Payroll Services
Payroll that runs itself — accurately, on time, every cycle.
Tax filing, direct deposit, multi-state compliance, and year-end forms, handled by a team that treats your payroll like it's the only one they run.
The problem
Payroll mistakes don't stay small.
A missed filing deadline or a misclassified worker turns into penalties, back pay, and a conversation with an employee who didn't get paid correctly. Most in-house payroll runs on borrowed time between other priorities.
What’s included
Everything under this service.
- Multi-State Payroll Processing
- Wages calculated and paid correctly across every state you operate in, with the right withholding for each.
- Tax Filing & Deposits
- Federal, state, and local payroll taxes calculated, filed, and deposited on schedule.
- Direct Deposit & Pay Cards
- Employees paid via direct deposit or pay card, with self-service access to stubs and history.
- New Hire Reporting
- State new-hire reporting filed automatically within required deadlines.
- Wage Garnishment Processing
- Court-ordered garnishments calculated, withheld, and remitted correctly.
- Year-End W-2 & 1099 Preparation
- Year-end forms generated, verified against filings, and delivered before deadline.
Who it’s for
Is this a fit for your business?
| Client profile | Their situation | How Onyx fits |
|---|---|---|
| Single-state business, 10–50 employees | Running payroll manually in spreadsheets or a basic tool, worried about a mistake. | Full processing and filing handled end to end, with a dedicated contact instead of a ticket queue. |
| Multi-state employer | Expanded into new states and isn't sure of registration or withholding rules. | Registration, withholding, and reporting set up correctly in every new state before the first paycheck. |
| Growing company outgrowing its current provider | Payroll vendor is fine for basics but can't handle a recent complexity — garnishments, multi-state, a contractor mix. | Handles the edge cases a generic platform pushes back to the client to figure out. |
| Company that just had a bad filing experience | A missed deadline or filing error created a penalty or an unhappy employee. | Audit-ready recordkeeping and a dedicated team accountable for every filing. |
How it works
Our process.
- 01
Tax filing, handled end to end
Federal, state, and local payroll tax filings are calculated, filed, and paid on your behalf — with a paper trail if anyone ever asks.
- 02
Direct deposit that lands on time
Employees are paid on schedule via direct deposit or pay card, with pay stubs and history available to them directly.
- 03
W-2s and 1099s, done right the first time
Year-end forms are generated, verified against filings all year, and delivered to employees and contractors before deadline.
- 04
Multi-state, without the guesswork
Employees working across state lines are registered, taxed, and reported correctly in every jurisdiction you operate in.
Compliance & operations
The concrete details.
| Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| States covered | All 50 states — registration and filing handled as you expand. |
| Filing types | Federal 941/940, state unemployment and withholding, and local taxes where applicable. |
| Pay formats | Direct deposit, pay cards, and physical checks. |
| Recordkeeping | Every filing and payment retained and retrievable for audit purposes. |
| Year-end forms | W-2 and 1099 preparation and delivery, verified against filings made all year. |
Onyx vs. doing it yourself
What actually changes.
| Criterion | DIY / generic vendor | Onyx |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-state tax setup | Manual research per state, easy to miss a requirement. | Registered and filed correctly in every state automatically. |
| