Wave Payroll

waveapps.com/payroll
HR & Payroll
Weekend Project

Payroll that pays off

How to Replace Wave Payroll

Overview

Wave's payroll software is the easy, more accurate way to pay employees, contractors, and yourself. It simplifies payroll processing for small business owners with automated tax filing, direct deposits, and seamless integration with accounting tools.

Features

23 features across 10 categories

Accuracy(1)

100% Payroll Accuracy Guaranteed

Guaranteed accuracy in payroll processing with automated calculations

Compliance(1)

Government Relief Programs Support

Features consistently updated to incorporate government relief programs and changes

Also in: Insider CDP, Airtable, 1Password

Core Payroll(3)

Direct Deposit

Deposit payments directly into employees' bank accounts with unlimited free direct deposits

Pay Employees and Contractors

Ability to pay both employees and independent contractors through a single platform

Run Payroll in Minutes

Simplified payroll software that allows users to process payroll quickly

Data Management(1)

Easy Migration from Other Providers

Simple data migration when switching from another payroll software provider

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Employee Management(4)

Employee Portal Access

Employees can securely log in to access pay stubs, tax forms, and manage their contact and banking information

Full Employee Management

Full employee management with ROEs, top ups, benefit calculations, and more

Leave Time and Accruals Tracking

Track leave time and accruals required to process payroll

Self-Service Pay Stubs and Tax Forms

Employees can securely access their pay stubs, W2s, and manage contact and banking information

Integration(4)

Automatic Payroll Journal Entries

Payroll software is seamlessly connected with Wave accounting to reduce manual bookkeeping

Integration with Accounting

Seamless integration with Wave's accounting software to keep records up-to-date

Integration with Invoicing

Payroll integrates with Wave's invoicing features

Integration with Online Payments

Payroll integrates with Wave's online payments features

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Pricing(2)

30-Day Free Trial

Try payroll software free for 30 days with no commitment

No Hidden Fees

Transparent pricing with no set-up fees or hidden charges

Reporting(2)

Payroll Expense Breakdown

See a breakdown of payroll expenses by employee, expense type, and more

Wage and Tax Payment Reporting

Get the full picture of cash flow with detailed wage and tax payment reporting

Also in: monday.com, Smartsheet, 1Password

Support(2)

Email Support

Connect with support team via email for prompt assistance

Priority Customer Support

Priority connection to customer support team via live chat Monday-Friday

Tax Compliance(3)

Automatic Tax Remittances

Wave automatically pays and files state and federal payroll taxes, and handles CRA tax remittances on behalf of users

Generate T4 and T4A Slips (Canada)

Automatically generate T4 and T4A slips and summaries for Canadian tax season

Generate W2 and 1099 Forms (US)

Automatically generate W2 and 1099 forms for US tax season without hassle

Pricing

US Payroll

$40 USD base fee + $6 per active employee + $6 per independent contractor
  • 100% payroll accuracy guaranteed
  • Unlimited free direct deposits
  • Automatic tax payments to state and federal agencies
  • Automatic 1099 filing
  • Pay yourself, employees, or contractors
  • Seamless integration with Wave's accounting software
  • Wage and tax payment reporting
  • Integrated employee portal for pay stubs and W-2s
  • Full employee management with ROEs and top ups
  • Generate W-2 and 1099-NEC forms

Canada Payroll

$25 CAD base fee + $6 per active employee + $6 per independent contractor
  • 100% payroll accuracy guaranteed
  • Unlimited free direct deposits
  • Automatic tax payments to the CRA
  • Pay yourself, employees, or contractors
  • Seamless integration with Wave's accounting software
  • Wage and tax payment reporting
  • Integrated employee portal for pay stubs and tax forms
  • Full employee management with ROEs and top ups
  • Generate T4 and T4A slips and summaries

Free Trial

Popular
Free
  • 30-day free trial
  • No commitment required
  • Access to all payroll features

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Wave Payroll

Monthly$25/mo
Yearly$300/yr
5-Year Total$1.5k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~2 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $60
SaaS
$300
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $180
SaaS
$900
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $300
SaaS
$1.5k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 23 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Wave Payroll alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 23 features.

Buy Wave Payroll

Better Value
Monthly cost$250/mo
3-year total$9,000
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$12,000
Maintenance$180/mo
3-year total$18,480
Dev time~1 months

Buying Wave Payroll saves ~$9,480 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 23 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

3 known integrations

Wave AccountingWave InvoicingWave Online Payments