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.

“Rising prices... lack of value... poor support”

Pros

I find it easy to get around and find what I need. And if I have a client with a more complex payroll, I can configure it pretty easily to handle that.

Cons

price keeps going up and the notifications about it are always last-minute like 15 days' notice which gives me no time to adjust my client pricing. There are no new features or added value to justify the increases either. Their competitors are almost the same cost now but offer way more value, better accuracy and they file and pay�all�government jurisdictions. it doesn't file or pay all taxes, local taxes are a big miss. Customer service is subpar a lot of the time and I'm seeing more and more errors. The worst part? it puts everything on the firm's shoulders. If�they�mess up,�I�have to pay for it. We are actually switching to another software because of all this.

“Perfect calculations but lacks tax jurisdiction”

Pros

The calculations are perfect, the figures come out exactly right every time. It also lays out all the necessary info about the payroll clearly. And it's just easy to run.

Cons

it's perfect for calculations and I love that it's an "explainer" system, it shows you how everything works which is great for understanding it myself and explaining it to others.

“tax risk and terrible support”

Pros

honestly, the only positive thing I can really say about this software is that the price is reasonable. That's the one thing that stands out.

Cons

the absolute worst part is the support. We canceled our subscription almost a year ago, told three different people and they�still�kept charging us. We ended up going with one of the biggest national payroll providers and using their partner program. In the end, it actually saved us money and a ton of headaches.

“User-friendly but needs more improvements”

Pros

The way it works is nice and it's pretty user friendly. But I think it still needs some improvements to make it even more useful and user-friendly so more people would want to use it.

Cons

Overall it's good but I think the backend team and the people behind it need to pay more attention and try to improve things. It could be way more useful and user-friendly.

“Automates payroll well”

Pros

It helps me calculate payroll automatically which stops me from making human errors. It's such a time-saver and I think it's better than other apps I have tried because it's easier and super helpful.

Cons

Sometimes it gives me an error but I have to say, once I reach out to them.. they solve it in no time.

“Secure financial data”

Pros

It plays a crucial role in keeping the company's financial data safe and secure, which is extremely important to me. I really appreciate this feature as it gives me peace of mind knowing our sensitive information is protected.

Cons

I've noticed that limited funds and limited eligibility are the most apparent issues for me.

“accessible and easy tool”

Pros

I like that it's easy, accessible from anywhere and flexible. Plus it has a lot of features.

Cons

Nothing specific comes to mind...I honestly just think it's so cool.

“Good payroll tool with setup issues”

Pros

It does an excellent job of assisting me in managing the company's payroll. It makes the whole process much smoother and more organized which helps me stay on top of everything without much effort.

Cons

one thing I have run into is that it won't accept the company the first time if I try to introduce them. It's been a bit of a hurdle.

“All-in-one HR software”

Pros

I can manage and automate all the HR needs from onboarding all the way to payroll with just this one piece of software. I don't need to juggle a couple of different programs or hire extra people to do different tasks anymore.

Cons

I worry about this a lot because payroll information has so much sensitive data and KYC documents. If security measures are lax or there's even an unsophisticated cyber attack, salary data could leak out and put my employees at risk.

“Efficient payroll but time-consuming setup”

Pros

The speed and efficiency it provides for processing payroll is what I find most valuable. It helps me get everything done quickly and accurately, which saves me a lot of time and effort.

Cons

the pricing and the data configuration just take too much time to get set up right.

“Great features but some pages feel outdated”

Pros

Payroll Relief is a cloud-based system for payroll and accounting. I've found it has so many features that just help everything run smoothly.

Cons

I think the look and feel on certain pages could be improved. Some of them just are little dated or clunky.

“good tool with occasional glitches”

Pros

It's really easy to use and I especially appreciate how detailed it is. I can easily see the whole picture of my payroll whenever I need to.

Cons

I've noticed some glitches with the software every now and then and sometimes the posting feels late which throws me off.

“best for managing salaries”

Pros

I think the process for managing employee salaries is just too good.

Cons

Honestly everything works great but I feel like the cloud process is a little low or slow compared to what I'd expect.

“Competitive price with poor customer service”

Pros

THIS is a one-stop solution for all my payroll issues at a price that actually makes sense. The price is super competitive and the solutions work great. It also helps me calculate taxes with ease.

Cons

I'm not very satisfied with the customer service. It's really hard to get someone on hold and it just eats up so much of my time trying to solve one problem.

“Automates well!”

Pros

I honestly love how much it cuts down on staff hours with all the automated systems.

Cons

you know what? there is honestly nothing that I dislike about this program. It just works for me.

“Aligned workflow but lacks integration”

Pros

The alignd workflow helps my team and me understand the system quickly. It lets us focus on the actual work we need to do instead of fiddling with the software.

Cons

For me, the biggest issue is the lack of integration with certain accounting management software. It makes it really difficult to fit it into the systems I already have in place.

“Easy to use, but tough startup and training”

Pros

It's just so easy to use, a great product. I would definitely refer any new user to this.

Cons

the startup time and training were a hurdle for me. I'll admit it, learning new stuff just does not come easy to me, so that part was tough.

“hit-or-miss customer service and downtime”

Pros

the price is probably the best thing about it. On top of that, they handle automatic payroll tax payments and filings for federal forms and a lot of the state forms, too.

Cons

their customer service is very hit or miss, in my experience. Sometimes they are super helpful and friendly and other times it's impossible to even get ahold of them. And when I do, they don't always know how to help. Also the software seems to go down more than I'd like. Once or twice a month, it seems like I just can't log in. On top of that, they don't offer automated tax payments and filings for all states, so I'm stuck filing and paying some of those manually which is a pain.