Sage is clearly steering new customers to HCM and People. HRMS still works and still gets tax updates, but I would want a straight answer about the next five years in writing before signing a new term.
Pros
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Interface is dated and staff avoid the portal
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJun 7, 2025
We appreciate the feedback on self service. Sage HRMS continues to receive tax and compliance updates, and we would welcome a conversation about how Sage HCM might fit your requirements.
52 found this helpful
Katya Buchanan
People Operations Lead, Redbrick Property Group
United States·Hospitality·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Feb 11, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
Compliance depth you do not get elsewhere
The compliance side is the reason. EEO, OSHA logs, FMLA tracking, all standard. Every cloud product we evaluated treated at least one of those as an add on with a separate price.
Pros
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
52 found this helpful
Rashid Tremblay
Sales Director, Trailhead Bicycles
United States·Accounting·51 to 200 employees
2.0
Jul 10, 2025
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
Implementation ran double the estimate
Anything beyond the canned reports means Crystal Reports and either a consultant or somebody internal who learned it. That is an ongoing cost nobody mentioned during the sales process.
Pros
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
51 found this helpful
Amelia Iqbal
People Operations Lead, Aurora Print House
United States·Construction·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Sep 4, 2024
Verified userUsed 1 to 2 years
Compliance depth you do not get elsewhere
We have people in nine states and we are not comfortable handing payroll data to a third party. HRMS runs it in house, the tax tables stay current through maintenance, and the 941 reconciles every quarter. That combination is genuinely hard to find.
Pros
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
50 found this helpful
Willa Delgado
Bookkeeper, Northgate Logistics
United States·Manufacturing·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Sep 27, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
On premise is the point, and the cost
On premise was a requirement for us for regulatory reasons and this delivers it. It also means we maintain servers, run backups and own the upgrades. That cost is real and it does not appear in the license quote.
Pros
Full control of payroll data on premise
Cons
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorOct 1, 2025
Thank you for sharing this. Implementation timelines depend heavily on data readiness and scope, and we are sorry yours extended. Your Sage partner is best placed to review what happened, and we encourage you to raise it with your account team.
48 found this helpful
Julius Vargas
Controller, Hillcrest Family Clinic
United States·Education·51 to 200 employees
1.0
Mar 9, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Upgrades are a project each time
Quoted four months, took nine, and the number roughly doubled. Some of that was our data, most of it was scope that emerged once the partner actually looked at how we run payroll. Ask for a fixed price and watch what gets excluded from it.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
48 found this helpful
Tanya Winters
Managing Partner, Aurora Print House
United States·Nonprofit·51 to 200 employees
1.0
Sep 9, 2025
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Implementation ran double the estimate
Quoted four months, took nine, and the number roughly doubled. Some of that was our data, most of it was scope that emerged once the partner actually looked at how we run payroll. Ask for a fixed price and watch what gets excluded from it.
Pros
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorSep 11, 2025
Thank you for sharing this. Implementation timelines depend heavily on data readiness and scope, and we are sorry yours extended. Your Sage partner is best placed to review what happened, and we encourage you to raise it with your account team.
45 found this helpful
Franklin Boucher
Controller, Beacon Legal Partners
United States·Professional services·201 to 500 employees
3.0
Jul 24, 2025
Used less than 6 months
Works, but the roadmap worries me
Our implementation partner was excellent and the project went well. I have spoken to two peers whose partners were not, and their experience of the identical software was miserable. You are buying a reseller as much as a product and almost nobody tells you that up front.
