BerniePortal

What Is BerniePortal?

BerniePortal is a cloud-based HRIS that brings benefits, payroll, time tracking, PTO, performance, compliance, and onboarding into one system. It is primarily positioned for small employers and allows HR teams to manage employee information and HR processes from a centralized platform. Its features are natively built on a single database, giving organizations one place to manage information across the employee lifecycle.

What Is BerniePortal Best For?

A key feature of BerniePortal is its new-hire onboarding, particularly for small HR teams that need to manage employee paperwork and onboarding tasks in one workflow. The feature can pull new-hire information from the applicant tracking system and support electronic W-4, W-9, I-9, state withholding, and direct-deposit forms. HR teams can also add custom documents, fields, and department-specific checklists to collect information and track completion.

How Much Does BerniePortal Cost?

BerniePortal pricing starts at $5/employee/month and a $25 base for the Starter plan. Additional plans include:

• Standard: $19/employee/month and $40/EIN
• Plus: $23/employee/month and $40/EIN
• Enterprise: $29/employee/month and $40/EIN

In addition to the base subscription fees, organizations should consider the following estimated additional expenses:

• Implementation And Onboarding: Estimated cost is around $500–$2,000 one time, depending on the organization’s size and setup requirements
• Carrier Exchange: Standard Carrier Exchange pricing is $0.95/enrollee/month for the primary carrier and $0.45/enrollee/month for each additional carrier
• QuickBooks Integration: QuickBooks integrations may involve one-time setup fees, with additional charges potentially applying for remapping or software changes

Users generally describe BerniePortal’s pricing as moderate to high, with particular concerns around the rising cost of add-on features.  

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

BerniePortal Integrations

BerniePortal offers integration with the following third-party applications:

• Indeed for Employers
• Glassdoor
• Monster

How Does BerniePortal Work?

Here’s how you can access the platform and move through its main HR workflows:

• Log in to BerniePortal using your account credentials and access the HRIS dashboard
• Configure the HR functions your organization uses, such as onboarding, benefits, PTO, time tracking, payroll, performance, and compliance
• Set up onboarding workflows by assigning new hires the required forms, custom documents, fields, and department-specific checklist items
• Manage employee processes such as benefits elections, PTO requests, time records, payroll information, and performance activities from the applicable sections
• Track completed onboarding and compliance tasks, employee information, time records, PTO balances, and other HR data through available reporting tools
• Review employee and organizational information through features such as the employee directory, org chart, and HR reports
• Generate reports from the information stored in BerniePortal to monitor HR activity and maintain records

Who Is BerniePortal For?

BerniePortal is ideal for individuals working in the following sectors:

• HR
• Professional services
• Retail
• Manufacturing

BerniePortal Use Cases

Based on our analysis of user feedback and BerniePortal features, we have identified certain situations where the software is a good fit for:

Companies Managing Different PTO Policies Across Employee Groups

Organizations with different leave rules for full-time, part-time, managerial, or other employee groups can use BerniePortal to manage those policies within the same HR environment. PTO policies can be configured around accrual or lump-sum allocations and assigned to employee subgroups. This is useful for businesses where leave eligibility varies by employment status or tenure and managers need visibility into team time-off requests to coordinate coverage.

Employers With Frequent Benefits Enrollment Changes

Businesses that regularly manage new-hire elections, annual open enrollment, or qualifying life events can use BerniePortal as a centralized point for employee benefits administration. Employees can review and make their elections online, while HR teams can manage enrollment information within the same employee record. This is particularly relevant for organizations with a small HR department that needs to coordinate benefits enrollment for multiple employee groups.

Organizations Managing Employee Compliance Documentation

Businesses that regularly distribute policies, notices, or other documents requiring employee acknowledgment can use BerniePortal to maintain a documented process for these communications. HR can assign notices to specific employee subgroups, monitor signatures and outstanding acknowledgments, and retain records of completed notices. This fits organizations where different employee populations receive different compliance documents and HR needs a record of who received and completed each notice.

Employers Handling COBRA Alongside Active Employees

Organizations that frequently have employees moving from active coverage to COBRA can use BerniePortal to keep those participants within the same administrative environment. COBRA participants can access eligible benefits, while HR can view their information alongside active employees and access eligibility and paid-through reporting.

Is BerniePortal Right For You?

If you are a small or growing business looking for an HRIS that can handle multiple employee processes in one system, BerniePortal can be a good option. From a security perspective, BerniePortal holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification and is regularly tested by third-party security experts. The platform’s named clients include Carlo's Bake Shop, Water Way, Tailgate, and Lackawanna.

Still unsure if BerniePortal software is right for you? Contact us at (661)-384-7070, who will help you make the best decision.