Paylocity vs. Surfboard

Consistent and ongoing issues with time and labor, payroll, benefits, and a lack of care and sense of urgency from the account manager and Paylocity staff in general when issues do arise. Every time an issue is fixed within the system, it seems that something else then begins to malfunction. 2026 specifically, there have been numerous issues with the time-off feature for both the employees and the HR Team.

Incentivized

• When I need assistance, calling the help line is easy, and most of the time there isn't a long wait. Also, they can and do call back if necessary. I have had Zoom meetings to address issues that required more than just a phone call.
• Tracking taxes and filing reports is truly important to us so that we file in a timely manner and avoid penalties and interest. We incurred many penalties when we were using QuickBooks.
• Keeping track of employee documents such as I-9 forms along with visas, work authorizations, resident cards, driver's licenses, and certifications is easy and in one location.
• With Paylocity, we can easily see who filled out applications. Previously, we used paper applications, which were more manual and involved looking through actual paperwork. This was hard to manage.

Incentivized

• There's a lot of confusion of the Effective Date and Begin Check Date.
• Better explanations of cross-company managers when not all companies use the same modules.
• Better explanation of the Time and Labor piece and how we can better utilize live labor, forecasting, and overall scheduling.

Incentivized

The system is easy to use. I love the knowledge base system offered, I can answer many of my questions by looking here first before calling in. If i do have to call in to the help desk, everyone seems to be super knowledgably about the Paylocity Product and if they are unable to assist, which rarely happens, they will escalate my call to the next level of assistance

Incentivized

I would say that these 2 factors are the biggest contributors to the rating that I have given. The app is still buggy; I gave up on it after not being able to clock in 3 times. Also, the Firefox unavailability. I had to give up the Firefox browser in order for me to sign my contract and use Paylocity. If they are able to address those 2 issues then it should be a perfect 10.

Incentivized

Over the last 3 years, we've only had one major service issue that rendered Airbase unusable for us for about 24 hours. That said, they navigated the SVB bank crisis very well and made sure funds were available during that time.

Incentivized

We had some minor hiccups throughout the year but they have all been fixable. Paylocity integrates well with our 401k provider, Principal, and our benefits, OneDigital. It makes it simple to house everything and have it all connected. It doesn't slow anything down to have Principal integrated. It makes it more efficient

Incentivized

I have contacted support on several occasions, mostly for assistance with voiding a check and running an off-cycle payroll. The account managers and support team were all very knowledgeable and helpful. They provided great insight and clarity in answering my questions and helping me navigate these processes. I learn something new and helpful each time I speak with them! On a separate note, we have reported technical issues regarding several Paylocity onboarding tasks since this past year. We have reached out several times regarding these issues, but are still waiting for a resolution. It seems sometimes that technical concerns are reported, with no proper solution or follow-up.

Incentivized

I didn't have in-person training, but I'm sure it was just as great as any other training/assistance Paylocity provides. Paylocity customer service is always available. You never have to be on hold and their answers are always accurate and timely. Documents in the help section are helpful as well. My in-person training was conducted y one of our employees who was involved in the initial set-up and training of all employees. She was excellent.

Incentivized

It was virtually, click orange button in top right corner, click run report, hit submit. The training was minimal at best. I did not know what I was doing, so I just wrote down the steps, so when they steps failed I had no idea what to do, where I was in the process, What the terms mean or where to find them. When I had questions it was always the same answers, no understanding for WHAT I was doing when I hit the orange button.

Incentivized

Implementation was a bit bumpy and Paylocity team not always available for next steps and/or questions. I feel like Paylocity could have done a better job in their fact finding as far as what we were currently doing, our payroll policies and needs, etc. so that we would have run into less issues as we moved forward.

Incentivized

We switched from QuickBooks because Paylocity offers more than just payroll. It combines payroll, time tracking, HR, benefits, and employee self-service in one system. This has helped us reduce manual work, improve reporting, and make payroll more efficient. Overall, Paylocity was a better fit for our company's growth and HR needs.

Incentivized

Everyone wants a good deal of course. We thought we did ok and felt you still made your money also

Incentivized

We have gone from a medium sized company to a larger company with no issues whatsoever with Paylocity being able to keep up or do what we need it to do for the size of our needs. In fact, it does more than we even use at this juncture

Incentivized

Some are knowledgable others not as much and sometimes instead of helping you fix the issue will just give you some directions and expect you to try to figure it out yourself. Also, when your Account Manager needs to escliate the issue to another group, it can take a long time for them to get to your issue and there's no commuication.

Incentivized

• The time savings alone is worth the cost. I went from having to spend 3 - 4 full business days on payroll to about 1.
• Being able to look all employee data up in one place is a lifesaver and time saver - even outside of the office if I need to access information quickly it is all just a sign in away.
• It has saved significant time and reduced confusion related to onboarding. Everyone is able to see what stage an employee is at, I do not need to worry about employees potentially working for us illegally thanks to eVerify, and I am always assured that all required documentation for regulatory purposes has been obtained prior to employment beginning.

Incentivized