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The Best Time and Attendance Systems of 2021

By Chad Brooks,
Business News Daily Writer
|
Dec 01, 2020

Here are the best time and attendance systems for small businesses, including cloud services, timeclocks and apps for mobile workforces.
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Cost: Paid version starts at $1.50 per employee per month
Best for Larger Employers
Cost: $24-$36 per employee per year
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Best for Businesses With a Mobile Workforce
Cost: $6.40 per employee + $20 monthly base fee
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Best for Small Businesses
Cost: $4 a month per employee
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Best for Very Small Businesses
Cost: $20 a month for up to 9 employees
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Here are the best time and attendance systems for small businesses, including cloud services, timeclocks and apps for mobile workforces.
Updated 12/01/20

We updated this page to include additional answers to frequently asked questions about the importance of documenting time and attendance and what constitutes a reasonable attendance policy for your business.

Gone are the days of employees needing to punch a traditional timeclock or fill out a paper timesheet with their hours worked each day. Like many other HR functions, the process of recording how long employees work each day has gone digital. Today's time and attendance systems give businesses everything they need to track and manage all aspects of their employees' time. These systems can log when employees start and end their day, show them their weekly schedules, and provide a portal to manage time-off requests. 

Since there is such a wide range of timekeeping systems and time and attendance software on the market in 2020, we researched more than 80 of the top time and attendance systems to determine the ones we think are best. Our recommendations of the best time and attendance systems are below, but if you want to learn more about this type of software, visit our guide to choosing a time and attendance system.

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Our Reviews

When I Work: Featured Sponsor

When I Work is a comprehensive solution that allows businesses to create schedules, communicate with hourly employees and track their time and attendance. With the app, which can be accessed via web browsers or iOS and Android devices, you can build and edit schedules, as well as keep tabs on when employees start and end their shifts. When I Work helps improve employee accountability, reduce employees not showing up for work when they are supposed to and manage overtime expenses. The software integrates with payroll solutions to help process your payroll efficiently and accurately.

TimeClock Plus: Best for Larger Employers

TimeClock Plus is an excellent time and attendance system for larger businesses because of the flexibility it offers in hosting options and service plans. Unlike small businesses, large organizations typically do have dedicated IT teams, so they may prefer hosting their time and attendance systems on-premises.
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TSheets: Best for Businesses With a Mobile Workforce

TSheets is an ideal time and attendance solution for businesses with remote employees. Businesses with on-the-go employees want a time and attendance system that makes it easy for those workers to record their time. You want to give them the flexibility to clock in and out in multiple ways, such as via laptop, phone, mobile app or even social media. In addition, businesses with remote workers want a system that allows them to keep tabs on those employees to ensure they are working from where they should be.
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Stratustime: Best Time and Attendance System for Small Businesses

Stratustime offers everything small businesses need in a time and attendance system. Small businesses want a solution that can track and manage all of their employees' time. In addition, since they likely don't have a full-time IT staff available to answer questions at a moment's notice, they want software that is easy to learn and use. Stratustime, from Nettime Solutions and Paychex, fills all of those needs.
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uAttend: Best for Very Small Businesses

The uAttend time and attendance system is a good fit for very small businesses because it is cloud-based and requires no special software to install. These are important factors in a timekeeping system for microbusinesses. Very small businesses likely don't have a full-time IT staff member to set up new systems and teach employees how to use it. That's why they need a time and attendance system that is basically plug-and-play.
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Time and Attendance Features

Unlike traditional methods of tracking employee time, like punch cards and paper timesheets, today's digital time and attendance systems offer much more than the ability to log when employees come and go. Generating and assigning schedules, managing PTO, and tracking how long employees work on specific tasks are some of the other features employers get with time and attendance solutions.

Here is a rundown of the many features and tools time and attendance systems offer:

  • Clocking in and out: Most time and attendance systems give employees multiple ways to record when they show up and leave work each day. Popular options include timeclocks, web browsers and mobile apps. Some systems also offer the ability to clock in and out via telephone, Apple Watch, social media, text messages and Slack.
  • Biometrics: Ensuring that employees aren't clocking in and out for any of their co-workers, known as buddy punching, is a key consideration for some employers. To prevent buddy punching, many time and attendance systems offer different levels of biometrics. This can include timeclocks that require fingerprint or facial scans for punching in, or web clocks that snap a photo each time someone clocks in or out.
  • Mobile apps: In addition to letting employees clock in and out from their mobile devices, many time and attendance system mobile apps offer some form of geotechnology. One form of this is geofencing, which lets employers set specific coordinates for where employees can punch in and out. This ensures that the employee isn't just logging their hours from home, for example, when they should be on the road somewhere. Geolocation is another option some apps offer. This feature records specific GPS coordinates each time an employee punches in or out. Employers can then review those coordinates to make sure the worker was where they were supposed to be at the start and end of their day. Some apps take this a step further by recording GPS coordinates of the remote worker's location throughout their shift, not just at its start and end.
  • Scheduling: Many time and attendance systems let employers create employee schedules. They can create specific shifts and assign employees to those shifts, or they can create specific schedules for each worker.
  • PTO management: Some time and attendance software allows businesses to log accruals for sick time, vacation time and other types of paid time off. In addition, some systems let employees request time off within the software and let managers either approve or deny those requests.
  • Job tracking: Some systems let employees log how long they worked on a specific project or task. This is a valuable tool for businesses that bill clients for the time they spend on their tasks, such as consultants and lawyers.
  • Alerts: One tool businesses may find useful are the alerts that notify those in charge when employees are nearing overtime. This can save businesses money by giving managers time to let the employee know that they can stop working for the day. Some systems also allow you to set alerts to notify mangers when their employees have clocked in or out for the day.
  • Labor reports: Most systems provide organizations with detailed labor reports that can show how many hours their staff is working, as well as details on wages and schedules.
  • Integrations: Most time and attendance systems integrate with your payroll service. This is a useful feature that saves time when you are running payroll and helps ensure that all of the time data is properly entered into the payroll system.
  • In-and-out boards: Some systems include a digital in-and-out board that gives managers an overview of every employee who is on the clock and those who are punched out.

Other features some time and attendance systems offer include job costing, time rules that limit when employees can clock in or out, group punching for remote teams, automatic break deductions, and punch or no-punch rounding.

Benefits of Time and Attendance Systems

Investing in a time and attendance system can benefit your business in many ways. First, having a system in place that tracks your employees' time precisely and consistently can save your business money. Employees can no longer "round up" the hours they've worked or "buddy punch" their co-workers in and out – your employees are held accountable for the hours they have worked.

