eSmart Paycheck Review

Pros

• Simple to use
• Very basic payroll solution
• Free payroll calculator
• Additional payroll tools available

Cons

• No customer reviews & very limited online presence
• Limited security information

What is eSmart Paycheck?

eSmart Paycheck is a DIY payroll solution by C&S Technologies. eSmart Paycheck offers two main services: a completely free payroll calculator and a low-cost annual online payroll software subscription.

eSmart Paycheck’s overall score is low. However, this is mainly because our payroll rating system is designed around SaaS payroll software, not payroll calculators. While eSmart Paycheck lacks the features and customer reviews we generally look for, for a free payroll calculator, eSmart Paycheck is worthwhile despite the low rating.

eSmart Paycheck’s free calculator is so thorough and easy to use that it earns it a spot on our list of the best free payroll software for small businesses.

eSmart Paycheck Pricing

eSmart Paycheck provides a free payroll calculator that anyone can use. eSmart Paycheck’s free calculator does not require registration and does not save any of your private information when you access it. You can register to save the paychecks you’ve created.

If you want additional features like e-filing and the ability to automatically calculate federal and state payroll taxes, there is paid eSmart Paycheck Online Payroll Management software.

The paid eSmart Paycheck plan is free for the first three months and then increases to $75-$450/year depending on how many users you have.

The main difference between the free calculator and the paid user plan is access to features. We’ll dive into the specifics available on each in the features section of this review.

In addition to eSmart Paycheck, C&S Technologies provides other additional services including Simple Payroll, which is a full-service payroll service, W2manager, and 1099manager.

The appeal of these products is the affordability and simplicity of the service. However, many of the best payroll software options solve all of the feature needs C&S Technology is trying to address, but in a single platform with improved security and more features.

Is eSmart Paycheck Easy To Use?

eSmart Paycheck’s free payroll calculator is very basic and easy to use. There are several resources on the calculator page to help explain unknown terms, including a “how does eSmart Paycheck work” video walkthrough.

You will need to know standard information about your employees to successfully use the tool, including martial status, withholding allowances, and more.

Since eSmart Paycheck Online Paycheck Management is very basic in terms of features, the paid version is also easy to use.

eSmart Paycheck Features

If you want an easy, DIY payroll option for quickly calculating your employees’ net pay, the eSmart Paycheck free calculator has a surprising number of features. The online paid version adds additional features like tax form filing so that you can manage your payroll in a hands-on, affordable way.

You won’t find nearly as many feature options as you would with a full payroll software like Gusto or ADP, but for a free DIY option or for businesses that only need a one-off payroll calculation, eSmart Paycheck’s calculator is surprisingly well thought out.

Here’s what you’ll get with each plan.

eSmart Paycheck Free Calculator Features

ESmart Paycheck’s free payroll calculator allows users to calculate employee wages and tax deductions. Here’s what you’ll be able to do with the free calculator:

• Calculate employee wages
• Supports public and exempt employees
• Supports hourly and salary payroll calculations
• Calculate payroll deductions and withholding
• Includes 401(k) deductions, 1265 plan deductions, and more
• Download and print paychecks
• Add “year-to-previous” period for accurate year-to-date payroll information

eSmart Paycheck Paid Features

Screenshot Captured from eSmart Paycheck’s YouTube 10/14/2024

eSmart Paycheck’s paid plan adds additional features primarily revolving around payroll tax filing. Here are the benefits of the paid eSmart Paycheck Online Payroll Management plan:

• Create and print employee paychecks and paystubs
• Enter overtime pay and commissions
• Calculate sick pay and vacation time on paychecks
• Automatically calculate federal and state payroll taxes
• Generate federal and state payroll tax forms
• Handle 940s, 941, W-2s, and more
• Send ACH payments directly to the IRS for payroll taxes
• Payroll reports

eSmart Paycheck Customer Service

eSmart Paycheck doesn’t offer as many customer support options as other payroll software companies.

You can reach support via email, fax, old-fashioned post mail, or by phone call, though the company clearly states that phone support is “very limited support.” There is a very detailed FAQ center that answers common questions about how to use eSmart Paycheck and its related payroll services, with a lot of information for educating users on basic small business payroll concepts.

There are also some explanations and a walkthrough video on the actual eSmart Paycheck calculator screen that can help users understand how to use the calculator successfully.

We appreciate the detail of the FAQ center, but if you want a more hands-on support experience, you may want to take a look at other payroll software options like Paychex or OnPay, which are both known for good customer support.

eSmart Paycheck Reviews

Unfortunately, eSmart Paycheck’s online presence is virtually non-existent. The company does not have a BBB profile, and there are no customer reviews on third-party review sites.

There are a few Reddit threads of small business owners who use the software firsthand. Users like that the software is cheap and easy to use, but note that it is not scalable if you want to pay multiple employees or contractors.

Is eSmart Paycheck Secure?

eSmart Paycheck is a division of C&S Technologies. The company is an Authorized IRS e-File Provider and is Security Metrics Credit Card Safe. eSmart Paycheck doesn’t sell or rent your personal information and uses “industry-standard security standards.” Unfortunately, the company doesn’t state what any of the specific security measures are.

If you use only the free payroll calculator, this won’t be much of an issue since personal information is not gathered when the free calculator is accessed.

Final Verdict: Is eSmart Paycheck Worth It?

eSmart Paycheck makes it on our list of best free payroll software for offering a well-developed free payroll calculator.

If you have a very small business and want a DIY payroll software option to pay only a handful of employees or if you just need to manage one-off payroll calculations, eSmart Paycheck could be a good option. If you’re going the DIY paycheck route, eSmart Paychecks’ free payroll calculator is a step up from doing everything manually yourself.

However, if you plan to grow your business or want additional payroll features, like time tracking, employee scheduling, or HR management, then eSmart Paycheck won’t cut it.  Additionally, eSmart Paycheck’s paid plan is quite limited. While the annual cost is very small and affordable, you will get more bang for your buck elsewhere.

If you don’t have a large payroll budget, free isn’t your only option. Square Payroll, Patriot, and OnPay all have very affordable monthly pricing plans with larger feature selections and established online presences with real customer reviews available. Plus, you can write off software subscriptions come tax time, so investing in something more developed is worth considering.

Read more about these options in our list of the best payroll software for small businesses.

But if you’re just wanting a quick way to calculate net pay — i.e., you have a part-time seasonal employee for your side hustle or you need to quickly calculate a salary for hiring a new position — then eSmart Paycheck’s free calculator could prove to be useful.

Payroll Software Review Methodology

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.

• Pricing (10% of the overall rating)
• Ease of Use (20% of the overall rating)
• Features (40% of the overall rating)
• Customer Service (20% of the overall rating)
• User Reviews (10% of the overall rating)

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.