As a financial professional, I am always interested in products that can streamline my clients business needs. I purchased Payroll made E-Z looking to compare it to the popular Quickbooks version on the market. I found the two packages to be fairly similar. I have great reservations about any payroll software packages (including Payroll made E-Z) for the following reasons:

1-Calculating payroll checks on your PC as a small business owner raises many security issues. The opportunity for fraud is readily available by simply accessing the software and plugging in some basic numbers by anyone who can breach your security. (forgetting to log out, leaving access code laying around, upset employee who has the information)

2-The business owner is still responsible for making their tax deposits (employee withholdings + employer tax liabilities) in a timely fashion. Outsourcing to a payroll provider who assumes this liability and assures these taxes are filed accurately and timely is a great bonus. One penalty from the IRS can severely set back a small business owner. With any software package, you get sick or want to take a vacation, your life will quickly revolve around your pay frequency. Outsourcing frees up this time.

3-Payroll providers tend to offer a wide range of other services that can benefit other areas of your business. For example, a 401K plan or Section 125 plan can save you money while offering your employees a tangible benefit. Direct deposit for your employees pay checks save you reconciling individual checks and saves them a needless trip to the bank.

A nice benefit of Payroll made E-Z is the ability to intergrate your payroll data to your general ledger. This eliminates any unnecessary steps.

If you still are convinced to purchase a payroll software package, be sure to fresh up your knowledge on all the federal, state, and local laws and when certain deposits are due. You can do this by visiting your local offices and gathering the material they have available.







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