The Best Free Payroll Software for Small Businesses

Overview 

Founded in 2019, Remote is one of the most popular free payroll platforms on the market. The founders of Remote, Job van der Voort, and Marcelo Lebre created a tool to help businesses hire, manage, and pay workers worldwide. Remote is a simple-to-use app with many features and tools that ensure fast and secure payroll, quick onboarding, and state-specific benefits and compliance. 

The free version of the software is available to businesses of all types, no matter how many workers they have. If you are looking for powerful and secure software to manage contractors only, Remote’s Contractor Management plan is the right option for you. 

Features

Remote is a free payroll app that allows you to manage contractors worldwide. However, the free version can’t help you manage payroll for your full-time employees.

The team behind this app helps companies to streamline business operations, including tax calculation, payroll, benefits, and compliance. This is a web-based software product, meaning that you don’t need to install anything on your office computers. However, there’s no native mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

The onboarding process with Remote is simple and quick, allowing you to manage employee documentation, get the 1099s form automatically, send invoices, and offer workers benefits and perks. Remote allows you to hire and manage contractors in over 170 countries. Unlike some other payroll apps, the free version of Remote enables you to hire contractors and easily manage their benefits and payroll. One of the best things about Remote is that it enables businesses to pay workers in their local currencies without paying any exchange fees. 

Summary 

Remote has a 4.4 on Trustpilot for a reason. Current customers are satisfied with the software’s interface and fast operation, and remote customer support is fantastic. They are fast, knowledgeable, and polite and now offer support 24/7. One major downside of the free version of the software is that it only allows you to manage contractors, not full-time workers. Overall, though, this is a very competent solution that we’re happy to recommend.

Overview

Skuad is free online payroll software for HRs and small-business owners. The company has over two decades of experience, and allows users to find and hire talent worldwide, without worrying about local laws, taxes, and regulations. Skuad is prime HR software, trusted by hundreds of companies, including Cactus, RemoteLock, TalkRemit, etc.

Features

Skuad allows small and medium businesses to manage talent from over 160 countries. Depending on your needs, you’ll be able to discover, hire, and manage payroll and benefits for full-time workers and contractors. Aside from its free option, Skuad offers three pricing plans, each with a more comprehensive toolset than the last. The top tier is powerful cloud-based software for managing taxes, social benefits, pensions, and locally-required fees.

For example, its free payroll processing software lacks tax-related tools. Still, it’s a beneficial option for completing other HR-related duties. The free version enables you to onboard and pay contractors through one powerful dashboard. The company claims that the software will help you complete onboarding within 90 seconds. You can also create documents and contracts compliant with the local authorities.

According to user reviews, Skuad’s free version simplifies time-consuming payroll tasks. This free payroll software is also for accountants, helping them track employee working hours to calculate hourly rates, pay employees on time, and automatically send invoices.

If you have international workers, you can allow them to choose the currency they want to be paid in from over a hundred options. Unlike other similar products, Skuad won’t charge you any additional costs for onboarding employees.

Skuad’s free payroll software for macOS and Windows users is cloud-based, meaning you don’t need to worry about complicated installation procedures. The software integrates seamlessly into any business ecosystem, but there is live chat support if you have any difficulties.

Summary

Skuad makes global hiring a breeze by automating onboarding, payroll, compliance, and taxes in over 160 countries. It can save your time and resources helping you hire and onboard top talents. Unfortunately, its free version lacks some important features, like tax-filing, so you should think twice if what you want is a free all-rounder.

Overview

Established more than 70 years ago, ADP is a tried-and-true company available in more than 140 countries. ADP offers human capital management solutions such as outsourcing and payroll processing services. The award-winning software for payroll with a free trial period boasts a large customer base, with more than 920,000 clients. Before joining their ranks, it’s important to know what ADP offers and if it will fit your business needs. 

Here’s an overview of the company and its services:

Features

ADP provides payroll services to small and mid-size to large businesses. Small Business Payroll offers basic features necessary for easy and quick managing of employee payroll. The software will also calculate all payroll taxes and pay them on your behalf. In case of a filling error, ADP will reimburse all the costs of penalties. 

Aside from the automated tax filings, ADP will generate your W-2s and 1099s, and file the former, for an additional cost. On top of that, you’ll get federal, state, and local compliance support.

Mid-size and large businesses can count on custom-configured payroll services and robust integrations with HR applications and software for better performance. Also, ADP offers help with employment benefits, talent recruiting, and more. 

This large and small business payroll software comes with a free three-month trial period, so you can try it out before committing to one of the four paid plans. However, ADP’s pricing is not readily available on their website, which is something to be aware of. You’ll need to contact them for a custom quote based on the size and needs of your business.

