Paycor Review

Pros

• Easy to use
• Easy setup
• Strong payroll features
• HR guidance from certified professionals

Cons

• Pricey compared to other options
• Lengthy troubleshooting times
• Add-ons can increase costs

What Is Paycor?

Paycor is a cloud-based HCM platform that combines full-service payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance, recruiting, onboarding, talent management, analytics, and HR support. Paycor is now a Paychex company after Paychex completed its acquisition of Paycor in April 2025.

Paycor is best suited for growing small businesses and midsize organizations that need more than basic payroll. Very small businesses that only need simple payroll may find Paycor too expensive or complex compared with more streamlined options.

Paycor Pricing

Paycor no longer publishes standard pricing for every plan. Businesses need to answer a few questions or contact Paycor for a custom quote, with plan availability and pricing varying by company size, features, and add-ons.

Paycor plan names and included features may vary depending on company size, selected products, and quote package.

Paycor Basic Payroll

Paycor’s Basic plan includes:

• Direct deposit and check stuffing
• Reports
• New-hire filing and E-Verify support
• Unlimited payroll runs
• Calculates paychecks
• Online pay stub portal
• Reports
• Online check stub
• Basic wage garnishments
• Federal and state payroll tax filing
• Additional local and state tax authorities
• Check stuffing
• Work number
• On-Demand Pay
• AutoRun payroll

Paycor Essential Payroll

Paycor’s Essential plan includes everything in the Basic plan, plus:

• Wage garnishment remittance
• Reporting options and customization
• Labor distribution
• General ledger report
• Job costing
• HR support center
• Month-end accounting package
• Labor law poster
• PTO management
• Time off request management
• Electronic custom data file
• Onboarding support
• Paycor Recruit & Hire
• Paycor Analytics
• 401(k) EDI processing
• 401(k) integration
• Premium Only plan
• Electronic GL
• E-Verify Service

Paycor Core Payroll

Paycor’s Core plan includes everything in the Essential plan, plus:

• Expense management
• Reimbursements
• Custom expense policies
• Expense reports
• One-on-one support from a certified HR professional
• Employee record-keeping
• Employee self-service
• HR system automation
• HR Support Center On-Demand
• Employee import
• Online document storage
• Performance management
• Role profiles
• Job assessments
• Establish and manage job competencies
• Talent attributes
• Role-based reviews
• COR Leadership

Paycor Complete

Paycor’s Complete plan includes everything in the Core plan, plus:

• Benchmarking
• Prebuilt analytics dashboards
• Paycor Compensation Planning
• Paycor Talent Management
• Paycor Engage

Extra Paycor Costs & Fees

Like most payroll software options, Paycor isn’t without its extra fees and costs. Most of Paycor’s fees are one-off or situational, such as W-2 amendment or late payment fees. However, Paycor also sets workers’ compensation, time tracking and scheduling, benefits administration, and recruiting support as add-on services, so you’ll have to pay extra for them.

That said, treating those services as add-ons allows businesses to build custom service packages that best suit their needs. As such, you may avoid paying extra for services your business doesn’t actually need.

Is Paycor Easy To Use?

Paycor is generally easy to use once set up, especially for businesses that stay within Paycor’s ecosystem. However, some users report glitches, limited integrations, and room for improvement in onboarding/setup.

As cloud-based software, Paycor can be accessed wherever there is a stable internet connection. Off-web, Paycor operates a highly-rated mobile app for employers and employees that can be used on both Android and iOS platforms.

Even if you have never run payroll before, Paycor’s program can walk you through each step of the process. Most businesses hoping to streamline payroll and HR processes will appreciate how intuitive Paycor is, but some may wish for more customization options.

If you’re interested in trying Paycor, taking Paycor’s online tour or watching the Paycor demo will let you test the software’s ease of use for yourself.

Paycor Features

Paycor offers a robust HCM feature set, including payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance, onboarding, recruiting, talent management, analytics, and HR support.

Paycor also emphasizes analytics, automation, and AI-driven HR tools across its HCM platform.

Smaller businesses may find themselves underutilizing the software’s robust feature set. So, if your business needs simpler payroll solutions, we recommend checking out some of the solutions that make our best payroll software for small businesses.

Paycor Customer Service

Paycor offers multiple support options and a large self-service resource library. However, customer feedback about support is mixed, with recurring complaints about slow resolution times and difficulty getting payroll-specific issues handled quickly.

Here’s a breakdown of Paycor’s customer service options:

Like many payroll software solutions, Paycor lacks an easy way to get in touch with payroll experts. Most customer service representatives will be able to help you troubleshoot software issues but may not have the answers to payroll-specific problems. However, Paycor does operate an in-depth payroll support library with up-to-date payroll-specific resources.

Paycor Integrations

Currently, Paycor has 320+ pre-built connectors through Paycor Marketplace, including integrations across recruiting, time and attendance, benefits, accounting, productivity, learning, and employee management. Paycor also offers developer services and developer tools for custom integrations.

However, user reviews mention integrations with non-listed partners, meaning the company may support custom integrations, depending on business needs.

Paycor also offers developer tools for custom integrations. You can visit the Paycor app marketplace for a complete list of currently available integrations.

Paycor Reviews

Paycor generally receives positive reviews for its payroll tools, onboarding features, mobile app, and ongoing product updates. However, recurring complaints mention non-transparent pricing, slow support resolution, and a cumbersome HR experience.

Negative Paycor Reviews & Complaints

• Non-transparent pricing and fees
• Cumbersome HR platform
• It takes a long time to get support

Positive Paycor Reviews

• Easy to use
• Constantly updating
• Excellent mobile app

Is Paycor Secure?

Paycor publishes security practices designed to protect payroll and HR data, including multifactor authentication, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, file-level encryption, and SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 controls.

Here’s a look at some of Paycor’s security features:

• Multifactor authentication
• Risk assessment team
• Google Authenticator
• Data encryption
• Intrusion detection
• Vulnerability scanning
• SOC 1 Type 2 controls
• SOC 2 Type 2 certification

Final Verdict: Is Paycor Worth It?

Paycor is worth considering for growing businesses and midsize organizations that want full-service payroll plus broader HCM tools, including HR, benefits administration, onboarding, recruiting, time and attendance, analytics, and talent management.

However, Paycor is not the best fit for very small businesses that only need simple payroll. Pricing is quote-based, add-ons can increase costs, and customer support complaints around slow issue resolution are worth taking seriously.

If your business wants a more complete HCM platform, Paycor may be a strong fit. If you mainly need affordable payroll software, compare Paycor with options such as Gusto or Patriot Payroll.