OnPay Payroll Review

Pros

• Unlimited payroll runs
• Multistate payroll at no extra cost
• Built-in benefits administration
• Affordable
• Full-service tax support
• Easy to use

Cons

• No built-in time tracking
• No free trial
• Only 14 integrations
• No automated payroll

What Is OnPay?

OnPay is among the best payroll software services for small to mid-sized businesses paying 5-500 employees. OnPay offers unlimited payroll processing, payroll tax support, benefits administration, time tracking integrations, reporting, and an affordable price point.

OnPay Pricing

OnPay’s 3/5 star pricing rating was boosted by its pricing transparency, affordability, and feature-rich pricing plan. However, the software lacks a free trial, multiple subscription options, and plan customization options.

OnPay’s only pricing plan starts at $40/month + $6/month per person. As users get access to all available features for one price, OnPay has earned its spot as one of the cheapest payroll services. OnPay customers don’t have to worry about long-term contracts and may cancel services at any time with at least 30 days written notice.

OnPay offers a non-interactive demo that shows some of what OnPay looks like once you get inside the software. Additionally, OnPay runs promotions for new customers that may help keep prices down.

OnPay’s Monthly Plan

OnPay’s monthly pricing is $40/month + $6/month per person and includes the following features:

• Unlimited payroll runs
• Multistate payroll runs
• Payroll tax support at the federal, state, and local level
• Support for multiple pay rates and schedules
• Payroll reports
• Integrated workers’ compensation insurance administration
• Benefits administration in all 50 states
• Employee profile management
• Document esigning
• Digital onboarding
• New hire reporting
• HR resource library
• Integrations with time tracking, accounting, and HR software
• Employee portal with lifetime access

Extra OnPay Costs & Fees

OnPay charges a fee for insufficient funds when processing payroll and a fee for the service of printing and mailing annual employee forms on behalf of your business. Otherwise, you can expect the sticker price to match what you’ll actually be paying every month.

Is OnPay Easy To Use?

OnPay is one of the most easy-to-use payroll services available and earned an impressive 4.5/5 star rating in the ease of use category. OnPay performed well on nearly every ease of use metric but could improve by offering an API, simplifying setup and onboarding, and making its software more reliable.

OnPay stops just short of offering new users a fully-fledged interactive demo, so there are limited opportunities to trial the software before you use it. However, OnPay’s interface is modern and easy to navigate.

Critiques of OnPay’s ease of use include its general lack of customization options and challenges handling less common payroll situations. However, most small business owners should find OnPay very easy to use — even those who are completely new to outsourcing payroll.

OnPay Features

OnPay Home Dashboard

With a 4.4/5 star rating in the features category, there’s not a lot that OnPay can’t do for your business. OnPay’s most significant point losses stem from its lack of built-in time tracking, automated payroll processing, and some niche nice-to-have features, such as access to HR professionals and geolocation for time tracking.

However, OnPay’s features are focused on getting your employees paid, including unlimited payroll processing, multistate payroll runs, lifetime employee accounts, and full tax support. Additionally, OnPay boasts basic HR functions, including benefits administration, onboarding, PTO management, org charts, and workers’ compensation insurance administration.

Compared to other payroll services, such as Gusto or QuickBooks Online Payroll, OnPay falls short as a comprehensive payroll software solution because it lacks built-in time tracking solutions. However, OnPay does offer useful integrations with time-tracking software, such as QuickBooks Time, Deputy, and When I Work.

Here’s a more in-depth look at the features OnPay offers:

Payroll Processing

OnPay Payroll Dashboard

While there have been some complaints about OnPay’s ability to handle very complex payroll needs, OnPay is capable of handling payroll processing for most small to mid-sized businesses. OnPay’s payroll processing features include:

• Unlimited payroll processing for all 50 states
• Multistate payroll processing at no extra cost
• Support for paying 1099 contractors and W-2 employees
• Direct deposit, paper checks, and debit card payment options
• Support for multiple pay rates and schedules
• Garnishments and custom deductions
• Payroll tax calculations, withholding, and filing at the federal, state, and local level
• Payroll reports
• New hire reporting
• Agricultural workers tax filings (Form 943) and workers on H-2A visas

Employee Management & PTO

OnPay PTO Dashboard

OnPay boasts an impressive selection of employee management features and streamlines the process of managing time off requests. Here’s a look at OnPay’s employee management and PTO features:

• Employee self-service portal
• Lifetime access to pay stubs and tax documents
• Digital self-service onboarding
• Employee profiles
• Org charts and company directory
• Custom PTO policies
• PTO calendars and reminder notifications
• Time off accrual tiers
• Digital time-off requests

Time Tracking

OnPay’s Time Tracking Integrations

OnPay does not support built-in time tracking, but does offer integrations with QuickBooks Time, Deputy, and When I Work to sync attendance data with payroll.