Whichever plan you decide to go for, you can count on the Time and Attendance feature that lets you manage schedules, hours worked, and time off for employees. Also, all tiers come with solutions for employee benefits such as workers’ compensations, retirement, and health insurance. 

Aside from the HR and onboarding services you’ll get, the ADP payroll offers top-notch features with all pricing tiers you can use while on the go, thanks to the native apps for iOS and Android. One of the most notable services is the ability to pay your employees with checks, direct deposits, and payment cards. 

With ADP free payroll software for small business needs and large companies, you’ll be able to pay employees who work in more than one state or local jurisdiction in the same pay period. 

If you encounter problems, ADP offers a free phone line and a live chat feature. The company has an extensive resources library that includes FAQs and offers recurring webinars and in-person events. It also invests a lot in security measures to protect its customers’ data. ADP is GDPR-compliant, certified by ISO, and performs frequent security updates with alerts.

Summary

ADP is a comprehensive payroll and HR solution for businesses of all sizes, so if you’re looking for free payroll software for self-employed, you should probably look elsewhere. The company has a long history and a large customer base, making it a trusted provider. 

However, pricing is not readily available on the website, so you’ll need to contact ADP for a custom quote. Nevertheless, ADP offers a free three-month trial period so you can try out the software before committing.

Overview

The first program on our list is Payroll4Free. This free payroll printing software offers payroll services for companies with 25 employees or fewer. Payroll4Free is meant for US-based businesses and is available in all 50 states. So, what does Payroll4Free offer?

Features

With the free package, you receive payroll processing for 25 employees or fewer. If you have more than 25 workers, the cost is $35 per payroll run. The price scales as your number of employees grows and as you add more services. 

The free package comes with state-specific tax-compliance functions integrated. However, filing taxes will require switching to a paid package. After you input employee attendance, deductions, and earnings, the software will automatically calculate the amount of tax you need to withhold. These features make Payroll4Free one of the best payroll services on the market.

Besides payroll and taxes, Payroll4Free allows you to manage employees’ time off or find worker compensation policies at no extra charge. As for payment methods, Payroll4Free supports cash, direct deposits, and checks. Bank deposits, however, go into the business owner’s accounts - you’ll have to pay $12.50 per month to deposit them straight into employees’ accounts. Employees themselves gain access to a portal where they can view and print their pay stubs and W-2s. 

Payroll4Free supports itself with advertising embedded in the interface. As such, it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing option. On the plus side, Payroll4Free offers unlimited customer support via phone or email.

Summary

Payroll4Free certainly has one of the best offers among payroll check writing software free providers. It offers all the basics of payroll processing, tax compliance, and more. The only downside is the 25-employee limit. In case you have more than 25 employees and don’t want to go for a paid Payroll4Free option, check out the other software on our list.

Overview

HR.my is crowdfunded free HR payroll software best-suited for companies that have an international, freelancer, or independent contractor workforce. As the name suggests, besides payroll processing, HR.my also offers human resources services.

Features

HR.my puts no limits on how many employees it will process payroll for. There are also no limits on in terms of location; you can process payroll for employees wherever they might be located. 

Payroll processing is a breeze with HR.my. However, it does lack some important features. For example, although this payroll time-tracking software is free and allows processing for workers anywhere, it doesn’t offer any US-specific tax-compliance features. You’ll have to input that data manually, just as you will with bank and earnings information. You should also input any state-specific laws for US workers. 

On the plus side, HR.my offers free HR services, allowing you to track overtime, attendance, sick leave, and days away from work, as well as providing communication channels for employees. It also gives employees access to their pay stubs. Payments can be set up to run on a semi-monthly, monthly, fortnightly, or weekly basis. This is a rare program that combines HR and payroll software for free.

HR.my supports all basic payment methods: cash, direct deposits, and checks. It also lets you share documents within the company, allowing you to import files like expense reports or timesheets. Online connections in HR.my are protected by the SSL protocol, ensuring the safety of transmitted information. There is, sadly, no customer support option; this crowdfunded software only comes with a help page on the website.

Summary

If you’re running a company with an international freelance workforce, HR.my is a great free downloadable payroll software. It can be accessed from anywhere in the world and comes with some neat HR features. However, if your team consists of US-based full-time workers, you should probably go with another option.

Overview

Excel Payroll is a simple but still very useful option. This payroll-processing software is suited for businesses that calculate their payroll in Excel or are already very familiar with the software.

Features

Excel Payroll basically provides an upgraded Excel spreadsheet in which the required payroll calculations are made. This 100% free software for payroll processing comes with generous employee number limits, but its features are fairly basic. It can calculate earnings, deductions, worker compensation reports, vacation accruals, and overtime. 

