Patriot Software Review: Pros, Cons, Fees

Patriot Software provides small and medium-sized businesses in the US with affordable and simple-to-use online accounting and payroll software. It offers basic and full-service options allowing business owners to run their own payroll and tax filings or get additional support.

If you’re looking for Patriot payroll and accounting software reviews to help you decide whether it’s suitable for your business needs, this post tells you what you need to know.

If you work with employees, contractors, or clients outside the US, you can also learn about using Wise Business to handle your international payments. Wise offers a low-cost, transparent fee structure for foreign transactions and you can connect to accounting software such as QuickBooks, Xero, Sage and more.

Methodology: The team of dedicated content experts at Wise research each provider thoroughly, uncovering the key features, fees, and pros and cons to watch out for. This is then collected into an easily digestible format, to save you time and hassle when looking into a provider.

Patriot Software Review : Quick Overview

Key features	Basic and full-service accounting and payroll platform Time & Attendance and HR add-ons Free payroll setup and expert support Unlimited payroll runs Reporting tools
Main fees¹	Basic accounting: $20 monthly Accounting premium: $30 monthly Basic payroll: $17 monthly + $4 per employee Full-service payroll: $37 monthly + $4 per employee
Great for	Businesses with a small number of employees and employers that handle independent contractors.
Trustpilot rating²	4.9 out of 5

Patriot Software : Key Features

Patriot Software provides online accounting and payroll services with HR and time-tracking add-ons to give small business owners the tools they need to manage their finances. It offers the flexibility of basic DIY or full-service options. The services come with a 30-day free trial before you need to pay for a monthly subscription plan.

Patriot Accounting

Patriot’s accounting software makes it easy to track business expenses and income. It supports unlimited invoicing and unlimited payments to vendors. You can create and print 1099 and 1096 forms with optional 1099 electronic filing.

You can also accept and record credit card payments, automatically import bank transactions and manage account reconciliation. You can set up access for an unlimited number of users, including your accountant. The accounting software can standalone or integrate with Patriot’s payroll software to simplify your money management.

The software offers a variety of accounting reports that give you a snapshot of your financial health. These include profit and loss statements, balance sheets, invoices, accounts payable and receivable, customer payment history, vendor payment history, and sales tax reports.

There are two subscription options for the accounting service:

• Accounting Basic costs $20 per month for basic money-tracking features
• Accounting Premium costs $30 per month for additional features such as custom invoice templates and reminders to help you track business expenses, money, and invoices.³

Patriot Payroll

Patriot’s payroll software helps small business owners to save time by quickly running their own payroll. The Basic plan supports unlimited payroll runs with multiple pay rates and locations, customizable hours and deductions, paid time off (PTO) accruals, and various pay frequencies. Qualified customers receive free two-day direct deposit.

You can issue electronic or printable W2 wage and tax statements and provide access to employees through the free portal. You can also add unlimited users to the account with permissions. The software is mobile-friendly, so you can keep on top of the comprehensive payroll reports from any device.

Businesses that hire independent contractors as well as employees will benefit from not having to run separate payrolls, as the platform can handle payroll processing and direct deposit payments for both. It offers optional 1099 electronic filing and on-the-fly pay rate changes.

If you select the Full Service, Patriot handles your payroll tax filing and payment at the federal, state and local levels.

Patriot does not charge account setup fees and provides free assistance in setting up payroll, free expert software support, free 401(k) integration and free workers' comp integration. The payroll software integrates with the accounting software as well as Patriot’s time and attendance and HR add-ons.

As with the accounting software, the payroll software features a range of reports, including payroll tax deposit, liabilities and filing reports, payroll register, paycheck history, paid time off balances and W2 summaries.

The time and attendance reports enable easy timekeeping for hourly or salaried employees, as employees can securely clock-in with their employee portal. You can create custom overtime rules and easily view employee time off. The HR reports include employee information tracking and make it easy to designate managers or assign direct reports.

• The Basic Payroll service costs $17 per month and an additional $4 per employee or contractor, allowing you to run your own payroll and handle the taxes.

• The Full Service Payroll option costs $37 per month plus $4 per employee or contractor and handles taxes on your behalf. The Time & Attendance and HR add-ons each cost an extra $6 per month plus $2 per employee.⁴

🔍 Read on for more:
Ease of Use Customer Service Patriot Software Fees Patriot Software Pros and Cons Patriot Software Alternatives Conclusion: Is Patriot Software the best choice for your business? Discover Wise Business

Ease of Use

Patriot Software provides a user-friendly platform with a mobile-friendly interface. It has simplified the onboarding process, so you can quickly get started managing your business funds with one-click accounting settings. The accounting software uses machine learning technology to complete information, saving you clicks and time. You can also customize settings to meet your specific needs.

Patriot’s patented Dual-Ledger Accounting feature makes it easy to switch between cash-basis, modified cash basis, and accrual accounting without messy conversions.

The payroll dashboard contains quick links for running payroll, adding new employees, creating W2 forms, and processing contractor payments to speed up these processes.

Patriot provides free assistance to set up payroll, but if you opt to handle it yourself, there is a simple setup wizard that walks you through so you can get up and running easily.

