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Wave Payroll description
Wave Payroll is a payroll software designed for small and micro-businesses in the USA and Canada. It simplifies paying employees and contractors, offers automatic tax filing and payments in select US states, and integrates with other Wave financial products. It features direct deposit, employee self-service portals, and reporting functionalities. Wave Payroll operates on a monthly subscription fee plus a per-employee/contractor charge, with no setup fees or hidden costs.
Who is Wave Payroll best for
Wave Payroll is an ideal payroll solution for small business owners in the USA and Canada seeking an affordable and easy-to-use payroll solution. We find that users appreciate the seamless integration with other Wave financial products. It is a particularly good fit for those with limited accounting staff, looking to simplify paying employees and contractors.
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Ideal for small businesses (1-100 employees) seeking affordable, user-friendly payroll.
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Versatile payroll solution suitable for businesses across various industries, especially those in tech.
Wave Payroll features
Supported Pay employees and contractors: Pay employees and contractors: Pay independent contractors and employees, and generate W2 and 1099 forms for tax season. |
Supported Tax payments and filings: Tax payments and filings: Wave’s complete payroll tax service can automatically pay and file your state and federal payroll taxes for businesses in AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, IN, MN, NY, NC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI. (Coming soon to more states.) |
Supported Automatic payroll journal entries: Automatic payroll journal entries: Our payroll software is seamlessly connected with the rest of your Wave account to reduce the time you spend on manual bookkeeping. |
Supported Self-service pay stubs and tax forms: Self-service pay stubs and tax forms: Employees can securely log in to access their pay stubs and W2s, and manage their contact and banking information. |
Supported Direct deposit: Direct deposit: Employees get paid quickly and securely via direct deposit. |
Supported Unlimited pay runs: Unlimited pay runs: Run payroll as often as you need—weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or even multiple times a month at no extra charge. |
Supported Automated tax calculations: Automated tax calculations: Wave automatically calculates federal and state income taxes, as well as Social Security and Medicare taxes, based on your employees’ W-4s. |
Supported Garnishments: Garnishments: Our payroll software allows you to make the necessary calculations for wage garnishments when needed. |
Wave Payroll reviews
We've summarised 31 Wave Payroll reviews (Wave Payroll G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.
- Flexible payroll runs
- Affordable, especially for freelancers and small businesses
- Easy to use for basic payroll and invoicing
- Low commission fees
- Seamless integration with other Wave financial products
- Slow direct deposit times (up to 2 days)
- Limited calendar and shipping features
- Difficult refunds
- Overly simplistic software interface, lacks support for basic payroll use cases
- Charges higher rates for certain states even without supporting specific tax situations
Wave Payroll pricing
The commentary is based on 6 reviews from Wave Payroll G2 reviews.
We find that Wave Payroll is generally considered affordable, especially for freelancers and small businesses. Some users mention its low commissions and free features as significant advantages. However, others point out that you get what you pay for, citing limited customer support and basic features as potential drawbacks.
See the Wave Payroll pricing page.
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Wave Payroll has a free plan.
Create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records. Option to accept online payments. Invoice on-the-go via the Wave app. Manage cash flow and customers in one dashboard.
Everything in Starter, plus…. Option to accept online payments at a discounted rate. Auto-import bank transactions. Auto-merge and categorize bank transactions. Digitally capture unlimited receipts and track expenses. Automate late payment reminders. And more!
Wave Payroll alternatives
Wave Payroll FAQ
Wave Payroll is an affordable payroll software for small businesses in the US and Canada. We find it simplifies paying employees and contractors, offers automatic tax filing and payments, and integrates with other Wave products. It also includes direct deposit and employee self-service portals.
What is Wave Payroll and what does Wave Payroll do?
Wave Payroll is an affordable payroll software for small businesses in the US and Canada. We find it simplifies paying employees and contractors, offers automatic tax filing and payments, and integrates with other Wave products. It also includes direct deposit and employee self-service portals.
Wave Payroll seamlessly integrates with other Wave products, like accounting and invoicing, to streamline your financial workflows. We find this particularly helpful for small businesses looking to manage their finances in one place.
How does Wave Payroll integrate with other tools?
Wave Payroll seamlessly integrates with other Wave products, like accounting and invoicing, to streamline your financial workflows. We find this particularly helpful for small businesses looking to manage their finances in one place.
We find that Wave Payroll's main competitors are Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, and ADP Run, particularly for small businesses in the US and Canada. They offer similar payroll and tax filing features with varying pricing structures and levels of automation.
What the main competitors of Wave Payroll?
We find that Wave Payroll's main competitors are Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, and ADP Run, particularly for small businesses in the US and Canada. They offer similar payroll and tax filing features with varying pricing structures and levels of automation.
Yes, Wave Payroll is a legitimate payroll software designed for small and micro-businesses in the USA and Canada. We find it's particularly helpful for those already within the Wave financial ecosystem. However, be aware of potential drawbacks like slower direct deposit times and limited features.
Is Wave Payroll legit?
Yes, Wave Payroll is a legitimate payroll software designed for small and micro-businesses in the USA and Canada. We find it's particularly helpful for those already within the Wave financial ecosystem. However, be aware of potential drawbacks like slower direct deposit times and limited features.
Wave Payroll's pricing isn't specified in the provided data. Wave does offer a free Starter plan and a Pro plan at $170/year. Several add-ons are available, potentially including payroll, but their individual costs aren't listed here.
How much does Wave Payroll cost?
Wave Payroll's pricing isn't specified in the provided data. Wave does offer a free Starter plan and a Pro plan at $170/year. Several add-ons are available, potentially including payroll, but their individual costs aren't listed here.
We find that Wave Payroll's customer service is a common source of complaints. Users frequently report slow response times, often taking weeks to resolve issues. While the software is praised for its simplicity and affordability, the poor customer service experience significantly impacts its overall value.
Is Wave Payroll customer service good?
We find that Wave Payroll's customer service is a common source of complaints. Users frequently report slow response times, often taking weeks to resolve issues. While the software is praised for its simplicity and affordability, the poor customer service experience significantly impacts its overall value.
Reviewed by
Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.
Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.
An AI tool that observes your work, finds inefficiencies, and suggests smarter ways to do things. Maybe you can use your tools better, automate tasks, or switch software.