ExcelPayroll should be used to perform payroll processing for up to 50 employees - if you have more, you should switch to more robust software. You will need to enter state and federal tax information manually, as well as overtime and vacation accruals. Excel Payroll allows you to print checks and generate reports on tax compliance. 

This is on-site, as opposed to cloud software, so internet security is not a concern. However, the Excel Payroll website isn’t secured, so downloading the software is subject to standard internet risks. 

Summary

Excel Payroll is free and simple payroll software ideal for companies with up to 50 workers. If you are already using Excel or are proficient in it, then you won’t have much trouble mastering this software. However, if you’re not too familiar with the program, need more robust payroll options (especially concerning taxes), or have a large number of employees, this might not be the best choice for you.

Overview

Just like HR.my combines HR and payroll services, Wave offers accounting and payroll software for free in one package. However, this free package limits you to processing payroll only for independent workers.

Features

The accounting segment is primarily meant for tracking payments to independent workers using the 1099 form. If you want to opt in for credit card processing, payroll, and bank payments, the monthly fee is $20, plus $4 for each employee. 

Processing 1099 payrolls using Wave is a cakewalk - you just punch in your employee and banking information. After that, it only takes a single push of a button to process the payment, and you can easily stop payments whenever you wish. Besides offering standard payment methods - cash, direct deposit, and checks - Wave also allows for payment via PayPal. 

You can also use this free payroll software for 1099 tax fillings, but only in the following states: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. As for labor laws, overtime, and other state-specific regulations, you’ll have to sort through them manually. 

All communication between your company, Wave, and the banks is protected by 256-bit SSL encryption. Furthermore, the connection between Wave and financial institutions is view-only, meaning no one can access your finances.

Summary

Wave is best for companies that hire only independent workers. If you have full-time workers or workers in states not covered by this software, you should consider another option.

Overview

TimeTrex offers open-source payroll time clock software free of charge, created and updated by a community of volunteers from across the world. 

Features

With the TimeTrex free community version you receive only the payroll calculation option. TimeTrex doesn’t offer tax filing, nor does it factor in local labor laws and other regulations that may apply on the state level. However, after you add all the information, payroll deductions are automatically calculated. 

Time-tracking features are integrated with payroll calculation. You can track when and how much every employee has worked during the pay cycle. You can also create weekly shift/assignment schedules. If you’ve previously used other payroll software or plan to use other programs in the future, TimeTrex can integrate seamlessly. For these reasons, TimeTrex is a great free payroll app.

As TimeTrex is a community-made program, you won’t get any dedicated customer support; instead, you’ll have to rely on community forums for help. You can upgrade to a paid package that provides you with features like a mobile app, recruitment, and expense-tracking, for a starting monthly price of $30.

As is always the case when dealing with cloud-based services, security should be a top priority. TimeTex addresses this with end-to-end data encryption, high-security data centers, and built-in data backup and recovery.

Summary

If you’re looking for payroll management system free software and you need time-tracking features as well, TimeTrex is definitely one of the best choices for you. What this payroll processing software lacks in tax filing services and dedicated support it makes up for in security and time-tracking. 

Overview

For small businesses that need to perform payroll calculations for a small number of employees or one-time calculations, Paycheck Manager is a great free employee payroll software choice.

Features

Paycheck Manager offers free and unlimited payroll calculations. Unfortunately, though, it can only perform one-time payroll calculations, making running payroll calculations regularly or for a large number of employees a very time-consuming process. 

You’ll find the payroll processing function on the “Free Calculator” page on Paycheck Manager’s website. Input employee information, choose a year and state for tax purposes, and Payroll Manager will process payroll information for you. Earnings and deductions are easy to add, too. But, you can only perform individual payroll processing for one employee at a time. Unless you switch to a paid plan, the payroll information you add isn’t saved, and you’ll have to reenter it each time. 

As is the case with most payroll software freeware, federal and tax compliance is calculated for you, but you’ll have to factor in labor laws and unemployment insurance yourself. Switching to a paid account will allow you to both save payroll information and generate payroll forms. 

The paid account will cost you $5 per employee per month if you’re filing your own taxes. If you want Paycheck Manager to file taxes for you, the price increases to $12 per month plus $2 employee and a $10 first-time setup fee. The paid version also allows you to create various reports, which are not available in the free one. If you, by any chance, run into any trouble using this free online payroll software, you can reach the support team by phone, email, and fax.

Summary

For companies that need to perform payroll processing for only a few workers or for one-time payments, Paycheck Manager is a great free option. But in case you need to run regular payrolls for more than a few workers, then you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.