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The good, the bad, and the ugly - discover what customers are saying about Paychex

Welcome to our customer reviews and complaints page for Paychex. We understand that making informed decisions about where to invest your time and money can be challenging, which is why we've created this platform for our community to share their honest feedback about their experiences with Paychex.

On this page, you'll find a comprehensive collection of reviews and complaints from real customers who have used Paychex's products or services. Our reviews are authentic and unbiased, providing you with a complete picture of the company, its products or services, and their customer service.

Whether you're considering doing business with Paychex, or you've already had an experience with them, our community's reviews and complaints will give you a valuable perspective on what to expect. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about where to invest your time and money, and we hope that our platform will be a valuable resource for you.

Please feel free to browse our reviews and complaints and share your own experience with Paychex. Your feedback is an important part of our community and will help others make informed decisions.

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3:39 pm EDT
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My company uses Paychex for payroll and benefits. I have a Benefits account with Paychex where they keep some of my money untaxed, so that I can use it for paying health costs when they arise. It is supposed to be as simple as filing a receipt with them and getting my money reimbursed. However, it is never that simple. Paychex makes it almost not worth it...

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11:41 am EST
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Paychex is by far the worst payroll service I have ever worked with. Their customer service is horrific and everyone in the company blames their shortfalls on another department. They overcharged us for years and took advantage of our needs. When we went to cancel all services with Paychex they made it months' worth of work and nothing was ever done correct...

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12:53 pm EST
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On December 1st 2022, I file for a separation form and asked them to refund the fees of $69.26, $11.93, and $97.17. The patrol specialist Jessica Funk stated that the money will be credited back to my account by the end of December and nothing. I am getting the run around and not being properly addressed. The service was not needed because JAW...

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8:46 pm EST
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I was sold the HR package in August, primarily for the 401k feature. My service started the beginning of September and I finally was in contact with the 401k specialist two weeks later. I was told by her that they couldn't help me with the 401k feature because my corporation required a "boutique" financial company. I contacted my 24/7 HR contact and she...

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N
12:30 pm EDT
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Paychex lured us into to 401k "retirement service" — now we learned that in reality is just a notorious money stealing system with extraordinary service fees - we are trying for 2 months to cancel this service and get the contribution back — NO RESULTS! Paychex : Paychex 2.1 37 Google reviews Payroll service in Chicago, Illinois Address: 230 W Monroe...

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D
3:15 pm EST

Paychex 401k

Paycheck sold us a bill of back goods. We are a small business wanted to encompass our 401k in the services they provided. We thought we had signed up with a reputable company as well as who supported the plan. That was the farthest from the truth.

The provider contacted us and made the initial meeting to inform everyone that the plan was ready so trusting the vendors, some signed up.

The surprise came when Paychex held the contributions on 2/11/2022 and stated the account was not ready, They stated it would be another week, then the next pay period came around 2/25/2022 they held more contributions.

It will not be a 1 month shortly, and the employees still do not have any contributions in any account. The excuse they use is it takes time...unfortunately this is not legal. I am forced to seek help from the Department of Labor or an ERISA attorney. I would defiantly recommend that you do not trust Paychex. Maybe the 401k consultants are weak links...

Desired outcome: Get the employees the money they have they have potentially lost at this time, be in compliance. Run your business ethically

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Mad Chris M
Loveland, US
Nov 08, 2022 8:34 pm EST
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I was sold the HR package in August, primarily for the 401k feature. My service started September 1 and I finally was in contact with the 401k specialist two weeks later. I was told by her that they couldn't help me with the 401k feature because my corporation required a "boutique" financial company. I contacted my 24/7 HR contact and she returned my call the following week. She informed me she would contact the sales people who worked with me, and get back to me. Another week goes by... Now it is October and my HR, PEO, & Payroll Solutions Consultant is out of the office so after complaining enough i am sent to his backup/peer. She tells me that day is my 30 day notification to end services. After explaining why that was unacceptable, she agreed to end services immediately. The charges continued... I want to be refunded fully since Paychex couldn't provide the service they sold me!

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T
5:59 pm EDT
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Paychex Service fee charges after services were cancelled

We cancelled our payroll services in December 2020. Paychex did NOT cancel all the related services like time & attendance etc. and demand that we call around to different departments to cancel all the related services individually. As a small organization, this is not something we should have to go through. They keep charging us hundreds of dollars a month. The predatory behavior from Paychex should have consequences for their ratings.

