Payroll Relief Reviews

“easy payroll

Pros

I have got over 100 payroll clients right now and for the vast majority of them, I have zero issues, the program just runs smoothly. The payroll calculations are always accurate and the taxes are spot on. I really love the Payroll Snapshot screen that shows me a daily queue of payrolls in the exact order they need to be processed. It's also awesome that they handle direct deposit and EFT for almost all the taxes (Utah UI tax is literally the only exception I've run into). Plus if I have a quick or easy question, their support email is super responsive.

Cons

My biggest frustration is how hard it is to get a live support person when I have a really difficult question. Once I actually connect with someone, they are super thorough and helpful, they're just so hard to reach. Also if you have payroll clients with 401k needs, watch out because the system can get quirky. For example, the way it calculates employer matching funds when an employee turns contributions off and then back on again is weird. You have to watch the 401k like a hawk. You can override everything but you have to catch it as you go.

“Solid system but has some rough edges

Pros

For me, the biggest wins are: 1) It automates a ton of the manual data entry I used to hate doing, 2) It automatically pays my payroll taxes, 3) It files the payroll tax returns for me automatically, 4) The price is actually reasonable, 5) It's web-based, so I can log in from anywhere, 6) It talks to Accounting Power perfectly so I am not entering stuff twice, and 7) It even collects and deposits my processing fees for me.

Cons

okayyyy, here's my honest list of issues: 1) The program is a little rigid, 2) The client interface looks ancient and a lot of my clients have complained it's not easy to use, 3) The lead time to process payroll is too long especially compared to other services, 4) Making corrections after payroll is processed is a hassle, 5) You can't backdate checks which I need for clients who manually issue them, 6) Some reports won't run across multiple years, 7) The integration with Accounting Power is not as good as I'd like, for example, it lumps all federal tax payments into one GL account instead of separating Federal W/H from SS/Medicare, 8) Onboarding confuses my clients especially the EFT Application, 9) There's always a delay in me getting my processing fees, it's supposed to be 2-3 days but it's usually 5 and they've never told me why, 10) I can never get a live person in Customer Support, I have to submit a ticket and wait for a response to something a quick phone call could fix, 11) Payments to third parties like Workers Comp or garnishments have to be paper checks instead of electronic.

“Easy to use

Pros

it makes my life so much easier because I can just send a link to my clients. They punch in their own hours and I just log in to look it over and review it. And when it's time to do the quarterly or yearly reports, it's all alignd and really simple to get through.

Cons

I really wish they'd improve it by letting me make quarterly payments closer to the due date. Right now, if I miss the 4-day cutoff, I have to figure out how to make manual payments and that can be a real pain.

“Simple and efficient payroll tool

Pros

I find it really easy to use... whenever I am adding new employees or actually processing the payroll.

Cons

my issue is with customer service and the fact that there's no way to inactivate a client without losing access to their payroll history. There should definitely be a way to mark them inactive but still have the data available for at least 3 years, if not longer. The IRS is so behind on things and this setup is going to cause major problems down the road.

“good for most tasks

Pros

This tool itself is just easy to use. And if I do run into a problem, the customer service agents are super helpful and seem well-trained on most issues.

Cons

The wait times when I call customer service can be pretty lengthy sometimes.but overall its good.

“very friendly tool!

Pros

Its extremely user-friendly. We use this program literally every single day and it has become such a simple part of our routine that I barely even think about it...I just get payroll done.

Cons

employee portal can be a problem for salaried employees, they can see their hourly rate and for some of them, that's an issue.

“poor support

Pros

I have been veryy happy with how easy it is to add employees and the net-to-gross payroll calculation is a nice feature.

Cons

honestly, Customer Service has not been the most pleasant experience for me. I've actually been yelled at by support just for asking questions. Also, a while back they approved a company with the wrong EIN number which was a huge shock and created a massive mess that I had to clean up with zero help from Payroll Relief. And to top it off, they have contacted my clients without my permission after telling me they never would.

“trustworthy but support could improve

Pros

I see it as a big national player in the game, so I trust them to keep up with law changes. They have all the features you'd expect from the large providers and it integrates with Accounting Power really, really well.

