2019 Review of CheckMark Payroll

From the 2019 review of professional payroll systems.

CheckMark Payroll is part of CheckMark’s suite of accounting and payroll applications that are offered to both U.S. and Canadian businesses. Working on both Windows and Mac operating systems, CheckMark Payroll is an on-premise payroll application and is designed to be used as a stand-alone payroll solution. CheckMark payroll offers complete integration with many popular third-party accounting applications. CheckMark Payroll is best suited for small businesses, but the product can also be used by accounting firms that currently offer payroll processing services to their clients.

CheckMark supports an unlimited number of employees and companies, making it a good fit for accounting firms that offer payroll to their clients. Once the appropriate company is chosen, users will have access to all payroll functions available for that particular company including a variety of Setup, Payroll, and Report options displayed in the vertical menu on the left side of the company’s main payroll screen.

Users can track extensive details about each employee aside from the standard personal information, such as employee number, department, direct deposit information, including bank account number and routing number, pay frequency, hire date, last raise date, and vacation and sick hours. Hours can be entered manually or by using the grid-style spreadsheet, which makes it easy to enter hours for a large number of employees.  Additional pay options can be entered in CheckMark Payroll, along with all standard deductions, and users can track additional deductions with the user-defined fields. 

CheckMark Payroll also includes after-the-fact payroll capability, and includes the ability to enter all check details directly into the application. Tax tables are available for all 50 states, and U.S. territories, with tables updated throughout the year to help ensure accuracy. The application prints popular tax forms such as IRS Form 940, 941, 943, W-2, and W-3, and can print on blank paper as well as with pre-printed forms. The application also supports e-filing of  W-2s and W-3s for the Social Security Administration, as well as to most states that currently allow e-filing.

CheckMark Payroll offers several payroll-related reports, with users able to use the CheckMark tool bar to view a report prior to printing, print a report, export as a text file or export to Microsoft Excel. Reports available include Wage Information, Personal Information, Tax Information, and Income/Deduction Information. A Check Register and an Employee Earnings report is also available.

CheckMark Payroll users can easily import time from just about any timekeeping software using a text or Microsoft Excel format. The application also integrates with other CheckMark products including CheckMark Multiledger, which offers GL, AP, AR, Inventory, and Job Management modules.  QuickBooks users can also export payroll data files from CheckMark directly into QuickBooks via a text file format.  

CheckMark Payroll does not have an employee portal, though pay stubs can be securely emailed to employees. CheckMark does offer a comprehensive HR solution that includes features such as employee handbook creation, a job description library, federal and state law libraries, and essential HR documents. There is also a time and attendance solution available that tracks employee time, paid time off (PTO), and tracks remote employees as well.

CheckMark Payroll users can easily access Help functionality from within the application. There is also an updated payroll manual that is installed with the software or can be downloaded from the vendor’s website. The online knowledgebase provides users with the answer to many questions that may pop up, especially during the initial setup, and there are a variety of online tutorials available that provide step-by-step instruction for a variety of common features and tasks. CheckMark offers two levels of product support; Professional, which includes 90 minutes of support, and Priority, which includes 300 minutes of support along with the exclusive use of a toll-free number reserved for Priority subscribers. Support can also be accessed via email or fax.

CheckMark Payroll is best suited for small businesses as well as accounting firms that process payroll for multiple employees. Currently, CheckMark Payroll Pro is $429.00 while CheckMark Payroll Pro+ is $499.00.  Both plans offer access to program fixes as well as updated tax tables throughout the year. For those interested in completely outsourced payroll, be sure to check out CheckMark’s various payroll processing plans. 

2019 Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars