13 Best Payroll Companies in Canada (2024 Update)

Payroll is a tall order for businesses of all sizes, but especially small business owners.

The payroll process can be a hassle. It’s filled with time-consuming tasks, lots of legislation and rules, remittances to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) — and all just to ensure the amazing people that make up your workforce receive their pay cheques.

And payroll software is on the job to help employers step-by-step through the payroll tasks and compliance hoops. 

How payroll companies benefit small business owners.

Payroll automation leads to increased efficiency and a host of other benefits every step of the way.

• Lowers compliance risk: Payroll providers are well-conversant with the Canada labour standard regulations and keep their software up-to-date with changes, which eliminates the risk of non-compliance. Automating the payroll also minimizes errors, increasing data accuracy and the confidence that your numbers are right.
• Saves time: Using a payroll company saves time that you or your team spend calculating pay, preparing cheques, generating reports, handling taxes and other payroll tasks. It can even help save time in the human resources department with better data organization and distribution of forms like Records of Employment and year-end documents. 
• Supports scaling: Most payroll companies offer custom services designed to suit your unique business’s needs, allowing you to scale affordably as you grow.
• Promotes accurate reporting: Many payroll software solutions integrate with other HR software, making it easier to track employee information accurate reporting.

Factors to consider in choosing a payroll company.

Canadian companies now have a wide variety of options to choose from in the payroll market. Making the best choice for your business means considering a few key things:

• Cost of service
• Features and services offered
• Data security
• Ease of use
• Customer support

Cost of service

Going for the cheapest provider is not always the most financially sound decision. Nor does the company with the priciest packages mean you’ll be working with the tippity top of payroll experts. Most payroll companies in Canada set their prices based on the offered services. Find out what services are included in the base fee, if there are add-ons or extra users you’ll need to pay for and the billing method. 

Don’t forget to consider how the initial signup fee and continued fees will factor into your total business costs and weigh it against your budget.

Features and services offered

Do a side-by-side comparison of payroll companies and their offerings to see how they match up against one another. Start by thinking about your must-have features versus your nice-to-have features.

• What type of workers do I need to run payroll for? (Hourly employees, salaried employees, contractors, a mix)
• Can it properly calculate vacation and other pay types for my province or territory?
• Does the payroll software handle payroll remittances for taxes and year-end filing?
• Can I run payroll myself or is this a full-service option?
• Do I need it to integrate with other software? (Such as time-tracking or HR software)

Data security

Working with a payroll company means trusting them with sensitive employer and employee data. This isn’t just pay information like banking details, but also Social Insurance Numbers (SINs), home addresses and more. Before settling for a provider, find out about their policies on data protection and the measures they have put in place to curb potential data breaches. 

Ease of use

The best payroll software should have a focus on easy access for both you and your employees. Typically all you need is an internet connection and a device to log in on.

Apart from the part of the software that simplifies entering employee work hours, calculations and making payments to both workers and the government, an employee self-service portal is another fantastic feature. It increases data and information accuracy and transparency, plus it means less work for you since they’ll have access to their paystubs and year-end forms. Some self-service portals let employees set up their own employee profile.

Customer support

Talk to different companies and find out how they provide customer support. Do they offer training or online resources to use their product or service? Can you talk to an actual human? Is it easy to find out how to contact the team with your questions? Do they assign you a dedicated account manager or have advisory services?

Best payroll companies in Canada.

With the benefits of a payroll company in mind, you have the tools to find the best fit for your business.

1. Wagepoint

Wagepoint, a standalone payroll software, specializes in small business payroll in Canada. You could say it’s in our DN-Eh. This online solution takes payroll processing to the next level while being backed by the world’s friendliest North American customer support team and payroll experts.

It’s got the basics like:

• Direct deposit for employees and contractors
  • Bonus: To multiple bank accounts at no extra charge!
• An employee self-service portal
• Automated payroll calculations
• Payroll tax remittances and payments
• Year-end forms

Plus these other core features (aka, you don’t pay anything extra).

Adjustment capabilities

Don’t panic if you notice a mistake to your finalized pay run — make an adjustment yourself. That’s right. You don’t have to contact support, you can just take care of it and be on your way.

Wagepoint’s adjustment tool lets you adjust the most recent finalized pay period. You can also adjust the year-to-date values on reports for your most recent runs.

You’ll still have access to the original numbers in reports as well as updated numbers in an adjustment report. Plus, you can see who made the adjustments so everyone is on the same page.

