Key Takeaways

• Rippling Payroll offers HR and payroll solutions for a global workforce.
• It offers one of the most comprehensive solutions available to small businesses.
• A large number of available third-party integrations makes it easy to automate and customize based on business needs.

Here’s how Rippling Payroll works, and how to decide if it is the right payroll solution for your small business. 

What Is Rippling Payroll?

Rippling is a comprehensive solution for small business owners looking to streamline their workforce management. It integrates HR, IT, and finance management into a unified global platform, making it simpler to manage various aspects of a business like payroll, expenses, benefits, and more in one place. 

What sets Rippling apart is its efficiency in onboarding processes, enabling businesses to quickly hire and pay employees anywhere in the world, as well as in all 50 states in the US.

It allows for the setup of payroll, corporate cards, computers, benefits, and integration with third-party apps such as Slack, Microsoft 365, Quickbooks Time, and more. 

Rippling Payroll provides a single, automated system to manage every aspect of the employee lifecycle, aiming to simplify business operations and enhance productivity.

Is Rippling Payroll Good for Small Businesses?

Rippling Payroll can be an excellent choice for small businesses, especially those with employees in multiple states or overseas, as well as those looking for integrated payroll and HR solutions. 

Rippling offers multiple services, and breaks them up into three clouds:

HR Cloud

Here, Rippling offers payroll management, HR management, and more. Employee management tools let you easily manage employee onboarding, employee changes, and offboarding when they leave. Benefits administration lets you manage employee benefits like health insurance, HSAs or retirement plans. 

The HR Cloud also includes full-service payroll to run payroll quickly—Rippling says pay runs can be completed in 90 seconds or less—and handle the myriad tasks involved such as tracking time off, payroll taxes, and more.  

There are plenty of add-ons available, depending on your company needs, including a learning management system for employee training and employee surveys.

IT Cloud

If you need to provide your new hires with IT equipment such as computers or employee-issued phones, Rippling can help with that too. It offers workflow automation to set up new employees quickly. Again, Rippling says they can be set up in 90 seconds or less. 

It can help with security and compliance needs, and keep HR and IT synced with ongoing device management. 

Finance Cloud

Here, your business can integrate HR and finance into a single system. Expenses management tools let you review and approve employee expenses. Get Rippling’s corporate card and issue them to employees, with what Rippling calls “hyper custom” policies to manage spending. 

Human resources features include:

• US payroll
• Global payroll
• Recruiting
• Compliance automation
• Benefits management
• Time & attendance tracking and approval
• Employee surveys
• Performance management tools
• Headcount planning and compensation bands

Payroll specific features include:

• Pay employees in their local currency
• Federal, state, and local tax filing
• W-2, W-4, 1099 and new hire filing
• Worker’s compensation
• Garnishments
• Employee reimbursements
• Time tracking
• Multiple pay rates
• Direct deposit or check
• Mobile app

It also offers expenses management features so you can approve expenses within Rippling. 

Analytics is another strong suit. You can create custom reports including PTO or compliance reports, for example, using employee data. 

Employee self-service options are available on Rippling’s mobile app. Employees can view pay stubs, request time off, manage expenses, and more. Employers can get alerts for PTO requests, or if an employee works unapproved hours, for example. 

How Much Does Rippling Cost?

Rippling pricing is not available on the Rippling website. While it states its payroll solution is designed for companies with 1-1000+ employees, you must submit a request for a custom quote to find out how much it will cost your company. You’ll then be invited to schedule a zoom call with an advisor to evaluate your company needs before a custom quote is offered. 

This makes it harder to casually comparison shop. 

What Do Rippling Payroll Reviews Say?

Rippling gets strong reviews from users on a variety of platforms. 

Trustpilot currently lists just over 1000 Rippling reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5. 

G2.com lists 2200 reviews with an average rating of five stars out of five stars. 

Rippling is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau where it has an A+ rating. However, the 7 complaints currently listed give it a 1-star rating out of 5 stars and mentioned customer service problems. 

Positive reviews often mention the variety of services available and how they help users save time on administrative tasks. Negative ratings often mention difficulty contacting customer support, or pricing that is more expensive than expected. 

How Does Rippling Compare to Alternatives

When it comes to payroll software, small businesses have many options. Rippling’s is one of the more comprehensive options, offering services beyond payroll to IT and expense management, as well as global HR support. It is also one of the few options to offer PEO or EOR options. (Learn more about those options in the FAQs below.) 

It’s not easy to compare Rippling to other alternatives cost-wise because a custom quote is required. You’ll want to think through what your business needs, get a quote, then use that to compare to other options. 

Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your business needs. You can compare Rippling to other popular payroll systems like Gusto, ADP, Paychex in our comprehensive payroll resources guide.

Hiring employees outside the US is a particularly thorny issue for many companies, but there can be compelling reasons why a business may need to hire globally. Rippling global payroll offers solutions that make it easier for businesses to hire in other countries, and to make sure they comply with local regulations, pay them in local currency and observe local holidays.

Nav’s Verdict

Rippling can be an excellent option for small businesses looking to payroll, HR and other tasks like employee IT and financial management, in a single solution. Businesses that use Rippling often experience significant time savings, which translates to financial savings as well. Reviewers often mention ease of use as a top benefit as well. 

Very small businesses— those with a few employees in just a few US locations— or startups may find they don’t yet need all the services offered. They may find other payroll solutions to fill their needs and cost less. 

But it can be worth getting a quote from Ripping to compare to other options you’re considering, especially if you expect to grow your business beyond a few employees or outside the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rippling process payroll?

Yes Rippling offers full-service payroll in all 50 states in the US, as well as globally.

Is Rippling Payroll a PEO? 

A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a firm that provides a comprehensive range of human resources services to businesses. The PEO enters into a co-employment arrangement with the business which means the PEO becomes the employer of record for tax purposes for the client’s employees. This arrangement allows the PEO to manage many aspects of human resources and employee administration. They also run payroll, and will often administer benefits as well.

Rippling PEO is available in all 50 states, and says it allows for easy transition on or off the PEO product without disrupting employee data or payroll data. 

Globally, Rippling can serve as the Employer of Record. This allows you to work with employees in other countries without setting up a business entity there.

Does Rippling have W2s?

Rippling will handle payroll tax filing and forms. It will automatically file your quarterly 941s, annual W-3s, new hire reporting, and state-specific tax forms. Your employees will be able to download their year-end W-2s directly from Rippling.

You can also generate 1099s for employees from the software. 

Which companies use Rippling?

The Rippling website features customer stories from a variety of companies, including Reserv, Sayari, Giveback, Avidon Health, Sitemate, Morning Consult, and others.