ADP Workforce Now Review: A Look at Its Accounting and Payroll Features

published on 29 January 2024

Most business owners would agree that managing payroll and accounting is a complex and time-consuming task.

ADP Workforce Now aims to simplify these critical business operations by providing an all-in-one solution for payroll, HR, tax compliance, and more.

In this review, we'll take a close look at Workforce Now's core accounting and payroll capabilities, including features like:payroll processing, tax management, general ledger integrations, employee self-service, labor cost tracking, and customizable reporting. We'll also discuss implementation, support, and overall value to help you determine if ADP Workforce Now is the right fit for your business.

Introduction to ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now is a popular cloud-based human resources and payroll management platform designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. It aims to provide an all-in-one solution to handle core HR, payroll, time tracking, talent management, and benefits administration.

When it comes to accounting and payroll features, ADP Workforce Now offers several key capabilities:

  • Automated payroll processing: The system can calculate paychecks, withholdings, deductions, and direct deposits automatically based on pay rates, hours tracked, and tax information. This helps eliminate manual errors and streamlines payroll tasks.

  • Tax filing and payments: ADP handles tax payments and filings to local, state, and federal agencies on the company's behalf based on payroll data. This includes forms like W-2s and 941s.

  • General ledger integration: ADP Workforce Now integrates with over 300 accounting software to transfer payroll data. This enables seamless syncing for tracking pay expenses.

  • Advanced reporting: Over 150 standard reports are available related to payroll, time tracking, compensation, turnover, etc. Users can monitor labor costs, overtime, and other metrics.

In summary, ADP Workforce Now aims to simplify payroll and accounting processes through automation, compliance, integration with GL software, and robust analytics. For small businesses without large HR/finance teams, it can provide helpful efficiency gains.

Core Accounting Features

ADP Workforce Now provides robust accounting tools to manage payrolls, taxes, payments, reporting, and more. Key features include:

Payroll Processing

  • Automates payroll runs for various pay frequencies like weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly
  • Supports multiple pay types including salary, hourly, overtime, bonuses, reimbursements, etc.
  • Flexible system handles complex payrolls with ease
  • Options to pay employees via direct deposit, pay card, or paper check

Tax Management

  • Automatically calculates federal, state, and local payroll taxes
  • Includes tax table updates to ensure compliance
  • Supports tax filings and payments at all levels
  • Reduces tax filing errors through automation

GL Integrations

  • Seamlessly integrates payroll data into General Ledger (GL) systems
  • Enables unified financial reporting by syncing with platforms like QuickBooks
  • Eliminates manual data entry between payroll and accounting
  • Provides real-time visibility into payroll costs across the business

Key Payroll Capabilities

In addition to robust accounting tools, ADP Workforce Now provides tailored payroll features including:

Employee Self-Service

Gives employees access to view pay stubs, W-2s, set deductions, make changes, etc through an online portal. This allows employees to access their payroll information securely at any time without contacting HR or payroll departments. Key features include:

  • View pay statements, tax documents, and pay history
  • Update direct deposit, tax withholdings, 401k contributions
  • Submit time-off requests
  • Access company directory, handbook, announcements

Enabling employee self-service reduces administrative tasks for payroll teams while empowering employees and improving transparency.

Labor Cost Tracking

Enables real-time tracking and analysis of gross payroll costs, labor distribution, overtime pay, paid time off accruals, and more. This provides visibility into current and historical labor expenses across the organization. Key capabilities include:

  • Dashboard showing labor costs by department, job, project, etc
  • Overtime monitoring and alerts
  • Paid time off tracking
  • Reporting on labor costs as percentage of revenue

Labor cost tracking gives finance and payroll leaders valuable insights to inform budgeting, forecasting, and workforce decisions.

Pay Cards

Offers pay card options for employees without bank accounts to receive funds electronically. This provides an efficient payment method for unbanked employees. Features include:

  • Branded Visa pay cards for each employee
  • Cards can be used anywhere Visa is accepted
  • Instant access to wages on pay day
  • Online portal and mobile app to view balance and statements

Pay cards ensure all employees have quick, reliable access to their earnings while reducing paper check costs.

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Customizable Reporting

ADP Workforce Now provides users with extensive reporting capabilities to gain insights into their payroll, HR, and benefits data. With over 100 standard reports included, businesses can easily track key metrics and extract the information they need.

