Payroll4Free is a good option for businesses with very basic payroll processing needs for ten or fewer employees.
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Expert Contributor
| Total Rating | 3.0 |
|---|---|
| Pricing3.6 | |
| Ease Of Use2.7 | |
| Features3.1 | |
| Customer Service2.6 | |
| User Reviews3.1 | |
Payroll Processing Time
2-4 daysPricing Range
$0/mo - $40/monthBusiness Size
Small businesses with up to 10 employees (additional employees add monthly costs)Table of Contents
Payroll4Free is a payroll service offering free payroll processing for small businesses paying up to ten employees.
As one of the best payroll software solutions available, Payroll4Free features include paying W-2 employees and contractors, direct deposit and check payments, custom deductions, and payroll tax calculation.
| Pricing3.6 |
|---|
| Software Plans 3.7 |
| Pricing Transparency 5.0 |
| Pricing Customization 3.4 |
Payroll4Free earned a solid 3.6/5 stars in the pricing category, with scores driven up by the software’s pricing transparency, add-on services, and free pricing plan option. However, the software’s rating was driven down by its fee structure and lack of a free trial.
Payroll4Free is free for businesses paying up to 10 employees or contractors each month — this is a steal compared to typical payroll software costs.
If your business pays 11 or more unique employees in a given month, you’ll be charged a batch processing fee. The batch processing fee applies to every payroll run made that month, including those made before exceeding the 10-payee limit.
Here’s a look at Payroll4Free’s pricing and features for its free plan:
| Payroll4Free Plans | Price | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll4Free Standard Plan | $0/month | If you need very basic payroll processing services for up to 10 employees per month |
Payroll4Free’s plan is $0/month for 10 employees and includes:
Payroll4Free has several extra costs and fees to consider.
Businesses that exceed the free plan’s limits will incur a batch processing fee per monthly payroll run. Additionally, businesses that want Payroll4Free to handle payroll tax calculation, filing, and payment on their behalf can opt to pay for the service.
| Payroll4Free Extra Costs | Price |
|---|---|
| Batch Processing Fee For 11-25 Employees Paid | $10/payroll run that month |
| Batch Processing Fee For 25+ Employees Paid | $35/payroll run that month |
| Payroll4Free's Direct Deposit Service | $35/month or $350/year |
| Full-Service Tax Support | $35/month or $350/year |
| Direct Deposit & Tax Support Bundle | $40/month or $400/year |
| Payroll Tax Filing Fee | $350/year |
Payroll4Free also charges a variety of incidental fees, such as payroll adjustment, wire reversal, and tax filing confirmation fees.
| Ease Of Use2.7 |
|---|
| Set Up 3.3 |
| Software Reliability 5.0 |
| Everyday Use 4.0 |
| Integrations 0.7 |
Payroll4Free’s low 2.7/5 star rating reflects the fact that while the software’s features work as expected, it is generally a pain to use in pretty much all other areas.
In the very limited number of reviews available for the software, ease of use was a consistent complaint, with users citing the software’s very outdated interface and slowness as major pain points.
On the flip side, users were generally very happy with the features; there were no complaints about things not working as they should otherwise.
That being said, there’s no way to trial Payroll4Free; it’s limited to Windows OS, doesn’t directly integrate with any third-party software, and cannot be accessed via mobile phone, so it’s generally a challenging piece of software to use.
| Features3.1 |
|---|
| Payroll Processing 4.5 |
| Employee Management & PTO 3.5 |
| Time Tracking 0.4 |
| Payroll Tax Support 5.0 |
| Reporting & Tax Forms 4.6 |
| Onboarding & HR 0.0 |
| Benefits Administration 0.5 |
| Niche Features 0.0 |
Payroll4Free earned a low 3.1/5 star rating in the features category, as it doesn’t offer many features that go beyond basic payroll processing.
| Payroll4Free Features | Availability |
|---|---|
| Payroll Tax Support | Paid Add-On |
| Auto-Schedule Payroll | |
| Bonus Payroll | |
| Off-Cycle Payroll | |
| Employee Management | |
| Paid Time Off | |
| Time Tracking | |
| HR Support | |
| Onboarding Support | |
| Benefits Administration | |
| Number Of Reports | 10+ |
| Number Of Integrations | None |
| Number Of Users Supported | Fewer than 10 |
Payroll4Free has fewer features than other payroll software and is only suited for very small businesses.
While most small businesses may be able to run payroll using Payroll4Free, they’ll be missing out on key features, such as benefits administration, built-in or integrated time tracking, and a plethora of other industry-standard features that are offered by competitors.
Still, Payroll4Free has consistently ranked among the best free payroll software solutions on the market, because it’s one of very few software solutions that allow businesses to run payroll without paying a cent.
Payroll4Free users get access to the following features:
| Customer Service2.6 |
|---|
| Personal Support 3.3 |
| Self-Service 1.8 |
Payroll4Free’s customer service has room for improvement. The software’s unremarkable 2.6/5 star rating in the customer service category is a direct result of its limited support options, lack of a comprehensive knowledgebase, and my experience with Payroll4Free’s support.
| Payroll4Free 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 |
Payroll4Free only offers two forms of support: phone and email. Live support is available from 8:30 AM to 5 PM EST, Monday through Friday.
However, the company definitely wins points for quality over quantity in this area.
When representatives were busy helping other customers, I was asked to leave a message after about two minutes. I followed up with an admittedly long email that was answered two business days later.
However, I was surprised by the level of attention given to my questions, as each one was answered in great detail. My follow-up email was answered in less than half an hour.
Ultimately, Payroll4Free offers good quality customer service and support — with limited availability.
Payroll4Free does not integrate directly with other software but does offer data import and export options for businesses that want to consolidate information in one place. Payroll4Free supports the import of .XLSX and .CSV files.
| User Reviews3.1 |
|---|
| Customer Feedback 3.0 |
| Review Site Aggregate 3.2 |
Payroll4Free’s 3.1/5 star rating in this category is based on the limited number of customer reviews available online.
Capterra users rated the software a 3.2/5 stars based on ten reviews that were pretty evenly split on the software’s ease of use, reliability, and customer support services.
Further, most reviews for Payroll4Free are very old, so there’s not much consensus on how users view Payroll4Free. However, the company has been in service for nearly 10 years, so it must be doing something right.
Payroll4Free is transparent about its security practices. Payroll4Free’s security protocols include:
| Payroll4Free Review Summary | |
|---|---|
| Pricing Range | $0/mo - $40/month |
| Choose If You Need |
|
In general, Payroll4Free is a good option for businesses with very basic payroll processing needs for paying ten or fewer employees. Businesses that fit this profile can save big on payroll processing costs by using Payroll4Free’s free plan.
However, Payroll4Free is a limited payroll software solution. If you want a payroll service that can sync your payroll data with other software, run on MacOS, or that offers benefits administration, built-in time tracking, or basic HR features — Payroll4Free won’t work for you.
If you’re looking for the best mix of value and quality, we recommend checking out one of the best cheap payroll services. Start with our Square Payroll review, Patriot Payroll review, or OnPay review.
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.
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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.
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Our reviewers like ADP Payroll for its advanced employee management, strong payroll features, and great customer support. For a limited time, get three months free.
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