SurePayroll Review

Pricing

Of all of the household payroll services we examined, SurePayroll was one of the cheapest. There is a base monthly fee of $49.99 for one employee. If you have more than one household worker, there is an additional $10 monthly charge per worker. This is cheaper than some of the other payroll services we considered; most other services charge $20 to $75 for each additional household employee.

The only other added cost is for year-end tax services. This service, which costs $45 plus $4 per employee, provides you with the proper year-end tax forms for you and your household employees. Most of the other services we looked into not only charge more for year-end tax services but also have initial setup fees of at least $100.

We like that SurePayroll has a monthly fee rather than the quarterly fee that many other household payroll providers charge. Because there is no long-term contract, you can cancel your service at any time and not pay for months you might not use.

SurePayroll Services and Features

SurePayroll provides everything household employers need from a payroll provider, including all payroll and payroll tax services.

Unlike some of the other household payroll services we considered, which offer services only for childcare providers, SurePayroll can be used for all types of household employees, including nannies, elder caregivers, home care providers, private nurses, drivers, yard workers and cooks.

Another benefit of SurePayroll is that you can run payroll as often as you’d like each month, such as weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly. Some services have a per-payroll fee structure in which they charge you a base fee every time you run payroll. This could raise your payroll expenses considerably, depending on how often you pay your employees. The flexibility to pay your household employee every week for no extra charge can lead to significant cost savings.

In addition to running your payroll each month, SurePayroll handles your payroll tax obligations. This includes calculating and deducting Social Security, Medicare and federal and state unemployment taxes, along with filling out and filing federal, state and local tax forms. You can also make your tax payments directly through the service.

SurePayroll provides a 100% guarantee that your taxes will be filed and paid correctly and on time. If the service makes an error, the company will correct the mistake and pay the fines or interest you incur. Not all of the services we looked into offer this guarantee.

SurePayroll also files a quarterly 1040-ES on your behalf and provides you with a signature-ready Schedule H (Form 1040) that attaches to your annual 1040 filing.

It is important to note that in California, SurePayroll supports household employers only if they are designated as quarterly filers; annual filers in California need to change their filing status to quarterly to use this service.

SurePayroll integrates with a variety of popular accounting software, including QuickBooks, AccountEdge, Xero, Sage 50, Less Accounting and Kashoo. These built-in integrations streamline the process of transferring data between the two programs.

Ease of Use

SurePayroll is a cloud-based service that has no software to install or maintain and is accessible online from anywhere.

Upon login, the system’s homepage provides a snapshot of any tasks you need to complete. It shows your payroll status and any important reminders, such as your upcoming payroll processing dates and bank holidays.

To run payroll, all you need to do is enter the hours each employee worked and their pay rate. You then see a preview of the payroll, which includes the employee’s gross pay and how much is being deducted from each check for employee and employer taxes.

If everything is accurate, the final step is to click the Submit for Approval link to run the payroll. At that point, you receive details on when the money will be transferred for direct deposit or when you can write checks.

You can also use a mobile app to run your payroll. SurePayroll’s mobile app, available for both Android and iOS, lets you enter earnings, deductions, hours worked and benefits, such as vacation and personal time. Most of the other household payroll services we examined do not offer a mobile app.

Your household employees also have access to the system. They can log in online or use the mobile app to review their paystubs and pay history.

Small Business Payroll

In addition to its household payroll services, SurePayroll provides regular small business payroll services. It offers small businesses a comprehensive payroll solution that can handle all payroll processing and payroll tax responsibilities.

With this service, you can run your business’s payroll as often as you’d like each month. All of your payroll records and reports are stored in the cloud, which means you can run your payroll and access your payroll information from anywhere.

The service takes care of your payroll tax responsibilities. SurePayroll calculates, pays and files your federal, state and local payroll taxes, including Social Security and Medicare. It also prepares your year-end tax forms, such as W-2s and 1099s.

Because the small business payroll service runs on the same platform as the household employer service, it is just as simple to run payroll for your small business workers as it is for your household employees. You can pay your employees via direct deposit or paper check.

Costs for SurePayroll’s small business payroll solution start at $19.99 per month, plus $4 per employee per month. For the full-service plan, costs increase to $29.99 per month, plus $5 per employee per month.

If you have employees in multiple states, there is an additional $10 monthly charge per state. You can also access the system’s accounting integrations for $5 per month and its time-clock integration for $5 per month, plus $3 per employee.

Other add-on services include 401(k) options, workers’ compensation, health insurance and pre-employment background checks.

Customer Service

SurePayroll provides customer support between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET on Saturdays. We like that the help line is open later in the evenings and on Saturdays, which many of the other services we examined don’t offer. The online help center is also available 24/7.

To gauge the type of service you can expect, we called and emailed the company numerous times, posing as a household employer and small business owner interested in the company’s services.

Each time we called, we were immediately greeted by a representative, who provided clear and detailed answers to all of our questions. SurePayroll’s representatives never pressured us to sign up for the service. Many of the other payroll providers we called had us wait on hold, gave short answers to our questions (sometimes just one word) and spent most of the call trying to get us to commit to their service.

SurePayroll was also the only payroll provider that offered to let us test the system on our own. One customer service agent we spoke with gave us temporary login credentials that allowed us to see exactly what it was like to use the platform. This gave us a feel for what it would be like to set up the system, add new employees and run payroll.

Another appealing aspect of SurePayroll’s support is that customers receive the same high level of service whether they call about payroll for household employers or for small businesses. When investigating SurePayroll, we called separately to inquire about each type of service. During each of those calls, we received the same level of support. That is a sign that SurePayroll values each of its clients equally, regardless of the size of their payroll.

SurePayroll is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.   

Limitations

One potential downside of SurePayroll’s household payroll service is that it doesn’t offer different packages like some of the nanny-specific payroll providers we considered. Some of SurePayroll’s competitors offer cheaper plans for lower levels of service. For example, they give you the option to pay less if you only want them to calculate tax withholdings and prepare your tax documents.

In California, SurePayroll only supports household employers who are designated as quarterly filers. Annual filers in California need to change their filing status to quarterly to use this service.

Ready to choose a payroll service? Here’s a breakdown of our complete coverage:

• What is a Payroll Service and What Do They Do?
• What is a Pay Card?
• ADP Review of Payroll
• Popular Alternatives to Direct Deposit
• Paychex Review of Payroll Software