Ceridian — Ceridian HR/Payroll Solutions

From the Sept.
2008 Review of Professional Payroll Systems

As one of the biggest names in outsourced payroll services for businesses of
all sizes, Ceridian also offers options for businesses to manage various parts
of their payroll needs in-house using the online Ceridian HR/Payroll Web solution.
The program is tailorable to businesses of all sizes, and provides support for
all U.S. states; all pay types and unlimited deductions; direct deposit, automated
electronic payroll tax filings, customizable reporting capabilities; and extensive
HR, benefits management and regulatory compliance functions. Ceridian also offers
a self-service function for employees, allowing them to access and print prior
pay stubs. Pricing for the system depends upon payroll frequency and the number
of active employees, but is generally around $50 to $100 per month plus $1.25
to $1.50 per check. Ceridian also offers a wholesale pricing model for payroll
service providers.

DATA ENTRY & KEY FEATURES – 4.5 Stars
Ceridian’s payroll application is designed primarily for direct use by
individual business entities, although it can be set up for payroll providers
who manage more than one client business. It supports multiple sub-entities
and departments, which makes it amenable to companies with geographically diverse
offices and staff. The system opens into the user’s web browser, providing
a primary home page interface that gives access to key function areas via a
vertical menu on the left that includes options for accessing the master Employee
List, Employee Functions, Payroll Functions, Reports, Benefits, Leave Accruals,
Code Tables and System setup options. The main work area offers text-based links
within categories for Payroll Easy Steps, which includes entering new hires,
editing employees, entering time, submitting payroll and viewing payroll reports.

The Employee List offers several search and filtering functions, while also
allowing sorting by name, company, department, number, SSN and status. Within
individual employee records, the Ceridian system provides a tabbed view that
offers quick access to information organized by Summary, Personal, Employment,
Organization, Salary and Labor topics, with the ability to quickly edit data
as necessary. Additional tools are available from the vertical menu, which,
when an employee’s records are opened, provides access to pay factors
(deductions, taxes, direct deposit, etc.), pay history, benefits, leave accruals
and other data.

Several methods for entering employee time data are available to users, including
import from most timecard systems, auto time entry (which populates based on
settings), and manual entry either on an individual employee basis or for multiple
employees. During entry, selection lists for earnings, deductions, departments,
calendars, a ZIP Code finder and several other items are offered, greatly speeding
data entry. Ceridian supports any type of benefit plan, including insurance,
401(k) and cafeteria plans, as well as customizable accrual-based time-off benefits.
It can also be used to manage all OSHA, COBRA, HIPAA and other government requirements.
Employees can have multiple direct deposit accounts, debit card payments or
partial check payments, and Ceridian’s tax and payment services can manage
compliance reporting and remittance of withholding of payroll taxes and third-party
funds.

REPORTING CAPABILITIES – 4 Stars
Ceridian’s reporting options are easily accessible via the vertical menu,
which divides output options into Payroll Reports and Other Reports, with the
former further broken down into Payroll, Year-End and Off-Cycle categories.
Among the standard report options are summaries, period registers, employee
lists, labor breakdowns and audits. Users can view reports on-screen in PDF
format prior to running, and the output provides excellent detail. However,
reports offer no drilldown functionality. Reports are downloadable in a variety
of formats including *.CSV. A built-in report writer offers customization tools
for many of the output options. Printing of employee paychecks is performed
by Ceridian with various delivery options, while the business or provider retains
the ability to calculate on-demand checks for replacements and other issues.

INTEGRATION/IMPORT & EXPORT – 4 Stars
Ceridian can import employee time, benefits and other master file data from
any customer authorized third-party who provides interfaces for the Web Services;
offers exports of GL data into many accounting programs; and exports to benefits,
retirement planning and other eligible third-party providers.

RELATIVE VALUE – 4.5 Stars
Ceridian’s HR/Payroll Solutions give businesses or payroll providers a
simplified system for managing employee pay and human resources functions, with
options to outsource compliance reporting and payment functions to the vendor.
The system is in use by entities of all sizes, from very small businesses to
large corporations, and offers employee self-service functions, which can reduce
administrative demand on HR and payroll staff. The system is attractively priced.
The vendor also offers a good resource center for payroll and tax information,
with news about changes to employment and tax laws, worker status determination,
information on employee retirement and benefit plans, and additional topics.

2008 Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars