4 payroll software options for US businesses

Good payroll software saves you time and reduces the risk of paying people incorrectly. But with so many options, it can be difficult to know which one suits your business.

Visory runs payroll for growing US businesses, so our team works with payroll tools every pay cycle. This guide describes four payroll software options available in the US, based on each provider’s own website as checked in October 2026, in no particular order. Features and plans change often, so check the provider’s current pricing page before you decide.

What is payroll software?

It’s worth being clear about what payroll software actually is. Why? Because this is unclear for many, and we have seen Microsoft Word and even an instance of PowerPoint being used as ‘payroll software’.

Payroll software is a digital tool that calculates and records employee pay, the federal, state, and local taxes withheld from it, the employer’s own payroll taxes, and deductions for benefits. It prepares the federal filings, such as Form 941 each quarter, Form 940 each year, and Forms W-2 after the year ends. Federal payroll taxes must be deposited by electronic funds transfer on a monthly or semiweekly schedule, so software that deposits the taxes and files the returns for you makes this much easier.

Software is not the same as managed payroll. Payroll software gives you the tools, but you (or your team) still set it up, classify workers correctly, check each pay run, and fix errors. A managed payroll service runs the process for you, with the business still approving each pay run. Even when software or a provider deposits and files for you, the IRS holds the employer responsible for the taxes. Technology makes payroll easier, but there are still complexities, such as overtime and employees in more than one state, that take expertise to manage.

Here are four payroll software options for businesses in the US.

1. Xero Payroll

Xero is accounting software. In the US, its payroll is Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto, which brings full-service payroll into Xero, so it suits small businesses that want payroll and accounting in one place.

Xero says Xero Payroll automates pay runs for employees and contractors and files payroll taxes, including W-2s and 1099s. Payroll is an add-on to a Xero subscription, priced per month plus a fee for each employee or contractor.

Key features	Things to check
Payroll and accounting in one platform	The per-person fee on top of the monthly charge
Automated payroll tax filings, including W-2s and 1099s	Xero says it is not available to its US mobile subscribers
Employee and contractor payments

Pricing: See Xero’s current plans

Visory integration: Yes (Xero and Gusto)

Best for: Small businesses that keep their books in Xero and want payroll in the same platform

2. Gusto

Gusto is a payroll, benefits, and HR platform. Its payroll features include:

• Federal, state, and local payroll taxes calculated, filed, and paid automatically
• W-2s and 1099s issued and filed for you
• Unlimited payroll runs, including bonus and off-cycle payrolls
• Payroll in all 50 states
• Automatic new hire reporting
• Contractor payments

Gusto integrates with accounting software including QuickBooks and Xero, and you can administer benefits such as medical insurance and a 401(k) through Gusto, with deductions synced to payroll.

Key features	Things to check
Full-service payroll with automated tax filings	Which plan includes the HR and benefits features you need
Payroll in every state	Which state and local filings it makes for the states you hire in
Benefits deductions that sync with payroll

Pricing: See Gusto’s current pricing

Visory integration: Yes

Best for: Growing businesses that want payroll and benefits together

3. Rippling

Rippling runs payroll on the same platform as its HR, benefits, and IT products, so changes such as new hires, salary changes, and benefits deductions flow from HR into payroll.

Its payroll features include:

• Payroll taxes calculated and filed with federal, state, and local agencies
• A comparison of each pay run with earlier ones, to catch discrepancies before approval
• Controls over who can view, create, manage, and approve pay runs
• Employee self-service for pay stubs and tax forms
• Global payroll for employees and contractors in other countries

Rippling says it integrates with accounting systems including Xero, QuickBooks, and NetSuite.

Key features	Things to check
Payroll connected to HR, benefits, and IT data	Payroll is one product on a wider platform, so check which products you need
Approval controls and pay run comparisons	Whether you need the global payroll features

Pricing: See Rippling’s current pricing

Visory integration: Yes

Best for: Businesses that want payroll on the same platform as their HR and IT, including teams in other countries

4. QuickBooks payroll

QuickBooks Online is cloud accounting software for small and medium businesses.

You can send invoices and manage inventory, accounts payable (AP), and accounts receivable (AR).

QuickBooks is primarily accounting software. In the US, Intuit now sells its payroll as QuickBooks Workforce, bundled with a QuickBooks Online plan. Intuit says it calculates, files, and pays federal and state payroll taxes, offers same-day direct deposit, and e-files 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC forms for contractors.

Key features	Things to check
Payroll and accounting data synced in one place	Time tracking is included only on the higher plans
Automated federal and state payroll tax filing	Pricing is per month plus a fee per employee

Pricing: See QuickBooks’ current payroll pricing

Visory integration: QuickBooks Online, for your books

Best for: Small businesses that already use QuickBooks for their accounts

Best payroll software for your business

Choosing the right payroll software can make paying and managing your workforce easier. It can save time for HR teams and reduce payroll errors.

Weigh up cost, features, how it handles overtime and the states you hire in, whether it deposits your taxes and files your returns, and how well it connects to your accounting software.

If you’d rather not run payroll yourself, Visory runs payroll for growing US businesses. A dedicated team, working with Visory’s AI, Delphi, under that team’s oversight, runs each pay cycle, including withholding and the filings prepared from each run. Book a discovery call to see if it suits your business.