No two small businesses or households operate the same. That’s why options matter when it comes to how you process payroll for your employees.
For those employers who choose to automate their payroll, SurePayroll® By Paychex offers two innovative payroll options—default payroll and auto payroll—to help meet the diverse needs of small business and household customers.
What is Default Payroll?
When you run your first payroll with SurePayroll, you’ll be required to manually enter a variety of information regarding each employee. The information will include employee default earnings, additional compensation, and more.
If you choose to enroll in default payroll, the data you entered, as well as other settings you customize, will be saved and automatically pre-populated into the payroll entry page. That makes it simple for you to review and make changes when it’s time to run your next payroll.
The Benefits of Default Payroll
Default payroll can offer SurePayroll customers three primary advantages:
- Convenience. The auto-populate feature can reduce the need to manually enter detailed employee information each pay period
- Flexibility. Additional adjustments including bonuses, PTO, or deductions can be quickly added, or turned on and off.
- Customization. You can apply default payroll settings to one employee or all employees as needed.
Who Should Use Default Payroll?
Default payroll may be ideal for busy employers, depending on their workforce, who want to save time when running payroll.
You should consider enrolling in default payroll if you:
- Have complicated payroll needs like several employees with differing, but consistent, compensations.
- Want to automate payroll for one group but not another.
Setting Up Default Payroll
Set up default payroll in just a few clicks from your mobile device or desktop:
- Log in to your payroll account
- From the dashboard, click “Begin/Continue Payroll”
- On “Enter Payroll”, click the edit icon next to “Default Payroll” (you’ll be asked if you’re sure you want to leave the page)
- In the “Add” column, check the box to select your employees
- Fill out the payroll values for earnings and other compensation you want processed on every payroll
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the “Save & Apply to Payroll Entry” button
What is Auto Payroll?
Auto Payroll is a SurePayroll feature that puts your payroll on cruise control. If you choose to turn on auto payroll, your payroll will automatically be processed for you each pay period. Although you can still make changes up to 24 hours before your approval date, enabling auto payroll eliminates the need for you to login or approve your payroll for it to process on your approval date.
The Benefits of Auto Payroll
Auto payroll offers SurePayroll customers three key advantages:
- Low touch. No action is required by you once you set up auto payroll. You don’t even need to login to your account to run auto payroll.
- Flexible. SurePayroll will email you a reminder so you can make any changes to your payroll up to 24 hours before your approval date.
- Easy to Switch. Turn auto payroll on or off in a single click.
Who Should Use Auto Payroll?
Auto payroll is a great option for busy employers looking to save time and reduce the need for manual work, especially if you do not expect payroll changes from pay period to pay period.
Auto payroll allows employers to run the same payroll without changes for every employee on a regular to maximize time and cost savings.
Auto payroll is only available to SurePayroll customers who have:
- First set up default payroll
- Entered all employees, all tax IDs, and all employee hours and earnings
- Processed at least one payroll online
How to Set Up Auto Payroll
Set up auto payroll in a few simple steps:
- Log in to your payroll account
- From the dashboard, click “Begin/Continue Payroll”
- On “Enter Payroll,” click the pencil icon next to “Default Payroll: ON” (you’ll be asked if you want to leave the page)
- Switch the “Auto Payroll” toggle from “OFF” to “ON” at the bottom of the “Default Payroll” page
- Click the “Save and Continue” button
- Fill in your first and last name when the “Auto Payroll Agreement” pops up
- Check the box saying you’re authorized to execute this agreement on behalf of your company
- Click the “Submit Agreement” button
- Wait for Auto Robo to confirm that Auto Payroll is turned on
Default vs Auto Payroll
Both default and auto payroll reduce the need for manual work, simplify your tasks, and help you ensure your employees are paid accurately and on time, every time. However, despite the clear benefits of both features, it’s important that you analyze the needs of your business and your workforce to determine whether either option is appropriate for you.