Second, an automated time and attendance system helps maintain accuracy. It eliminates manual record keeping, which, in turn, reduces errors. An additional benefit of the improved accuracy of automated systems versus manual time-tracking systems is that businesses can more easily demonstrate their compliance with labor laws and other regulations.

A third benefit of a time and attendance system is the impact it can have on your human resources specialist or team. An automated system can save your HR staff countless hours they would have otherwise spent tallying employee hours and transferring the information to a payroll software program. This free up your HR specialist's time so they can focus on other critical HR tasks.

Time and attendance systems benefit more than your bottom line, they are beneficial to your employees. Most time and attendance systems are easy to use and come with features that simplify your employees' time-keeping experience. For example, employees can clock in using their computer or mobile device. Additionally, these systems provide employees with helpful details like total hours worked, weekly schedules, and time-off accrual and requests.

Time and Attendance FAQs

Q: Do you need new time and attendance software?

A: If you are still using paper timesheets or a traditional punch timeclock, your business can absolutely benefit from a digital time and attendance system. First off, it significantly reduces your chances for time-related errors with your payroll. Most of these systems integrate with payroll services, automatically inserting all of the time data into your payroll program. No one has to take the time punches and re-enter them into the payroll software – this is when errors are most likely.

Time and attendance systems offer businesses so much more than just the ability to track when their employees come and go for the day. Being able to create schedules and manage all PTO issues from the same system is valuable. This type of system lets you store and manage all of your time-related data and needs in the same platform. You will always know where to go to handle any time or attendance task. 

Q: How do you evaluate time and attendance ROI?

A: Moving from paper timesheets or punch cards to an electronic time and attendance system could save your business thousands of dollars each year. While there is an added cost of using the system, typically $2 to $10 per employee per month, the savings you get in return can far outweigh those expenses.

According to Sierra Workforce Solutions, businesses can save money in multiple ways by using a digital time and attendance system. One way is by cutting out lost time due to inaccurate clock-in and clock-out times. For example, while an employee might be leaving work for the day at 4:50 p.m., they may put down that they left at 5 p.m. While they may have taken 40 minutes for lunch one day, they may write down that they took a 30-minute lunch break. Time and attendance systems eliminate this type of punch rounding and ensure that employees are only paid for time they are actually at work.

It also eliminates the need for someone on staff to correlate all the timecards and transfer that data into the payroll system. This frees up those employees to work on other tasks. In addition, removing humans from this task cuts down on potential payroll errors.

To determine the exact return on investment, Sierra uses a specific formula. It takes the time of adding up timecards (using a previous study's results of six minutes per card) plus the savings in time theft (the previous study's results say the average employee steals four hours and five minutes per week) plus human error mistakes, which it estimates to be 0.25%.

With these numbers, Sierra estimates that a business with 100 employees will save nearly $5,000 per month, or close to $60,000 per year. You can see more details on the calculations here.

Q: What should you expect time and attendance systems to do?

A: You should expect your time and attendance system to handle all of your time-tracking needs. There are so many time and attendance solutions on the market that, whatever your business requires in terms of time tracking, there is an option out there for you.

At the very least, you want a timekeeping solution that offers multiple ways to clock in and out, gives remote workers the ability to punch in and out from wherever they are, and integrates with the payroll software you use.

Other aspects of a time and attendance system that your business may benefit from are the abilities to generate and assign employee schedules, manage all PTO issues (including tracking accruals and handling the request and approval process), logging how long employees work on specific projects, and monitoring the locations your remote employees are clocking in and out from each day.

Q: How does an employee time clock work?

A: There are several different types of employee time clocks, but they essentially work the same in that they provide a record of when an employee is working.

For traditional punch clocks, an employee takes a paper timecard and inserts it into the time clock, and it records on the card what time the employee clocked in or out.

Digital time clocks have the same function, but instead of recording the times on a paper timecard, they record the times directly into the time and attendance software. This saves you the hassle of manually entering all of the times from a paper timecard into your time and attendance or payroll software.

Digital time clocks offer several different ways for employees to record their time, such as via PIN, swipe card or biometrics, like fingerprint and facial scans.

Computers and mobile devices can also be used for employee time clocks.

Q: To what extent is employee time tracking integrated with payroll and HR?

A: Employee time tracking is very much integrated with payroll, especially when it comes to employees who are paid by the hour. To properly pay your employees, you need to know how many hours they work. While you could take their word for it, a time and attendance system ensures you aren't paying them for time they weren't actually working.

The best time and attendance systems integrate with your payroll and HR software. This way, the time records for each employee automatically transfer into your payroll and HR software without you doing anything. Not only does this save time, but it cuts down on errors from transferring the information from one program to another.

Q: Why is it important to clock in and out at work?

A: There is a lot of value to having employees clock in and out. The biggest benefit is to ensure you aren't paying employees for time they aren't working. A digital time and attendance system gives employers precise details on when an employee is working and when they aren't. While paying for a few extra minutes here and there might not seem like a lot, it all adds up in the long run.

Using a biometric time clock, which makes employees punch in and out with a fingerprint or retinal scan, also prevents buddy punching – ensuring employees are clocking in themselves, not having someone else do it for them. If not curbed, buddy punching can cost your business not only in money for time not worked, but also in lost productivity.

In addition, clock-in and clock-out records give employers a better handle on their staffing levels. You can compare who is working when with the times your business is the busiest to ensure you have the right number of people on the clock.

Q: How are time and attendance managed with a PEO?

A: PEOs manage time and attendance similarly to how businesses manage it themselves. The main difference is that the program they use to track time and attendance lives on the same platform as all the other HR functions, like payroll and benefits administration. Having all of your HR services housed on the same platform ensures greater efficiency. Businesses also have this option when they use an HR software platform, rather than individual time and attendance and payroll solutions.

For example, when an employee records their time for the day, that data automatically populates in the payroll program. Instead of employees manually entering that info in the payroll software, which could lead to errors, the info is instantly and correctly transferred. This helps ensure employees are accurately paid.

Q: Why is important to document employee time and attendance?

A: For employers, a time and attendance solution can save money, it improves team productivity and helps with legal compliance. Having an accurate log of when employees are – and aren't – working ensures that each staff member is on-site when they're supposed to be and that they're only being paid for the hours they work. Having a record of the hours that employees have worked helps employers manage their staffing levels optimally so they are not under or overstaffed.

Time and attendance can also serve as proof that employers are following the appropriate employment and labor laws, for example, adhering to minimum and maximum attendance laws, paying overtime, and permitting legally required breaks.

Q: What is a reasonable attendance policy?