See a pay period adjustment in action.

Real-time reporting and customization

Reports are generated as soon as you approve payroll, then again as soon as Wagepoint processes the payroll and debits your company bank account and ones that are ready to run at the start of each year.

Not only are there a variety of reports available, but you’re able to customize them to see the information you need without combing through every single number.

Records of Employment

Canadian employers can both generate and submit Records of Employment (ROEs) through Wagepoint without having to pay extra.

Integration with accounting software

Easily include your payroll data with the rest of your bookkeeping with Wagepoint’s accounting software integrations. No extra data entry. Reduced risk of error. And way less time and fewer headaches spent on the process.

• QuickBooks Online
• Xero (coming soon)

Time-tracking integration

If you’re looking for a time-tracking add-on, Wagepoint also integrated with Time by Wagepoint. Like the payroll product, this is a simple software just for small business owners and has features like scheduling, location setting, geofencing, PTO and more.

Canadian customer support

Whenever you reach out to Wagepoint’s customer support team, you’ll reach someone in Canada. The company also has support team members who have completed their Payroll Compliance Certification through the National Payroll Institute, so you know there are experts there to help when you’ve got questions.

Pricing

14-day free trial

Solo: $20 CAD per month + $4 CAD per employee/contractor

Unlimited: $40 CAD per month + $5 CAD per employee/contractor

2. Payworks

Payworks offers a variety of solutions for Canadian businesses, including payroll. On the payroll side of things, business owners have the option to choose a self-managed or managed payroll services option where the Payworks team take on the payroll administration load.

Core features

• Direct deposit
• Unlimited payroll previews before approving payroll
• Multiple location and business number capabilities
• Auto filing for payroll taxes, WCB premiums and ROEs. 

Extras

• Managed payroll services
• Employee self-service portal
• HR management
• Time management
• Absence management

Pricing

Get a quote from the generator on their website.

3. Payment Evolution (PayEvo)

Payment Evolution (PayEvo) is another company with a suite of products, one of them being payroll. It’s features offer a customized solution for individuals, small to mid-sized businesses, bookkeepers, accountants, enterprises and developers.

Core features

• Pay employees and contractors
• Flexible options to pay employees
• Employee self-service portal
• Integration with other software such as FreshBooks, QuickBooks and Sage
• Email support
• Automated tax filing   

Extras

• Electronic payment setup (one-time fee)
• Specialized onboarding
• Remittances to other third parties

Pricing

15-day free trial

Growth: $3.50 CAD per employee per month (max 3 employees, no base fee)

Business Basic: $2.50 CAD per employee per month ($25 CAD minimum per month)

Business Plus: $2.00 CAD per employee per month ($75 CAD minimum per month)

4. Rise

Rise offers flexibility in payroll management and brings HR, benefits and time-off management together in one platform. It allows you to run your payroll at your convenience in a few simple clicks.

Core features

• Direct deposit
• Employee document access
• Automated payroll processing and tax remittances
• Benefits deductions
• Integration with FreshBooks, Xero and QuickBooks

Extras

• Scheduling and time tracking

Pricing

Start: $8 CAD per employee per month (required base fee not listed)

Grow: Contact sales

Optimize: Contact sales

5. Knit People

Knit People is tailored for small and medium-sized businesses in Canada, helping them run their payroll as well as manage HR and vendor payments in one place.

Core features

• Automated payroll calculations 
• Direct deposit
• Automated tax filing
• Integrations with QuickBooks and Xero
• New hire self-onboarding

Upgrade features

• Workers’ compensation and EHT remittance and reporting
• Documents and esignatures
• Time off management
• Talent management

Pricing

30-day free trial

Lite: $40 CAD per month + $6 CAD per employee per month

Complete: $50 CAD per month + $8 CAD per employee per month

Concierge: Contact sales

6. Rippling

Rippling has payroll services and workforce management tools designed to for world-round operations, including global payroll, expenses and financial management. With that, they have Employer of Record services

Core features

• Fast payroll processing
• Automatic tax filing 
• Dedicated mobile app
• Payroll analytics
• Workflow automation

Other services

• Employer of Record
• Workforce management
• HR management
• Talent management
• Benefits administration

Pricing

Starts at $11 CAD per month, but for a full, custom quote, contact sales

7. Dayforce (formerly Ceridian)

Dayforce offers cloud-based payroll software, managed payroll service as well as a variety of other services. The solution helps small businesses simplify and increase the accuracy of their payroll processing. 

