Payroll that pays off
Wave’s payroll software is the easy, more accurate way to pay employees, contractors, and yourself.
Simplified payroll software
Run payroll in minutes- No hidden fees
- Built for small business owners
Pay employees and contractors
Easily generate T4 and T4A slips and summaries for tax season.
Pay employees and contractors
Pay independent contractors and employees, and generate W2 and 1099 forms for tax season.
Tax payments and filings
Wave’s complete payroll tax service will automatically pay and file your state and federal payroll taxes.
Direct deposit
Deposit payments directly into your employees’ bank accounts. Less work for you, and your team will love it.
Automatic tax remittances
Save valuable time and get peace of mind by having Wave handle your Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax remittances on your behalf.
Automatic payroll journal entries
Wave’s payroll software is seamlessly connected with the rest of your Wave account to reduce the time you spend on manual bookkeeping.
Employee access
Your employees can log into Wave securely to access their pay stubs and T4s and manage their contact and banking information.
Easily switch from another payroll provider
When you switch from another payroll software, migrating your data is simple. Learn more about how you can switch to Wave.
Self-service pay stubs and tax forms
Employees can securely log in to access their pay stubs and W2s, and manage their contact and banking information.
Make managing payroll easy
Save time and stress with automated, more accurate payroll.
"Payroll can be tedious, but Wave makes it fast, reliable, and worry-free. It automates tasks like tax remittance, so I can focus on what I love about running my business without unexpected surprises."
Payroll pricing
No set-up fees or hidden charges.
100% payroll accuracy guaranteed
Unlimited free direct deposits
Automatic tax payments to the CRA
Pay yourself, employees, or contractors, hassle-free
Seamless integration with Wave's accounting software
Get the full picture of your cash flow with wage and tax payment reporting
Integrated employee portal for access to pay stubs, tax forms, and vacation leave
Full employee management with ROEs, top ups, benefit calculations, and more
Easily generate T4 and T4A slips and summaries
100% payroll accuracy guaranteed
Unlimited free direct deposits
As part of our tax services, Wave will automatically transfer tax payments* and file the paperwork with your state tax agency and the IRS (excluding 1099 filings)
*In rare cases, tax payments may not be able to be automatically transferred.Pay yourself, employees, or contractors, hassle-free
Seamless integration with Wave's accounting software
Get the full picture of your cash flow with wage and tax payment reporting
Integrated employee portal for access to pay stubs, W-2s, and vacation leave
Full employee management with ROEs, top ups, benefit calculations, and more
Easily generate W-2 and W-3 and 1099-NEC
See all small business payroll features
Run your payroll with ease and accuracy.
Make payments, record accounting entries, and file tax documents for your independent contractors.
Pay employees with one simple click every payday.
See a breakdown of your payroll expenses by employee, expense type, and more.
Employees get online access to pay stubs and tax forms, and can update their banking and contact details.
We consistently update our features to incorporate government relief programs and changes.
Generate W2 and 1099 forms without the hassle.
Save time with automatic tax filings and payments.
Track leave time and accruals required to process payroll.
Payroll automatically integrates with Wave’s accounting, invoicing, and online payments features to keep your records up-to-date.
Get a priority connection to our customer support team via live chat Monday-Friday.
Connect with our support team via email for prompt assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the 30-day free trial work?
Upon processing your first payroll, you can use Wave Payroll for up to 30 days, commitment-free. At any time, you can activate to start your billing cycle and gain access to items like tax filing and approving payrolls beyond the current month. See our full US terms here, and our full Canadian terms here.
What if I want to pause my payroll for a period of time?
You can deactivate your payroll account at any time by navigating to Settings > Billing > Deactivate.
When can I begin using small business payroll software?
You don't have to wait for a new quarter or year to start using payroll software—you can start running payroll at any time! And if you’re switching providers, you can make the transition easily by importing all the necessary forms and information in just a few minutes. Check out our handy support article to learn how you can switch to using Wave’s payroll feature.
What are the benefits of using small business payroll software?
Doing payroll manually involves confusing and time-consuming calculations. Not to mention the stress of worrying about making errors and winding up in a tax audit (yikes!).
Payroll software saves you time so you can focus on the best parts of running your business. And, in the long run, an online payroll software provider like Wave can save you a lot of money by reducing human error so you can avoid tax penalties (and who doesn’t love saving money?).
How do I run payroll for my small business?
We totally get it—running payroll for your small business can seem like a daunting task, especially when you've got so much on your plate. That's why a payroll software like Wave's can help ease the burden of doing payroll on your own. We've also crafted a guide to small business payroll to help you navigate the process.
Can I pay independent contractors with Wave's payroll software?
You sure can! Wave Payroll supports paying both employees and independent contractors when you run payroll. The proper tax forms—1099 in the US and T4-A in Canada—are also generated for you.
Why did the base price change for some US states?
Prior to April 2, 2025, our tax service was not available in all US states. The base rate was higher in "tax service states," because Wave automatically transferred tax payments and filed the necessary paperwork with the state tax office and/or the IRS.
Now, Wave offers our tax service in all 50 US states, meaning the pricing is the same for all states. The base price will not change for states who already had access to our tax service, and will increase for states that now have access to our tax service.
