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Payroll

The payroll filings that actually decide which software you can use

Payroll vendors compete on interface and sell you on ease. The thing that eliminates most of them is duller: which forms they will file, and where.

Ahmad Raza Hassan

Founder and editor · May 28, 2026 · 6 min read

Every payroll product demo shows you the same thing: a clean screen, three clicks, everyone paid. That part is genuinely solved. It is not what you are choosing between.

What you are choosing between is who files what, in which jurisdictions, and who deals with the agency when a notice arrives. Start there and most of the market eliminates itself before you have opened a pricing page.

United States

The baseline is Form 941 quarterly, Form 940 annually, W-2s in January and 1099-NEC for contractors. Any credible full service provider does all of this automatically, in all 50 states. Gusto, ADP and Paychex all clear that bar.

Where it gets interesting:

  • Local filings. Ohio and Pennsylvania have local jurisdictions that trip up newer products. Ask specifically.
  • Multi state. Remote teams mean multiple state registrations. Some vendors include this, others charge per state. That difference is significant at ten states.
  • Notices. When an agency sends a letter, does the vendor resolve it or forward it to you? This is the single biggest difference between the cheap tier and ADP, and it is why ADP still wins deals despite an interface nobody enjoys.

Canada

The baseline is different and it is not a translation of the US one. You need T4s at year end, an ROE whenever someone leaves, and correct CPP and EI deductions with remittance to CRA on your assigned schedule.

The ROE is the one people underestimate. It is required within days of an interruption in earnings, Service Canada is strict about it, and a vendor that "supports Canada" but hands you a spreadsheet to do it yourself has not solved your problem.

Both

If you employ people in both countries, the list is short and worth stating plainly:

  • Rippling runs both on one platform, one login.
  • ADP and Paychex both run both, as separate products on separate contracts. One vendor, two relationships.
  • Gusto does not run Canadian payroll. Not a limited version, none.
  • Wave is the reverse. Canadian payroll is strong and native, US payroll only files for you in some states.
Ask a vendor which states or provinces they file in, and get the answer in writing before you sign. "We support North America" is not an answer to that question.
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