to track compensation and contributions.
- Accurate owner payroll records and paystubs
- Better organization for tax prep and compliance
- Helpful for planning and tracking Solo 401k contributions
Payroll FAQ
Quick answers to common questions about payroll software, taxes, and retirement planning workflows.
What is payroll software?
Payroll software helps you pay employees and contractors, calculate withholdings, and generate the reports and documents needed for bookkeeping and taxes.
Can payroll software handle payroll tax filing?
Many payroll platforms automate payroll tax calculations and filings, reducing manual work and lowering the risk of missed deadlines.
What is a Solo 401k?
A Solo 401k is a retirement plan designed for self‑employed individuals and business owners with no employees (other than a spouse in some cases). It can allow higher contributions than many alternatives, depending on your situation.
Do I need payroll to contribute to a Solo 401k?
It depends on your business structure. For example, many S‑Corp owners run payroll for themselves; having clean payroll records can help with documentation and planning around retirement contributions. Talk to your tax professional for specifics.
Can I offer a 401k to employees?
Yes—many small businesses add retirement benefits. A common option is an employer 401k through providers like Guideline, with employee deductions handled through payroll.
Everything You Need to Run Payroll with Confidence
From automated payroll runs to tax filings and benefits, everything is designed to help small business owners save time and stay compliant.
Automated Payroll Processing
Run payroll in minutes. Automatically calculate wages, taxes, and deductions—then pay your team by direct deposit.
- Automatic pay calculations for hourly and salaried teams
- Direct deposit and contractor payments
- Unlimited payroll runs with easy adjustments
- Built-in reminders for compliance and filings
Payroll Taxes Filed Automatically
Never worry about tax deadlines. Payroll taxes are calculated, filed, and paid automatically—so you can focus on running your business.
- Federal, state, and local payroll tax calculations
- Automatic filings and payments (where supported)
- W-2 and 1099 preparation at year-end
- Clear tax reports for your accountant or bookkeeping workflow
Benefits & Retirement Plans
Attract and retain great people with benefits that are easy to manage—plus retirement options for small businesses.
- Offer employee benefits with simple payroll deductions
- 401k plans through Guideline for eligible small businesses
- Employee self-service portal for paystubs and tax documents
- Benefit deductions synced to payroll for fewer errors
Payroll & HR Tools for Busy Owners
Use built-in tools to onboard employees, pay contractors, manage time, and keep clean records for taxes and accounting.
Employee Onboarding
Send offers, collect tax forms, and get new hires set up quickly with a guided onboarding flow.
Contractor Payments
Pay 1099 contractors and generate the forms you need at year-end—without spreadsheets.
Reports & Accounting
Generate payroll reports and exports for bookkeeping and taxes, and keep everything organized.
Payroll Operations Features
Simple, reliable payroll operations with transparency and control.
Time Tracking & Hours
Sync hours from time tracking tools or enter hours quickly to ensure accurate paychecks.
Reports & Accounting
Get reminders and help staying on top of filings, deadlines, and common payroll compliance needs.
Employee Self‑Service
Employees can access paystubs and tax documents anytime—reducing admin requests.
Payroll Reports
Export clean payroll summaries for bookkeeping, taxes, and year-end preparation.
Trusted by Small Businesses
See what owners and operators say after switching to simpler payroll.
"We’ve been using this payroll platform for more than five years and it has been consistently easy to work with. Bringing on new team members is straightforward, the officer compensation tools are useful, and putting S-Corp owner payroll on autopilot saves a lot of time. Whenever I need help, support is easy to reach and resolves things quickly."
"We switched to this payroll provider a little over a year ago and the experience has been smooth from day one. Support has been knowledgeable and friendly, and the employee self-service portal takes a lot of pressure off our office staff. It’s been a great fit for our business."
"This has been a great experience from the start. Customer service is consistently strong, wait times are short, and every support interaction has been clear, helpful, and efficient. I feel confident we made the right choice for our business."
"After a frustrating experience with another hiring setup, we decided to manage a U.S. employee ourselves and use payroll software for the rest. Onboarding was simple, and handling payroll, benefits, and registration has been far more manageable than we expected. It has been a big upgrade for us."
"Running payroll now takes me about 20 seconds each pay period. Reporting has been smooth, and the QuickBooks Online integration makes tax time much easier. It has been one of the simplest back-office tools we use."
"I wish we had switched sooner. Setup, employee onboarding, and running payroll have all been remarkably easy. The built-in help tools are useful, and when we need a person, support is responsive and helpful. It makes the whole process much easier to manage in-house."
"I use several tools for bookkeeping, HR, and payroll, and this is easily one of the most intuitive and reliable. I used to dread payroll because I was new to it, but now the process is simple and I feel confident every time I run it."
"After electing S-Corp status, I quickly realized payroll was more complicated than I expected. This platform made it much easier to set up a reasonable salary, handle withholdings, and automate tax payments. It also made it simple to manage both owner salary and distributions from one dashboard."
Simple Payroll Pricing for Growing Businesses
Whether you are paying one employee, a full team, or just yourself as an owner, choose a payroll setup that saves time and keeps your records clean.
Payroll for Teams
Run payroll, automate taxes, and offer benefits to multiple employees
+$6/mo per person
- Employee and contractor payroll
- Automatic payroll tax calculations and filings
- Benefits administration and 401k support
- Reports for accounting and year-end documents
- Upgrade to Plus ($80/mo) or Premium ($180/mo) for advanced features
Payroll for Myself
For solopreneurs needing payroll, S corp compliance support and the option to pay contractors.
+$6/mo per person (you + any contractors)
- Run payroll for yourself as an owner
- Compliant self-pay & automatic tax filing
- Support for Solo 401k, health benefits and more
- Contractor payments and automated 1099 e-filing
- Simple paystubs, reports, and year-end records
Need payroll, benefits, and retirement support in one workflow? Start with payroll and add the features that fit your business.
Questions Owners Ask Before Switching Payroll
Clear answers on payroll software, contractor payments, employee benefits, and Solo 401k planning.
Look for reliable payroll runs, automatic tax calculations, employee and contractor support, solid reporting, and a workflow that feels simple enough to use every pay period.
In many cases, yes. Modern payroll platforms often support W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in one workflow, which is especially useful for agencies and lean small teams.
Yes. Small businesses can add retirement benefits as they grow. Payroll software helps by keeping deductions organized, and providers like Guideline can handle the employer 401k plan side.
For many S-Corp owners, yes. Running payroll for yourself can help keep compensation records clear, which can support planning and documentation around a Solo 401k. Confirm the details with your tax professional.
Not usually. Even one or two employees can create tax, filing, and recordkeeping work. Good payroll software reduces repetitive admin and lowers the risk of avoidable mistakes.