Review of XpressPayroll For Accountants - 2010

CompuPay - Xpress Payroll for Accountants
877-729-6299
www.CompuPay.com

From the Sept. 2010 Review of Professional Payroll Systems

CompuPay has a variety of payroll systems designed primarily for direct use by small businesses that offer varying degrees of automated processing, reporting and compliance. The company also offers an Accountant Solutions division, which offers guidance to professionals on using the system as a back-office solution or how to refer their business clients to CompuPay. The XpressPayroll for Accountants offering is the vendor’s primary online payroll system designed to allow the accountant to continue to play a role in their client’s payroll activities by providing multi-client login access to reporting functions. For this review, XpressPayroll for Accountants fits into the “Outsourced/Referral” model, with the client and vendor having a direct relationship. The client manages all of the day-to-day data-entry functions and the vendor performs compliance tasks, but the professional accountant maintains an advisory and management role. As noted, the system can also be used as a back-office solution.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

CompuPay’s XpressPayroll for Accountants is an entirely web-based system that streamlines most of the payroll functions for a business into more easily understandable and performed tasks. The program is designed for a business’ management to use directly, with users logging in through their web browser to an interface that offers tabbed access to key functions for payroll, employees, reports, check printing and a GL register, with each of the screens providing intuitive data-entry forms and links to additional related functions. This simplifies navigation throughout the system, whether adding new employees, entering their pay rates, setting up their direct deposit or creating custom deductions. Multiple users can access the program at the same time, but they cannot simultaneously work within the same data records, such as an employee information screen.

The XpressPayroll system supports one to five active paid employees and is priced monthly based on the frequency of the payroll runs of the employer using it. Therefore, it is intended to be used with only a set number of runs and does not directly support multiple payroll groups of different frequencies within the same business. Likewise, since it is designed for individual business use, the program does not provide processing management functions for multiple employer entities. However, multi-client reporting management tools are available through the Accountants’ version of the program, which provides a single login to access individual client data. Program pricing includes tax tables and compliance reporting to federal and one state. Multi-state employees can be managed through additional services from CompuPay. Direct deposit is also included with pricing, along with the ability to distribute funds to up to two accounts per employee.

Employee data-entry screens are simple and offer multi-staff views for quick entry of time and other information. But since the program is not designed for multiple business payroll management, no batch processing functions are offered. The system includes basic accruals management options and can also be used for tracking any number of customizable pre- and post-tax deductions, including employee benefit plans. CompuPay offers integrated add-on options for managing workers’ comp, 401(k), Sec. 125 plans, COBRA administration and advanced human resources tools, including employee background checks and tax credit services. 4

REPORTING & MONITORING