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
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
9 found this helpful
Uma Kaminski
HR Manager, Willow & Ash Salons
Canada·Real estate·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Feb 6, 2026
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
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
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
9 found this helpful
Rachel Torres
Practice Manager, Willow & Ash Salons
United States·Transport and logistics·500+ employees
4.0
Oct 6, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Compliance depth you do not get elsewhere
Eleven years, no missed payroll. It is not exciting and I do not want my payroll system to be exciting.
Pros
US payroll processed entirely in house
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
9 found this helpful
Quentin Ishikawa
Studio Director, Blackstone Contracting
United States·Manufacturing·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Jul 21, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Multi state withholding without a service bureau
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
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
9 found this helpful
Delia Yates
Managing Partner, Falcon Ridge Landscaping
Other·Hospitality·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Dec 7, 2024
Verified userUsed 2 or more years
It has run our payroll for eleven years
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
Very stable once implemented
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
9 found this helpful
Otis Boateng
Director of Finance, Bluewater Consulting
Canada·Real estate·500+ employees
2.0
Jan 20, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
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
Multi state withholding including reciprocity
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJan 23, 2026
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.
8 found this helpful
Renee Salazar
People Operations Lead, Summit Physio
United States·Education·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Jan 13, 2026
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
On premise is the point, and the cost
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
Experience depends heavily on your partner
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJan 19, 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.
8 found this helpful
Kendra Pritchard
Head of Operations, Lantern Creative
United States·Accounting·51 to 200 employees
3.0
Dec 3, 2025
Verified userUsed 1 to 2 years
Your partner is the product
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
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
8 found this helpful
Ingrid Quintero
Owner, Foundry Road Studios
Canada·Construction·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Sep 4, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 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
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
8 found this helpful
Dana Vasquez
HR Manager, Prairie Rose Bakery
United States·Ecommerce·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Jun 19, 2025
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more 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
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
8 found this helpful
Omar Grant
Practice Manager, Beacon Legal Partners
Other·Healthcare·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Apr 20, 2025
Verified userUsed less than 6 months
Payroll stays in house, which is why we bought it
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
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
8 found this helpful
Meredith Haugen
Head of Operations, Granite Peak Roofing
Canada·Legal·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Nov 8, 2024
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
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
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
You maintain the servers and the upgrades
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
8 found this helpful
Ezra Goldberg
VP of Sales, Meridian Dental Group
Canada·Manufacturing·51 to 200 employees
4.0
Oct 4, 2024
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
Very stable once implemented
Cons
Roadmap direction is toward HCM and People
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
8 found this helpful
Mireille Whelan
Finance Manager, Northgate Logistics
United States·Marketing·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Jun 23, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Works, but the roadmap worries me
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
7 found this helpful
Gordon Eberhardt
Managing Partner, Granite Peak Roofing
Other·Marketing·1 to 10 employees
2.0
May 8, 2026
Used 2 or more years
Implementation ran double the estimate
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
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 11, 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.
7 found this helpful
Sarah Eberhardt
Controller, Maplewood Childcare
United States·Professional services·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Mar 29, 2026
LinkedIn confirmedUsed 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
Full control of payroll data on premise
Cons
Custom reporting needs Crystal Reports
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
7 found this helpful
Yosef Calloway
Finance Manager, Prairie Rose Bakery
United States·Software·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Feb 27, 2026
LinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
Your partner is the product
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
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
7 found this helpful
Nathaniel Radcliffe
Practice Manager, Blackstone Contracting
United States·Education·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Feb 23, 2026
Verified userUsed less than 6 months
Multi state withholding without a service bureau
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
EEO, OSHA and FMLA tracking standard
Cons
Interface is dated and staff avoid the portal
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
7 found this helpful
Meredith Ghosh
Accountant, Blackstone Contracting
Canada·Real estate·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Jan 6, 2026
Used 6 to 12 months
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
ACA 1094 and 1095 reporting built in
Cons
Implementation regularly overruns time and budget
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
7 found this helpful
Isaac Montoya
Bookkeeper, Prairie Rose Bakery
Canada·Hospitality·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Nov 27, 2025
Used 1 to 2 years
Multi state withholding without a service bureau
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.
United States
Canada