A: The right attendance policy for your business will be unique to you and your employees. Some organizations may need strict attendance policies to function properly, while others may be able to offer flexible work schedules.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average full-time worker misses almost three days per year. In some industries, such as service occupations, the absence rate is higher. When drafting your company's attendance policy, consider the industry and company culture as well as the demands of the business.

For example, one employer may find it acceptable for an employee to be 30 minutes late to their shift, whereas for another company, such as a manufacturer, an unauthorized absence may require disciplinary action.

Once you've created your company's attendance policy, you should meet with your employees to review the policy and ensure they understand what is expected of them.

What to Expect in 2020

As it will for many other business services, we expect artificial intelligence to continue its integration with time and attendance systems in 2020. The increased use of chatbots, which are powered by AI, will help streamline the time management process for employers and employees. Instead of employees turning to HR reps with questions about their timesheets or time-off requests, they'll be able to get instant answers from their time and attendance systems' built-in chatbots. 

In addition, more time and attendance systems will take advantage of facial recognition to clock staff in and out. This not only speeds up the process of recording the times employees start and end their day, but also helps prevent buddy punching, which is when employees log time for their co-workers. 

Data collection and analysis are other ways time and attendance systems will take advantage of AI in 2020. These systems can quickly wade through all of the data being collected, automatically providing information to employers that will help with staffing, scheduling and other labor needs. 

Time and attendance systems and other human resources management tools are forecast to continue their growth in the coming years. The data estimates annual growth rates of 2% to 2.9% through 2023 for this type of software. 

March 2020: As the coronavirus sweeps the nation, some businesses are suspending use of their biometric timeclocks to help prevent the spread of the disease. For example, New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is stopping its employees from clocking in and out by finger scans. Similarly, the New York Police Department has banned use of biometric timeclocks in a precautionary move designed to ensure officers aren't putting themselves at risk of catching the disease. An NYPD spokesman told the New York Post that the decision to stop using the biometric timeclocks was made out of an abundance of caution. 

In India, businesses are also being encouraged to stop using biometric finger scans to clock employees in and out. The directive was ordered after a tech worker in Hyderabad tested positive for the coronavirus. 

As the virus continues to spread, it is safe to assume businesses worldwide will follow suit and move to other options for clocking in and out. It will be worth paying attention to whether or not businesses go back to using these types of timeclocks when the pandemic slows down.

Our Methodology

To determine the best time and attendance systems for different types of businesses, we examined more than 80 different cloud-hosted and on-premises solutions. Here is an explanation of our selection process.

 

Locating the Best Services

First, we spent some time conducting some initial research into each provider. We examined their websites and took a close look at the specific services each one offers. This included looking at the time collection options and whether they offer scheduling tools, PTO management, a mobile app, and geofencing or geolocation services. We also noted pricing options that were readily available.

Choosing the Best Services

From this extensive list, we settled on 23 time and attendance systems to consider as best picks: AcroTime from Acroprint, ADP, Attendance Enterprise from Infotronics, Boomr, Buddy Punch, ClockInEasy, ClockIt, Clockspot, ClockVIEW from Acumen, Deputy, EPAY Systems, iSolved Time, Kronos' Workforce Ready, Stratustime from Nettime Solutions, TimeAttend from Replicon, TimeClick from Hawkeye Technology, TimeClock Plus, Timesheets.com, TimeStar from Insperity, TSheets from QuickBooks, uAttend from Workwell Technologies, Webtimeclock and When I Work. (See our full list of time and attendance systems and their websites below.)

Researching Each Service

After narrowing down our list, we conducted further investigations into each one’s services, watched tutorials and how-to videos, tested out the system when possible, read user comments, and reviewed Better Business Bureau ratings. We also considered pricing. After narrowing down the list to our final contenders, we contacted each company's customer service department by phone, email or live chat and posed as business owners to gauge the support each provider offers.

Analyzing Each Service

In all, we analyzed each service based on cost, time-tracking capabilities, time-off management, overtime monitoring, scheduling tools, available reports, ease of use, customer service, integrations, mobile access, and Better Business Bureau complaints and ratings. It is important to note that our process involved putting ourselves in the mindset of a business owner and gathering the data that would be readily available to such an individual. We performed all of our research by visiting company websites, making calls to customer service departments and interviewing real users.

Considering Biometric Time and Attendance Systems

We know that many businesses are looking for biometric time and attendance systems. These systems require employees to use their fingerprints or a facial scan to log in to the system. This prevents buddy punching, which is when employees clock in or out for their late or absent co-workers. Nearly all time and attendance systems, including most of our best picks, offer biometric options. As long as the system you choose works with physical timeclocks, it is likely to use biometrics. Nearly all time and attendance system providers that offer physical timeclocks offer biometric timeclocks as an option.

Chad Brooks
Chad Brooks,
Business News Daily Writer
See Chad Brooks's Profile
Chad Brooks is a Chicago-based writer and editor who has spent more than 20 years in media. A 1998 journalism graduate of Indiana University, Chad began his career with Business News Daily in 2011 as a freelance writer. In 2014, he joined the staff full time as a senior writer. Before Business News Daily, Chad spent nearly a decade as a staff reporter for the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago, covering a wide array of topics including local and state government, crime, the legal system and education. Chad has also worked on the other side of the media industry, promoting small businesses throughout the United States for two years in a public relations role. His first book, How to Start a Home-Based App Development Business, was published in 2014.