For those requiring more customization, ADP Workforce Now also enables users to create tailored reports based on their unique needs. Some key highlights of the customizable reporting feature include:

Flexible Report Builder

  • Intuitive drag-and-drop interface to select data fields, apply filters, choose parameters and customize layout
  • Options to save customized reports for easy access or schedule for automated delivery
  • Variety of output formats like PDF, Excel, CSV etc.

In-Depth Data Analysis

  • Pull from multiple datasets across payroll, time and attendance, benefits etc.
  • Dive into specifics with robust filtering and grouping capabilities
  • Spot trends and patterns with summary totals and graphical visualizations

User Access Controls

  • Folder structure allows reports to be securely shared with certain employee groups
  • Set user permissions to view, edit, create or delete reports
  • Audit trail tracking for compliance reporting

With the detailed standard reports and flexible custom reporting tools, ADP Workforce Now provides the level of data access and analysis required by most businesses. The ability to create tailored reports also ensures that even unique business needs can be met.

Mobile Accessibility

Managers and employees can access ADP Workforce Now's tools and data through intuitive mobile apps for reporting and approvals on-the-go. The mobile apps allow for convenient access to key features while out of the office or on business trips.

Some of the key highlights of ADP Workforce Now's mobile apps include:

  • Real-time reporting and analytics: View critical workforce analytics, KPIs, and reports on your phone. Get notifications for payroll approvals or other urgent actions needed.

  • Time tracking and approvals: Employees can clock in/out, track hours worked, submit timesheets, and request time off through the mobile app. Managers can easily review and approve timesheets on-the-go.

  • Access employee profiles and org charts: Look up employee contact details, compensation info, job history and more. View interactive org charts mapping out your team structure.

  • Manage core HR tasks: Handle request approvals for paid time off, job requisitions, new hire onboarding paperwork and more through the mobile workflow.

  • Company news feed and notifications: Get updates on company news, events, and notifications for urgent approvals/requests through the mobile feed. Customize notifications.

  • Touch ID/Face ID login: Securely access your ADP account using biometric login like fingerprint or facial recognition.

With ADP Workforce Now's well-designed mobile apps for iOS and Android, managers and employees get convenient access to accomplish key workforce management tasks on-the-go. This enables faster decision making, better productivity, and higher job satisfaction.

Implementation and Support

ADP Workforce Now provides dedicated implementation specialists to assist clients with getting set up and configured properly. This helps ensure a smooth onboarding process.

Some key things to know about ADP Workforce Now's implementation and support:

Onboarding and Implementation

  • Clients are assigned an implementation manager who oversees the setup process
  • Implementation specialists conduct discovery calls to understand the client's specific needs
  • They migrate data, configure system settings, and test integrations
  • Training is provided for administrators and end users to learn the system

Ongoing Support

Once live, ADP Workforce Now provides several support channels:

  • Phone Support: Available 24/7 for critical issues or questions
  • Email Support: For lower priority inquiries, typically 24-48 hour response time
  • Chat Support: Instant answers to common questions during business hours
  • Knowledge Base: Searchable database of support articles and how-to guides

Support can assist with:

  • Troubleshooting errors or technical problems
  • Answering questions on features or workflows
  • Providing refresher trainings for existing users
  • Onboarding new users or locations
  • Optimizing system configuration and settings

Having reliable support can minimize business disruptions when inevitable issues crop up. ADP Workforce Now aims to provide enterprise-grade assistance so clients can focus on their core operations.

Overall, ADP Workforce Now strives to make implementation and ongoing support as turnkey as possible. Their specialists help manage the heavy lifting throughout the client journey - from initial setup to optimization over time. This allows organizations to better leverage the system's accounting and payroll capabilities.

Conclusion and Summary

ADP Workforce Now provides a comprehensive suite of accounting and payroll features to help SMBs efficiently manage their workforce. Key benefits include:

  • Automated payroll processing with support for different pay cycles, pay types, deductions, direct deposits, and more
  • Real-time labor cost tracking and reporting to control budgets
  • Automated tax calculations and filings for payroll compliance
  • Seamless GL account integrations for streamlined accounting
  • Customizable dashboards and analytics for data-driven decisions
  • Mobile access and employee self-service capabilities

With robust functionalities tailored to SMBs' HR needs, ADP Workforce Now simplifies accounting and payroll management in one unified platform. Its automated tools and seamless integrations enable efficient, compliant workforce administration so companies can focus on their core business goals.

By leveraging ADP Workforce Now's capabilities, SMBs can optimize their accounting workflows, achieve payroll compliance, manage labor costs, and gain valuable people insights through analytics. For those seeking an all-in-one workforce management system, ADP Workforce Now is a leading choice.

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