Payroll Services for Small Business

Question: My business is still new, and I only have a few employees. There never seem to be enough hours to accomplish big tasks like developing new business, let alone time-consuming chores like payroll. Since I'm probably too small for outside payroll services, how can my business avoid being bogged down with payroll paperwork?

Answer: First off, no business is too small to use an outside payroll service. Most will handle as few as a single employee. And you are wise to consider farming out this chore. Payroll is one of the main tasks that small biz owners outsource. It's inexpensive and can save you tremendous amounts of time and trouble with tax filings and other government mandates. Choices abound. You can do some of the work yourself (with an online provider, for example), or turn over the entire lot. Here are our picks for leaders in the field:

• Tom Golisano started Paychex in 1971 with $3,000 and a good idea of how to make it easy and affordable for small businesses to outsource their payroll processing. Today the company is tops in providing not just payroll services to small biz owners, but also payroll tax administration, 401(k) plans, Section 125 plans and Workers' Comp insurance. The Web site has an excellent introduction to what's involved in the payroll process. Click "Business Owners" and then "Managing Your Payroll." Paychex has 100 offices nationwide. Visit www.paychex.com or call (800) 322-7292.
  
  
• Advantage Payroll Services (www.advantagepayroll.com) is one of the top five payroll service providers in the U.S. and offers the latest payroll processing technology, with services geared to small and mid-sized biz. Advantage has been doing payroll for business owners since 1967 and has a passion for customer service. See Web site for office locations or call (800) 876-0178.

• Wells Fargo bank, one of the nation's largest payroll providers, has been offering payroll services to small companies for 40 years. OnlinePayroll is for businesses with 1 to 50 employees that want to calculate payroll instantly, offer employees direct deposit, print their own checks and run payroll or view reports online. ExpressPay is for businesses with 1 to 10 employees who have basic payroll needs and prefer to use telephone, fax, or PC input. Go to www.wellsfargo.com/biz.
  
  
• PayMaxx has been processing payroll for small biz clients since 1991 and was among the first to introduce Web-based payroll. No software necessary, you only need access to the Internet to submit your payroll data quickly and securely. Call (877) PAY-MAXX or visit the Web site at www.paymaxx.com.
  
  
• A wide selection of payroll products and services from Intuit (maker of Quicken and QuickBooks) help small biz owners manage payroll. QuickBooks Deluxe Payroll handles everything from tax deposits and filings to W-2 preparation. You maintain control of your payroll data with QuickBooks software and print paychecks at your own convenience. QuickBooks Premier Payroll Service is designed for small businesses that want the convenience and comfort of a fully outsourced payroll solution that works separate from QuickBooks. Call (800) 542-1227 or visit www.payroll.com. Intuit will help you determine the right payroll option for your business.
  
  
• ADP is the giant of the field (it pays nearly 30 million people worldwide), and while it serves mainly big companies, it also offers payroll solutions for small business. Visit the Small Business Services Web page at sbs.adp.com. Call: (800) CALL-ADP.
  
  
• SurePayroll uses a Web-based plan to offer small biz owners ultra low-cost service. A flat fee includes payroll processing, all tax filing and payment, quarterly reports and more. Once you enter your payroll data, SurePayroll calculates, deducts, pays and files all taxes. You decide when and where you want to process payroll. Employees can go to a password-protected Web site to view and print their pay stub, review their payroll history or update personal info. Visit www.surepayroll.com or call (877) 954-SURE.