Payroll is a critical part of your day-to-day business finances and can take up much of your precious time. Finding a payroll solution or outsourcing your payroll can be an excellent option to keep your tax obligations in compliance and save you those hours to reinvest in your business.
Today we’re sharing our Patriot Payroll review—what it is, key features, and which businesses might benefit from this particular payroll solution.
What is Patriot?
Patriot offers software solutions for business operations, including their main accounting suite, HR, time tracking, and payroll. It is positioned as a very affordable and simple payroll solution for smaller businesses, and relieves the burden of payroll taxes from small businesses.
Patriot plans & pricing
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10/month + $4/employee | Unlimited payroll, direct deposit, employee portal, multiple integrations |
| Full Service | $30/month + $4/employee | Basic features, plus payroll taxes and tax filing |
Both the Basic and Full Service plans allow for a 30 day free trial, and include monthly subscriptions with no additional fees. You can scale up or down each month as needed, and there are no setup or payroll processing fees.
Patriot pros and cons
| Patriot pros | Patriot cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Patriot Payroll software is a very affordable payroll processing solution for small businesses. Geared toward businesses under 100 employees, this option is simple to use and offers exceptional setup and customer support. Unlike comparable payroll solutions, HR capabilities are an add-on feature and not quite as robust as the competition.
There are integration options for accounting, HR, and time tracking, though they are fee upgrades and not as robust as you might need for your small business. The Full Service plan is especially helpful for small business owners seeking assistance with payroll taxes.
Patriot features
Payroll processing
Payroll processing through Patriot software is simple and flexible. You can choose your own payroll dates, pre-fill the dates, and adjust your pay schedules at will. After choosing your payroll dates, you will have the option of adjusting the type of hours (overtime, hourly) with the type of pay (regular, bonus, commission, etc.). You can save your work as you go, so you don’t need to manage your payroll processing in one sprint.
Payroll payments
Employees can be paid via direct deposit or paper checks according to their choices in the employee portal. While the payroll processing and payment may take slightly longer than other payroll processing options like Gusto, it’s still an efficient process.
Payroll taxes
The Full Service payroll tier allows for incredibly easy payroll tax filings. Patriot Payroll will help you set up your payroll tax deductions, remit your payments, and file the taxes on your behalf in time for all mandated tax deadlines.
Payroll reports
Patriot provides all of the basic reports that you’ll need to manage your taxes, including a tax credit report that helps you take advantage of all the tax credits available to you, tax filing and tax deposit reports, and various reports on the individual paychecks, payroll register, deductions, time off, and contribution histories. Some of the more complex tax reporting functions are only available in the Full Service plan, but the Basic plan still provides the essential reports you’ll need for tracking payroll.
Implementation
One of the strongest features that Patriot has to offer is implementation assistance. When you begin using Patriot, their customer support team will help you assemble the necessary state and federal tax details, including:
- State unemployment
- Tax IDs for local, state, and federal levels
- Employee deduction & contribution preferences
- Year-to-date payroll information
Migrating this information can be a deterrent for a lot of businesses, but Patriot makes it easy to take the leap by helping you set up your payroll account from start to finish. You can use the dedicated setup wizard to quickly get up and running without the assistance of the Patriot customer support team—and it’s highly effective.
Integrations
Patriot Software offers a solid suite of integrations so you can customize and link your tools for maximum productivity. Patriot offers its own integrations for HR, time tracking, and accounting solutions. You can also integrate with the popular QuickBooks.
Customer Service
Patriot offers customer support through multiple channels, including phone, email, and live chat. Patriot clients also have access to the Patriot Help Center knowledgebase with articles and videos to answer FAQs.
Patriot products & plans
Patriot software keeps things straightforward for small businesses by offering just two tiers of their payroll services. Both plans use cloud-based software and automatically update tax tables (so you are always tax compliant) as well as offering a 30 day free trial.
Basic Payroll
The Basic payroll tier provides small businesses with all the essential payroll functions, such as running unlimited payroll, direct deposit or printed checks, an employee portal, simple reporting, contractor provisions, 1099 e-filing, and strong customer support. Payroll is flexible and customizable—you can create your own deductions and contributions for 401(k)s, benefits, wage garnishment, etc, as well as your own PTO policy. Hourly employees can have multiple pay rates.
The Basic plan is very easy to implement and use, and can be scaled as your company grows (up to 100 employees). You can begin with a 30 day trial and then scale up or down depending on your employee count and needs.
Full Service Payroll
The main difference between the Basic and Full Service plans is the inclusion of payroll tax filing. With this plan, Patriot will collect, file, and pay payroll taxes (federal, state, and local) on behalf of your company. The Full Service plan will also take care of your W2 and W3 forms, and keep track of all the important small business tax deadlines you need to know.
Premium add-ons
Time and attendance
You can add Patriot Time & Attendance starting at $6/month + $2/employee. The integration is seamless and helps you simplify your payroll process with employee time tracking paired with your compensation process. The employee portal allows employees to clock-in and clock-out, or employers can enter the work hours manually. Patriot TIME is cloud-based, so employees can track hours anywhere they have internet access, making it a good choice for contractors. You can also create custom provisions for overtime pay and policies within the Patriot TIME integration.
HR
Patriot HR software can be added to your payroll solution for $6/month + $2/employee. Patriot HR software allows you to keep paperless records that are accessible from the cloud, including health benefits, retirement information, and your employee handbook. Patriot HR gives you lots of options for HR reporting, which can be helpful for small businesses without full, dedicated HR teams.
Common Patriot FAQs
How much does Patriot software cost?
Patriot payroll software starts at $10/month + $4/employee for the Basic plan.
What is the easiest payroll software to use?
According to Capterra’s 2020 awards, Patriot Payroll won Best Ease of Use based on user ratings.
Does Patriot payroll have an app?
Patriot payroll does not have a mobile application, but the software is cloud-based and accessible from any device with internet.
The verdict
Patriot Payroll is a great option for a small business owner (with under 100 employees) who favors simple, easy-to-use software—so long as you are comfortable with a lack of HR capabilities. The price tag for the Full Service payroll is more affordable than Gusto or QuickBooks, but may not offer as robust a suite of services. With a 30-day trial you can give Patriot Payroll a try and determine if it’s right for your small business.
Divvy’s Small Business Toolbox is an assembly of all the most useful tools you need to grow your business—including payroll software solutions. Check out the handpicked tools and deals we have to offer in the Toolbox.