Full List of Time and Attendance Systems

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When I Work is a cloud-based time and attendance system that has both time-tracking and scheduling features. Use a desktop, laptop or tablet as a fixed clock-in terminal, or give employees the option to clock in from their iPhones or Android phones. Attendance alerts remind managers and employees when they forget to clock in or out, while overtime alerts help manage labor costs. The scheduler tool allows you to view the entire week's schedule and move shifts easily from person to person or day to day.
Deputy
Deputy's time and attendance system allows employees to start and end shifts using an iPad kiosk, mobile app, web app, Apple Watch or SMS. With the system, businesses can generate invoices based on hours worked per customer, task or activity straight into your accounting software. Employers can use the system's mobile geolocation capability or the face-detection tool to ensure employees are where they should be, every shift.
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BeeBole allows employers to choose how each user should clock in, according to their own projects or business needs. This can be daily, weekly or monthly. For employees on the go, the company’s mobile app works offline on any device. The system integrates with Google Suite.
Pyramid Time Systems offers a variety of time tracking solutions for businesses, including manual punch clocks, software-based time clocks and synchronized clocks.
Redcort Software's Virtual TimeClock is time tracking software that can be used by small and large businesses using either Macs or PCs. Instead of subscribing to a cloud-based service on a monthly basis, you purchase a license for the software and then host it on your own computer.
ShopClock is an easy-to-use time-keeping system with a comprehensive set of features. This well-organized software is very easy for both employees and administrators to use.
Sundial is a popular time clock software with a comprehensive and powerful tool set for web-based tracking employee time. It includes many robust features that several other time card solutions lack, such as the ability to track shift differentials and a shift scheduler.
Capture accurate employee clock in and clock out details using biometrics or cards and regularize attendance. Data can be easily viewed, downloaded, or exported. SutiSoft's HR system also allows employers to keep track of employee time off and implement leave policies.
Time Clock MTS is a high-performing time clock program with many helpful tools and features.
TimeCamp tracks attendance and monitors productivity. With this software, managers can quickly see how many paid hours employees have logged each day and get a breakdown of the projects their staff are working on. The software also includes the ability to track billable hours, online invoicing and review how much time is wasted each day. TimeCamp offers a wide range of integrations.
TimeCard Manager by EconSoft has many time-tracking features in its time card system, including automatic accrual calculations.
TimeClick by Hawkeye Technology is a comprehensive time clock software app that can provide custom features for your business. It includes powerful tools for tracking time cards, creating schedules and creating payroll.
TimePilot PC is designed easy to use for employees, making it a good choice for time card software.
AMG Employee Management Inc. is a supplier of time attendance software, products and services. Its web-based solution allows you to select multiple types of pay periods and overtime calculations and to assign multiple shifts. You also have the option to add employee logins, time restrictions, bell schedules and benefit accruals. The system is compatible with a variety of AMG real-time biometric attendance terminals. Every plan comes with the ability to track an unlimited number of groups, locations, separate jobs, unique shifts and differentiated pay policies.
Acroprint's AcroTime is a web-based system available in both standard and platinum versions, neither of which requires the installation of special software. With the system, employees can clock in and out via computers, biometric timeclocks and badge terminals. Features exclusive to the platinum version include the ability to track accruals and a system to schedule time-off requests.
AsureForce is a cloud-based time and attendance system that allows employees to clock in and out via web browsers and mobile devices. The system features a "GeoPunch" option that lets remote workers manage their time and attendance from anywhere, an employee scheduling tool, and a host of valuable reports. Employers can also use the biometric facial recognition AirClock, which takes a photo of each employee when they clock in or out to eliminate buddy punching.
Attendance on Demand is a rapidly deployed, cloud-based solution that offers a number of features for securely managing labor data. The system calculates pay rules, and offers tools for scheduling employees, budgeting labor and automating recordkeeping for labor law compliance and reporting for the Affordable Care Act
Ban-Koe Systems' time and attendance system, VlDix Labor provides the tools and information necessary to proactively manage a workforce, better monitor labor costs and improve productivity. VIDix LABOR provides a complete audit trail tracking changes and adjustments to an employee’s record. Ban-Koe also offers human resources, access control, visitor information, scheduling and credentialing services.
Bartronics Time and Attendance System reads information collected from data-collection terminals and converts it into a database format for the generation of employee reports. It keeps track of employees' real-time data, like entry and exit time, break time, department, category, shift schedule, leaves, tours, on-duty times and overtime. The system features paid time off management and automated email generation and reporting.
Celayix Software offers a time and attendance system that enables employees to clock in and out via the telephone, web, smartphone or time clock. The system allows businesses to monitor employee activity, such as early or late clock-in/out, as well as missed shifts. In addition, it can perform virtual safety check; confirm employees' geo-location; pay correct employee overtime, vacation, and statutory holiday wages in accordance with labor laws; and raise attendance visibility through real-time monitoring and reports.
ClockIn Portal is a cloud-based time-tracking solution. With the system, you can clock securely in and out from the login page, write shift comments and report miles driven for reimbursement. To prevent employees from clocking in and out from home or their phones, employers can optionally force workers to clock in from a predetermined whitelist of computers or networks. Businesses that use Google Apps can import users into ClockIn Portal using a Google Apps administrator account. The system also integrates with Microsoft Outlook.
Clockspot is a cloud-based time and attendance system that allows employees to punch in via an online timeclock or from a phone by dialing a toll-free number. The system tracks IP addresses and caller ID, so it knows exactly where employees are clocking in and out from. Employers can log in to the system from any web browser to review employee time sheets and make any necessary adjustments. With Clockspot, you can also track earnings, deductions, and reimbursements; manage overtime; and run payroll reports.
GHG Corp.'s Clockwise is a web-based employee time sheet management tool that automates time collection, leave management and approval processes. The system provides online time sheet reporting, online pay stubs, a seamless interface to accounting systems and ad-hoc data analysis. The system features a mobile app for both iPhones and Android devices.
Datamatics Management Services offers several different time and attendance solutions. Timesheets Plus is a web-based system that includes employee and manager self-service workflows, configurable business logic, mass edit capabilities, multi-level security and multiple data collection options. The TC-1 is an on-premises enterprise system that operates on the Windows platform. Features of the system include attendance tracking, absence management, job payroll preparation, reporting, access control, time entry device integrations, IVR, data exchange and a PC time clock.
EPAY Systems is a cloud-based time and labor management systems provider for employers with an hourly, decentralized workforce. Its time-tracking solutions are developed for the hard-to-track workforce. The company's time-collection devices – biometric time clocks, phone, web and mobile app – can be mixed and matched according to the needs of your business. The system's automated time sheets seamlessly integrate with payroll and ERP systems.
Easy Clocking is a web-based time and attendance system that offers employees the opportunity to clock in and out via time clocks, fingerprint scanners and computers. Each of the time clock options works in conjunction with the Easy Clocking time and attendance software. The software automatically calculates total hours worked, including overtime, vacation, sick days and holidays. The software is also designed to help reduce employee time theft by applying rounding rules, restricting schedules and eliminating the ability for co-workers to clock in for other employees. Additionally, the Easy Clocking time and attendance system is built to automate the payroll process by allowing management to transfer time data to all payroll providers.
EmCentrix's HRMS offers extensive attendance and time tracking functionality, including online time clocks and time sheets. The system can collect time information in a number of ways, including online time clocks, physical time clocks or manual time sheets. With the online time clock, punches can be uploaded to the system as they occur, populating time sheets and other related reports such as employee schedules instantly. Employees can access their time information through their own employee home page, and can review their punches and notify employers and managers of any changes.
Emplotime is a time and attendance system that works via a virtual clock. Employees just click on the virtual clock to register when they arrive and leave. From the administrator portal, you can set any device to be the company time clock. Emplotime can be used on any device, including PCs, tablets and mobile phones. Features of the system include buddy-punch lockouts, geotracking, overtime monitoring and the ability to export reports to all main formats, such as PDF, Word and Excel.
ExakTime is a web-based time and attendance system that offers several ways for employees to clock in and out: a time clock app, wireless time clock for outdoor job sites and the web. The clocks and app send GPS time stamps and site updates to the software in the cloud for secure access on any computer system or browser-based device. It allows for the ability to manage a workforce in real time, from anywhere. The time clock software provides default access levels that can be modified or completely customized for workers and supervisors.
FingerCheck is designed for small to medium-size businesses in need of a streamlined time-tracking solution. The time clock application incudes advanced features that allow employers to manage their workforces. Administrators can generate reports to analyze customizable pockets of data, set up daily alerts to be notified of employee punch activity in real time and reference an audit trail to view any changes made to the system. Additionally, employers can arrange for employees to log in and access the software so they can oversee their own hours, make time-off requests and check their schedules.
