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What is the best outsourced payroll service for startups?

Vanessa Kruze, CPA, is a leading expert in startup taxes and tax compliance. Her team at Kruze Consulting has filed thousands of tax returns for companies that have raised billions in VC funding, and her work has been diligenced by leading VCs, attorneys, and M&A teams at the largest technology companies.
Vanessa Kruze, a highly-experienced CPA, brings valuable tax expertise to startups, drawing from her rich background at Deloitte Tax and as a financial controller for a $20 million startup. As the leader of Kruze Consulting, recognized multiple times in the Inc 5000 list, she specializes in navigating the complex tax landscape for startups. Her firm is known for delivering precise and strategic tax solutions, delivering tax credits utilizing advanced tools to ensure compliance and optimize tax benefits for startups throughout the United States.

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I’ve used just about every payroll processor out there (I’m a CPA and interim CFO for 200+ startups) and I can confidently say that Gusto (formerly Zenpayroll) is the best, for a number of reasons:

  • Easy Online Interface: I know this is going to sound nuts, but other interfaces make finding basic information really difficult. I’ve spent hours trying to generate simple reports from other payroll processors. (Time I could’ve been spending doing more value-add activities!) I’ve even received patently incorrect reporting from a large Business Bank payroll processor.

  • Autopilot Feature: If all of your employees are on salary, you can set Autopilot and forget about running payroll. It just runs for you. Are there other processors out there that take 10 min to log in to and “push a button”? Sure. But all it takes is one time to forget to log in, and suddenly you have a mob of angry employees. Don’t risk it.

  • ** Late Payroll Taxes:** Many other payroll processors that I’ve worked with have at some time or another forgotten to file a 941 or DE9. This has never happened with Gusto. They file all your taxes automatically and on time.

  • **Competitive Pricing: ** It’s really cheap. But I’d still use if it was 3x more expensive because the peace of mind that Gusto gives is priceless.

  • **World Class Customer Support: ** payroll is a time sensitive and emotional endeavor. Your employees really care about getting paid on time and for their full amount due. The Gusto support team (thank you Travis!) understands this and leaps into action when called. They understand the urgency.

I trust Gusto with my startups’ payroll and with my own company’s payroll.

Categories:

Fintech Systems Human Resources Payroll
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