Affordability, ease of use, plenty of features, and HR and time-tracking integrations make Patriot Payroll a top contender for small businesses.
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REVIEWED BY
Expert Contributor
| Total Rating | 3.9 |
|---|---|
| Pricing4.0 | |
| Ease Of Use3.4 | |
| Features3.5 | |
| Customer Service4.6 | |
| User Reviews4.8 | |
Payroll Processing Time
2-4 daysPricing Range
$17/month +$4/month per person - $37/month + $4/month per personBusiness Size
Small to mid-sized businesses with up to 500 employeesTable of Contents
Patriot Payroll is a full-service payroll solution with direct deposit, check-printing, tax support, multistate payroll, unlimited payroll runs, employee management, strong reporting, and much more. Patriot Payroll is an affordable, cloud-based software best suited for small businesses with up to 500 employees that plan on staying small or don’t need robust human capital management.
While it has some limited functionality, especially in human resources and reporting, Patriot Payroll integrates with Patriot Software’s Time & Attendance, HR, and accounting solutions to create an all-in-one business software solution.
When you choose Patriot Payroll, you don’t get a ton of bells and whistles of similar, more complex programs like Gusto or QuickBooks, but you do get a reliable payroll and HR suite with all the basic features needed to manage and pay your employees.
Keep reading to see if Patriot Payroll is the best payroll software for your small businesses!
| Pricing4.0 |
|---|
| Software Plans 5.0 |
| Pricing Transparency 5.0 |
| Pricing Customization 3.5 |
Patriot Payroll earned a 4/5 star rating in this category by offering pricing that is consistently below the average payroll software pricing. The software only lost points because it lacks multiple subscription term options. As one of the best cheap payroll software, a discounted annual plan may have provided even more savings for customers.
Patriot Payroll’s pricing starts at $17/month +$4/month per person. Patriot Payroll is an affordable payroll solution with clear pricing, no setup fees or hidden charges, a free 30-day trial, and a free self-guided demo of the program. While it isn’t an entirely free payroll software solution, its pricing makes it one of the cheapest payroll options available.
Here’s a look at Patriot Payroll’s pricing plans:
| Patriot Payroll Plans | Price | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Payroll | $17/month + $4/month per person | If you need basic payroll processing services for up to 500 employees or contractors |
| Full Service Payroll | $37/month + $4/month per person | If you need full-service payroll with tax support for up to 500 employees or contractors |
The key difference between Patriot’s Basic Payroll and Full Service Payroll options is tax filing. If you don’t want to file your payroll taxes yourself and you’d rather outsource that aspect, then skip down to the Full Service product.
Patriot Payroll’s Basic Payroll includes:
Patriot Payroll’s Full Service Payroll plan includes everything in the Basic Payroll plan, plus:
| Patriot Payroll Extra Costs | Price |
|---|---|
| Workers' Compensation | Variable |
| Patriot Accounting Integration | Starting at $20/month |
| Patriot Time & Attendance | $6/month + $2 per employee/contractor |
| Patriot HR integration | $6/month + $2 per employee/contractor |
| Premium Support | Starting at $37/month |
| Direct Deposit Corrections/Returns | Starting at $7.50 per request |
| Multistate Filing | $12 for each additional state |
| Time Tracking Fee | $6/month + $2/person |
| HR Fee | $6/month + $2/person |
| Payroll Tax Filing Fee | $12/per additional state |
Patriot Payroll is a notably inexpensive payroll software option. However, for businesses that want to extend the software’s functionality, add-on services and features, such as time tracking, accounting, multistate payroll tax filing, and HR, will drive costs up (but not by too much).
Outside of functionality boosts, Patriot Payroll charges extra for premium customer support options and post-run payroll corrections. However, these fees are usually experienced as one-offs and rarely encountered.
| Ease Of Use3.4 |
|---|
| Set Up 3.9 |
| Software Reliability 5.0 |
| Everyday Use 4.4 |
| Integrations 1.8 |
Patriot Payroll’s 3.4/5 star rating in the ease of use category was significantly impacted by the software’s lack of third-party integration options and manual onboarding processes. However, Patriot Payroll is very easy to use on a daily basis, and offers an interactive demo option for those who want to take the software for a test run.
Although third-party integrations are lacking, Patriot’s cloud-based software offers seamless integration with other Patriot products, including Patriot Accounting, Patriot Time, and Patriot HR. These integrations make Patriot a solid competitor with the industry standard, QuickBooks.
The interface is clean and modern, not cluttered, and easy to navigate. The goal of Patriot Payroll is to create an easy process that anyone can command, and user reviews state that it has accomplished this goal.
| Features3.5 |
|---|
| Payroll Processing 4.2 |
| Employee Management & PTO 2.9 |
| Time Tracking 3.3 |
| Payroll Tax Support 5.0 |
| Reporting & Tax Forms 4.2 |
| Onboarding & HR 1.9 |
| Benefits Administration 2.3 |
| Niche Features 0.0 |
The payroll essentials — that’s what Patriot Payroll covers and why it’s earned a 3.5/5 star rating in the features category. Patriot Payroll’s features rating dropped most due to its lack of time off request management, tax form mail delivery service options, advanced hiring tools, benefits administration, and niche features.
| Patriot Payroll Features | Availability |
|---|---|
| Payroll Tax Support | Full Service Plan Only |
| Auto-Schedule Payroll | |
| Bonus Payroll | |
| Off-Cycle Payroll | |
| Employee Management | |
| Paid Time Off | |
| Time Tracking | Add-on only |
| HR Support | Add-on only |
| Onboarding Support | |
| Benefits Administration | |
| Number Of Reports | 8 |
| Number Of Integrations | 5 |
| Number Of Users Supported | Up to 500 |
Fortunately, the software still offers everything you need to run payroll for your business. When combined with Patriot’s Time & Attendance and HR software service add-ons, Patriot Payroll becomes a solid contender in the small business payroll and HR software space.