Hillman Time Systems provides integrated hardware and software solutions for time and attendance and labor distribution to the payroll provider of your choice. The company's time and attendance software, called timetrak, automates employee scheduling, time clock data collection, daily exceptions, payable hours, review, editing and approval processes. The software works with a variety of time clocks, including those that work with swipe cards and biometrics. The system also offers web-based and mobile time clocks.
Homebase is a cloud-based time and attendance system that allows employees to clock in and out from any web browser, tablet or mobile phone. The system uses GPS to track where remote workers start and end their shifts and can take pictures of those clocking in and out for verification purposes. It can prevent early clock-ins and send notifications if someone hits overtime or doesn't show up for work. Homebase also provides a sophisticated scheduling tool, which allows employees to check their schedules, trade shifts, message their team, request time off and estimate their pay from their mobile devices.
Humanity is a flexible workforce-management platform and human resources tool. The system's timeclock tool features late and absent notifications, remote clock-in for external staff, and facial recognition. The Leave tool allows businesses to customize leave categories, automate request policies and integrate with the calendar app.
LightWork Time is a time and attendance program designed for companies with single or multiple locations and easily accommodates remote employees. Both managers and employees can input employee time at intervals specified by your company. Time can be entered via desktop punch, kiosk punch or biometric/swipe time clock.
McKesson Time and Attendance is designed exclusively for the health care industry. The system ensures compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, resident 80-hour work week and other labor statutes. It provides automatic attendance point-tracking and absence monitoring and integrates with ANSOS One Staff. The system allows workers to clock in and out via the web or biometric time clock.
Nortek's Workforce is a cloud-based time and attendance system that includes time tracking, scheduling options and leave-management functionality. The system tracks time in and time out by web-based, card-based or bio-clocking devices. Clock punches record the day, time and time zone, and are automatically mapped onto an employee's time sheet to cut down on data entry. Businesses can also define and automate attendance policies and time-off accrual rules based on the companies' own policies. The software gives businesses better insight into labor costs with real-time analytics and integrates with most payroll providers.
On-Time Web is an online time sheet and mobile time-tracking solution. Employees using On-Time Web have multiple ways of entering time. They can use the web time sheet in any modern browser, a web time clock or the Android time clock app. Features include an in/out board, work-schedule creators, paid-time-off management and the ability to create a variety of custom reports. The system is run completely online and doesn't require the purchase of any additional software. Training and unlimited support is included in the cost of the system.
Open Time Clock is a secure, web-based time clock system for any size business. It was designed for business owners, bookkeepers and payroll professionals to track employee time, absence and schedule. There is a permanent free plan offered that includes service for an unlimited number of managers and employees. Open Time Clock lets employees clock in or out from any computer or mobile device
Parim is workforce management software that includes a time and attendance feature. The system allows employees to clock in and out via computers, tablets and mobile devices. Parim's mobile app, for iPhone and Android devices, records a GPS location of where workers start and end their shifts. The system also features a drag and drop scheduling tool and keeps track of paid time off. Additionally, Parim offers human resources and payroll components.
Lathem's PayClock Online is a cloud-based employee time and attendance system. It allows businesses to capture, edit and integrate their time-and-attendance data into a variety of payroll systems, including ADP, QuickBooks and Paychex. Employees have the option to clock in and out in the office using Lathem time clocks or to record punches remotely on mobile devices. PayClock Online calculates worked time, including overtime premiums and shift differentials, and offers multiple-location support with one database and unlimited users.
PrimePay's time and attendance solutions make it easy to track workforce allocation, attendance and productivity. The company offers online, desktop-based and server-based services. The software works with badge time clocks, biometric time clocks, web clocks and telephones. In addition to its time and attendance systems, the company offers payroll solutions, human resources and compliance services, insurance and benefits administration and credit card processing.
Reflexis provides full-featured time entry, labor tracking and time-costing functionality. Reflexis Time and Attendance provides a wide range of features for managers and employees to track labor and stay in compliance with laws and rules. It supports multiple time clock options, including clocks with fingerprint biometrics. The system also features a mobile app that's available on Android and iOS platforms and devices that support HTML 5.
Sierra Workforce Solutions offers on-premises and cloud-hosted time and attendance systems. The system allows employees to punch in and out via simple time clocks, sophisticated biometric devices, web-based options and a mobile application. The system integrates with virtually all popular accounting and human resources management software products. In most cases, this is accomplished via a bi-directional programming interface that eliminates export and import files.
SmartLinx Time and Attendance solutions enable employers to enforce and record rules for punching in by location, position, shift, scheduled time and certifications. Overtime is recorded through monitoring of arrivals, departures and proper shift changes, and through proactive notifications. Employers can adjust schedules to actual worked time, whether from SmartLinx time clocks or mobile punches, completely integrated with the WorkLinx product suite and automated to ensure the schedule accurately reflects the time worked. The platform also prevents buddy punching and other time theft.
Synel's time and attendance systems are available for complex, multilocation enterprises as well as for single-building facilities and organizations with a few employees to thousands. Synel's time clock app is designed to serve as a reporting tool for field workers moving between sites. Reporting is performed via smartphone or tablet and interfaces directly and fully to the system.
Synerion is a time and attendance system that uses electronic tags, barcode badges, magnetic stripe cards, biometrics or touch screen inputs in place of paper cards to track working hours. Synerion also offers workforce management, labor costing, staff scheduling and absence management software.
TIMECO offers time and attendance solutions for workforce management and data collection, which include time and attendance, distribution of labor tracking, scheduling, employee self-service, timesheets, and seamless integration with any ERP or HR/payroll system. Features of the system include a dashboard view, benefit accruals, exception tracking, leave requests, clock integration, email alerts and export capabilities.
Time Doctor is a system that satisfies the time and attendance needs of individuals and teams irrespective of whether they are working on a PC, laptop or mobile device. Besides tracking when employees start and end their day, it also tracks the time taken to complete each task and the websites and apps each employee accesses. In addition, it takes occasional screenshots. If the software recognizes a period of inactivity, it automatically puts the user on break. Time Doctor generates detailed reports that can be viewed by managers and clients. It can integrate with 32 other apps to provide extended functionality.
Time Management Systems' Time and Attendance offers a number of unique modules that can be configured to suit each business's specific needs. There is an employee self service module that provides staff members with access to their time and attendance information; a real-time dashboard that highlights important information; drill-down summaries that provide summary information for a workgroup or an individual employee, including personal information, worked hours, and exceptions; a scheduling tool; and instant time cards that automatically recalculate so totals, summaries, and employee data are always accurate. The system also manages paid time off and offers more than 50 standard real-time workforce management reports.
TimeIPS is a comprehensive computerized time and attendance system that includes software and optional hardware that work together to track and report on labor, jobs, projects, benefits and schedules. TimeIPS can be run on a business's server or hosted in the cloud. Employees can clock in and out via TimeIPS' Network Clock, which provides immediate visual feedback on employee hours worked and available non-overtime hours remaining. Employees can also use a telephone system, as well as their computers or mobile devices, to clock in and out. Additional features include the ability to calculate overtime and track sick and vacation days.
TimeStation is a time and attendance system that's quick to set up and easy to use. It runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices that have front-facing cameras. Using the Fast-Scan technology, employees can punch in and out in less than a second, and because TimeStation runs in the cloud, there are no software programs or servers to maintain. Managers can see who's in, and run time and attendance reports anytime, anywhere. With the self-service portal, employees can review their activity, clock in and out, run reports, and create or edit time entries. Managers have full control over which functionality each employee has access to.
TimeTrak offers several time and attendance system options, including a software-as-a-service solution that captures and calculates employee time, eliminates paper time sheets and time cards, and alerts employers when employees are tardy or absent. With the system, employees can clock in and out via their computers, while supervisors can manage time off to ensure vacation days or sick time aren't taken when not available.
TimeTrex's time and attendance module tracks and monitors employee attendance in real time, from anywhere. The system offers a variety of ways to track employee attendance: time clocks, web browsers, smartphones and telephones. With the system, businesses can set up an unlimited number of accruals to automatically track employee vacations, sick days or banked time. Employees can also see their own accrual balances. Managers can remotely monitor and get up-to-the-second reports regarding employee time and attendance, from anywhere, at any time.