Pros
US payroll processed entirely in house
Cons
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
44 found this helpful
Emmett Castillo
Studio Director, Sandbar Hospitality
United States·Manufacturing·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Mar 6, 2025
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
Payroll stays in house, which is why we bought it
We have people in nine states and we are not comfortable handing payroll data to a third party. HRMS runs it in house, the tax tables stay current through maintenance, and the 941 reconciles every quarter. That combination is genuinely hard to find.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
44 found this helpful
Kendra Goodwin
General Manager, Vertex Machine Works
United States·Professional services·11 to 50 employees
2.0
Jan 9, 2025
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
Self service portal is genuinely bad
Version upgrades are a planned project with testing and downtime, every time. For an on premise product in 2026 that is expected and it is still two weekends a year I do not get back.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
44 found this helpful
Caleb Crane
Head of Operations, Aurora Print House
United States·Transport and logistics·51 to 200 employees
3.0
May 16, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Solid engine, museum piece interface
Sage is clearly steering new customers to HCM and People. HRMS still works and still gets tax updates, but I would want a straight answer about the next five years in writing before signing a new term.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Interface is dated and staff avoid the portal
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorMay 25, 2026
We appreciate the feedback on self service. Sage HRMS continues to receive tax and compliance updates, and we would welcome a conversation about how Sage HCM might fit your requirements.
42 found this helpful
Nathaniel Villareal
HR Manager, Maplewood Childcare
United States·Accounting·11 to 50 employees
2.0
Sep 6, 2024
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Every report needs Crystal
Anything beyond the canned reports means Crystal Reports and either a consultant or somebody internal who learned it. That is an ongoing cost nobody mentioned during the sales process.
Pros
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
42 found this helpful
Daniel Dashwood
Managing Partner, Falcon Ridge Landscaping
Other·Legal·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Jul 12, 2024
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
It has run our payroll for eleven years
We have people in nine states and we are not comfortable handing payroll data to a third party. HRMS runs it in house, the tax tables stay current through maintenance, and the 941 reconciles every quarter. That combination is genuinely hard to find.
Pros
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
42 found this helpful
Nathaniel Fontaine
People Operations Lead, Prairie Rose Bakery
United States·Professional services·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Verified userUsed 1 to 2 years
Multi state withholding without a service bureau
Multi state withholding is handled correctly, including the reciprocity agreements, which is the thing that quietly breaks in lesser systems.
Pros
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
41 found this helpful
Erin Ainsworth
Studio Director, Harborline Supply
Canada·Education·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Aug 3, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Your partner is the product
Sage is clearly steering new customers to HCM and People. HRMS still works and still gets tax updates, but I would want a straight answer about the next five years in writing before signing a new term.
Pros
US payroll processed entirely in house
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
41 found this helpful
Wesley Boateng
Owner, Blackstone Contracting
United States·Ecommerce·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Jun 6, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
On premise is the point, and the cost
On premise was a requirement for us for regulatory reasons and this delivers it. It also means we maintain servers, run backups and own the upgrades. That cost is real and it does not appear in the license quote.
Pros
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Interface is dated and staff avoid the portal
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
41 found this helpful
Ximena Whelan
VP of Sales, Tidewater Marine Services
United States·Construction·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Jan 19, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Compliance depth you do not get elsewhere
Multi state withholding is handled correctly, including the reciprocity agreements, which is the thing that quietly breaks in lesser systems.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
40 found this helpful
Dana Mercer
Practice Manager, Prairie Rose Bakery
United States·Professional services·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Sep 6, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Upgrades are a project each time
The employee self service portal is the part staff actually touch and it is the worst part of the product. It looks like 2009, it is slow, and our people avoid it and email HR instead. That defeats the entire purpose of having it.
Pros
US payroll processed entirely in house
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorSep 11, 2025
Thank you for sharing this. Implementation timelines depend heavily on data readiness and scope, and we are sorry yours extended. Your Sage partner is best placed to review what happened, and we encourage you to raise it with your account team.
40 found this helpful
Celeste Vargas
Managing Partner, Northern Star Staffing
Canada·Accounting·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Aug 13, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Multi state withholding without a service bureau
Eleven years, no missed payroll. It is not exciting and I do not want my payroll system to be exciting.
Pros
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
40 found this helpful
Lionel Jorgensen
Controller, Beacon Legal Partners
Other·Marketing·11 to 50 employees
4.0
Feb 25, 2025
Verified userUsed less than 6 months
Compliance depth you do not get elsewhere
The compliance side is the reason. EEO, OSHA logs, FMLA tracking, all standard. Every cloud product we evaluated treated at least one of those as an add on with a separate price.
United States
Canada