10 Best Free Payroll Software For Tight Budgets In 2023

Deel is an all-in-one global HR platform with advanced multicountry payroll functionalities. Their platform allows companies to hire and pay remote team members or contractors from anywhere in the world, with measures in place to ensure total compliance.

Deel's platform is a great choice for small businesses because they offer their services for free to businesses with less than 200 employees. The free plan’s payroll capabilities are limited when compared with that of their paid plans, but the free plan still has enough features to help small businesses manage their payroll.

You can use Deel to run your payroll process for employees, contractors, and employer of record hires on autopilot; handle taxes; provide benefits; eliminate manual admin tasks with automated invoicing; give the team flexibility with over 15 global payment options; and have local, legal, tax, and accounting expertise.

Integrations are available natively with Ashby, BambooHR, Expensify, Greenhouse, Hibob, Netsuite, Okta, OneLogin, Quickbooks, SCIM, Xero, Workday, and Workable.

Beyond their free plan, Deel offers paid plans with flat rate pricing, as well as a free demo.

Homebase is a versatile HR platform that helps small businesses manage work schedules, time clocks, and payroll, all-in-one. It automates the payroll process and converts timesheets into hours and wages, calculates taxes, and sends correct payments to employees.

Their payroll solution has several useful features, including automated tax payments and filings, access to W-2 and 1099 forms, employee self-onboarding, e-sign payroll forms, direct deposits, unlimited payroll runs, and free payroll transfer services.

Homebase Payroll also reduces data entry since the solution instantly calculates an employee’s regular hours, breaks, and overtime through their time clock and timesheet feature. This makes it easy for small businesses to run payroll without needing to double-check all the data.

Their mobile app gives employees access to their hours, schedules, earnings, and W-2 forms, and even includes communication tools so employees can help each other trade and cover shifts.

Integrations are available with a handful of popular HR platforms, including ADP, Gusto, Paychex, Quickbooks, Rippling, Square Payroll, and SurePayroll, as well as with several point-of-sale providers.

Homebase's Basic service plan is free forever for unlimited employees at one work location, making it an ideal solution for small businesses (paid plans begin at $20/month). Their payroll services are available as an add-on to their free package, starting at $6/employee/month plus a $39/month base fee. New Homebase Payroll customer also receive their first three months for free when they add their payroll integration to any of their plans.

Zoho Payroll is a payroll solution that helps small businesses with payroll processing and employee onboarding. The tool offers a self-service portal where employees can check their payslips and documents. 

Zoho Payroll automatically calculates earnings, deductions, taxes, and allowances. The software allows you to create recurring payroll routines and to complete one-time payments in any pay period. The software’s termination payroll helps you manage the employee’s notice pay and other exit requirements. 

Zoho Payroll integrates with other Zoho tools, and with other solutions through a REST API. 

Zoho Payroll offers a free-forever version with limited functionalities for up to 10 employees. For larger teams, the software costs from $19/month plus $3/employee/month.

TimeTrex is a workforce management and payroll solution that helps you with federal, state, and local tax calculations in Canada and the US. The software integrates attendance tracking and payroll, and allows you to pay your team via direct deposit or checks. 

With TimeTrex, you can automate your time and attendance policies with custom rules regarding overtime, premiums, and multiple pay rates. The software helps your team members allocate their working hours to four levels of cost centers, so you can create different structures for people who work in the office or in the field, and so on. 

TimeTrex integrates with several apps, including ADP, Ceridian, Sage, Paychex and QuickBooks. 

TimeTrex is free for 30 days. The software offers custom pricing after this period. 

CheckMark Payroll is a payroll solution that allows small business owners to pay their employees via direct deposit or checks. The software’s check printing feature allows you to create branded checks for your business. 

CheckMark Payroll allows you to create unlimited databases and companies, which can be helpful for small business owners managing multiple locations or accountants. The software is easy to set up and use, and offers all the instructions you need to set up your first payroll. 

CheckMark Payroll integrates with multiple apps, including E-Syst, PROFITSystems, SilentPartner, TimeWolf, and Virtual TimeClock. 

CheckMark Payroll is free for 60 days. The software charges a one-time fee starting from $509.  

SurePayroll is a cloud-based payroll service dedicated to helping small businesses thrive. The software enables you to set up payroll without difficulty and run it automatically on certain dates.

SurePayroll helps you pay your team on time via direct deposit. The solution’s dashboard allows you to access status reports and previous payrolls, and track employee benefits from a central location. The tool comes with a dedicated mobile app that enables you to run payroll from anywhere, and gives your team access to their payslips. 

SurePayroll integrates with multiple solutions, including QuickBooks Online, Timesheets, WebHR, and Xero. 

SurePayroll is free for up to 60 days. The software offers custom pricing upon demand after this period. 

HR.my is an online HR management and payroll system that offers a variety of helpful features. The software is completely free and easy to navigate. It allows you to track employee attendance, handle PTO, manage expense claims, and run payroll. 

HR.my’s time-tracking features allow you to check your staff’s activity via geolocation and selfies, so the software is a good fit for organizations with field-based workers. The tool’s payroll feature supports multiple pay schedules and allows you to set custom reminders to complete various payroll tasks. 

HR.my doesn’t offer native integrations. However, you can import and export your data in .csv file formats at any time. 

HR.my is free for an unlimited number of employees.

Ceridian Powerpay is a human resources and payroll solution designed to help Canadian businesses of all sizes manage and pay their employees. The software allows business owners to stay on top of what’s happening in their organization with automated processes and notifications. 

Ceridian Powerpay has a mobile-friendly design, allowing you to set up payroll and pay your team members and external collaborators on the go. The tool helps you manage all the paperwork required to stay compliant with CRA and Revenu Québec requirements. 

Ceridian Powerpay integrates with Ceridian Dayforce, CIBC SmartBanking and QuickBooks Online.  

Ceridian Powerpay is free for 60 days. The software costs from $39/month plus $6/employee/month.  

Sage Payroll is a full service online payroll solution that helps small businesses sync their accounting and payroll data into a central location. The software includes some HR functionalities, such as time tracking and leave management, allowing you to organize a small team without additional management tools. 

With Sage Payroll, you can pay your employees via direct deposit, e-payment solutions, or cheques. The software’s dashboard allows you to access historical pay runs and set notifications for ongoing payroll tasks. Employees can use the self-service portal to access their payslips and documentation. 

Sage Payroll integrates with all the other Sage solutions, including Sage Accounting, Sage HR, and Sage Intacct.  

Sage Payroll is free for 30 days. The software costs from $10/month plus $3/employee/month. 

Patriot is an online payroll and accounting solution that helps small businesses send payments, create custom reports, track time and attendance, and calculate their federal, state, and local taxes. The solution has a clean interface and is easy to use, allowing you to set up and run payroll without difficulty. 

Patriot helps you calculate year-to-date totals and create tax liability reports with automation. The software helps you prepare your tax filings and its mobile-friendly design makes it easy to manage and run payroll on any device. 

Patriot integrates with several tools, including GoCo, Plaid, QuickBooks Time, and TSheets. 

Patriot is free for 30 days. Paid plans start at $17/month plus $4 per employee or contractor.