Wave Payroll Review

Pros

• Easy to use
• Inexpensive
• Integration with Wave’s free accounting software

Cons

• Limited features and integrations
• Poor customer service
• No built-in time tracking

What Is Wave Payroll?

Wave Payroll is a simple payroll solution for small businesses that need basic payroll features, such as direct deposit, deductions, and check printing. Wave Payroll’s seamless integration with Wave Accounting makes it one of the best payroll software options for businesses in need of a combined accounting and payroll solution.

Wave Payroll offers many basic payroll features and works seamlessly with Wave’s accounting features, like invoicing, payments, expense tracking, and accounting reports.

Wave Payroll Pricing

Wave Payroll is competitively priced and transparent, especially for businesses already using Wave Accounting. However, its basic feature set may limit the overall value for businesses that need more advanced payroll or HR tools.

Wave now offers payroll tax payments and filings in all 50 states. Wave also advertises a 100% payroll accuracy guarantee.

In addition to offering a free 30-day trial, Wave Payroll’s subscription-based pricing model is transparent, with no setup fees or hidden charges.

Extra Wave Payroll Costs & Fees

Wave Payroll does not appear to charge many payroll-specific add-on fees, but related services such as workers’ compensation, business insurance, bookkeeping, tax, and accounting advisory services cost extra.

Is Wave Payroll Easy To Use?

Wave Payroll is simple to use once set up, especially for businesses already familiar with Wave Accounting. However, setup can take time, and the platform offers fewer integrations and guided implementation options than some competitors.

Features

Compared to other payroll software, Wave Payroll offers a very limited feature set.

It covers the basics, including direct deposit, check printing, employee and contractor payments, payroll reports, PTO tracking, employee self-service, and payroll tax payments and filings in all 50 states.

However, Wave Payroll does not offer built-in time tracking, advanced HR tools, benefits administration beyond custom deductions and workers’ compensation, or a deep integration library. It’s best for small businesses with straightforward payroll needs, especially those already using Wave Accounting.

Here’s a breakdown of Wave’s features:

Wave Payroll Customer Service

Customer support is one of Wave Payroll’s biggest drawbacks. Wave does not offer inbound phone support. Payroll subscribers can access email and live chat support on weekdays, but support hours may vary and are more limited than those of many payroll competitors.

Wave does offer a help center and Mave, its support chatbot, but businesses that need fast payroll-specific help may find Wave’s support options limiting.

Wave Payroll Reviews

Wave Payroll generally receives positive reviews for affordability and ease of use, but users frequently criticize its limited features, limited reporting, and lack of phone support.

Negative Wave Payroll Reviews & Complaints

• Limited integrations
• Limited features
• No phone support

Positive Wave Payroll Reviews

• Easy to use
• Affordable

Wave Payroll Integrations

Wave Payroll doesn’t publish a list of its integrations, but it does integrate with Google Sheets and Zapier, which functions as a bridge to over 1,000 applications. It also has an open API and integration with native Wave software.

Is Wave Payroll Secure?

Wave Payroll uses security measures designed to protect sensitive payroll and financial data.

• 256-bit data encryption
• Read-only bank connection
• Internal fraud prevention system
• PCI-DSS compliance
• Tokenization

Final Verdict: Is Wave Payroll Worth It?

Wave Payroll is a solid option for small businesses that already use Wave Accounting and need simple payroll, employee and contractor payments, payroll tax payments and filings, and automatic payroll journal entries.

However, Wave Payroll is still limited compared to more advanced payroll platforms. It does not offer built-in time tracking, robust HR tools, full benefits administration, advanced reporting, or phone support.

As your team grows or your payroll needs become more complex, Wave Payroll may start to feel limited.

Check out our Gusto review or SurePayroll review for comparable options with stronger payroll features and HR support. These Wave Payroll alternatives may offer stronger payroll features, HR tools, benefits options, and customer support.