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Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex

Overview

What is Paychex Flex?

Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.

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Recent Reviews

Good and Bad

7 out of 10
October 09, 2023
Incentivized
We use Paychex Flex as the only source of payroll processing for two divisions of our organization. We have tried to implement the PTO …
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Paychex Flex Review

2 out of 10
October 08, 2023
Incentivized
We use Paychex Flex as our sole HRIS system for the company. We currently have a very aggressive merger and acquisition strategy, so I am …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 33 features
  • Direct deposit files (270)
    9.2
    92%
  • Update personal information (239)
    9.0
    90%
  • Pay calculation (271)
    9.0
    90%
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (228)
    8.6
    86%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

View all pros & cons

Video Reviews

1 video

Paychex Flex Review: One Users Payroll Management Story
02:26
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Pricing

View all pricing

Paychex Go

$59

Cloud
per month/+$4 per employee

Paychex Flex Service

Contact sales team

Cloud

Paychex Flex Enterprise

Contact sales team

Cloud

Entry-level set up fee?

  • Setup fee required

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Features

Human Resource Management

Organizing, tracking and providing instant access to critical employee data, job profiles, transfers, promotions, and benefits information.

6.7
Avg 7.8

Payroll Management

Provides for pay calculation and benefit plan administration, in addition to managing direct deposit, salary revisions and payroll tracking.

8.5
Avg 8.0

Leave and Attendance Management

Streamlines communication between HR and employees and facilitates efficient management of employee leave including requisitions, approvals, balance calculation, and annual carry-forward.

7
Avg 8.1

Employee Self Service

Employee portal allowing employees to view and update their personal information.

8.5
Avg 8.1

Asset Management

Maintaining a record of assets such as laptops, pagers, cell phones, etc. issued to employees. Record typically includes asset type, number, serial number and date of issuance.

7.8
Avg 7.7

HR Reporting

Pre-built and custom reports, and integration with external data.

6.1
Avg 7.6

Onboarding

Employee onboarding is the process of orienting new hires to the social and performance aspects of their jobs so that they are able to function in their new roles as quickly as possible.

8
Avg 8.0

Recruiting / ATS

Recruiting or Applicant Tracking Software is software used to manage the recruitment process electronically by handling job postings, applicant status, resume management, etc.

8.5
Avg 7.7
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Product Details

What is Paychex Flex?

Paychex Flex® is an HR solution boasting simplicity, with technology that grows and changes with the user's business. Paychex combines business solutions and dedicated support, to help users:

•Hire, pay, manage, and retain employees

•Get experienced support as needed with a 24/7/365 U.S.-based, live support team

•Stay ahead of changing laws and regulations with Paychex compliance experts

•Access information on the go with the Paychex Flex Mobile App and Paychex Voice Assist

Talent Management: Recruit, retain, and develop top talent from a single HR platform and streamline the hiring and onboarding process.

Workforce Management: Improve employee efficiency and productivity with workforce management resources.

Payroll and Financial Support: Pay employees and manage taxes, and expenses.

Employee Benefits: Attract and retain top talent by offering valued employee benefits while simplifying plan administration.

PEO and HR Outsourcing: Support the business throughout the entire employee lifecycle with comprehensive HR outsourcing solutions.

Employee Experience: Save time and improve accuracy by giving employees access to self-service HR, training, and financial tools.

Integrations: Automatically connect and share data between software and Paychex Flex.

Choose the right level of technology and support for the business now — while keeping the ability to grow as needs change.

Paychex Flex Features

Human Resource Management Features

  • Supported: Employee demographic data
  • Supported: Employment history
  • Supported: Job profiles and administration
  • Supported: Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
  • Supported: Benefits information
  • Supported: Organization and location management
  • Supported: Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)

Payroll Management Features

  • Supported: Pay calculation
  • Supported: Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
  • Supported: Payroll history for each employee
  • Supported: Benefit plan administration
  • Supported: Direct deposit files
  • Supported: Payroll tracking and auditing
  • Supported: Salary revision and increment management
  • Supported: Reimbursement management
  • Supported: Statutory form management

Leave and Attendance Management Features

  • Supported: Approval workflow
  • Supported: Email notifications
  • Supported: Balance details
  • Supported: Travel absence management
  • Supported: Annual carry-forward and encashment

Employee Self Service Features

  • Supported: Employee login
  • Supported: View and generate pay and benefit information
  • Supported: Update personal information
  • Supported: Request time off
  • Supported: View job history
  • Supported: View company policy documentation
  • Supported: View company news and information

