Paycor Payroll Review 2023

The bottom line: If you simply want payroll basics with a few optional HR add-ons, Paycor is a (potentially) affordable option for your business, especially if you have around 10 employees. But its declining customer service reputation and limited integrations make Paycor’s payroll plans hard to truly recommend.

Paycor’s payroll-only features for small businesses are pretty basic. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—every business definitely needs the payroll basics. But Paycor is principally an HR solution, which means Paycor’s payroll plans make the most sense for small businesses that want to integrate basic HR with basic payroll. In other words, if you’re looking for automatic payroll tax deductions, direct deposit, and, say, optional employee onboarding help, Paycor’s small-business payroll plans should suit you nicely.

But if you want more payroll features, including automatic wage garnishment and built-in time tracking, you should look elsewhere. (We have a few recommendations if you’re not sure where to start.) And even if you only want basic payroll, Paycor isn’t the cheapest option. Depending on the number of employees you have, you’ll get more bang for your buck with a provider like OnPay, SurePayroll, or Patriot.

We’ve pointed this out several times in our review, but Paycor doesn’t offer any noteworthy payroll features. It has all the basics, but not much else. With such a high base price and per-employee fee, we wouldn't say you're paying all that much for what you end up getting.

Additionally, Paycor charges fees for features such as time tracking (with timesheet integration) and general ledger (GL) integration. It’s particularly frustrating that general ledger integration is included with the priciest plan only and not offered as a standalone add-on (like it is with providers like SurePayroll, for instance).

Regardless of your business’s size, GL integration saves you quite a bit of time and hassle, not to mention cuts down on the possibility of introducing accounting errors.

Paycor's customer service reviews used to be another major drawback, though the reviews have gradually improved. Currently, users give Paycor an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 on the review site Trustradius—not the best, but quite a few points better than it stood for most of 2021.¹ 

Paycor’s small-business payroll software has a user-friendly interface, simple employee self-service, and a well-rounded mobile app. In fact, Paycor’s app is one of the most used (and highly reviewed) in an industry that isn’t exactly known for its show-stopping apps.

On Apple’s App store, Paycor scores a solid 4.7 out of 5 from over 20K reviewers.² And on Google Play, the app has 4.1 out of 5 from 25K reviewers, though current reviews indicate that Android users have trouble getting the app to function.³

While Paycor doesn’t have an employer-facing app—only a few payroll companies do—its app does let managers and administrators approve time-off requests and employee time cards on the go.

Paycor’s standalone payroll plans are extremely customizable. Once you’ve chosen a payroll plan, you can add on however many HR services your company needs.

On a user-level, the software itself is also fairly customizable: you can customize your dashboard and pay stub views so you aren’t overwhelmed with information you don’t need.

If you have 40 or more employees, you can’t choose a standalone Paycor payroll service. Instead, you’ll need to choose a human capital management (HCM) solution for total people management, payroll included. You’ll select from the following options to build a payroll and HR package:

• Affordable Care Act (ACA) management and assistance
• Analytics and reporting
• Employee onboarding, recruiting, applicant tracking, and scheduling
• Employee career management and talent development
• Automatic wage garnishment
• Benefits administration

Paycor’s ACA Connect software is especially helpful for business owners who worry about open enrollment and IRS compliance. Its thorough people management helps you guide your employees through every step of their careers, from application to promotions.

However, Paycor doesn’t list the pricing for its mid-market solutions online. Instead, you’ll need to contact a Paycor representative directly for a quote. Unlike Paycor’s small-business payroll, its HCM solutions include a three-month free trial that we recommend you take advantage of.

Paycor’s payroll features are pretty basic, even the features that come with its priciest small-business plan. Between its base cost, per-payee fee, and additional fees for time tracking and HR administration, we can't say Paycor's price justifies its limited features.

Depending on your business’s size, we recommend looking at Paycor’s HCM and HRIS solutions instead. Midsize businesses should get a lot out of Paycor’s combined HR software and payroll.

Otherwise, if you’re a small-business owner with 10 or so employees and don’t want to search for separate payroll and HR providers, Paycor’s standalone payroll could work. Just know that you won’t get much beyond the basics at an above-average cost.

Looking for a different cloud-based payroll provider? Our list of the year’s best payroll software for small business reviews 10 Paycor alternatives.

Yes, Paycor is a legitimate payroll system and HRIS provider. It’s based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was founded in 1990.

Yes, Paycor offers an integrated human resource information system (HRIS) solution. If your business isn’t big enough for a total HRIS solution, Paycor’s standalone payroll plans with optional HR add-ons target businesses with 39 or fewer employees. And Paycor’s HCM (human capital management) solution is geared towards businesses with 40 to 1,000 employees.

To arrive at our star rating and compare Paycor to top payroll providers, we considered four crucial categories:

• Pricing, including additional fees
• Features, including payroll and HR features
• Customer service, including hours and reputation
• Ease of use, including mobile app reviews and interface user-friendliness

We also considered our payroll expert's opinion when calculating our star rating and writing our review.

Business.org's star ratings are subject to frequent review and may change without notice.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.