Timesheet Mobile is a GPS-enabled time, attendance and scheduling solution designed to track mobile employees. The Timesheet Mobile app accurately monitors your on the clock employees, issues alerts and creates a record of their departure times on the server. Email notifications can then be issued to the appropriate manager. iPhone and Android users have access to the system's Punch Prompt alerts via the timesheet app, reminding them to clock in and out upon entering or leaving a geofenced jobsite. To ensure hassle-free payroll, managers and bookkeepers can run online timesheet reports from any browser, track regular and overtime hours in real time, and seamlessly integrate with both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online.
Timesheets.com is a provider of web-based employee time sheets for small businesses with up to 500 employees. The system's user interface allows employees to punch in and out with just one click. Employees can also categorize their time stamps, leave work notes and request time-stamp adjustments. The system gives managers real-time data on who's clocked in, who is approaching overtime and who is tardy. In addition, geolocation-tracking records the location of employees who work out in the field, and the photo time-stamp tool saves a picture of the employee with every clock punch. The system also manages paid time off and mileage and expense information.
TrackSmart's online time and attendance system allows employees to punch in and out with any web-connected computer or smart device. No equipment or ID cards are neccesary. The scheduling feature gives employees the opportunity to see which hours they work, swap shifts, and request time off from a web-connected computer or smart device. The attendance portion of the system lets you manage time-off requests, approve timesheets, run detailed reports and store employee records.
VeriClock is a cloud-based employee time tracking system. With the system, employees can clock in and out via telephone, smart phone or web. Managers can view, verify and report on employee hours in real time. Email notification alerts for all clock in and out activity can be set up for one, some or all employees. In addition, alerts can be set up to detect the most common types of errors employees make – forgetting to clock in at the beginning of the day, or forgetting to clock out at the end. The TimeGuard feature detects if an employee is clocked into the system when they aren't supposed to be and will auto-clock them out. Supervisors are notified of the error by email.
Wasp Barcode Technologies is an automated time clock software and system provider. The company offers biometric, RFID, HID and bar code time clocks. The on-premises software is available in three separate plans: Standard, Professional and Enterprise. The software allows businesses to track absences and late-arriving employees, send payroll directly to QuickBooks and run a variety of management and payroll reports.
Designed to meet the needs of large and growing organizations, WorkForce Time and Attendance is an enterprise-grade, cloud-based solution that captures time and attendance and labor data, and automates complex pay rules. In addition, WorkForce offers employee-scheduling software, absence- and leave-management systems and optimization services.
Ximble Time Clock from Nimble Software Systems is a time and attendance solution that allows employees to clock in and out using PIN codes or QR code scanning. It also features a photoClock feature to verify employee identity when checking in. The system also includes fully customizable scheduling software, a manger dashboard, timesheet software, geo-fencing, PTO tracking, and integration with existing HR, point-of-sale and payroll software.
mJobTime is a mobile time and attendance system designed specifically for construction companies. The system is available as a web-based or on-premises solution. The web edition can capture clock ins and outs in real time or after the fact. In addition, it allows foremen to review, edit, distribute, and approve time in the field; track production units, per diem, and other expenses; and document jobsite events with field notes and pictures. The on-premises system runs on Windows devices. Both systems offer a variety of modules. The labor module lets you track labor hours by job, phase, cost code, pay code; the GPS manager tracks GPS coordinates of employees at clock in and out; and the budget manager tracks actual hours or units by job and cost code versus budget.
The myGeoTracking platform enables solutions across a wide range of industries, from mobile field-force companies to trade services companies, emergency responders and freight-brokering companies seeking driver and load-management solutions and USPS contract support – without any impact on their devices, service plans or cellphone costs. Businesses can use myGeoTracking to track billable hours using electronic time sheet software. The "Zero Touch" GPS Time Clocking App automatically detects in/out from job sites using geofencing. MyGeoTracking also provides always-on attendance monitoring in addition to automatic clock-in and clock-out capability. The system works on all phones with or without an app.
timeQplus offers a wide choice of data-input methods, including basic PC-punching, as well as badge or biometric terminals. You can even mix and match different data-collection methods on the same system. Employees can record their time using work codes for job-costing purposes, while employers can limit access to data by assigning permission levels. Supervisors can edit and approve time sheets and print reports for their assigned employees, while employees can view and print their own time sheets.
A time and attendance system from ISGUS that integrates with many payroll and HR management systems.
ClockInEasy is a time and attendance system that allows employees to clock in and out through any mobile or tablet device. Employee time entry is secure and detailed with instant face recognition and GPS location. The system allows you to export timesheets to payroll providers with one click and accrue and manage employees' paid time off.
ClockShark is a time and attendance system built for companies with mobile employees. Its mobile apps use the GPS location of the employee's smartphone or tablet to get location data and include it with every clock punch. The system also features scheduling tools, PTO management, integrations with a large selection of payroll and accounting services, and timekeeping reports.
TimeDrop Time Clock is a time-tracking application that quickly and securely clocks employees in or out, organizes time entries, allows you to manage permissions, and provides real-time payroll and time and attendance reports. Employees can clock in or out via Windows computer or tablet or biometric fingerprint scanner.
TimeWorksPlus by SwipeClock Workforce Management is a time and attendance system that lets employees log time on their tablets, mobile phones, computers, or a plug-and-play timeclock. The timeclocks eliminate missed punches, track meals and breaks, transfer departments with job costing, and prevent early punches with schedule enforcement. TimeWorksPlus integrates with all major payroll services, with options for single sign-on, employee synchronization, and auto-transfer in hundreds of import/export formats.
ADP Time and Attendance is powerful time-tracking software that can help you comply with government regulations. On top of its time-tracking software, ADP provides a full suite of business services, including PEOs, payroll software, HR outsourcing and employee retirement plans.
Acculor is a live, phone-based system for tracking employee absences. Its live operators answer calls from employees and enter attendance information into a database for accurate tracking. Supervisors and others who need immediate notification receive instant messages about employee attendance via various devices, such as text messages, pagers, cellular phones and PDAs.
Acumen Data Systems ClockView
Acumen's ClockView is a complete solution that automates employee time and attendance. Users can track employees' time accurately, across the board, and in real time on any device, including biometric and web-based timeclocks.
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All Hours is a cloud-based employee time and attendance system. Workers have various options for quickly clocking in or out, from standard wall-mounted timeclocks to mobile apps. All data is tagged with geolocation and sent to All Hours' secure web application. The system offers a variety of features, including time-off requests and approvals, real-time presence information, attendance calculation rules, and easy-to-understand reports.
Attendance on Demand can be customized to meet your business's needs. It's available as a cloud-hosted or on-premises solution and offers several ways for employers and employees to track time, work schedules, and paid time off.
Boomr is a mobile-based time and attendance system that is especially useful for businesses with remote employees or multiple locations. With the app, employees can quickly clock in and out, and receive automatic reminders when it is time to take a break or they are nearing overtime. Employers can create shifts, receive detailed labor reports and track paid time off.
Buddy Punch is a powerful time and attendance system that is easy for both employees and administrators to use. The cloud-based system allows employees to clock in and out each day from their own workstation. The system includes a wide range of features, such as time-off management, job codes and overtime alerts. This system also provides access controls and handles California overtime tracking to ensure accurate payroll.
Workforce Ready Time Keeping is part of Kronos' cloud-based Workforce Ready suite of services. This time and attendance system offers all the features businesses need to manage their employees' time and schedules, such as multiple ways to clock in and out, PTO management, and scheduling tools. Employees can clock in and out and manage their other time needs from timeclocks, web browsers and the mobile app. The system, which can be used by small and midsize businesses in various industries, also has a notification system and audit trail that helps you comply with labor laws.
Mitrefinch is a provider of workforce management solutions for organizations with more than 100 employees. Its on-premises and cloud-based systems include HR software that helps manage vacation planning, sick leave and other absences. The system is compatible with any iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows mobile device. The system works with biometric, proximity and web-based clocking terminals.
NOVAtime provides complete time and attendance systems equipped with badge time clocks, biometric time clocks, proximity time clocks and web-based kiosk devices. It's also capable of integrating with many human resource or payroll applications.
OnTheClock.com is a web-based time and attendance system that hosts a virtual time clock online rather than on your own server. Both the employee and administrative portals are easy to navigate with most of the functions and tools businesses need in a time and attendance system.
Replicon TimeAttend
Replicon's TimeAttend is a cloud-hosted time and attendance system that helps automate time recording and reporting. The system can be used by businesses that have hourly, salaried and contract employees.
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iSolved Time manages your employees' time and integrates with different types of time clocks, including badge, biometric and rugged models. This rules-driven system works for all employee types, including hourly, exempt salaried and non-exempt salaried. You can set tracking rules, exceptions, minimum and maximum hours, and other useful parameters to ensure accuracy and efficiency when processing your payroll.
Paychex - Online Payroll Services