Good business ethics would have dictated Paychex to send us all the relevant forms to cancel all the related services. They did not. They just keep charging us and hide behind their organizational structure. Very, very poor practices!

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6:01 am EDT

Paychex Failure to deliver w2s by january 31, 2020

Paychex did not deliver W2s by January 31, 2020. They claim the envelope was left at someone's door. They can't tell me what door or when. Personnel are concerned about their personal information being in the hands of wrong doers. We requested Paychex to provide Identity Theft Protection for affected persons but have received no satisfaction. The is a violation of protecting personal information. The information should have been sent out requiring a signature and it was not.

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10:10 am EDT
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Paychex Workers' Comp

I wish I came to this complaint board before ever signing on with Paychex. I only used them for six months and it was a disaster. The actual fees turned out to be four times what they actually quoted me. That could be ok if I was paying for premium service, but it was anything but. I am holding a $24, 000 fine letter from the Workers' Comp board because Paychex never handled this for me. When I received the letter I called Paychex, but I could never get a live person. I left multiple voice mails and no one ever called me back. I was to navigate this Workers' Comp problem on my own. It was absolutely horrible. Don't go anywhere near them.

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4:50 pm EDT
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If it was possible to give this company less than one star I would. My paycheck has been late on more than one occasion (causing the payment of basic bills to be an issue. They say that the mail looses their envelopes (so the blame is never on them) which is a ridiculous attempt passing the buck and when I call to enquire about where my paycheck is, they...

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5:55 pm EST
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Paychex Paycex Scam..Stay away from them!

Paychex sold me by telling me they cost more because they are the best payroll around..They are not ..They are the wors tif you ask me.

You sit on phone for hours..you have to repeat your problem over and over..They never get you on the first ring.. You listen to music ..then

leave a message. WHen you get a rep..they tell you, you are not talking to the right rep.. They pass you to someone else and you have to

start all over again. It's not worth all the hastle. .Don't believe them when they say they are the best company.. Stay away from Paychex.

IF you don't have 5000 or more employees you don't want to get in with the larger payroll providers..and definitely not paychex..I have

nightmares remember my experience with them!

Visit this link for my friends testimonial!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vU4XuddhTo

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Business owner 123
Highland, US
Nov 20, 2013 6:26 pm EST

I used Paychex for my small business needs, switched to ADP and I couldn't be more happy. I am saving over $200 a month in payroll fees alone! I also use ADP for my workers comp, health insurance and 401k. Please, any business owner, CPA or Accountant... Contact Melody, my ADP representative, it was the best decision I ever made as a business owner. Her email is Melody.Spoelstra@adp.com

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tigre016
US
Dec 21, 2011 12:48 am EST
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DO NOT USE PAYCHEX. They do not care about anyone but themselves. i cancelled my payroll service 2 months ago and til this day i am still getting debits out of my acct and in return i am getting charged fees that i am not responsible for. When i called paychex they pretty much told me its not their problem. I tried to cancel a payroll activity 4 days before it was suppose to come out and they said no they cant because its already been processed? they are horrible and i will never go back to them again. i filed a complaint with BBB as well.

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Cuzzone
Norwalk, US
Jan 25, 2011 2:41 pm EST

If your company is looking for a PEO, be very careful, do your homework, shop around and make sure you ask the salesperson the right questions. Also, be sure to check the company’s record of lawsuits. The number 2 PEO in the business has had many lawsuits and class action suits against it, and just settled a 32 million dollar lawsuit in March 2010.

After using the number 2 rated payroll company for 15 years, we switched to their PEO and that mistake ended up costing our company a great deal of money. When our health care renewal rate went up 26%, the payroll company told us that by going with their PEO platform we could save $42, 000 in health insurance costs. This company, which was voted most ethical, cost our company dearly because of many hidden cost were never disclosed to us.

