Patriot Software

patriotsoftware.com/payroll
HR & Payroll
Few Days

Online Payroll for Small Business

How to Replace Patriot Software

Overview

Patriot Software is a user-friendly online payroll solution designed to simplify payday and compliance for small businesses. It offers unlimited payrolls, tax filing services, direct deposit, and employee self-service portals. The platform serves over 70,000+ customers and supports companies with up to 500 employees.

Features

71 features across 17 categories

Accounting(14)

1099 and 1096 Generation

Create and track unlimited 1099 and 1096 forms

Account Reconciliation

Compare bank statements to recorded software transactions for any asset, equity, or liability accounts

Accounting Software

Built-in accounting functionality including income and expense tracking, invoicing, and credit card acceptance

Bank Transaction Imports

Automatically import bank and credit card transactions or manually record journal entries

Custom Invoice TemplatesPremium

Customize estimates, invoices, and credit memos with logo and accent colors

Estimate CreationPremium

Create and send estimates to customers with ability to convert to invoices

Expense Tracking

Track income and expenses with Chart of Accounts management

Invoice Management

Create, send, and track unlimited customer invoices

Invoice Payment RemindersPremium

Automatic payment reminders for past due invoices

Receipt and Document ManagementPremium

Securely upload and attach files, receipts, and documents to any transaction

Recurring InvoicesPremium

Set up recurring invoices with customizable frequency and dates

SubaccountsPremium

Add up to 8 levels of subaccounts to further categorize transactions

Transaction Editing

Edit or delete transactions with Modified Transactions Report tracking changes

Vendor Management

Manage unlimited vendors, contractors, and payments with automatic bank imports

Also in: Jobber, Melio, Lemonway

Automation(1)

Auto Payroll

Automated payroll that fully automates recurring pay runs so you never miss a deadline

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Data Management(1)

Data Import

Import Chart of Accounts, trial balance, customers, vendors, and contractors from previous software

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Employee Management(4)

Contractor Portal

Free portal for 1099 contractors to manage personal information, view payments, and access direct deposit details

Employee Self-Onboarding

Allow new W-2 hires to self-onboard and complete paperwork to reduce admin workload

Employee Self-Service Portal

Free employee portal allowing employees to print pay stubs, view paychecks, access tax forms (W-2s, 1099s), manage personal information, and update direct deposit

Time-Off Accruals

Set up and customize time-off accrual rules that automatically add hours to each employee's payroll

HR Management(2)

HR Compliance CenterPremium

Get personalized federal, state, and local compliance notifications and actionable steps tailored to your business

HR Software Add-onPremium

Employee management features including paperless employee files, HR compliance center, and manager permissions

Integrations(4)

401(k) Integration

Free integration with Vestwell for customized, affordable retirement plans with exclusive pricing

Accounting Software Integration

Seamless integration with Patriot Accounting Software, QuickBooks Online, and QuickBooks Desktop

Health Benefits Integration

Free integration with SimplyInsured for health, dental, and vision plans from top carriers

Workers' Compensation Integration

Free integration with ERGO NEXT for pay-as-you-go workers compensation insurance, or direct handling in Washington and Wyoming

Also in: ReadMe, Hugging Face, Setmore

Mobile(2)

Mobile App Access

Mobile-friendly interface accessible via Android and iOS apps for W-2 employees to view pay stubs and manage their accounts

Mobile Friendly Interface

100% mobile friendly software accessible on smartphones and tablets without requiring app downloads

Also in: monday.com, Smartsheet, Calendly

Onboarding(1)

Payroll Setup Wizard

Self-guided wizard to walk through payroll onboarding setup

Also in: Lever, Greenhouse, 1Password

Payment Processing(4)

ACH Payments

Accept secure ACH payments on invoices with lower transaction fees than credit cards

Check Printing

Print paychecks directly from the software or handwrite them

Credit Card Payments

Accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay payments via Stripe integration

Free Direct Deposit

Free 4-day and 2-day direct deposit options for qualifying customers with no additional software charge

Payroll(8)

Contractor Payroll

Pay independent contractors alongside employees in the same payroll with direct deposit support

Customizable Hours and Deductions

Use standard hours and money types or add custom ones, plus add employee deductions and company-paid contributions

Departments

Break down payroll expenses and income by departments to track payroll costs by team

Multiple Locations

Assign employees to different work locations including work-from-home with proper payroll tax calculations based on location

Multiple Pay Rates

Support for up to 25 different pay rates (roles) per employee for managing hourly teams with different jobs

Net to Gross Payroll Tool

Specify the take-home amount employees should receive and the system automatically calculates gross pay with taxes applied

On-the-Fly Pay Rate Changes

Change employee hourly pay rates during payroll without canceling or leaving the page

Online Payroll Processing

Run unlimited payrolls with support for all pay frequencies including weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually

Reporting(5)

Comprehensive Payroll Reports

Filter and view payroll data by date, location, or department with robust reporting capabilities

Financial Reporting

Robust financial reporting capabilities

Payroll Details Report

Detailed payroll reporting to filter and export payroll data

Payroll Tax Deposit ReportPremium

Report tracking payroll tax deposits with Full Service Payroll

Payroll Tax Liabilities Report

Report showing payroll tax liabilities

Security(2)