Bigger companies have different payroll needs from small businesses. They need a solution that can offer basic human resources services, reliable payroll processing features and dependable payroll tax management. 

 

Why Paychex?

Paychex offers a flexible, full-featured payroll service for payroll processing and payroll tax obligations. The company provides a host of other services as well. You can choose the payroll schedule you want – weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly – and pay all types of employees, including part-time W-2 employees, 1099 contractors and other freelancers.

A one-size-fits-all solution may work for small businesses, but larger ones have complicated needs. They need a solution that offers a range of plans and can be customized to meet needs of critical importance.

What makes Paychex an appealing option for larger businesses is the flexibility in its service offerings. The Paychex Flex platform is available in four different service plans that vary in features. In addition to plans designed for small businesses, there are service plans built specifically for large and enterprise organizations. 

The plans for midsize and enterprise businesses go beyond the traditional payroll processing services by including HR tools and features, such as onboarding, HR administration and pre-employment background check services. 

Large businesses also want flexibility in how employees are paid. You can pay your employees in multiple ways with Paychex. All of its service plans allow payments by direct deposit and prepaid debit cards, while three of the plans also allow paper checks. Paychex offers check signing and check logo services. 

Typically, larger organizations look for payroll services as part of a complete human resources platform. Many enterprise businesses want a platform that can also manage time and attendance, benefits administration, and hiring. 

Paychex fills that need for employers. In addition to payroll processing, Paychex Flex supports online timekeeping, benefits administration, compliance services, employee onboarding, employment screening, retirement plans, business insurance and health insurance. 

Paychex Pricing and Service Plans

Paychex offers custom pricing for its services. None of the representatives we spoke with, however, would provide pricing estimates on any of the service plans, so we can't pass along any price quotes. 

Paychex offers four service plans: Express Payroll, Paychex Flex Select, Paychex Flex Pro and Paychex Flex Enterprise. All the plans include Paychex's core payroll processing and payroll tax administration services.

Here is a breakdown of each plan: 

  • Express: This is the most basic of Paychex's service plans. In addition to the payroll processing and payroll tax services, the Express plan includes new-hire reporting, direct deposit, prepaid debit cards, an employee financial wellness program, and 24/7 phone and chat support. 

  • Paychex Flex Select: This is the most popular plan for small businesses. It includes everything in the Express plan, plus access to a dedicated payroll specialist, labor compliance poster kits and paper check options. 

  • Paychex Flex Pro: Designed for midsize businesses, this plan includes everything in the Select plan plus garnishment payment service, onboarding tools and pre-employment background screening. 

  • Paychex Flex Enterprise: This is the most comprehensive plan and designed for larger organizations. It includes everything in the Pro plan, plus custom analytics, reports and HR administration. 

Since pricing is customized, you'd be best served by contacting Paychex directly and speaking with a sales representative to get specific information on pricing. Once they learn how many employees you have, how often you plan to run payroll, and what additional Paychex services you may be interested in, they should be able to give you a detailed price quote. 

Features

Paychex offers a number of different services and features, including the following: 

  • Payroll processing: Paychex handles all of your payroll processing. The payroll software calculates how much each employee should be paid based on the hours they work and their pay rate. It also accounts for any additions, like bonuses or commissions, and deductions for things like health benefits. 

  • Paycheck options: You can pay your employees by direct deposit, check or pay card. If your employees choose to be paid by check, Paychex prints the checks and mails them to you, or you can print your own checks onsite. 

  • Payroll tax: Paychex handles all your payroll tax compliance issues. The service calculates, files, and pays your payroll taxes on time and ensures they are accurate. You don't have to worry about errors, because Paychex backs up its services with an accuracy guarantee. The guarantee states that Paychex pays the penalties if there are any mistakes in your payroll taxes. The service also processes year-end W-2 and 1099 forms for your employees. 

  • Payroll reports: Paychex provides employers with more than 160 payroll-related reports. Enterprise users can also create their own custom reports. 

  • New-hire reporting: The payroll service handles all the state-required reporting when you hire a new employee or contractor. 

  • Accounting integrations: Paychex allows businesses to link their payroll data to popular accounting software, such as QuickBooks and Sage. 

  • Unemployment insurance: Paychex helps businesses manage the entire unemployment insurance process. 

  • Employee financial wellness program: This program provides a variety of tools and education to help employees meet their financial goals. It also allows for short-term loans. 

  • Onboarding: Paychex offers Pro and Enterprise service users a number of employee onboarding tools. This allows new staff members to complete their new-hire documents, such as tax withholdings forms, in a paperless format. 

  • Background screening: The Pro and Enterprise plans include a limited number of pre-employment background checks. 

  • HR administration: These tools include options to track performance reviews, manage employee training and store important documents safely in the cloud. 

  • Added services: Paychex offers a range of other business services, including time and attendance systems, employee benefits and benefits administration, compliance services, records administration, hiring services, business insurance, business loans, payment processing, tax services, incorporation services, and online marketing services. 

Ease of Use

The Paychex Flex platform is very easy to use. As a cloud-hosted system, it's accessible from any web browser. You can also manage your payroll from the Paychex mobile app, which is available on iOS and Android devices.

When you log in, the homepage provides a quick glance of your important information. This includes a notice of when your next payroll is due, a link to start the payroll process, upcoming check dates, the cash required for the next payroll, and a quick link to the payroll reports section of the system. 

Running payroll is a simple task with just a few steps. All you have to do is enter your payroll information (salaries, hours worked and pay rates), confirm that the data is correct and submit the payroll for processing. Rather than running payroll manually each pay period, you can set up recurring amounts for faster processing. 

The system offers employee self-service. Employees get their own login so they can access the system to see their paystubs and year-end tax documents. 

In addition to accessing the payroll tools and features, you can use the Paychex Flex platform to access other Paychex services your business uses. 

Customer Service

We were disappointed in the customer service we received from Paychex. To test the customer support, we contacted the company multiple times by phone and email, posing as a business owner interested in payroll services. 

When we called the company, the representative we spoke with refused to give us any details about the system and its cost over the phone. He said that, for him to fully explain the system and give more information on pricing, we would have to meet in person. When we explained that we were just looking into payroll systems and wanted to see how Paychex compared to its competitors in pricing, the representative said he couldn't even provide us with an estimate. 

Additionally, even though we said we were only looking for payroll services at this time, the representative kept trying to sell us on Paychex's other services. So, while the representative peppered us with questions, he wasn't able to answer any of the questions we had for him, which was disappointing. 

The service we received over email wasn't much better. When we reached out to a representative and explained we were interested in learning more about the different service plans and pricing, we didn't receive the level of information we were looking for. While the representative sent a document with a service plan comparison, he offered no other information. He didn't offer to walk us through the plans or give us more detailed information on the services available. We still didn't receive any type of price quote or estimate either. 

One positive of Paychex's customer support is that Select, Pro and Enterprise plan users receive a dedicated payroll specialist to handle any issues. Many of the other payroll services we looked into don't offer a dedicated point person to help with problems. 

Regardless of the plan you use, Paychex support is available by phone and live chat 24/7. 

Drawbacks

The biggest drawback we encountered with Paychex was the customer support. Nearly all of the other payroll companies we investigated were willing to speak with us over the phone and provide detailed answers to our questions about what their service offers and how it works. Most of them also provided us with a price estimate to give us an idea of how much their payroll software would cost us. 

We were also disappointed to see that, as of September 2018, more than 200 complaints had been filed against the company with the Better Business Bureau. Despite the complaints, however, Paychex is an accredited member of the BBB with an A+ rating.  

More
Paychex provides flexible options to fit all business types, including state-of-the-art time and attendance software and time clocks.
Mitrefinch is a provider of workforce management solutions for organizations with more than 100 employees. Its on-premises and cloud-based systems include HR software that helps manage vacation planning, sick leave and other absences. The system is compatible with any iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows mobile device. The system works with biometric, proximity and web-based clocking terminals.
NOVAtime provides complete time and attendance systems equipped with badge time clocks, biometric time clocks, proximity time clocks and web-based kiosk devices. It's also capable of integrating with many human resource or payroll applications.
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