Cons

customer support is just OK but it could definitely be better. Also, it does not integrate into Practice Relief for us. We don't even use it because it lacks features, we use�Bill.com�for all our billing instead.

“taxing unit integration is tough

Pros

What I love most is having the control over the entire process from setting up a client and their employees all the way to processing and filing. The ability to prefund the taxes and have them auto-file the returns saves me a ton of time.

Cons

the real issue for me is the integration with state and local taxing units. I am specifically talking about unemployment and those tiny local taxing districts in states like Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It's a headache.

“user-friendly tool with slow support

Pros

UI just makes sense to me. It makes the whole payroll process is manageable and it was really easy to fit into the workflows and systems I already had in place.

Cons

spport could be a lot better. I can't tell you how many times I have been sitting in Queue spot #1 for a long time during normal business hours and nothing happens.

“Automated tool

Pros

the main thing is that it's pretty much a fully automated system. I just run the payroll and the system takes over from there, handling the direct deposits, paying the payroll taxes and taking care of all the filings.

Cons

they make changes to the system without any notice, just removing or changing functionality. And customer support? Yeah that could be way better too.

“Good value but payroll tax issues persist

Pros

It's pretty easy to use and unlike QuickBooks, they don't hit me with an extra charge for direct deposit.

Cons

I have a problem with being forced to prefund payroll taxes. It's just not fair to those of us who don't want or need to do it. Also the program refuses to file returns with zero liability even when the state still requires a filing. And on top of that, PRR processes an unemployment tax return for every single state I have a withholding number for even if I am not required to file an unemployment tax return in that state.

“Comprehensive solution with bad support

Pros

the best part is that it is an all-encompassing piece of software. I don't have to wonder if it can handle a certain task� it basically does everything I need it to do from A to Z.

Cons

Support is practically non-existent. And honestly, it's been that way for years.

“Affordable & interface needs an upgrade

Pros

I have looked at other payroll products and the cost for this one is pretty reasonable compared to the rest.

Cons

I think the system interface is not easy to use at all. It could really use some kind of major upgrade.

“Easy to use

Pros

Its really simple to use and it works perfectly for me. It's also great for my clients, as it makes their work easier and it's user-friendly for their employees too, so everyone can use it without any issue.

Cons

My own dumb mistake but sometimes I make a change and just completely forget to save the page or the information before moving on.

“solid tool, but lacks batch processing

Pros

for me it's all about handling the processing, the reports and keeping the tax info straight. If those three things are not solid, nothing else matters.

Cons

my biggest problem is that I can't do things in "batches." I have to go through everything one by one which is a huge time-waster.

“support needs improvement

Pros

I love that they do all the "back end" work for me, automatically e-filing and handling the ACH for taxes and fees.

Cons

Sometimes support just does not listen or read my request all the way through. They'll only answer part of my question or give me an answer to something I didn't even ask. Don't get me wrong, it's not�always�like this but it happens often enough to be really frustrating.

“Handles everything!

Pros

This does it all, from state and federal compliance to managing child support and garnishments. I found the setup to be pretty simple and their support team is excellent when I need them.

Cons

downsides for me are mainly around getting certain changes handled quickly. Things like daily limits or the number of days between submission and direct deposits. It's usually not a problem but it's caused an issue or two when a client throws in a last-minute modification.

“customization is limited

Pros

It just takes care of all the tax calculations, filings and payments for me which really cuts down on the chance of me making an error and saves me a ton of time. Since it's cloud-based, I can grab payroll data from anywhere and the client portal makes it super easy to work with my clients.

Cons

customization options are pretty limited especially when I'm trying to create detailed or tailored reports. It just feels a bit rigid in that area. Also while the basic stuff is easy, the more advanced functions are hard to use. And honestly, the pricing gets quite expensive as you scale up which is a real drawback for my firm since we have a growing number of clients.

“customer support needs improvement

Pros

What I like most is that it's not some huge, complicated system, it's actually pretty simple and user-friendly.

Cons

The main downside for me is how the customer support team responds. I would really like more detailed responses instead of the one- or two-word answers I sometimes get.