Asset Management Features

  • Supported: Tracking of all physical assets

HR Reporting Features

  • Supported: Report builder
  • Supported: Pre-built reports
  • Supported: Ability to combine HR data with external data

Integration with other HR capabilities Features

  • Supported: Additional HR capabilities (talent management, LMS, etc.) supplied by same vendor

Onboarding Features

  • Supported: New hire portal
  • Supported: Manager tracking tools

Recruiting / ATS Features

  • Supported: Job Requisition Management
  • Supported: Company Website Posting
  • Supported: Publish to Social Media
  • Supported: Job Search Site Posting
  • Supported: Duplicate Candidate Prevention
  • Supported: Applicant Tracking
  • Supported: Notifications and Alerts

Additional Features

  • Supported: Retirement- Single Record
  • Supported: FSA
  • Supported: Health Insurance, COBRA
  • Supported: Mobile App

Paychex Flex Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

Paychex Flex Video

Paychex Flex Demo

Paychex Flex Integrations

Paychex Flex Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationApple iOS, Android, Mobile Web
Supported CountriesUnited States
Supported LanguagesEnglish, Spanish

Frequently Asked Questions

Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.

ADP Streamline Payroll, Enterprise eTIME, by ADP, and ADP Vantage HCM are common alternatives for Paychex Flex.

Reviewers rate Notifications and Alerts highest, with a score of 9.8.

The most common users of Paychex Flex are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

View all alternatives
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Reviews and Ratings

