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RUN Powered by ADP Review

Review Updated
Ben Gran
By: Ben Gran

Our Small Business Expert

Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

ADP® is one of the biggest names in human capital management (HCM) and HR, providing advanced technology and outsourcing solutions for major corporations worldwide. But ADP also provides small business payroll software, called RUN Powered by ADP®. Nearly 800,000 small business clients use ADP's payroll solutions. If you want a powerful suite of payroll processing solutions in a "small business" package, RUN Powered by ADP could be the right choice for your business.

Ratings Methodology
RUN Powered by ADP
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Bottom Line: RUN Powered by ADP® is a payroll software and HR platform for small businesses. It offers personalized payroll, automatic tax filings, access to HR support, and seamless integrations.

Pricing Plans: RUN Powered by ADP® offers four payroll and HR plans:

Essential Payroll

Enhanced Payroll

Complete Payroll & HR+

HR Pro Payroll & HR

Unfortunately, ADP does not share pricing information for these plans on its website. You have to contact ADP to get a custom price quote for your business.

  • Ease Of use
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    4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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    Pricing
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    Features
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    4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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    • Automatic recurring payroll called RUN & DONE®.
    • Flexible payment options via direct deposit, ADPCheckTM or Wisely® Direct debit card.
    • Comprehensive solution for payroll processing, HR, and employee benefits all in one place.
    • Pricing is not listed on the ADP website; you must contact ADP for details.
    • Multiple program tiers can be complex and confusing.
    • ADP's high-powered features might not be the right fit for smaller businesses.

Who is RUN Powered by ADP for?

RUN Powered by ADP® is designed for small businesses with 1-49 employees. This is serious payroll software with powerful features for HR and employee benefits -- and it could be the best choice for a wide range of small businesses and industries.

RUN Powered by ADP® features

RUN Powered by ADP® offers four payroll software plans that could be a good choice for your small business. Some plans offer more advanced payroll processing features, while others include higher levels of sophisticated HR support.

RUN by ADP

All of the features listed below are included in all four tiers of RUN Powered by ADP® -- including the simplest plan, Essential Payroll. Here are a few of the best features of RUN Powered by ADP®:

Run payroll anytime, anywhere

This payroll software lets you run payroll online (via desktop or laptop computer), from a mobile app, or via phone. Whether you're at the office, in your store or restaurant, or on the go, RUN Powered by ADP® makes it convenient to run payroll.

Auto payroll for recurring amounts

Not every small business payroll software solution offers automatic payroll, but ADP does. RUN Powered by ADP® lets you put recurring payroll on auto-pilot, so you don't have to re-enter the same details every time. This can be a useful way to save time and avoid data entry errors.

Flexible pay options

RUN Powered by ADP ® gives you options to pay people with direct deposit, via check or with the Wisely® Direct debit card. Wisely® by ADP is a prepaid account that workers can use for earned wage access (to get paid when they want, not just on payday) or to receive direct deposits from other sources, like other employers or government benefits programs.

Automatic tax filings (and protection)

The best payroll software should make payroll taxes automatic, and RUN Powered by ADP® accomplishes this. ADP's software automatically calculates, deducts, pays, and reconciles your people's taxes for every paycheck. ADP will also create W-2 and 1099 forms for your workers, and (for an additional fee) will file these tax forms for you. Based on the website, it's not clear if some of these tax form filings might require an additional fee:

RUN by ADP

No one wants to experience tax errors or misunderstandings with tax authorities. But if it happens to your business, it's good to have someone in your corner who can resolve any tax questions quickly. In case of inquiries or issues with tax authorities, ADP will respond to the inquiries that are relevant to its work on your company's deposits and returns. And in case of a tax filing error by ADP, the company will pay for the fines or penalties.

Employee self-service

RUN Powered by ADP® makes it easy for your workers to enter their own information during onboarding of new hires, and get access to their payroll details anytime. ADP® Employee Access lets people sign up for paperless pay statements, see their pay history, view W-2 and 1099 forms for up to three years, and manage ADP retirement accounts.

