The HVAC industry is booming and is projected to grow 13% over the next decade, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, means adding nearly 50,000 jobs.

As your HVAC business grows, so does the need to simplify and streamline payroll - along with all the business processes that touch payroll. When it comes to choosing a payroll system, it’s important to know the pros and cons of every option. Then, you will know which payroll system is the best fit for your HVAC business.

The Best Payroll System for HVAC Companies

We handle payroll for local small businesses, including HVAC companies. As we work with new customers, we start by discovering what services your particular company needs. Then, we build a custom solution tailored to you. 

To determine what payroll services are needed, we walk everyone through our Six Pillars of Payroll checklist. You can download the checklist yourself here. If you would like to talk with one of our small business payroll specialists, you can schedule a call here.

DIY HVAC Payroll Systems

Some businesses just want the tools to do payroll themselves,  which is where online software comes into play. While some tech-savvy businesses use Intuit payroll because they’re already accustomed to Quickbooks, another popular online do-it-yourself option is Gusto.

When it comes to payroll, for some smaller businesses,  DIY payroll is a good enough option. However, before choosing the DIY route, it’s important to know the drawbacks and potential issues commonly faced.

Payroll has many complex issues that continue to increase with workers’ compensation plans, employee turnover, payroll taxes, and labor laws. Doing payroll yourself through online software may seem simple until an issue arises. Then, one of the biggest disadvantages of DIY is manifest: the lack of accessibility to experts who can help you get everything done right.

When you consider the risks and the time commitment of doing payroll on your own, it’s not a cost-effective investment for most HVAC companies. And if anything goes wrong, the time/stress factor goes way up.

The Small Business Payroll Solution

There’s a lot more to payroll than writing checks or making direct deposits. 

When you consider Pay As You Go worker's compensation insurance, federal payroll taxes, as well as local and state employment laws and taxes, payroll can become an unnecessary burden on small businesses.

That’s why we always recommend small businesses work with local payroll providers. 

Local providers are much more accessible than ‘big box’ providers. Small businesses can build actual relationships with their payroll provider. This means your provider will have a deeper knowledge of your business and will be equipped to help you solve any issues that arise. This alone makes a huge difference in both reliability and convenience.

Local payroll providers are also reachable when it matters most. If you’re doing DIY payroll, there are few options for support. When you work with a ‘big box’ provider, you’re likely to get the outsourced call center experience, explaining your problem to a bunch of different people over and over again or waiting on hold for what seems like an eternity. 

At ConnectPay, it’s quite the opposite. We have a strict ‘no voicemail during business hours’ policy. That means when our customers have any questions or problems, they can call us up and get a local human on the phone right away. On top of that, we support small businesses by making payroll stress-free, like our ‘no tax penalty guarantee.’ If any tax penalties occur, we take care of it. 

For most local businesses, the advantages of working with a local payroll service that specializes in small businesses are numerous. Yet, the most beneficial advantage is the time you reclaim to grow your business instead of managing payroll. 

How Much Outsourcing Payroll Costs

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, so the best answer to the cost question is, “it depends.” Whether or not pricing from various providers is expensive or affordable is also subjective to the buyer’s opinion. However, in considering the question of value, we prefer to think of costs in the equation of value vs. price. Most of our clients consider the value we provide through payroll service as a must-have investment. 

On average, small businesses with ten employees typically pay somewhere around $2,000 annually in payroll expenses. Included in this average are the base payroll processing fee and a per-check charge per employee. Other services, like HR resources and workers’ compensation, are added as needed.

Learn More: How Much Do Payroll Services Cost?

Ready to Solve Payroll for Good?

If you’re interested in working with a local payroll provider that specializes in helping small businesses, then go ahead and schedule a discovery call. Here’s what you can expect: On our discovery call, we’ll walk you through the Six Pillars of Payroll to help you determine what services you do or do not need. Then, we’ll show you the exact pricing base on those services. 

If you want to get a sneak preview of the Six Pillars of Payroll, you can download the checklist here.