(551)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-2 of 2)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Peggy Dickinson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We switched over from Advantage Payroll to Paychex flex and they made the transition very seamless. Our industry is very different from most payrolls due to tip wage, charge tips paid out and cash tips declared. We have 9 different locations who share employees and they were able to customize our set up for our needs. I have a payroll specialist who I can call or email anytime to help me with anything! I also can call them and talk to any support representative for smaller needs. They are friendly and happy to assist me in a very timely manner. If there is a bigger need, my payroll specialist will prioritize my needs so that everything is ready for my next payroll. I consult with another restaurant group and they do not use Paychex and I see how they struggle to pull reports or things that I am able to do VERY EASILY with Paychex. Makes me appreciate them even more.
  • Customized reports
  • Payroll Specialist to help me whenever
  • Easy to find what I need
  • I love the HR calendar for Hire dates and Birthdays!!!
  • Nothing at this time
Recently we opened a new location. Our payroll representative David was quick to be able to add that location to all 9 of our other locations so if we shared an employee, we could allocate those funds accordingly before the next payroll cycle. He made this a priority and WE APPRECIATE THAT!
Human Resource Management (6)
63.33333333333333%
6.3
Employee demographic data
90%
9.0
Employment history
90%
9.0
Job profiles and administration
N/A
N/A
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
100%
10.0
Organization and location management
100%
10.0
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
N/A
N/A
Payroll Management (6)
30%
3.0
Pay calculation
90%
9.0
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
N/A
N/A
Benefit plan administration
N/A
N/A
Direct deposit files
90%
9.0
Salary revision and increment management
N/A
N/A
Reimbursement management
N/A
N/A
Leave and Attendance Management (3)
N/A
N/A
Approval workflow
N/A
N/A
Balance details
N/A
N/A
Annual carry-forward and encashment
N/A
N/A
Employee Self Service (4)
45%
4.5
View and generate pay and benefit information
90%
9.0
Update personal information
90%
9.0
View job history
N/A
N/A
View company policy documentation
N/A
N/A
Asset Management (1)
90%
9.0
Tracking of all physical assets
90%
9.0
HR Reporting (3)
60%
6.0
Report builder
90%
9.0
Pre-built reports
90%
9.0
Ability to combine HR data with external data
N/A
N/A
Integration with other HR capabilities
N/A
N/A
Performance Management
N/A
N/A
Succession Planning
N/A
N/A
Onboarding (2)
N/A
N/A
New hire portal
N/A
N/A
Manager tracking tools
N/A
N/A
Performance and Goals
N/A
N/A
Recruiting / ATS (7)
N/A
N/A
Job Requisition Management
N/A
N/A
Company Website Posting
N/A
N/A
Publish to Social Media
N/A
N/A
Job Search Site Posting
N/A
N/A
Duplicate Candidate Prevention
N/A
N/A
Applicant Tracking
N/A
N/A
Notifications and Alerts
N/A
N/A
  • Much easier to use then past payroll systems
  • Customer service is reliable and timely. I never struggle and this is appreciated
  • My personal representative always gets back to me and if he is not available, someone else gets back to me.
  • We are a restaurant group so we have tip wages and other very unique things and Paychex Flex set us up for success
  • We have multiple locations and as an administrator, it is very easy to manage
Positively
I am able to customize reports for several audits or any research that I need to do before making decisions for the company.
As said before, I have someone at my disposal ALL THE TIME! Having David my own personal representative has been AMAZING. He always gets back to me and if he is not available, someone else will respond. If I call the 800 number, who ever answers is always able to help me. Pleasant and efficient. I consult for another company and I feel spoiled when I see them struggling with their payroll company.
We used ADP prior to Paychex and were not happy with it. Everything with Paychex Flex is much easier and user friendly.
Everything I need is there and if not they make it happen! Not only do I have a personal representative to help me out when I need them, I also have a specialist for all my ACA reporting. Just recently I needed the Full time and full time equivalent count and BOOM! I got it immediately! I also just needed the hourly average for all of my employees as I am having open enrollment for Health Insurance. Again I reached out to my specialist and BOOM! There it was for all locations in minutes!! LOVE AND APPRECIATE THIS!
I wish I could remember their names, but I am old and it was awhile ago, but they were awesome! I know people often say things will be "seamless", well this was pretty close. They walked us through the changes and for the first few payrolls were at our beck and call for all things needed. They then transitioned us to our specialists who have taken VERY GOOD care of us!
As I mentioned before, they continued to stay with us for the first few payrolls. Then when it was time to leave us they DID NOT abandon us. They left us in good hands with our specialists. Also no matter when I call the 800 number and get a random person, THEY ARE ALWAYS a pleasure to work with and helpful. They are professional, easy to understand and pleasant. I love telling people this because I see others struggle with their payroll companies.
I am unsure of this, I was not involved in this process.
Just be upfront and explain all your needs. I like to be transparent and it seems to work in getting what we need right off the bat.
20
GM's performing payroll, Accounting using reports, HR using it for multiple things and CFO using it for multiple things.
1
I believe I am the sole contact with Paychex Flex as HR and I follow up as needed with others.
  • Payroll
  • Labor reports
  • Benefits
  • Reporting for audits and compliance.
  • We have not used the HR process yet
  • HR processes
We are happy and not looking to switch. We get solicitations all the time but have no interest in making any changes at this time.
Yes
Yes ADP.
  • Integration with Other Systems
  • Ease of Use
Being in the restaurant industry, our needs are a bit different with the Tip wage and other things. THANK YOU for setting us up for success.
I wouldn't. Anything that was not set up initially has been worked out so all good.
  • Implemented in-house
  • We had the support we needed
  • The transfer of information was wonderful!
We had the help we needed at all times. They were at our fingertips anytime we needed them. Stayed with us through the first few payrolls.
  • Online Training
