By Stephanie Elsen

Red Wing Software provides payroll software that streamlines the payroll process, and makes tax filing and paying employees easier. For businesses just starting out, basic payroll programs may work fine. As a business grows, payroll management needs can quickly outgrow a basic payroll system.

Basic, mass-marketed payroll systems get a lot of press and have a massive number of users. These products are top-of-mind for many people in search of a payroll system. Many people ask us to compare Red Wing Software's payroll solution, CenterPoint Payroll, against those products. Well, without doing a feature-by-feature comparison of the two products, here are some of the main differences between CenterPoint and more basic programs. To summarize : Many CenterPoint Payroll users come from basic programs and are seeking features that can help them manage their payroll better.

Flexible Calculations

Where your basic payroll system stops short, CenterPoint can take over and allow you to perform calculations the way you need to for your business payroll. Ditch the spreadsheets and keep all your calculations within one system for more streamlined payroll management.

• Track Pay to Multiple Variables:

  Get more information from your payroll system. Track information the way you need to, and run reports to quickly see labor expenses by department, location, and any way that is meaningful to you. Many basic systems allow for limited methods of payroll information tracking.

• Tax Filing Options

  File taxes manually if you prefer, or upgrade any time to online tax filing or ‘eFiling’. To streamline even further, have the whole process of tax filing completed for you.

• Custom Earning and Deduction Codes

  As a business grows, earning (pay) and deduction (benefit) codes become more complex, and a standard earning or deduction may not handle the calculation as necessary. CenterPoint allows you to set up as many custom earning and deduction codes as you need, with the correct calculation method. Don’t limit yourself to a limited set of codes that often drives people to complete calculations on paper or on a separate spreadsheet.

• Variety of Time Entry Methods

  Choose to enter pay for hourly and salaried employees separately, copy pay from a previous pay run, or pull hours directly from a time clock. You can even enter different pay rates for different jobs done in the same day. There is rarely a pay scenario that can’t be handled in CenterPoint, unlike more basic systems that limit time entry methods.

• Employee Pay Options

  Employees are happier when they have fast and easy access to their pay. This might mean some employees get paper checks, others get direct deposit, and still others receive pay via prepaid debit cards. Does your payroll system offer all these choices?

Expand Limited to Unlimited.

Some payroll systems limit the amount of data you can have in your system. When you reach these limits, which you may not have known about when you started it, you will need to move on to a new system . Here is a chart that shows some of the ways CenterPoint Payroll compares to typical basic systems when it comes to limits:

Beef Up Security.

One person might start out running the whole payroll software system, but eventually tasks will be divided up. At that point, you will likely want to limit what employees can do and see in the payroll system, based on their job function. CenterPoint has menu level security, so users can see only the screens they are given access to within the system.

No two payroll systems are created equal, and some will excel where others fail. Just because something is used and known by the masses does not mean it’s the best product available. Basic programs do a great job for many businesses to start out. But when your business outgrows its payroll software feature set, it might just be time to contact Red Wing Software. 800-732-9464, info@redwingsoftware.com.