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multiple authentication methods required to ensure login credentials are not compromised

SOC2 Type II Compliance

Industry gold-standard security compliance for data protection

Services(1)

Bookkeeping Service Add-onPremium

Professional bookkeeping service to handle day-to-day bookkeeping responsibilities

Support(2)

Free Payroll Setup Assistance

Free setup assistance to enter employee data and year-to-date payroll information

Free USA-Based Support

Free phone, email, and chat support from USA-based team members (9am-7pm ET, Monday-Friday)

Tax Compliance(8)

1099 e-Filing

File 1099 forms electronically with the IRS and participating states with nominal fees

1099 Form Generation

Create and track 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC forms for contractors

Federal Tax Filing & DepositsPremium

Automatic federal payroll tax filing and deposits with Full Service Payroll

Local Tax Filing & DepositsPremium

Automatic local payroll tax filing and deposits with Full Service Payroll

State Tax Filing & DepositsPremium

Automatic state payroll tax filing and deposits for all 50 states with Full Service Payroll, with $12 fee for each additional state

Tax Filing Reliability GuaranteePremium

Guarantee that tax filings are completed accurately and on time

W-2 Generation

Create electronic or printable W-2 forms for employees

Year-End Tax FilingsPremium

Year-end payroll tax filings including W-2 forms at no additional cost with Full Service Payroll

Time Tracking(9)

Automatic Overtime CalculationPremium

Automatically calculate overtime for hours worked over 40 in a workweek and California double-time rules

Custom Overtime RulesPremium

Create custom overtime rules to comply with state, local, or company policies

Hourly Time Card FormatPremium

Multiple punch-in/punch-out time entry options for hourly employees

Salary Time Card FormatPremium

Daily total hours entry option for salaried employees

Time & Attendance Software Add-onPremium

Automate timecard collection with web-based time tracking that integrates with payroll

Time Card Approval WorkflowPremium

Both employees and managers can approve time cards with controls preventing editing of processed cards

Time Card History TrackingPremium

View time card history for each pay period and track whether cards have been processed through payroll

Time-Off TrackingPremium

Define and report on multiple time-off hour types (vacation, sick time, etc.) with automatic balance calculations

Timecard RemindersPremium

Nudge employees to submit timecards

User Management(3)

Multi-User Access with Permissions

Add unlimited users with role-based permissions to control who can view reports, run payroll, or access sensitive payroll data

Unlimited Users

Add unlimited accounting users to manage books

User-Based PermissionsPremium

Control which accounting tasks users can access

Pricing

Accounting Basic

$20/mo (with promotion: $10/mo)
  • Unlimited customers & invoices
  • Unlimited vendors, contractors, & payments
  • Automatic bank imports
  • Income & expense tracking
  • Accept credit card payments
  • Robust financial reporting
  • Account reconciliation

Accounting Premium

$30/mo (with promotion: $15/mo)
  • Everything in Basic, PLUS
  • Create & send estimates
  • Users-based permissions
  • Recurring invoices
  • Send invoice payment reminders
  • Manage receipts & documents

Bookkeeping Service

Starting at $100/month, plus one-time onboarding fee
  • Professional bookkeeping service
  • Day-to-day bookkeeping responsibilities

Basic Payroll

Popular
$17/mo + $4/employee (with promotion: $8.50/mo + $2/employee)
  • Federal, state, and local tax calculations
  • Free direct deposit
  • Unlimited payrolls
  • Auto payroll
  • Pay contractors in payroll
  • Free health benefit integration
  • Robust payroll reports

Full Service Payroll

$37/mo + $5/employee (with promotion: $18.50/mo + $2.50/employee)
  • Everything in Basic Payroll, PLUS
  • Federal tax filings & deposits
  • State tax filings & deposits
  • Local tax filings & deposits
  • Year-end payroll tax filings at no additional fee
  • Tax filing reliability guaranteed

Time & Attendance Add-on

$6/month + $2/employee (with promotion: $3/month + $1/employee)
  • Online time tracking system
  • Hourly time card format
  • Salary time card format
  • Multiple pay rates & job roles
  • Custom overtime rules
  • Automatic overtime calculation
  • Time-off tracking
  • Integration with payroll

HR Software Add-on

$6/month + $2/employee (with promotion: $3/month + $1/employee)
  • HR Compliance Center
  • Paperless employee files
  • Manager permissions
  • Employee status tracking
  • Position history
  • Employee notes and files

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Patriot Software

Monthly$6/mo
Yearly$72/yr
5-Year Total$360

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~8 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyEasy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$72
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$216
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$360
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 71 features at easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Patriot Software alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 71 features.

Buy Patriot Software

Better Value
Monthly cost$60/mo
3-year total$2,160
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$60,000
Maintenance$900/mo
3-year total$92,400
Dev time~5 months

Buying Patriot Software saves ~$90,240 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 71 features and a BuildScore of 4/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

6 known integrations

ERGO NEXTQuickBooks DesktopQuickBooks OnlineSimplyInsuredStripeVestwell