8.2
SpotScore
CheckMark Payroll Review: Is It The Right Payroll Software For Your Team?
Best for SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise
Free Trial Available
SOC 2Starts from $449
Overview
Pricing
Features
Buyer feedback
Alternatives
Media
Security & Compliance
Support
FAQ
Blogs
What is CheckMark Payroll?
CheckMark Payroll is a desktop payroll application for small business owners who want to run payroll in-house without outsourcing. It handles check printing, W-2 generation, and federal tax reports directly from the user's printer, removing the need for a payroll service bureau. The software runs locally without cloud access, making it a poor fit for remote or distributed payroll teams.
Pricing
Free Trial available
Best For
Suited for solo users, small teams, SMBs, and enterprise
Security & Compliance
SOC 2CheckMark Payroll Software Demo
CheckMark Payroll was reviewed internally using user feedback, in-house testing, and market research to assess its performance, reliability, and user experience. Learn how we review products and our evaluation process.
Who should consider CheckMark Payroll
- Team types
- Large Enterprises, Medium Business
Why teams choose CheckMark Payroll
Multiple check printing options enhance flexibility.
User-friendly interface simplifies payroll tasks.
Affordable pricing makes it accessible for SMBs.
Is CheckMark Payroll right for you?
What buyers should know before shortlisting CheckMark Payroll
CheckMark Payroll is a solid and straightforward payroll solution that’s helped me take full control of payroll processing without the cost or complexity of outsourced services. I especially appreciate the flexible check printing and in-house report generation, which gives me everything I need for tax filing and employee payments.
The interface is no-frills but functional, and while it lacks cloud access and advanced HR tools, it more than makes up for that with reliability and affordability. For small businesses that want an efficient and cost-effective payroll system, CheckMark delivers exactly what’s needed—no fluff, just function.
CheckMark Payroll pros and cons
- CheckMark Payroll pros
Multiple check printing options enhance flexibility.
User-friendly interface simplifies payroll tasks.
Affordable pricing makes it accessible for SMBs.
- CheckMark Payroll cons
Limited online features may hinder some users.
Basic customer support may not meet all needs.
Ready to try it?
Get started with CheckMark Payroll
Start your free trial — no credit card required.
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See how it stacks up
Compare CheckMark Payroll side-by-side with top Payroll Software alternatives.
What is the pricing of CheckMark Payroll?
CheckMark Payroll Pricing Plans
CheckMark Payroll Pro +
All software features included
Up to 300 mins of support within 12 months
Exclusive Pro+ toll-free phone number
Top-of-the-queue priority
Reduced data recovery rates
Show more +
CheckMark Payroll Pro
All software features included
Up to 90 mins within 12 months
Online access to program fixes
Weighing your options?
Not sure if CheckMark Payroll fits your budget?
CheckMark Payroll reviews and ratings
Buyer sentiment
Buyer sentiment is positive across 6 reviews, with strong overall satisfaction.
What buyers like
- Offers multiple check printing formats so businesses can customize how employee paychecks are printed.
- The ability to print paychecks, reports, and federal tax forms directly from your own printer gives businesses full control over payroll operations without relying on third parties.
- Reduces the administrative burden of payroll processing, making it suited for small to mid-sized businesses.
Common complaints
- The product focuses primarily on check printing and payroll processing, and may not include broader HR functionalities like onboarding, time tracking, or benefits administration.
- Some functions, such as data entry or record updates, may require manual intervention, which can be time-consuming and prone to user error.
- The product description suggests a desktop-based system, which may lack modern cloud features like remote access, automatic updates, or mobile support.
Are you using CheckMark Payroll?
What users are saying
JD
julie d
11/14/23
"CheckMark Payroll is great"
What do you like best about CheckMark Payroll? My team was pleased with the ease of use of the CheckMark platform. It is nice to know it automatically ...
Read more
AF
Amanda F
08/29/23
"Payroll made easy on the cloud"
What do you like best about CheckMark Payroll? It's very user friendly and you can do it anywhere. You don't have to be tied to a physical ...
Read more
SK
Stanley K
08/22/19
"An excellent payroll software."
What do you like best about CheckMark Payroll? I like how this software is user friendly, its ability to set it up, one can also manage accounts and ...
Read more
AU
Anonymous User
06/25/18
"Its a good software for small business like ours"
What do you like best about CheckMark Payroll? There is no monthly or recurring fee , I can do payroll for my employees daily, weekly , or semi ...
Read more
SL
Steven L
11/21/17
"Best Payroll Software !!!"
What do you like best about CheckMark Payroll? From downloading the trial to onboarding, everything went fantastic, smooth and seamless. Moving from ...
Read more
EC
Edison C
11/13/17
"CheckMark Payroll helping me to stay Compliant"
What do you like best about CheckMark Payroll? After using several different payroll companies over the decade, we finally settled on CheckMark ...
Read more
- See if CheckMark Payroll fits your business
- Real pricing — no sales pressure
- A demo or quick answers, your call
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We tailor recommendations to companies your size.
What are the features of CheckMark Payroll?
401(k) tracking is a vital feature in software that helps individuals and organizations keep track of their retirement savings. It allows us…
The word "attendance tracking" usually refers to employees being assigned to a certain "location" – an employee arrives at a location to acc…
Check writing used to be done by hand in the old days. Today, there is a digital solution for everything, and check printing software is tha…
Deductions management is a software feature that helps businesses manage and track various types of deductions, such as discounts, rebates,…
The electronic deposit of funds into a bank account instead of a physical paper check is referred to as a direct deposit. It necessitates th…
Employee leave patterns are essential to monitoring the amount of paid leave, sick leave, and holiday trends within your company. Because au…
A tax is a governmental mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on a taxpayer to fund certain public expenses. The taxation system is cri…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses Form W-2 (formally, the "Wage and Tax Statement") to report salaries given to employees and taxes wi…
CheckMark Payroll security and data handling
Key compliance certifications and security features for IT and security teams evaluating CheckMark Payroll.
Certifications
Security features
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CheckMark Payroll Support Options
Frequently Asked Questions About CheckMark Payroll
Common questions buyers ask before choosing CheckMark Payroll.
CheckMark Payroll is a Payroll Software. CheckMark Payroll offers W-2 Preparation, Leave Tracking (Vacation), Direct Deposit, Deductions Management, Check Printing and many more functionalities.
Buyers commonly note the following limitations of CheckMark Payroll: Limited online features may hinder some users.; Basic customer support may not meet all needs..
Some top alternatives to CheckMark Payroll includes Patriot Payroll, Paychex Flex, Paycor, Freshbooks and Paymate.
CheckMark Payroll offers Free Trial, Subscription pricing models
The starting price of CheckMark Payroll is $449
Free buyer scorecard
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A weighted payroll software scorecard to assess CheckMark Payroll objectively and compare it against the alternatives.
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About the reviewer
Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas. Over the past two years, he has reviewed 2,000+ tools across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — applying hands-on product research and a background in commerce and the CFA program to evaluate software through a business and ROI lens. His goal: help teams make software decisions they won't regret.
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Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].
