The Best Payroll Software for Nonprofits for 2024: Compared

• Recruiting: Customize your team’s hiring process with specific interview questions and tests. This works well for hiring W-2 employees, 1099 contractors, volunteers, and board members.
• Time and Attendance: You can use time cards to easily track when employees and volunteers start and finish work, with alerts for overtime. It syncs with payroll to help with tax withholdings and FUTA exemptions.
• Benefits Administration: Easily sign up employees for benefits. It also makes it easy to comply with state and federal laws and make custom benefit packages for nonprofits working in other countries.

Rippling offers pricing starting at $8 per user per month, which varies based on selected modules and employee count. Plans include Core, Pro, Unlimited, and Enterprise, with exact payroll costs available upon contacting sales.

The Core plan handles global workforces with automated compliance and analytics. In contrast, the Unlimited plan supports unlimited workflows, advanced reports, and seamless integrations like webhooks, catering to smaller to medium-sized organizations seeking tailored HR solutions.

• HR Outsourcing: Focus on your mission while the software handles essential HR tasks for your W-2 employees with efficiency and expertise. This frees up budget to cover payroll expenses.
• Compliance Support: With ADP SmartCompliance, you can simplify HCM compliance tasks like ACA reporting.
• Self-Service Portal: You can access historical payroll data, book time off, and manage benefits easily through ADP’s user-friendly portal.

ADP doesn’t publicly list its prices. Like most enterprise software, ADP customizes costs based on each company’s needs. You’ll need to contact ADP directly for a personalized quote.

However, here’s a full breakdown of the available plans:

• Essential Payroll: Perfect for automating multi-jurisdiction payroll, tax filing, and onboarding, ideal for managing W-2 employees and volunteers.
• Enhanced Payroll: Includes everything in Essential, plus job costing and ZipRecruiter job postings, which benefits nonprofits needing to manage costs and recruit efficiently.
• Complete Payroll + HR: Provides HR helpdesk support, salary benchmarks, and additional HR tools essential for nonprofits looking to streamline HR processes and compliance.
• HR Pro Payroll + HR: Offers advanced HR features such as applicant tracking and learning management, which is ideal for nonprofits needing comprehensive HR support and employee development.

• Multi-State Payroll: OnPay allows you to handle payroll complexities effortlessly across multiple states (in the US), accommodating diverse workforce needs without hassle.
• PTO Management: You can easily manage and track employee vacation and leave with OnPay’s integrated PTO management system.
• Customizable Reporting: Generate detailed payroll and benefits reports tailored to your nonprofit’s needs, facilitating financial transparency and strategic decision-making.

OnPay charges a simple $40 base fee each month plus $6 for every employee, covering W-2s, 1099s, and year-end filings, unlimited pay runs and schedules, and federal, state, and local tax filings.

OnPay’s pricing is straightforward, ensuring you know what to expect as your team grows or shrinks. You also don’t have to worry about implementation or integration fees as expert support is available by phone, chat, and email.

• EOR: Hiring employees from all over the globe is easy with Deel’s Employer of Record services. The software handles taxes and compliance for W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, including state and federal taxes, and allows you to provide competitive benefits packages tailored to each country.
• Equipment Management: Effortlessly manage work-from-home equipment for your global team. You can track, ship, and manage devices like laptops, monitors, and headphones across borders, ensuring a smooth setup for remote work.
• Contractor Management: Onboard, manage, and pay international contractors, automate HR tasks, reduce misclassification risks, and ensure compliant, on-time payments.

Here’s a list of Deel’s various payroll plans:

• Deel Payroll: Deel Payroll is designed for international payroll management. It offers comprehensive services including payroll processing, tax payments, and employee benefits administration. It also provides 24/7 support, customizable reporting, and a single point of contact for each country.
• Deel US Payroll: This focuses on streamlined payroll processing within the United States. It offers instant tax and wage calculations, support for all 50 states, and automated filing for various tax forms.
• Deel US PEO: This provides an HR solution for businesses operating across all 50 US states. It covers compliance, payroll, taxes, and benefits administration, offering Fortune 500-level benefits at competitive prices.

