SurePayroll — SurePayroll for Accountants

From the September 2009 Review of Professional
Payroll Programs

SurePayroll
offers several outsourced payroll service options, from plans directly marketed
to small businesses, to reseller and referral programs designed for professional
accountants. Through the vendor’s reseller system, firms can directly
manage the payrolls of multiple clients with most of the processes automatically
performed by the program and payment and compliance functions handled by SurePayroll.
With the accountant management console, users can manage any number of clients
with unlimited employees, with support for all states. Direct deposit and all
filing, payment and mailing tasks are included with the program. The system
also offers client and employee portals.

Pricing through the reseller program is discounted 10 percent to 25 percent
from the retail rate, depending on your tier level. Tier levels are determine
by volume of sale by units. For a firm who is at the highest tier level —
the 25 percent discount level, serving 10 clients with combined staff of 100
paid bi-weekly, the cost would be about $742 per month, inclusive of all processing,
direct deposit and quarterly and annual compliance services. Accountants can
also participate in the vendor’s referral program, through which the small
business directly manages the processes, but the accountant is able to access
all client reports and data at any time.

DATA ENTRY & KEY FEATURES:
Since SurePayroll is essentially an online payroll system with much of the compliance
functions handled as an outsourced service, the key tasks for a payroll service
provider mostly involve client employee management and entering payroll hours
and benefits information. The firm also has an option to use their “1-Click”
option, which allows the client or accountant to set default payrolls and simply
click one button to run payroll. The program opens to the SureChoice Hub, which
serves as the account-ing firm’s primary interface and provides a client
selection screen and links to accessing client reports and other data. For referral
system firms, the only options are essentially for viewing reports and exporting
data, since these firms do not enter time information or perform any processing
tasks. For firms managing the payroll processes for their clients using the
reseller system, the following options are available: When a client is selected,
the program opens into the RunPayroll screen, a multi-tabbed page with key tasking
areas divided into the Account Center, Payroll, Reports, Employees, Company,
and Tools & Resources.

The Account Center acts as the primary client service screen, offering access
to key functions, providing an overview of payroll status, and displaying memos
and reminders. A left-hand navigation menu provides quick access to payroll
processing functions, reporting, employee management and various other functions.
Employee selection lists are presented in a sortable and filterable spreadsheet
format with summary data, and offer easy-to-use forms for editing or adding
new employees. Within their files, employees can be assigned to departments,
and users can set up multiple pay rates and add an unlimited number of standard
and custom deductions. The deductions are created at the company level, along
with earnings, payroll schedules, benefits, departments, workers’ compensation
and other options. When running payrolls, information from salaried staff is
automatically populated, but overrideable, and entry of data for hourly staff
is fast. The program automatically applies and calculates all data as it is
entered.

SurePayroll includes benefits management and paid time off accrual tracking,
and the program offers HR functions for tracking EEO and other data. The system
includes a client-side portal that enables firms to allow their clients to enter
their own payroll data and even print checks locally, if desired. Employee portals
that let client staff check their own pay stubs and W-2s can also be offered.

REPORTING CAPABILITIES:
Through the Reports menu, users can access a good library of payroll reports,
including summaries, period details, workers’ compensation, departmental
summaries, HR notes, deductions, new hires and check registers. The program
also has compliance reports available, including W-2, 1099, W-3, 1096, 940 and
941, all of which are prepared by SurePayroll as a part of the service, as well
as compliance filing, payment liabilities and third parties.

INTEGRATION/IMPORT & EXPORT:
All reports can be viewed or edited in Excel and Word format, or saved as a
PDF file. Although pretty much everything else in the program is included at
no extra charge, SurePayroll’s GL integration tool costs $2.99 per payroll
run, allowing summary and detail level payroll data to be downloaded into QuickBooks,
MYOB and Peachtree.

RELATIVE VALUE:
For accountants who want to manage their clients’ payroll functions but
don’t really want to perform the compliance tasks, SurePayroll offers
a professional-level outsourced option that is all-inclusive, with direct deposit,
all compliance payments and filings, client and employee portals, and good reporting
tools. The system can also be used by firms who don’t want to manage their
clients’ payrolls, but want them to use an outsourced solution that also
lets the firm have anytime access to reports and payroll data.

2009 Overall Rating: