United States·Professional services·500+ employees
2.0
Feb 25, 2026
LinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Upgrades are a project each time
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
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
39 found this helpful
Nathaniel Xu
Practice Manager, Hillcrest Family Clinic
Canada·Education·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Jan 17, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Solid engine, museum piece interface
The payroll engine is genuinely good. The window it lives in is Windows client software from a previous era, and the self service portal feels bolted on because it was. Staff tolerate it. Nobody likes it.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
39 found this helpful
Samuel Zielinski
Founder, Ironwood Fabrication
United States·Nonprofit·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Oct 4, 2024
Used less than 6 months
Solid engine, museum piece interface
The payroll engine is genuinely good. The window it lives in is Windows client software from a previous era, and the self service portal feels bolted on because it was. Staff tolerate it. Nobody likes it.
Pros
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
39 found this helpful
Katya Lockhart
Sales Director, Summit Physio
United States·Construction·51 to 200 employees
5.0
Feb 10, 2026
Used 1 to 2 years
It has run our payroll for eleven years
Eleven years, no missed payroll. It is not exciting and I do not want my payroll system to be exciting.
Pros
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
38 found this helpful
Michelle Castellanos
Office Manager, Silverbirch Accounting
United States·Marketing·51 to 200 employees
5.0
Mar 17, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
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
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
38 found this helpful
Tanya Goldberg
Head of Operations, Blackstone Contracting
Canada·Marketing·11 to 50 employees
1.0
Dec 14, 2024
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
Self service portal is genuinely bad
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
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorDec 26, 2024
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.
38 found this helpful
Harold Whitfield
Accountant, Summit Physio
United States·Hospitality·1 to 10 employees
1.0
Feb 23, 2026
Used less than 6 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
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
37 found this helpful
Gwen Whelan
VP of Sales, Cedar & Vine Interiors
United States·Financial services·11 to 50 employees
4.0
Dec 11, 2025
Verified userUsed 2 or more years
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
US payroll processed entirely in house
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
37 found this helpful
Rosalind Villareal
Studio Director, Sandbar Hospitality
United States·Construction·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Nov 3, 2025
LinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Your partner is the product
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
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorNov 8, 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.
37 found this helpful
Freya Nakashima
Managing Partner, Redbrick Property Group
United States·Ecommerce·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Aug 2, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
It has run our payroll for eleven years
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
US payroll processed entirely in house
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
37 found this helpful
Elliot Delacroix
Office Manager, Hillcrest Family Clinic
United States·Transport and logistics·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Feb 15, 2025
Verified userUsed 1 to 2 years
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
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
37 found this helpful
Brooke Gallagher
Controller, Silverbirch Accounting
Canada·Healthcare·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Jan 11, 2025
Verified userUsed 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
Full control of payroll data on premise
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJan 17, 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.
37 found this helpful
Lorena Goldberg
Owner, Meridian Dental Group
Other·Healthcare·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Jun 6, 2026
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
Solid engine, museum piece interface
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
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJun 16, 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.
36 found this helpful
Deepa Whelan
Founder, Maplewood Childcare
United States·Marketing·201 to 500 employees
3.0
Mar 19, 2026
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
On premise is the point, and the cost
The payroll engine is genuinely good. The window it lives in is Windows client software from a previous era, and the self service portal feels bolted on because it was. Staff tolerate it. Nobody likes it.
Pros
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Interface is dated and staff avoid the portal
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
36 found this helpful
Franklin Zhao
People Operations Lead, Coastline Outfitters
United States·Nonprofit·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Jan 14, 2026
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
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
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
36 found this helpful
Vanessa Underwood
Controller, Summit Physio
Canada·Professional services·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Feb 20, 2025
Verified userUsed less than 6 months
Payroll stays in house, which is why we bought it
ACA reporting used to consume January. The 1094 and 1095 forms come out of the system now and we file without drama. That alone justified staying through the last renewal.
Pros
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Interface is dated and staff avoid the portal
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
36 found this helpful
Jerome Dupont
Director of Finance, Blackstone Contracting
United States·Education·51 to 200 employees
5.0
May 18, 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
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
35 found this helpful
Amelia Buchanan
Finance Manager, Lantern Creative
United States·Real estate·51 to 200 employees
3.0
Jan 11, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Solid engine, museum piece interface
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
35 found this helpful
Yosef Paredes
Sales Director, Kestrel Analytics
United States·Manufacturing·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Oct 20, 2025
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 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
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorOct 29, 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.
35 found this helpful
Carmen Stavros
Practice Manager, Prairie Rose Bakery
Canada·Healthcare·11 to 50 employees
4.0
Sep 13, 2025
LinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 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.
United States
Canada