Core features

• Automated payroll processing
• Mobile access
• Automated compliance
• Supported reporting

Other services

• Global payroll
• Managed payroll
• HRsoftware
• Workforce management

Pricing

Contact sales.

8. ADP

ADP is a payroll and HR combo solution that helps companies of all sizes process their payroll, pay employees and other tasks within the people management space.

Core features

• Direct deposits
• Automated payrolltaxes
• Paystubs
• Year-end forms
• Employee self-service portal

Extras

• Time and attendance
• Global payroll

Pricing

Contact sales

9. Wave Payroll

Wave Payroll is an add-on to Wave’s accounting software and designed to ease small business payment processes. While the Wave accounting software has a free option, the payroll add-on is not free.

Core features

• Direct deposit
• Automated tax remittances
• Employee self-service portal
• Pay employees and contractors
• Automated payroll journal entries

Exclusions

Not available in Québec

Pricing

30-day free trial

$25 CAD per month + $6 CAD per employee/contractor per month

10. Sage

Sage is a payroll software that empowers businesses to prepare their payroll effortlessly and accurately. This is also an add-on feature to Sage’s accounting software.

Core features

• Automated payroll processing 
• Employee self-service portal
• Mobile access for employers and employees
• Tax filing and payments
• Basic HR tools even in the payroll-only package

Add-ons

• Sage accounting software
• Core HR for advanced HR management beyond the Payroll + HR package

Pricing

2-month free trial

Payroll: $20 CAD per month + $3 CAD per employee per month

Payroll + HR: $20 CAD per month + $8 CAD per employee per month

11. QuickBooks Online Payroll

QuickBooks Online Payroll is best known as an add-on to the QuickBooks Online solution. If you use it that way, rather than as a standalone service, it gives you the power to manage your books and run payroll without having to reenter your data into your accounting software.

Core features

• Automated payroll for employees
• Direct deposit payments
• Time-tracking integrations
• Automated tax remittances
• Employee self-service portal

Exclusions

• Contractor payroll and payments

Pricing

30-day free trial

Payroll Core: $25 CAD per month + $4 per employee per month

Payroll Premium: $55 CAD per month + $8 per employee per month

Payroll Elite: $80 CAD per month + $15 per employee per month

12. Humi

Humi promotes itself as a platform for small business payroll, HR, benefits, time off and beyond. Essentially, if it’s part of having an employee, they cover it with one of feature sets in their product.

Core features

• Automatic payroll calculations
• Year-end reporting and adjustments
• Downloadable tax package to send to the CRA
• Payroll reporting

Extras

• Managed payroll with access to consultations, audits and payroll administration

Pricing

Contact sales.

13. Deel

Deel is a platform that offers global payroll as well as a suite of other features for employers. Their focus is on helping small businesses that work beyond borders.

Core features

• Payroll and HR combo
• Around the clock support
• Employee benefits and deductions
• Payroll tax remittances
• Salary and tax payments

Extras

• Employer of Record services
• Contractor management

Pricing

​$29 USD per employee per month

Final thoughts on payroll companies in Canada.

​As you can see, there are many payroll companies catering to Canadian audiences these days. Being mindful of the one you select can be the difference between a good choice and the best choice for your business.

Try Wagepoint today

Wagepoint is a standalone payroll solution for small business. It’s got the features small businesses need to easily get through payroll in minutes instead of hours. Your employees and contractors can access the data they need through the online portal, and you get to pay them easily, have the data in reports, file taxes and, most importantly, the peace of mind knowing that it’s all taken care of.

Try Wagepoint free for 14 days.

FAQ

What is a payroll company?

In short, a payroll company is one that takes payroll and makes it simple. Whether it’s basic payroll needs or the most complex payrolls, the company makes sure the calculations are accurate and employees for small to large businesses are paid on time.

This can include Canadian payroll service providers that handle the payroll for you or payroll software that give you the tools to tackle payroll regardless of how many years of experience you have (or don’t have) doing so.

What’s the difference between payroll software and payroll services?

Payroll software puts you in the driver’s seat, meaning you manage the payroll process from top to bottom with the help of a tool that can make the calculations, payments and remittances much easier. Payroll services, sometimes called managed payroll or full-service payroll, takes payroll administration off your plate and an external team handles the process. Learn more in our blog on payroll management.