Integrates with accounting software

RUN Powered by ADP® integrates with several of the big-name accounting software brands, via General Ledger Interface. This feature lets you export your ADP journal entries into your accounting software (Creative Solutions, QuickBooks® Wave, Xero) or a generic output file. Save time on rekeying data and get a clearer view of your small business accounting and bookkeeping. These and other integrations are available in the ADP Marketplace.

RUN Powered by ADP's ease of use

RUN Powered by ADP includes an easy-to-navigate dashboard that provides quick access to all payroll and add-on features. Below the dashboard icons is a graph that displays totals for the last payroll, current bank account balances, and a to-do list.

A menu bar at the top of the screen offers access to employee data, reports, taxes, and your general ledger (G/L), if you're integrating RUN with your accounting software. RUN Powered by ADP currently integrates with QuickBooks Online, Wave, and Xero, along with other applications.

RUN by ADP includes an easily navigated, customizable dashboard.

RUN by ADP includes an easily navigated, customizable dashboard. Image source: Author

ADPs home page provides detailed payroll information, including upcoming payroll information, a list of top to-do items, a graph detailing the most recent payroll, and a business calendar with important dates circled in red.

Clicking on one of the menu options will display a grid with all available features listed. RUN Powered by ADP makes good use of wizards, with the Company Setup Wizard guiding you through the entire company setup process, while the New Hire Wizard helps with employee and contractor setup.

One of the nice things about the setup process is that you can partially complete the process and when you're ready to continue, just click on the Complete tab, where the New Hire Wizard opens to where you left off.

RUN Powered by ADP's pricing

RUN Powered by ADP offers four plans, all designed for between one and 49 employees. The Essential plan is designed for very small businesses and startups that just need basic payroll, while the Enhanced payroll plan includes wage garnishment capability and State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) and labor law posters.

ADP offers a variety of plans to choose from.

ADP offers a variety of plans to choose from. Image source: Author

Both the Complete and HR Pro plans include HR resources such as the HR Help Desk. Pricing varies, typically running between $150–$180/month for 10 employees, but keep in mind that many RUN Powered by ADP features are add-ons, which will add to the final cost.

There are numerous specials run throughout the year, so it's best to talk with a company rep to obtain accurate pricing for your business, though they are very closed-lipped when it comes to providing pricing, so be prepared if you contact them for a quote.

Working with RUN Powered by ADP support

ADP offers support for both employees and payroll administrators, with separate support options available, depending on your role. For administrators, a FAQ page is available, and you can access support using the password provided to you once your subscription is finalized.

A toll-free number is available, with different numbers offered for each of the ADP products available. Online help is also available in the application and help and support options can also be accessed from within the application.

Benefits of RUN Powered by ADP

RUN Powered by ADP offers you a solid payroll application from a payroll leader with years of experience to back it up. This alone can make the cost of RUN Powered by ADP a worthy investment for your small business.

Access to numerous add-on applications, excellent reporting options, good HR resources, and easy integration with your accounting application are some additional benefits you'll enjoy while using RUN Powered by ADP.

Deciding if it's worth the cost

All ADP payroll applications, including RUN Powered by ADP, are more expensive than most of its competitors, and while ADP is one of the premier payroll service providers, there are several market competitors that provide many of the same features.

Difficulty in getting ADP to commit to a specific price can also be frustrating, but in the end, may be worth it.

How RUN Powered by ADP Compares

Online access Direct deposit Prepares federal tax forms Employee access to payroll documents
Run Powered by ADP Yes Yes Yes Yes
Gusto Yes Yes Yes Yes
Payroll4Free Yes Yes Yes Yes
Payroll Mate Yes Yes
SurePayroll Yes Yes Yes Yes

FAQs

  • Yes, it does, though you will have to purchase the Enhanced plan if you'd like ADP to also process SUI.

  • Yes, a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices is included in all plans.

  • ADP offers phone support for both payroll administrators and employees, so both can contact the company with questions or concerns.

RUN Powered by ADP
Use RUN Powered by ADP to easily run payroll for companies of 50 employees or less.RUN Powered by ADP
Learn More

Our Small Business Expert

Ben Gran
By: Ben Gran