• Tax Penalty Protection: QuickBooks Payroll provides unmatched tax penalty protection, covering up to $25,000 in penalties annually. This lets you handle IRS issues with ease.
• QuickBooks Workforce: QuickBooks Workforce makes payroll setup simple and lets your team easily manage pay details and track time. Employees can check pay stubs, W-2s, and time-off balances whenever they need.
• Tax Filing: Easily file your 1099 forms online with the 1099 E-File feature. This is available in all pricing plans.

Here’s an overview of QuickBooks payroll pricing:

• Payroll Core + Simple Start: This entry-level plan combines essential payroll services with basic accounting tools, offering automated tax filing, next-day direct deposit, income and expense tracking, and invoice generation to help small nonprofits manage their finances and employee payments efficiently.
• Payroll Core + Essentials: Building on the Simple Start plan, this option adds bill management, time tracking, and multi-user support, along with enhanced reporting and multiple sales channel connections.
• Payroll Premium + Plus: The most feature-rich plan includes advanced payroll options like same-day direct deposit, comprehensive HR support, project and inventory tracking, and unlimited sales channel connections, catering to larger nonprofits with complex payroll, HR, and financial management needs.

QuickBooks gives you a 70% discount on the base price for the first three months.

QuickBooks is ideal for businesses and nonprofits seeking a payroll solution that integrates smoothly with various financial and management tools. Its easy-to-use design and automation make managing finances simple and fast.

• Time and Attendance Integration: The system integrates with time and attendance software, allowing for effortless import of employee hours directly into the payroll system, streamlining the overall process.
• Customizable Payroll Options: Patriot offers customizable hours, money, and deductions options, along with time-off accruals, giving employers flexibility in managing various aspects of employee compensation.
• Multi-Location Support: Patriot supports multiple pay rates, departments, and locations, making it suitable for businesses with complex organizational structures or diverse employee types.

Patriot offers affordable plans catering to small businesses on a budget:

• Basic Plan: This entry-level option provides essential payroll processing features, including unlimited payrolls, multiple pay rates, customizable deductions, and comprehensive reporting.
• Full-Service Plan: Building on the Basic Plan, this comprehensive option adds complete tax filing and deposit services for federal, state, and local taxes, along with year-end tax filings and a tax filing accuracy guarantee.

Patriot’s basic plan is great if you prefer handling your taxes yourself. Their full-service plan is also very budget-friendly, especially compared to OnPay and Gusto’s cheapest plan (which starts at $40 per month plus $6 per user per month).

• Global Hiring and Payroll: Through its Gusto Global service, powered by Remote, the platform enables businesses to hire and pay employees worldwide while managing local tax compliance and regulations.
• Performance Management: The software provides tools for collecting feedback, writing reviews, and rating employee performance, helping businesses develop and maintain high-performing teams regardless of location.
• State Tax Registration: Gusto helps businesses register for payroll taxes in all 50 states, automatically syncing correct tax rates with payroll to ensure compliance across multiple locations.

Gusto has three main pricing plans listed below:

• Simple Plan: This offers streamlined automatic payroll, benefits integration, employee self-service, basic hiring tools, and more—all essential for single-state operations.
• Plus Plan: This builds on the Simple plan with advanced features like multi-state payroll, comprehensive HR tools, time tracking, and performance reviews, all ideal for growing businesses.

While Gusto doesn’t offer a free trial, its pricing is competitive compared to other options. Patriot’s higher-tier plan costs $37 per month plus $4 per user per month, but it lacks features like benefits administration, auto-payroll, and hiring/onboarding tools included in Gusto’s plans.

• Automated Tax Management: Paychex simplifies payroll and tax processes, eliminating manual calculations and offering flexible payment methods such as direct deposit and prepaid cards.
• Donation Tracking: The solution facilitates efficient tracking of both monetary and in-kind contributions, enabling accurate financial reporting and donor receipt generation.
• Employee Benefits: Nonprofits can offer health benefits and retirement plans through Paychex, with the option to integrate seamless benefits administration.

