OnPay’s benefits are comparable to Gusto’s and cost a little bit less. Wave Payroll doesn’t include HR features, and its onboarding features are limited to new hire self-guided onboarding. Simply add your new hire’s email address, and they’ll be sent an onboarding checklist to complete. However, despite its simplicity, onboarding new employees can be a bit cumbersome, although Wave has a self-onboarding option for companies to offer to employees. Further, Wave Payroll’s integration options are very limited compared to other software and require the use of Zapier, rather than offering direct integrations. Compared to other payroll solutions, Wave Payroll’s pricing is on the lower end — as is the number of features it supports.

1. Wave doesn’t have any over-the-phone support, so if you run into technical problems on a weekend, expect to deal with them on your own.
2. Approval to use online payments is subject to eligibility criteria, including identity verification and credit review.
3. Give your customers the option of paying with one click using a credit card, bank transfer, or Apple Pay.
4. Gusto’s payroll software offers small businesses features for managing employee pay and more.
5. In self-service states (all other 36 states) Wave Payroll does not make payments or file on your behalf.

Wave Payroll’s key drawbacks

That’s why Wave’s payroll software can help ease the burden of doing payroll on your own. We’ve also crafted a guide to small business payroll to help you navigate the process. At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don’t guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.

Wave Payroll FAQ

And, in the long run, a payroll software like Wave’s can save you a lot of money and help you avoid tax penalties by reducing human error (and who doesn’t love saving money?). Essentially, running payroll yourself just means reviewing the numbers and pressing a button on the software to pay out your employees. But nothing can match the convenience of scheduling automatic payroll runs, so if you’re looking for more thorough automation, Paychex or ADP could be a better fit. Check out our Gusto review or SurePayroll review for comparable options with stronger payroll features and HR support. Each of these Wave Payroll alternatives offers more support and operates in more states than Wave. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.

Wave Payroll Integrations

Employees can securely log in to access their pay stubs and W2s, and manage their contact and banking information. Wave Payroll is a middle-of-the-road payroll solution that works best for current Wave Accounting users. By providing feedback on how we can improve, you can earn gift cards and get early access to new features.

Its full-service model is a definite rival of Intuit QuickBooks, but Wave offers a more modern and basic interface at a cheaper price point. Upon processing your first payroll, you can use Wave’s payroll software for up to 30 days, commitment-free. At any time, you can activate to start your billing cycle and gain access to items like automatic remittances and approving payrolls beyond the current month. G2 shows more than 30 customer reviews of Wave Payroll with a 4.1-star rating. Positive reviewers noted the platform’s easy-to-use integrations and simplified payroll processes. Some negative points mentioned are the two-step process of paying 1099 contractors and the lack of international payrolls.

Pocket- and small business-friendly perks

Read our editorial guidelines and advertising disclosure. Discover BusinessLoans.com’s lender network offering up utility deposits to $3M in funding, no minimum credit score required. Wave Payroll’s security measures are on par with those of banking institutions.

Wave payroll earned a low 2.9/5 star rating in the ease of use category, as the software can be tedious to set up, lacks many integrations, and doesn’t offer any white glove set up options. Among the few complaints are a step-heavy process to set up certain benefits, a long lead time to run payroll and difficulty running an extra payroll cycle. There are also a few complaints about inadequate customer service to resolve certain issues.

The software earned an average of 4.2/5 stars across popular user review collection platforms. Price depends on the state in which you do business and how many employees you process. We built our payroll tool for small business owners, so it’s easy to use AND teaches you as you go. Give your customers the option of paying with one click using a credit card, bank transfer, or Apple Pay.