Positive reviews of Patriot Software on independent review site, Trustpilot, state that it makes accounting and payroll easy and affordable, taking the stress out of business admin tasks to free up business owners so they can focus on running their business. Users praised the company’s customer support team as knowledgeable, kind and efficient, helping small business owners keep on top of changing tax laws and requirements.⁵

However, some negative reviews about Patriot payroll software from Trustpilot mention that it lacks the functionality of a full-service program like QuickBooks.⁶

Customer Service

Patriot’s customer service team is available over the phone, by email, and through live chat on its website Monday through Friday between 9am and 7pm ET.⁷

Patriot Software Fees

Below are the main fees to expect when using Patriot Software:

• Basic accounting: $20 monthly

• Accounting premium: $30 monthly

• Basic payroll: $17 monthly + $4 per employee

• Full-service payroll: $37 monthly + $4 per employee

• Time & Attendance payroll add-on: Starting at $6 monthly + $2 per employee

• HR payroll add-on: Starting at $6 monthly + $2 per employee

• Electronic 1099 filing for Basic Payroll, Basic Accounting, and Accounting Premium: $20 for the first 5 1099s, $2 for each additional 1099 up to 35

• Multistate payroll tax filing: $12 monthly for each additional state

While Patriot Software offers affordable basic accounting and payroll for US businesses, it lacks some advanced functionality, such as support for employees and contractors abroad.

💡 If you need to make international payments to staff, contractors or suppliers, a Wise Business account offers low-cost payments and integration with accounting software to streamline the process.

Patriot Software Pros and Cons

Pros	Possible drawbacks
Free payroll setup and expert support Affordable pricing with basic and full-service options plus add-ons Integrated accounting and payroll platform Unlimited payroll runs Full accounting service handles tax filing Knowledgeable, US-based customer support	No support for employees or contractors outside US Multistate tax filings, time tracking and basic HR functions for managing employee data cost extra Limited third-party software integrations Lack of employee benefits management Four-day lead time for direct deposits – two-day direct deposits are only available for qualified clients

What are the benefits of Patriot Software?

Patriot Software is an affordable accounting and payroll option for small businesses. The platform offers an easy setup process and transparent pricing. The accounting software makes it easy to manage all your incoming and outgoing transactions and the full-service option offloads tax filing to Patriot on your behalf.

Patriot offers free setup for its payroll software, which supports unlimited payroll runs with multiple pay rates and frequencies for employees in multiple locations. You can pay contractors along with your employees – saving time rather than having to run separate processes.

The accounting and payroll software options each provide a range of reports – from accounts payable and receivable to payroll registers – to help you manage various aspects of your business finances at a glance.

What are the possible drawbacks of Patriot Software?

While Patriot will handle payroll tax filings and deposits, you need to pay a higher subscription fee for this. Unlike some competitors, Patriot charges extra fees for certain add-ons and does not support employee benefits program management.

Patriot only handles payroll processing for US-based companies, business that have employees or contractors outside the US will need to use an alternative payroll provider.

Patriot Software Alternatives

Wave Payroll

Wave is a cloud-based software service that provides a suite of money management services for small businesses. Like Patriot, Wave enables small businesses to integrate their payroll management and tax filing with their accounting solution.

Wave supports automated W2 and 1099 tax form generation and tax filing in 14 states and provides support for tax filings and payments in the other 36 remaining states.

For small businesses on a tight budget, Wave is notable for offering its basic accounting and Invoicing features for free. The fees for Wave Payroll depend on which state you’re paying taxes in. Wave charges additional fees for bookkeeping advisory services and accounting and payroll coaching.⁸

Payroll4Free

Payroll4Free offers a free suite of basic payroll services to small businesses paying less than 10 employees or contractors, powered by ads inside the software.

Features include payroll processing, direct deposits, tax calculations and forms, vacation tracking, software integrations, HR functions, reporting options, and unlimited live customer support.

There are two paid options: payroll tax service and direct deposit from Payroll4Free bank rather than your business bank account. Charges for both services are capped at $40 per month.⁹

Conclusion: Is Patriot Software the best choice for your business?

If you’re a small business owner looking for basic accounting and payroll services with an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly interface you may find Patriot Software suitable for your needs.

However, Patriot only supports payroll for employees and contractors located in the US, so if you need to pay workers abroad you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Save Time and Money On Overseas Payments With Wise Business

Wise Business can help you save big time on international payments.

Wise is not a bank, but a Money Services Business (MSB) provider and a smart alternative to banks. The Wise Business account is designed with international business in mind, and makes it easy to send, hold, and manage business funds in currencies.

Signing up to Wise Business allows access to BatchTransfer which you can use to pay up to 1000 invoices in one go. This is perfect for small businesses that are managing a global team, saving a ton of time and hassle when making payments.

Use Wise Business >>

Some key features of Wise Business include:

• Mid-market rate: Get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees on international transfers

• Global Account: Send money to countries and hold balances in multiple currencies, all in one place. You can also get major currency account details for a one-off fee to receive overseas payments like a local

• Access to BatchTransfer: Pay up to 1000 invoices in one click. Save time, money, and stress when you make 1000 payments in one click with BatchTransfer payments. Access to BatchTransfer is free with a Wise Business account

• Auto-conversions: Don't like the current currency exchange rate? Set your desired rate, and Wise sends the transfer the moment the rate is met

• Free invoicing tool: Generate and send professional invoices

• No minimum balance requirements or monthly fees: US-based businesses can open an account for free. Learn more about fees here

About the author:
	Panna is an expert in business finance topics for the US, covering topics from invoicing to international expansion. She creates high-quality reviews on business finance tools and products with the aim to help businesses save time and make informed decisions. You can read more useful business articles on her author profile.

---

Sources:

¹Patriot Software
²Patriot Software Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of patriotsoftware.com
³Online Accounting Software | Easy to Use and Affordable Software
⁴Online Payroll for Small Business
⁵Patriot Software Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of patriotsoftware.com
⁶Trustpilot
⁷https://www.patriotsoftware.com/about/contact/
⁸Wave Accounting
⁹Payroll4Free.com

Sources checked February 2024.