Paychex Flex Reviews

“Has limited use cases”

Pros

I mainly used this tool to submit vacation requests and access my pay stubs and yearly tax forms. The part I appreciated most was how simple it was to use.

Cons

Our organization switched to a different system so we stopped using this about five months ago. Even though the tool was simple, the downside for me was that I really did not use it for much beyond a few basic tasks.

“reliable HR tools”

Pros

Does a solid job as an HR portal, bringing together time and attendance, payroll, retirement services like 401(k) and other general HR functions in one system.

Cons

The bigger problem with this isn't really the software itself but the company behind it. Their billing structure is overly complicated, hard for customers to make sense of and the pricing seems to shift quickly and unpredictably.

“payroll access all in one place”

Pros

It's an excellent platform for both employers and employees to keep payroll information and documents in one place.

Cons

It has a two step authentication feature which can be an issue when someone is outside the USA and doesn't have phone service.

“handles exactly what I need it to”

Pros

Keeping track of each paycheck by pay period is really convenient with this app. My employer introduced me to it and I've genuinely enjoyed using it ever since. It's simple to move around in and handles exactly what I need it to do.

Cons

I really don't have any complaints. It's a useful app and I'd gladly keep using it.

“responsive support”

Pros

They have outstanding sales representatives who are super accommodating and help me handle my account. Their response time is incredibly fast and the team is very pleasant to work with. The payroll management is also very reasonably priced.

Cons

There were a few issues caused by miscommunication with someone new servicing my account but the more experienced members of their team stepped in right away and corrected the problem.

“quick access to paystubs”

Pros

As an employee having access to this platform has been really useful for me. I can check my paystubs right on payday, update my employee information and make changes to my direct deposit details whenever needed. Being able to get electronic W-2s is also a big plus since they usually arrive much faster.

Cons

A downside is that the SMS two factor authentication isn't very secure and it's pretty much forced on users which is frustrating. Still, it's better than having no extra protection at all.

“good fit for small teams”

Pros

This tool is a good option for a startup with only a handful of employees.

Cons

Once the company expanded and the benefits became more complex, it didn't keep up very well.

“wasted time from duplicate entries”

Pros

The team that handled our move to this platform was very helpful throughout the transition. Running payroll was simple, the reports gave us what we needed and the platform included the HR and payroll features we were looking for.

Cons

Things became frustrating once we started setting up some of the HR functions because several of them just redirected to a separate system. That meant entering employee information again even though it was already logged in previously. Since the two platforms were only connected by links, we ended up doing a lot of duplicate data entry which wasted a ton of time. If we had been managing more than 50 employees, getting everything set up would have been a real headache.

“all in one HR portal”

Pros

Back when I worked as a field organizer at For Our Future, we used this to manage timesheets, benefits and pay details. It handled all of that really well and honestly served as a one stop hub for just about everything HR related. Moving between dashboards felt quick and easy. I also appreciated having the option to go paperless.

Cons

Something that fell short for me was the mobile app which never quite matched the desktop version. It wasn't a major dealbreaker but since I spent a lot of time out in the field as a community organizer, I often had to depend on the app instead of accessing it from a computer.

“basic features”

Pros

Very user friendly and covers all the core functions, like viewing pay stubs, checking time off and accessing hiring information.

Cons

At the same time, it feels extremely basic and offers very little room for customization.

“Frustrating to navigation”

Pros

At least visually, it has a clean and appealing look. The information you need is there although it can take some digging to track it down.

Cons

From an employee's perspective, this has been the hardest payroll/HR software of this kind for me to use. Its laggy and finding what you need is unnecessarily difficult.

“Excellent support reps”

Pros

Having payroll, HR and reporting all in one place is a fantastic setup. Entering payroll on the admin side is very easy and Flex feels very easy to use. I also really appreciate that the reports I need are available online and ready whenever I need them. The online support is excellent too and being available 24/7 is a huge plus.

