
Vendor:
Founded:
Headquarters:
Zenefits
2013
San Francisco, CA
Customers:
Deployment Model:
Free Trial:
10,000+
Cloud
Yes
Zenefits At A Glance
Product Overview
Zenefits is an all-encompassing, cloud-based HR suite that improves efficiency by automating key tasks related to payroll, benefits, performance, compliance and more. This review will focus on the features and benefits of Zenefits’ payroll system. For more information about Zenefits’ full HR functionality, read our Zenefits HRMS Review.
Zenefits’ payroll system connects to all your HR solutions. The system automatically syncs any changes you make while managing employee information to reduce errors in critical payroll and tax documents.
Zenefits’ payroll is optional for users on the Essentials and Growth pricing plans, while it’s included in the Zen plan.
Features
Zenefits automates its payroll features so the software can practically run on its own. This allows your team to focus more on performance instead of correcting errors or making tedious calculations.
Some of Zenefits’ key payroll features include:
- Automatic Pay Runs – Figure out the best payroll schedule for your company, and Zenefits will automatically run it for you.
- Automatic Tax Filings – For no additional cost, Zenefits can process your W-2s and file your taxes in all 50 states.
- Automatic On/Off Boarding – Zenefits will automatically add a new hire’s data to payroll and calculate all deductions. Zenefits will also prorate the person’s first and last pay checks with your company.
- Automatic Upkeep – Payroll is integrated with all of your Zenefits solutions, so any updates and changes made to employee information are automatically synced.
Zenefits also has features that give you and your employees full visibility for payroll functions, allowing you to better understand when and why updates or changes were made. Those are:
- Payroll Timeline – A complete visual history of the events that change payroll ( like start date, life changing event, etc.), which help employers answer employees’ questions.
- Smart Stubs – To help employees understand their paychecks better, this breaks them down into a clearer format.
- Easy Comp – Easily collaborate with your team to coordinate bonuses and commissions for each employee on a single-platform dashboard.
- Pay Preview – Preview and manage a paycheck before the pay run to make sure everything’s correct. You’re able to edit ledgers, dig deeper into deductions and more with this overview tool.
Target Market
Zenefits has helped over 10,000 HR departments become more efficient, and it has a customer base ranging from start-up to mid-sized organizations in many industries, such as healthcare, IT and retail. We’ve listed 10 of its customers below.
- Agency EA
- Coney Island Prep
- Fireclay Tiles
- Goals for Autism
- Impact
- Lensrentals
- MeUndies
- Narvar
- Strada
- Ylabs
Download Now: The Payroll Software Buyer's Guide

Implementation/Integration
Prospects can sign up for a demo account and Zenefits’s support team will work with companies one on one to start the implementation process.
Each company is assigned a support representative as a main contact. The company will continue to work with that representative from the initial set-up process to launch and training to periodic software/account maintenance.
Customer Service & Support
Zenefits offers various support options to fit a customer’s needs via its online Help Center, which includes guidance on various topics and phone support.
If a company chooses to manage its benefits through Zenefits, a benefits representative will be assigned to the company for a consistent point of contact.
Pricing
The payroll feature is an add-on that costs $6 per employee, per month. As noted above, it’s included in the Zen plan. For more info on Zenefits’s base plans, please refer to our HRMS review.

How Much Does Payroll Software Cost?
Download our free report to compare pricing on 5 popular Payroll Solutions including Gusto, Zenefits, and Patriot Software.Download NowShortcomings
Zenefits is a growing company that recognizes its software limitations, and it’s diligently working to expand its features. Once bugs are found in the software, the support team quickly sets to work to fix the issues.
That said, some customers reported that their assigned representatives were difficult to reach during implementation, resulting in missed deadlines for insurance open enrollment. Other customers mentioned that Zenefits’ initial implementation support was good, but representatives became distant after launch.
Screenshots
About
Co-founded by Parker Conrad and Laks Srini in 2013, Zenefits has been dubbed as one of the fastest SaaS start-ups in Silicon Valley.
With its “hub and spoke” business model, Zenefits offers an online dashboard, including all the bells and whistles to alleviate HR headaches. In 2017, it pivoted from being a digital broker to partnering with leading brokers who use its HR platform, and in 2018, it began offering advanced HR features.
Zenefits is headquartered in San Francisco, and has additional offices in Tempe (AZ), Charlotte (NC) and Vancouver (British Columbia). As of February 2022, it has been acquired by TriNet.
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