PaymentEvolution

PaymentEvolution provides Canadian businesses with online payroll, payments and benefits management. It calculates payroll, pays employees by direct deposit, and calculates and submits payroll taxes. Tax calculations cover EI, CPP, QPP and income tax; the service can generate TD1, T4, T4A, ROE and RL-1 documents. Employees can use PayChequer to access pay information and tax documents or update their own details. TimeTracker records employee hours and integrates with payroll. Listed accounting integrations include Kashoo, FreshBooks, Sage Business Cloud Accounting, QuickBooks Desktop and Online, Software4Nonprofits, and Xero. The cloud-based service requires no downloads. Growth is $0.00 per month, plus $4.00 per employee per pay run and a $55 one-time setup fee, for up to 3 employees. Business Basic is $30.00 per month, plus $3.00 per employee per pay run and the setup fee; Business Plus is $75.00 per month, plus $2.50 per employee per pay run and the setup fee. The payroll API supports custom calculations and integrations, with prepaid bundles starting at 1,000 calculations per month for $500.

PaymentEvolution combines payroll, employee self-service, time tracking and accounting integrations for Canadian businesses. Compare the plan fees and employee limits, and note that the payroll API has a separate prepaid bundle minimum.

It suits Canadian businesses running payroll for their own employees, with plans sized for up to 3, 25 or 300 employees. Advisors managing client payroll are directed to Evolv.

PaymentEvolution is a payroll and payments service for Canadian employers, with tools for employees and payroll-linked time tracking. It suits businesses that want payroll and Canadian tax administration together; its per-employee, per-run fees make the free monthly tier a limited starting point rather than a zero-cost payroll option.

The main trade-off is clear: it brings payroll, tax work, employee access, and accounting connections into one cloud service, but recurring run fees and a setup charge add up alongside the monthly plan price.

Overview

PaymentEvolution calculates payroll, pays employees by direct deposit, and supports tax filing, tax payments, and reconciliation. It calculates EI, CPP, QPP, and income tax, and can prepare TD1, T4, T4A, ROE, and RL-1 documents. That breadth makes it a sensible fit for Canadian employers managing regular payroll obligations; it is less compelling for a business that only needs occasional form filing.

Employees can use PayChequer to see pay information and tax documents and update their own details. TimeTracker adds employee time tracking integrated with payroll. Accounting connections include Kashoo, FreshBooks, Sage Business Cloud Accounting, QuickBooks Desktop and Online, Software4Nonprofits, and Xero, giving businesses several ways to connect payroll with existing bookkeeping workflows.

Key features

• Canadian payroll and tax handling: Payroll calculation, direct deposit, tax filing and payment, reconciliation, and year-end forms cover recurring employer tasks in one service.
• Employee self-service: PayChequer gives staff access to their pay and tax records and lets them update personal information, reducing reliance on administrators for routine changes.
• Payroll-linked time tracking: TimeTracker integrates tracked employee time with payroll, which is useful when hours feed into pay calculations.
• Payroll API: The web services API supports custom payroll calculations and integrations. Its prepaid minimum of 1,000 calculations per month for $500 is a substantial commitment, so it is best suited to organizations with a real integration or calculation volume requirement.
• Security and data location: The Trust Center states that data is encrypted in transit with TLS 1.3 and at rest with AES-256, user accounts require multi-factor authentication, and the service lists SOC 2 Type II certification, ISO 27001 infrastructure, and Canadian data residency.

Pricing

Growth is free, billed $0/month, with a $4.00 per employee per pay run, a $55 one-time setup fee, and a limit of up to 3 employees. It includes email support only. The lack of a monthly minimum makes it the lowest-commitment option for a very small employer, but pay-run charges and setup mean it is not free to start or operate.

Business Basic is $30 a month, billed $30 minimum/month, plus $3.00 per employee per pay run and the same $55 one-time setup fee. It supports up to 25 employees and includes phone and email support. This is the more practical tier for a small employer that needs more than three seats and access to phone support, though the minimum monthly charge sits on top of processing fees.

Business Plus is $75 a month, billed $75 minimum/month, plus $2.50 per employee per pay run and the $55 one-time setup fee. Its limit of up to 300 employees and priority support access make it the plan for larger payrolls; the lower per-employee run rate offsets some of the higher base price as payroll volume grows.

Enterprise has custom pricing for teams over 300 employees, with a plan built around payroll structure, integrations, and support needs. A 15-day trial is available. Growth, Business Basic, and Business Plus are for a single business processing its own employees; advisors handling client payroll are directed to Evolv.

Platforms

PaymentEvolution is offered on web, Android, and iOS, with an API for integrations. Its cloud-based service requires no downloads.

Who it's for

This is a strong fit for Canadian employers that run payroll regularly, want tax calculations and filings alongside payroll, and value employee access to pay documents. The tier structure gives small businesses a low monthly entry point and larger employers a path up to 300 employees. Businesses with only occasional filing needs, or those unwilling to pay recurring per-run fees, should compare narrower or differently priced services.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Payroll, direct deposit, Canadian tax handling, reconciliation, and year-end forms sit together, which suits employers seeking one recurring payroll workflow.
• Pro: PayChequer and TimeTracker extend the service beyond payroll processing with employee self-service and integrated time tracking.
• Pro: The listed accounting connections cover several commonly used accounting products, including QuickBooks and Xero.
• Con: Every listed business plan has a $55 one-time setup fee and per-employee pay-run charges, including Growth.
• Con: Growth is capped at three employees and provides email support only; moving to a larger tier adds a monthly minimum.
• Con: The API's $500 prepaid minimum for 1,000 monthly calculations may be too large a commitment for low-volume integration needs.

Alternatives

For a focused comparison of payroll tax tools, see Payroll Tax Software. TaxZerone is worth considering when the task is specifically W-9 requests or federal information-return filing: it has a free W-9 option and charges $2.49 per form for 1 to 25 forms, rather than positioning itself around the payroll workflow described above.

TaxBandits is another tax-oriented option, with a free plan and a Basic tier at $19 a month that advertises unlimited pay runs and no employee fee. Choose it for that stated pricing structure if avoiding per-employee payroll fees matters more than PaymentEvolution's specified Canadian payroll and tax coverage. ADP Workforce Now is an alternative for readers comparing an all-in-one payroll and HR suite; its Select plan combines payroll and HR, while Plus adds benefits administration.

Auris Tax Compliance offers another tax-compliance route, with an Essentials tier for one employee and higher tiers adding hiring and HR capabilities. Wagepoint may suit employers who prefer a fixed monthly plan: Solo is $204 a month for one payroll run monthly and one pay group, while Unlimited is $406 a month for unlimited monthly pay runs. KLARA is a paid alternative with Business Basic at 48 CHF a month on a two-year term, paid annually, and a maximum of three admin users.

Perk Payroll is another paid alternative. Yearli is a better match to readers seeking forms and filings rather than a full recurring payroll workflow: its free Core tier starts with W-2 and 1099 forms and quarterly filing, with annual subscription and filing fees.

Verdict

Canadian businesses that need ongoing payroll, tax administration, employee self-service, and accounting connections should put PaymentEvolution on their shortlist. Its clearest advantage is bringing those employer and employee workflows together with plans spanning up to 300 employees; its clearest drawback is that payroll run fees and setup charges accompany even the free monthly tier. Choose it for integrated Canadian payroll operations, and look elsewhere if your need is occasional tax filing or predictable payroll costs without per-run charges.