Payroll software that pays off
Small business payroll that makes paying employees, contractors, and yourself, easy!
Easy payroll software for small business
- Run payroll in minutes
- No hidden fees
- 100% guaranteed accuracy
Pay employees and contractors
Also, easily generate T4 and T4A slips and summaries for tax season
Pay employees and contractors
Pay independent contractors and employees, and generate W2 and 1099 forms for tax season.
Tax payments and filings
Wave’s complete payroll tax service can automatically pay and file your state and federal payroll taxes for businesses in AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, IN, MN, NY, NC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI. (Coming soon to more states.)
Direct deposit
Deposit payments quickly, reliably, and directly into your employees’ bank accounts. Less work for you, and your team will love it.
Automatic tax remittances
Keep compliant and save time by having Wave handle your Canada Revenue Agency tax remittances on your behalf.
Automatic payroll journal entries
Our payroll software is seamlessly connected with the rest of your Wave account to reduce the time you spend on manual bookkeeping.
Employee access
Your employees can log into Wave securely to access their pay stubs and T4s, and manage their contact and banking information.
Easily switch from another payroll provider
When you switch from another payroll software, migrating your data is simple. Learn more about how you can switch to Wave.
Self-service pay stubs and tax forms
Employees can securely log in to access their pay stubs and W2s, and manage their contact and banking information.
Protect your team with workers' comp
Only pay for what you use and simplify annual audits with workers' comp built for small business owners.
Make managing payroll effortless
Automated, accurate payroll helps you stay compliant, save time, and be stress-free.
I love hitting that approved payroll button every month. I get paid from it, so it's great—but it also just feels really fun!
Payroll pricing
No set-up fees or hidden charges.
Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin
- + $6 CAD per active employee
- + $6 CAD per independent contractor paid
- + $6 USD per active employee
- + $6 USD per independent contractor paid
- 100% payroll accuracy guaranteed
- Unlimited free direct deposits
- Automatic tax payments to the CRA
- Pay yourself, employees, or contractors hassle-free
- Seamless integration with Wave Accounting software
- Get the full picture of your cash flow with wage and tax payment reporting
- Integrated employee portal for access to pay stubs, tax forms, and vacation leave
- Full employee management with ROEs, top ups, benefit calculations and more
- Easily generate T4 and T4A slips and summaries
These 14 states include tax services with the option to automatically transfer tax payments and file the paperwork with your state tax office and the IRS (this excludes 1099 Filings).
All other 36 states
- + $6 USD per active employee
- + $6 USD per independent contractor paid
The remaining 36 states are self-serve, which means you’ll have to pay and file the paperwork yourself. Wave makes it easy by showing you what information and how much money you’ll need per payroll.
*Wave charges sales tax as required, including applicable New York Sales and Use Tax in New York State. Taxes charged appear on your invoice.
*Please note payroll tax processing is not available to household employers in the US.
See all small business payroll features
- Run your payroll with ease and accuracy.
- Make payments, record accounting entries, and file tax documents for your independent contractors.
- Pay employees with one simple click every payday.
- See a breakdown of your payroll expenses by employee, expense type, and more.
- Employees get online access to pay stubs and tax forms, and can update their banking and contact details.
- We consistently update our features to incorporate government relief programs and changes.
- Generate W2 and 1099 forms without the hassle.
- Save time with automatic tax filings and payments available in Tax Service States.
- Track leave time and accruals required to process payroll.
- Payroll automatically integrates with Wave Accounting, Invoicing, and Payments to keep your records up to date.
- Get a priority connection to our customer support team via live chat Monday-Friday.
- Connect with our support team via email for prompt assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the 30-day free trial work?
Upon processing your first payroll, you can use Wave Payroll for up to 30 days, commitment-free. At any time, you can activate to start your billing cycle and gain access to items like tax filing and approving payrolls beyond the current month. See our full US terms here, and our full Canadian terms here.
What if I want to pause my payroll for a period of time?
You can deactivate your payroll account at any time by navigating to Settings > Billing > Deactivate.
Why is the base price different for some US states?
The base rate is higher in tax service states (Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin) because Wave automatically transfers tax payments and files the necessary paperwork with your state tax office and or IRS.
In self-service states (all other 36 states) Wave Payroll does not make payments or file on your behalf.
Can I pay independent contractors with Wave's payroll software?
You sure can! Wave Payroll supports paying both employees and independent contractors when you run payroll. The proper tax forms—1099 in the US and T4-A in Canada—are also generated for you.
How do I run payroll for my small business?
We totally get it—running payroll for your small business can seem like a daunting task, especially when you've got so much on your plate. That's why a payroll software like Wave's can help ease the burden of doing payroll on your own. We've also crafted a guide to small business payroll to help you navigate the process.
What are the benefits of using small business payroll software?
Doing payroll manually involves confusing and time-consuming calculations. Not to mention the stress of worrying about making errors and winding up in a tax audit (yikes!).
Payroll software saves you time so you can focus on the best parts of running your business. And, in the long run, an online payroll software provider like Wave can save you a lot of money by reducing human error so you can avoid tax penalties (and who doesn’t love saving money?).
When can I begin using small business payroll software?
You don't have to wait for a new quarter or year to start using payroll software—you can start running payroll at any time! And if you’re switching providers, you can make the transition easily by importing all the necessary forms and information in just a few minutes. Check out our handy support article to learn how you can switch to using Wave’s payroll feature.