Mid-sized businesses or companies with accountants or bookkeepers with program preferences might find the features limited. But for bookkeepers/accountants looking for simple software to teach their clients, Patriot is a great option.
Patriot Payroll Home Dashboard
Drill down into Patriot’s specific payroll features below.
Once your employees are enrolled, their hours and pay scales set, and your pay dates set, running payroll is simple. Patriot Payroll’s payroll processing features include:
Patriot Payroll Run Payroll Dashboard
Patriot Payroll has a few features to help you manage your employees and contractors from a single interface. You can add information to an employee’s file, including job title, payment information, time off, tax documents, and benefits.
Here’s a look at Patriot Payroll’s other employee management and PTO features:
Patriot Payroll Employee List
Through Patriot’s Time & Attendance add-on service, businesses can easily manage and track employee and contractor time. The solution integrates with Patriot Payroll for a comprehensive overview of your employee and contractor time.
Patriot’s Time & Attendance software features include:
Patriot Payroll Timecard Dashboard
Patriot Payroll offers two levels of tax support: Basic and Full Service. Full Service Payroll offers full tax support and tax filing on behalf of their clients, while Basic Payroll customers will have to handle payroll taxes on their own.
Here’s a look at the payroll tax support features you can expect from Patriot Payroll:
Patriot Payroll Tax Overview
Patriot’s reporting section has all the necessary reporting features for basic payroll, plus accounting and HR reports, depending on your service package. There aren’t many customization options for reports, so businesses with certain reporting needs might find the options lacking.
Patriot Payroll’s reporting features include:
Patriot Payroll Reports Home Dashboard
Patriot’s HR and onboarding features are offered as add-on HR software services. The HR and onboarding features aren’t as robust as other payroll software solutions but offer all the basics.
Here’s a look at Patriot Payroll’s HR and onboarding features:
Patriot Payroll Employee Documents Manager
| Customer Service4.6 |
|---|
| Personal Support 4.6 |
| Self-Service 4.6 |
Patriot Payroll excels in the customer service department with a great 4.5/5 star rating in this category. The software’s rating was boosted by its free payroll setup, phone and live chat support on Mondays-Fridays from 9 AM-7 PM EST, webinars, and more. Here’s a look at Patriot Payroll’s customer service options.
| Patriot Payroll Customer Service | Availability |
|---|---|
| Phone Support | |
| Email Support | |
| Support Tickets | |
| Live Chat | |
| Dedicated Support Representative | |
| Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
| Videos & Tutorials | |
| Company Blog | |
| Social Media |
A quick call to Patriot’s customer service line got my questions about the product answered without any fuss, and reviews suggest that Patriot Payroll’s solid customer service is the norm.
For the price and what it offers, Patriot is easily the best choice for small business owners who want something simple and someone available to help troubleshoot issues within the program.
| User Reviews4.8 |
|---|
| Customer Feedback 5.0 |
| Review Site Aggregate 4.7 |
Patriot Payroll performs beautifully in the user review category with a 4.8/5 star rating. Customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive with users appreciating the software’s ease of use and feature set.
When users have migrated from other products (namely: QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, and Paychex), they express an easy transition that saves them money and headaches.
The software received an average 4.7/5 star rating spanning thousands of reviews. While the complaints are few, some negative experiences include frustration at the lack of features and reporting options.
Patriot Payroll does not have many third-party integrations and lacks an API. Currently, Patriot Payroll integrates with QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, Vestwell, and Next Insurance.
The company hopes that you will round out your human resources suite by adding its accounting, time-tracking, and HR software. However, these add-ons will increase your monthly payment.
While Patriot doesn’t take a deep dive into its security features, the software does ensure that customers know that their data is well-protected.
Here’s a look at some of Patriot’s data security practices:
| Patriot Payroll Review Summary | |
|---|---|
| Pricing Range | $17/month +$4/month per person - $37/month + $4/month per person |
| Choose If You Need |
|
Sometimes a small business must sacrifice price for ease of use and service or service for price and simplicity. That’s not the case here. Patriot Payroll is delivering on its promises to be the best option for busy small business owners. When Patriot says it designed its products with small business owners in mind, it shows. This is not cumbersome accounting software.
It’s a little frustrating that time-keeping/attendance and the HR reports are add-ons, only because it seems like a small way to misrepresent the total cost (as we’d recommend integrating with the other Patriot products for ease of use). However, with that said, even the add-ons are priced affordably.
Merchant Maverick likes Patriot Payroll for small businesses. We recommend it for people wanting to switch away from QuickBooks entirely and try something less expensive and more user-friendly.
We research, evaluate, and test each payroll software app that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate granular ratings.
Our exhaustive, 76-point rubric guides the star rating of each payroll provider we review, examining pricing, ease of use, features, customer service, and user reviews. Each section is weighted differently.
When rating payroll software, we are looking for very specific qualities. The speed and cost of payroll runs and the availability of tax filing services are given high weight, as are the quality and availability of accounting, time-tracking, HR integrations, and user onboarding services. We also look for the presence of client and employee portals, benefits administration, PTO and time management tools, and many more vital features.
Learn more about how we rate payroll software providers.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
Patriot Payroll |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Patriot Payroll for yourself.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
Patriot Payroll |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Patriot Payroll for yourself.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
Our team of experts spends hours on every review so that we can find the best companies to recommend to our readers. Patriot Payroll made the cut.
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