Under a PEO, the owners of the company and their employees become employees of the PEO. Therefore the company cannot carry an independent Worker’s Comp policy since the company is no longer the employer. Of course they told us that they have better pricing as a larger company. What was not disclosed was the fact that owners of a company can either waive their Worker’s Comp or cap it at $67, 000, saving the company money. When our company realized that under the PEO we were not eligible for the cap, our salesman lied to us and said, “many of his clients hold their own policies.” We were subsequently told by our insurance underwriter that under no circumstances could we hold a Work Comp policy under a PEO. When we confronted the PEO with this fact, they were ready to switch us to another platform, not a PEO, in order for us to hold our own policy. When they first presented the PEO package to us they never asked us how many partners were in our company. Their stupidity cost us a great deal of money. When I spoke to the Worker’s Comp person in their NYS office, I was told, “wow you know a lot about Worker’s Comp. How come this PEO didn’t advise you of this when they were enrolling you?” I can just imagine how many other companies are losing money under the PEOs Worker’s Comp policies.

Our $42, 000 health care savings was based on what they said was the advantage of a larger company’s better pricing on health care. At the time we were faced with a 26% increase using our own broker. We actually could have found a better policy with our own broker, and when the PEO’s health insurance policy was up for renewal in Dec 2010, it was a 90% increase! Since the PEO was out of New York State, the State of CT had no control over such an obscene increase in premiums. I subsequently found out that the State of CT can control health care rate increases for small companies

Start up fees and monthly administrative cost were at least 15% higher than what we paid using only their payroll services. Although they claim that they provide HR support, let me say that you would be better off hiring a HR employee rather than paying the PEO.

Our biggest loss occurred with employer payroll taxes, CT and Federal unemployment taxes. By starting our company in the middle of the year, we were now new employees of the PEO and our tax base started at zero. They never asked how many employees earned over $106, 800, where social security taxes are capped. Our employees were told they would get their individual overpayment in SS taxes back, but failed to tell the partners that they were still responsible for the employer tax. Tens of thousands of dollars were lost here. The sales person never fully disclosed these overpayments to us. We cannot get refunded for the overpayment in Federal unemployment taxes but only when I found out from my accountant that I can file for reimbursement for the CT SUI did I confront the PEO. They told me they would walk me through the process of filing. I told them that since I pay over a thousand dollars on administrative fees, they should do it for us!

The salesman for the PEO was either ignorant of all of these facts or needed to meet his quota of new clients. We were naïve about asking the right questions, but the PEO never disclosed all of the potential hidden losses that could possibly occur by using this platform.

We lost as much money as they said we would save in health insurance premiums, in employer payroll taxes, Worker’s Comp, set-up fees and administrative cost. In the long run it would have been more cost effective for us to stay with what we had rather than switching to the PEO. However, when offered a $42, 000 savings in health premiums, we jumped on the PEO bandwagon. That was a grave mistake. Be very careful if you are considering a PEO and do your research, and have all costs and potential savings spelled out in writing. Otherwise a switch could cost your company much more money that will be saved. The moral of this story…caveat emptor!

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usagaboca
Miami Beach, US
May 31, 2010 5:47 am EDT
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Do not use Gina Frenano PR company. Gina is the scam artist

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usagaboca
Miami Beach, US
May 31, 2010 5:47 am EDT
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Do not use Paychex.The company management is very bad.Special the risk management guy.Hes former police officer.This guy cant communicate.His trething peoples in the company.He tell you way he make lots of money.HIs a [censor] guy. Do not use paychecx.

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V
9:24 am EDT
Resolved
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Paychex Scam charges and terrible customer service!

I was in Orlando, FL recently and I had my card stolen on March 7th, 2008. I quickly called and was told that there had been a charge of $936 dollars to my account already. I was furious. I asked what they could do and they told me NOTHING until the charge had settle. I said okay well then can I get a dispute form. They said that they would email me one and that it would take 24-48 hours for an E-MAIL to get sent to me. I waited for the dispute form to come by e-mail. Quickly filled it in and faxed it in as instructed. I was told that I had to return it within 10 business days.

After not receiving my replacement card for two weeks I called in and was informed that they hadn't set the card out yet. I asked why and they were unsure. They asked for my current address and it was different from the one that they had one file so I asked them what I needed to do in order to get my address updated. This was on March 17th, 2008. They said I need to fax my liscense and a copy of a utility bill. I said okay and quickly faxed in my change of address and the dispute form AGAIN. I called by the next day. Still nothing. Faxed everything in again. This went on til March 21st, 2008.

