BambooHR
HR and payroll software helping growing companies manage workforce processes, automated HR, payroll, and employee self-service.
Website: www.adp.com
ADP Workforce Now at a glance
- Best for
- Mid-sized US businesses needing payroll plus full HR
- Pricing model
- Quote-based, per employee per month by module
- Deployment
- Cloud, with employee and manager mobile apps
- Regions
- United States
- Key integrations
- QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct
Last reviewed . Pricing and features change frequently — confirm current details with the vendor.
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud payroll and HR platform for mid-sized businesses, covering payroll processing, tax compliance, benefits administration, time and attendance, and talent management as a modular suite.
How accounting firms use it
Firms usually meet it as an existing client system rather than recommending it, and the work is extraction rather than administration. Payroll registers, tax filings, and benefits cost data feed financial statements, tax preparation, and audit support, and the reporting module is where firms spend most of their time — building the report set they need once, then scheduling it, rather than requesting exports each period.
General ledger integration posts payroll journals into the client’s accounting platform. Configuring account mapping properly at implementation is the difference between payroll flowing straight through and someone re-splitting a summary journal every cycle.
Key features
Payroll handles multi-state employees, multiple pay groups, garnishments, and complex earnings codes, with federal, state, and local tax calculation and filing managed by the provider. Compliance support extends to ACA reporting, which is a recurring source of penalty exposure for mid-sized employers.
Benefits administration covers enrolment, carrier feeds, and life event processing. Time and attendance, recruiting, onboarding, performance, and compensation planning are separate modules, so cost and complexity depend on how much of the suite a client turns on.
Analytics include benchmarking against aggregated data from ADP’s client base, which is a genuinely distinctive input for compensation discussions.
Who it’s best for
Mid-sized US businesses, roughly 50 to 1,000 employees, that want payroll tightly coupled to HR and benefits, and clients whose compliance exposure justifies an established provider.
Smaller clients are generally better served by ADP Run, Gusto, or Patriot Payroll, where setup is lighter and pricing published. Paychex Flex is the direct competitor and worth quoting alongside it. Clients wanting co-employment and group benefits rates instead look at TriNet or Justworks.
ADP Workforce Now FAQ
- What is the difference between ADP Workforce Now and ADP Run?
- ADP Run targets small businesses, roughly under 50 employees, and covers payroll with light HR. Workforce Now is the mid-market platform, adding benefits administration, talent management, time and attendance, and analytics as modules. Clients typically migrate from Run to Workforce Now as headcount and HR complexity grow.
- Does ADP integrate with accounting software?
- Yes. General ledger integration exports payroll journals to QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and others, with account mapping configured per client. Mapping setup is worth doing carefully at implementation, since the default chart rarely matches how a firm wants payroll costs split.
- Is there an accountant program?
- Yes. ADP runs an accountant program giving firms a console for client payrolls, referral arrangements, and access to compliance resources. Firms can be granted client access at varying permission levels rather than sharing client logins.
- How does it compare to Paychex Flex?
- The two are close competitors at similar scale, and most mid-market clients evaluate both. ADP has broader international reach and a larger module range for firms expecting to grow into full HCM. Paychex is often rated more favourably on service responsiveness for smaller mid-market clients. Pricing for both is quote-based and negotiable.
ADP Workforce Now Alternatives
Other payroll tools for accounting firms, ordered by how much of ADP Workforce Now's functionality they cover.
ClockOn
ClockOn is an Australian workforce management platform combining rostering, time and attendance, award interpretation, and STP payroll in one system.
Deel
Global payroll and compliance platform for hiring and paying employees and contractors in 150+ countries with local tax compliance.
Gusto
Cloud-based payroll, benefits, and HR platform that simplifies payroll and HR management for small to medium-sized businesses.
Justworks
PEO and HR platform simplifying payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR administration for small businesses with enterprise-level benefits access.