Cons

I do wish the HR side of the system were a bit less glitchy. Not all of my staff is included even though all of our benefits go through Paychex so that is disappointing because it feels like I am not getting the full experience from that side of the platform. I also wish there were a way to chat directly with my payroll specialist in the app. There are certain things only they can handle and having that option would be much more convenient.

“useful features”

Pros

Coming from several different payroll systems I've used for clients, I recently started working with one that was already on Paychex Flex. It does have some useful features although I wouldn't call it as powerful as a lot of other payroll platforms. The advantages aren't especially unique since plenty of providers also give employees one place to view their information and access their pay stubs online. That said, having payroll filings and remittances handled for you is definitely helpful.

Cons

Support has been disappointing for both employees and administrators because responses tend to be slow. The reporting tools also take more effort to learn since they're less user friendly than what I've seen with other payroll providers. Another frustration is during system upgrades. The platform doesn't save the data you enter and there's no warning ahead of time. You only realize it after putting everything in and seeing that it didn't save. On top of that the timekeeping feature feels awkward to use and doesn't give you a way to approve all time reports at once.

“cuts down on my workload”

Pros

There's a lot of potential in this product. Once I'm in the system, I can send new hires the information they need to enter themselves which helps cut down on my workload. I also really appreciate that the time clock and payroll are connected because it makes exporting hours and running payroll much more convenient.

Cons

The reporting side is where it falls short for me. The reports are confusing and difficult to work through and the payroll submission process is also pretty unclear. On top of that if I need to add another check to the same payroll, I can't do it and have to push it to the next one instead which becomes a problem when something gets missed or comes in late, like employee mileage.

“packed with useful tools”

Pros

As a new user one thing I've noticed right away is how much functionality it offers compared with systems I've used before. I'm able to update my withholdings, see relevant information about my direct reports and track time across different projects which gives me more options than I was used to.

Cons

Navigation has been more challenging than it was in my previous software. That may just come down to a learning curve but it has definitely taken some time to figure out where to log my hours, how to approve my own time and how to handle approvals for other employees as well. Even with that, it still performs its core tasks well.

“very user friendly”

Pros

From the first interaction, the representative was incredibly professional, quick to respond and very helpful. The product itself is also very user friendly and simple to work with.

Cons

Its pricing felt higher than other comparable products on the market.

“flexible reporting feature”

Pros

Reporting and customizable coding have been a real plus and the tracking tools work well most of the time. There's also a two factor authentication option which is a strong feature for some users. That said, employees who've already dealt with multiple time tracking system changes usually aren't too happy about that added step.

Cons

Whenever the site goes down, it creates a major problem for employees trying to clock in or out. Then everything has to be tracked manually and fixed afterward which usually falls on the manager or supervisor. That adds extra delays for management since they have to go back in and make corrections. It also makes employees less confident in using the software the way it's intended. On top of that support is barely there. If you can't sort something out yourself, you're basically left searching Google for answers or a workaround.

“outdated interface”

Pros

It covers the essentials by giving access to basic things like tax forms and pay stubs and the limited number of options keeps it fairly simple to use.

Cons

The interface is pretty bad and feels like it was designed ten years ago and some of the products still are not connected or integrated the way they should be.

“Helps me stay on top of everything”

Pros

Has been really helpful for staying on top of my paystubs, benefits and PTO all in one place. I use it every day to clock in and out and putting in time off requests is simple. It just makes handling all of that much simpler.

Cons

Only thing I'd change is how often the site goes down for maintenance. I do appreciate that they give advance notice before it's unavailable but I still wish those outages happened less frequently.

“all payroll details in one place”

Pros

Navigation feels very easy. It's really helpful to be able to check clock in and clock out times, pull up past paychecks and W-2s and see everything in one spot when more than one company uses the platform. Having a mobile app available is a big plus too.

Cons

Mobile app has given me trouble at times especially with logging in. It wasn't just me either, quite a few of my co workers ran into the same issue.