Payroll Tax Support

OnPay Tax Support

OnPay offers payroll tax support at the federal, state, and local levels, including automatic tax calculation, filing, and payment on your business’s behalf. Here’s a look at OnPay’s additional payroll tax support features:

• Automatic payroll tax filing, calculation, and payment
• Support for local, state, and federal level payroll taxes
• Nonprofit FUTA exemption management
• Separate tax filings for agricultural workers and non-farm employees
• Payroll tax support for employees on H-2A visas

Reporting

OnPay Reports Dashboard

OnPay offers built-in payroll reports and a customizable report builder for businesses that need an in-depth look at their payroll data.

HR & Onboarding

OnPay Onboarding Dashboard

Despite being a payroll-focused software, OnPay’s HR and onboarding features cover all the basics and should suit the needs of small businesses needing minimal HR support. OnPay’s onboarding and HR features include:

• Employee self-service onboarding
• Document storage, templates, and eSigning
• HR resource library
• In-app messaging
• New hire reporting
• Compliance audits
• Task delegation
• Digital tax forms
• Offer letters
• Customizable personnel checklists

Benefits Administration

OnPay Benefits Deductions

OnPay’s benefits administration features are on par with leading payroll service providers and include all basic benefits options. Here’s a look at what OnPay’s benefits administration features offer:

• Health, vision, and dental insurance
• Life insurance
• 401 (k) retirement plans
• Benefits available in all 50 states
• In-house licensed brokers

OnPay Customer Service

OnPay’s customer service performs well with a 4.1/5 star rating. However, the software has room for improvement in the personal support department, as OnPay doesn’t offer personalized software training and could extend its live support hours to weekends. However, OnPay does offer access to an extensive knowledge base and video tutorials.

OnPay’s customer support can be reached by phone from 9 AM – 8 PM ET from Monday to Friday, via in-app chat, and by mail.

Here’s a full breakdown of OnPay’s customer support options:

Ultimately, OnPay’s customer service is generally well-received by customers, though some customers noted issues during implementation and some negative interactions with customer service. In my experience, customer service reps were generally helpful and quick to answer calls.

OnPay Integrations

OnPay integrates with 14 apps, including: When I Work, Deputy, QuickBooks Time, Guideline, Vestwell, Mineral, PosterElite, Magnify, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero.

Although OnPay’s integrations include some of the most popular software options on the market, its selection is very limited compared to other top payroll software with hundreds of integrations.

OnPay Reviews

OnPay’s notable 4.7/5 star rating in the reviews category is fueled by the fact that OnPay’s reviews are generally positive across the board. Out of a combined 920+ reviews across G2, TrustPilot, and GetApp, OnPay earned a 4.6/5 star rating. The vast majority of users were happy with the service’s ease of use, functionality, and customer service.

On average, 2.8% of the reviews were negative and cited bad experiences with payroll tax filing and customer service. Overall, it seems that most of OnPay’s customers have had a positive experience with the service.

Negative OnPay Reviews & Complaints

• Onboarding issues
• Payroll can’t be fully automated
• Integrations can be glitchy
• Lacks customization options
• Customer service reps were unhelpful

Positive OnPay Reviews

• Pricing is affordable
• Solid feature set
• Ease of use
• Integrations work well

Is OnPay Secure?

OnPay is secure and has no history of data breaches. According to its privacy policy, OnPay utilizes the following security protocols:

• Industry-standard SSL encryption
• Secure data facility with 24/7 guards and surveillance

The Final Verdict: Is OnPay Worth It?

Ultimately, we think OnPay is an affordable option for small to mid-sized businesses looking for a reliable payroll service with full tax support.

While you won’t get the benefit of utilizing a comprehensive HRIS software or native integration within a suite of business tools (think: QuickBooks), you’ll find that OnPay’s attention to essential payroll functionality and basic HR tools make it a strong standalone payroll online payroll service.

However, if your business does have more complex payroll needs, you may consider outsourcing payroll completely by utilizing the services of one of the best PEO companies, which will handle all payroll heavy lifting for your business.

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.