I called and I flipped. I told them that I was going to get off the phone that I wasn't going to wait and have them call me back. They were going to give me a new fax number and I would fax it again and they would make the changes while I was on the phone. FINALLY they did. They told me that I would have my card in 5-7 Business days.

On March 26th, 2008 I called AGAIN to find out the status on my card and to see when I could expect to see it. Alittle early I know but considering the recent events I figured I will get any problem taken care of early. They told me that they hadn't received my dispute form yet and that they didn't know what was going on with my card. I tried to get the phone number of the company that I was faxing it to as they were based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I was told that they don't have a phone number? Interesting. I was also told to fax it to them again.

Same story on March 27th, 2008.

Same story on March 28th, 2008 expect this time I was told that the card was mailed on March 26th and I should expect it in 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS!

I have a very strange feeling that my dispute form is never going to be received and that I won't be getting my $936 dollars back. I have never been more frustrated. DON'T USE PAYCHEX ACCESS CARD.

They outsource EVERYTHING. Customer service is in India and they simply don't care. I called Paychex directly and my companies account manager is trying to do everything on his end but in all reality he is dealing with the same outsourced company that I have been dealing with for the past month. I doubt that he will get any further. Atleast he has the phone number to the same company that has that fax number!

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Shannon V
US
Aug 20, 2018 9:19 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was overcharged by more than double of what I signed a contract for with paychex. Not only did I get the run around and excuse after excuse but a week later and I still haven't been refunded. Paychex is by far the worst payroll service out there.

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Douglas G Wilson
Newport, US
Apr 15, 2011 8:42 pm EDT

Unauthorized electronic debit of account [protected]

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rgam
New York, US
Dec 01, 2010 5:56 am EST

This is my first time trying a national payroll provider, this one is Paychex; payroll services so far so good, although they charge us 105.00 for 6 employees for every payroll service. The main issu has been the 401K plan; only one employee enrolled, the charge us 62.oo dollars monthly to which we agree, but ripped off our bank account with $1500.00 that were never disclosed or authorize. Multiple phone calls have not resolve the matter yet, and this has been happening for the last 3 months.

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Gary Macherty
Pittsburgh, US
Aug 09, 2010 1:47 pm EDT

We have tried all of the national payroll providers ADP, Paychex, etc. and they just do not seem to work for small businesses. We have about 30 employees and we use and payroll company from Pittsburgh. The company charges us $90 each pay period and that is all inclusive. They don't charge for mailing, check writing, direct deposit, or anything else. Our fee is the same each month and it includes all taxes. Their website is www.beancountersonline.com I feel the pain for the business owners that currently use ADP or Paychex. They made a $1500 error and would not fix it and we ended up out $1500.

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manufacturer
Providence, US
Mar 05, 2010 2:57 pm EST

try a different payroll company like i did. i'm happy i did. they are in rhode island and i'm in detroit but they get it here. glad i switched. no headaches or scams. thank god. i told them i would tell everyone about them. 8 months and happy. try them.. KEVIN D CARTER CPA ACCOUNTING & PAYROLL SERVICES. [protected]

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Jane Smith
Province, US
Mar 16, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

They are located in the US - their headquarters is in Rochester, NY and none of their customer service is outsourced.
I know - because I used to work there.
I am so sorry for your troubles though.

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bRamirez
Portland, US
Dec 10, 2008 1:45 pm EST

My complaint is on the 401k dispursement. They had a hiccup and are treating me like it is my fault. Yet we called several times and the request somehow dissapeared. It is an automated system and this sometimes happens.
I have asked for a check immediately, but they do not have the funds, as they are tied up in the market.

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Vanessa
Oct 24, 2008 8:15 pm EDT

Hello,
I am sorry you had such a bad incident with Paychex. I am not the CEO or anything.
I would not use the Paychex Access Card.
I have never liked using an access card with any company though. You must have been set up in Florida by a bad hub. Sometimes people have no idea what they are doing. Here in Denver, everything is perfect. We would have had everything taken care of right away. I apologize for the inconvenience this caused you. But did you know, we could have set you up with direct deposit instead.
None of Paychex Customer Service is sent to India. The only location we have outside the US is in Germany, and that is an office.
Anytime you call Paychex, you are calling the office where your checks are made, locally. That is the only point I wanted to make.
Paychex was rated 51 on Forbes top 100 companies to work for last year. They must be located in the US...

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