Paychex’s pricing is only available on demand. There are, however, three main payroll payment plans:

• Paychex Flex Essentials: This is designed for small nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees. It offers full-service payroll processing, tax administration, an employee self-service app, and HR library access. The plan costs $39 per month plus $5 per employee.
• Paychex Flex Select: This includes all features of Paychex Flex Essentials, plus a learning management system, hiring tools, and integration with accounting software.
• Paychex Flex Pro: This expands on these with additional HR tools, such as an employee handbook template, and payroll features, such as wage garnishment.

For the higher tier plans (Select and Pro), interested prospects have to contact Paychex sales team for a custom quote due to its highly customizable packages and add-ons.

• Automated Tax Management: The software automates PAYE, national insurance, and pension calculations, ensuring compliance with tax regulations.
• Leave Management: Sage enables easy tracking and approval of employee leave, ensuring accurate payslips and up-to-date records. This feature helps businesses maintain clear visibility of staff availability and ensures that time off is correctly reflected in payroll calculations.
• Shift Scheduling: Sage offers tools to efficiently manage team resources and accurately reflect overtime in payroll calculations. This functionality helps businesses optimize staffing levels, manage labor costs, and ensure that employees are paid correctly for their time worked, including any overtime.

Sage offers three major payroll plans:

• Payroll Essentials: This entry-level plan offers basic payroll processing and essential HR functions, including employee self-service for payslips and P60s, HMRC real-time information, and holiday tracking for up to 5 employees.
• Payroll Standard: Building on the Essentials plan, this option adds features like a personalized onboarding portal, company org chart creation, automated approval workflows, and mobile expense submission and approval.
• Payroll Premium: The most comprehensive plan includes advanced HR features such as online timesheet and overtime management, project-based time logging, detailed timesheet reporting, and simplified shift scheduling capabilities.

• Automated Payroll Management: The system supports payroll processing in 140+ currencies, automating tax deductions and compliance requirements across multiple countries.
• Employer of Record (EOR) Services: Oyster’s EOR service allows small nonprofits to expand globally swiftly without setting up local offices. Oyster legally employs staff on your behalf, handling legal and administrative complexities while ensuring compliance.
• Compliance and Risk Mitigation: With built-in compliance measures, localized knowledge, and in-house legal expertise, Oyster ensures adherence to local employment laws in each country. The platform offers extensive insurance coverage and privacy compliance, including GDPR and SOC II, to protect businesses from potential legal risks.

OysterHR offers four transparent pricing plans:

• Contractor Package: For businesses focusing solely on managing international contractor hires. This plan favors quick onboarding, compliant contract generation based on local labor laws, and invoice payments in over 140 currencies.
• EOR Plan: Serves as their primary EOR solution for global payroll needs across over 130+ countries.
• Scale Plan: This is designed for companies hiring 5 or more full-time employees; Oyster provides custom pricing with additional benefits such as reduced annual rates, the ability to reuse seats at no extra cost, speedy bulk onboarding, and access to dedicated support managers.

No federal laws require nonprofits to provide paid time off (PTO) to employees. PTO policies, including vacation, holidays, and sick leave, are generally set by the nonprofit and must comply with state laws where applicable.

Nonprofits must follow the rules for overtime pay set by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This means that employees who work more than 40 hours a week must be paid extra, at least one-and-a-half times their usual pay.

The law doesn’t require lunch breaks; breaks shorter than 20 minutes must be paid. Employees usually get a 30-minute break if they work five or six hours straight, but they must be free from duties during this time.

Nonprofits with 50 or more employees must provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This leave can be used for reasons like maternity or caring for a sick family member. Only eligible employees who have worked at least 12 months or 1,250 hours in the past year can take FMLA leave, ensuring they can attend to personal or family health needs without losing their jobs.

Proper record-keeping is essential for nonprofits to ensure transparency, comply with laws, and manage finances effectively. This includes maintaining detailed records for each employee, including their name, job details, daily hours worked, and earnings. These records help nonprofits track financial transactions, donations, governance activities, employment taxes, and asset management.