Paychex

Score6.8 out of 10

615 Reviews and Ratings

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Paychex

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What is Paychex?

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.

Categories & Use Cases

Media

Screenshot of Employee Background Checks

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Screenshot of Paychex Payroll Dashboard

Direct deposit files
Direct deposit is the ability to electronically transfer pay to an employee’s personal bank account.
Category average: 8.9
Employment history
Employment history is the ability to track previous positions held.
Category average: 8.3
Salary revision and increment management
Salary revision is the ability to modify individual employee pay.
Category average: 8.3

Duplicate Candidate Prevention
Duplicate candidate prevention prevents candidates already in the system from being added
Category average: 7.5
Ability to combine HR data with external data
Ability to bring data from external systems like CRM and combine with HR data.
Category average: 6.9
Employee recognition
thank a team member
Category average: 7.6

#1 most frequent

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

14.9%

704 installations of 4,731

#2 most frequent

Manufacturing

13.5%

640 installations of 4,731

#3 most frequent

Health Care and Social Assistance

10.9%

517 installations of 4,731

Pros

Efficient payroll processing and management
User-friendly interface and navigation
Seamless integration with time-tracking data

Cons

Inconsistent customer service knowledge and high agent turnover
Difficulty accessing past reports and complex reporting interface
Clunky user experience, especially with diverse employee rules

Jamie Lopes

Chief Operations Officer at Senior Placement Services, LLC (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Paychex Flex for our payroll needs. We find that it keeps everything in one place for each of our employees and assists with tracking and submitting all necessary tax documents and filings throughout the year. We appreciate that we don't have to take time away from our day to day to monitor and track all of the necessary back-end tasks related to payroll and tax reporting. We also participate in a SimpleIRA plan which is separate from Paychex but we are still able to utilize the tracking and withholding to make it easy for everyone. The reports are useful and easy to manage. They offer support when needed. We have been a customer since 2014, and we appreciate the partnership. They have made that side of our business much smoother and streamlined. Ensuring employees pay is recorded accurately and timely is extremely important, as well as knowing it is all easily accessible for both employer and employee.

Pros

organization
tax documents
reporting
perks

Cons

Support when assigned a specialist, actually speaking directly to them
when self-reporting payroll, a free-text field to add notes
some HR options that don't require an entire package to manage

Return on Investment

Efficiency
Employee Self-Service
Time saving 100%

Usability

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Online, Google Workspace

Phil Knapp View profile

Quality Manager in Quality Assurance at Laser North Inc. (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Paychex for a multi-functional solution covering payroll, benefits management, training, and compliance-related operations. Our department heads can manage employee time tracking, PTO requests, and monitor overtime in real time through their standard Paychex logins. We're just getting started with the software, and we still haven't fully realized its benefits. We expect to nearly double our use of the software in 2026.

Pros

Payroll management.
Benefit enrollment & management.
PTO requests and approvals.
Calendar management.
401k management and monitoring.
Safety training.

Cons

I understand logging you out is a security function, but I'd prefer it not to log you out so soon.
The training we received for the team's meeting was subpar, in my opinion. Probably better geared for people with little to no computer experience. Very slow pace; we could have easily received all of this from some tutorials in a few minutes.

Return on Investment

This software has provided visibility to shift managers and department leads that they never had before in managing their subordinates. They now have an easy-to-use go-to source for seeing who has PTO, how much they have available, and what the work calendar looks like, allowing them to make better-informed decisions.
With this software to manage open enrollment, we can now get through that process with a tool we use regularly, rather than jumping into enrollment management software only once a year and having to relearn it each year.
Literally thousands of steps are saved each week by not needing to traverse the entire shop floor or track people down to clear up questions with time cards. With everything digital, so much can be observed and addressed in real-time through the app.

Usability

Other Software Used

ProShop ERP, Autodesk Fusion, Hexagon

Ondrea Dory, PHR, SHRM-CP View profile

Director of Human Resources in Human Resources at Brevard College (501-1000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Paychex was our payroll system from March 2024 - December 2025. It couldn't handle multiple jobs for one student worker so we still had paper timesheets for over 400 student workers.

Pros

Payroll processing was streamlined. I liked that you had stop signs on each timesheet that had an issue.

Cons

Hiring module was clunky and not user friendly.
Couldn't handle multiple jobs in different departments for one person.
Glitchy system that frequently didn't do what it was built to do.
Reporting wasn't intuitive.
We couldn't change tax settings on a person. Had to email our account person.

Return on Investment

None

Usability

Other Software Used

UKG Ready, Jenzabar Internet Campus Solution (JICS), discontinued

Mike Ryan View profile

Operations Manager in Manufacturing at RH Quinn & Company, Inc. (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Paychex Flex for the Company payroll. One benefit is having a representative assigned to your account that can help you deal with unusual situations that may occur. They have flexible pricing tiers depending on what services you may need. They provide reminders for payroll submission and quarterly reporting. The payrolls are always processed quickly and accurately.

Pros

Easy to use.
Accurate and timely reports.
Knowledgeable and helpful staff at Paychex Flex.
State and Federal taxes are always taken care of.

Cons

The price per payroll submission could be a bit lower.
Being able to directly contact your Payroll Representative.

Return on Investment

Paychex Flex is quick and easy.
Reporting is accurate.
Payroll is prompt.

Usability

Verified User

Strategist in Professional Services (201-500 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently use Paychex Flex for onboarding and payroll. As a seasonal business, there are many challenges with managing new and rehires. Over the years, the platform has grown to make the process somewhat easier. The overall business "problem" of simple payroll is done quite smoothly by Paychex Flex.

Pros

Visual of payroll within Paychex Flex
Visual of time and attendance
Dedicated service representative

Cons

Custom reporting features need improvement
Onboarding flow to Paychex Flex lacks data transfers and needs fix
Time and Attendance and Paychex Flex permissions in separate locations and should be in one place

Return on Investment

With Paychex Flex we have been able to improve our compliance with required documentation for new/rehires
Moving everyone to direct deposit and mobile clock in/out eliminated lines at punching stations and paycheck pickup stations
Lost checks is a thing of the past

Paychex

What is Paychex?

Categories & Use Cases

Media

Paychex Key Features

Top Performing Features

Direct deposit files

Employment history

Salary revision and increment management

Areas for Improvement

Duplicate Candidate Prevention

Ability to combine HR data with external data

Employee recognition

Most Frequent Users

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

Manufacturing

Health Care and Social Assistance

Paychex Reviews

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