  • In-Person Training
  • No Training
They made it easy and actually we had a great rapport with them and it was fun
YES
We use it for our 401K report
NA
Some - we have done small customizations to the interface
We use it for our 401K reporting.
None.
I am unsure if I have that. I just know I have the support I need when I need it by my specialist or just by calling the 800 number.
No
YES, my Specialist David has gone above and beyond when we were opening a new venue and needed the labor distribution added to all of our locations. We needed it by the next payroll and we are weekly so he REALLY WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND!
  • Payroll process
  • Adding or terminating employees
  • Adding or terminating benefits
  • Running Reports for ANYTHING
  • Customizing reports when needed
  • We have 8 payroll systems. I wish I could transfer employees more easily. I have to terminate them in one and then re-enter them in the new one.
Yes, but I don't use it
One thing I love about this is I can be logged into it at the same time as others in my company. Our old system wouldn't allow that, FRUSTRATING
AGAIN ALWAYS AVAILABLE WHEN I NEED THEM
Every once in a while there will be some glitches in the system. A bit scary when it comes to payroll BUT we have been able to get through it
  • none
  • not at this time
  • File import/export
For our 401K reporting
WE do not intergrate
NA
  • The switch was easy and quick.
  • We were losing abilities with the old systems so it was good to have everything at our disposal with the switch.
  • na
No
No
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is just being utilized by the payroll department.
  • I am very please with the speed and efficiency in how the payroll is processed.
  • I just started using Flex, so I am still learning all it has to offer. However, I have been with Paychex since 2012, and I have always been pleased with their services. I expect the same results.
  • Customer service is great!
  • I am almost going to be using Flex for a year come June, and it is not as user friendly as I found "Preview" to be.
  • Customer service is great, but sometimes I want to learn how to do something myself instead of the rep just handling it for me on their end.
There is added security to access the software. It makes me feel confident that Paychex is taking the extra steps to protect their client's sensitive information. I am a new user, so I am still learning all the bells and whistles.
Human Resource Management (6)
50%
5.0
Employee demographic data
N/A
N/A
Employment history
100%
10.0
Job profiles and administration
100%
10.0
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
N/A
N/A
Organization and location management
N/A
N/A
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
100%
10.0
Payroll Management (6)
50%
5.0
Pay calculation
100%
10.0
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
N/A
N/A
Benefit plan administration
100%
10.0
Direct deposit files
100%
10.0
Salary revision and increment management
N/A
N/A
Reimbursement management
N/A
N/A
Leave and Attendance Management (3)
N/A
N/A
Approval workflow
N/A
N/A
Balance details
N/A
N/A
Annual carry-forward and encashment
N/A
N/A
Employee Self Service (4)
50%
5.0
View and generate pay and benefit information
N/A
N/A
Update personal information
100%
10.0
View job history
100%
10.0
View company policy documentation
N/A
N/A
Asset Management (1)
N/A
N/A
Tracking of all physical assets
N/A
N/A
HR Reporting (3)
100%
10.0
Report builder
100%
10.0
Pre-built reports
100%
10.0
Ability to combine HR data with external data
100%
10.0
Integration with other HR capabilities
N/A
N/A
Performance Management
N/A
N/A
Succession Planning
N/A
N/A
Onboarding (2)
N/A
N/A
New hire portal
N/A
N/A
Manager tracking tools
N/A
N/A
Performance and Goals
N/A
N/A
Recruiting / ATS (7)
N/A
N/A
Job Requisition Management
N/A
N/A
Company Website Posting
N/A
N/A
Publish to Social Media
N/A
N/A
Job Search Site Posting
N/A
N/A
Duplicate Candidate Prevention
N/A
N/A
Applicant Tracking
N/A
N/A
Notifications and Alerts
N/A
N/A
  • No change to what we already had with Preview.
Positively
End of year reports for workers comp, Osha reports, and quarterly reports have been very beneficial and time saving
Although it is not as easy to get a hold of my designated rep, the other representatives that I get assistance from are AWESOME.
None
Like I mentioned previously, I would like to learn more about how to some things myself. For example, when I have to cut a final check, I want to know how to calculate a one-time check and not have a rep do it for me.
It went well
Still took our calls
not sure
not sure
2
My assistant and I process the payroll.
1
Computer Technician
  • Payroll Processing
  • Labor Taxes
  • Employee Records
  • just utilizing it to process our company payroll
  • not sure
It has been the only software that we have used since our company was founded in 2012.
Yes
I used to use Paychex Preview, and I was required to upgrade to Paychex Flex.
  • Other
We were already usisng Paychex Preview, so we had to roll over and upgrade to Paychex Flex.
not sure
  • Implemented in-house
Yes
First the payroll records were created, then I was given links for tutorials, and then Paychex assisted us with the first, second, and third payrolls processed via Flex.
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled
not much, but it went smoothly
  • none
All the data was imported without a hitch
  • Online Training
We did online training only
It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
It seems that our computer tech guy had no issues with the configuration.
I did not handle the configuration, so this is out of my scope to comment.
Some - we have added small pieces of custom code
We need to be able to export payroll data to Points North for our certified payroll reporting.
none
I am not sure.
No
Like I mentioned prior, our designated rep is slow to respond to us, but when I select to get an operator and another rep answers my calls, I get exceptional support. The supervisor of my current rep responded to my request to get assistance in setting up our time off policies.
  • importing my payroll data
  • entering a new employee seems so much cumbersome than it was via Preview
It runs well with importing our data from Timberline/Sage software, and then exports to our Points North software.
Always available
It's quick and does not interfere with other programs.
  • Timberline / Sage
  • Points North
It was handled by our computer tech so it flowed easily.
We already integrated the systems we wanted done
  • File import/export
none
Out computer tech had no issues
none
No
  • none, we were already with Paychex using Preview.
  • none at this time
No
No
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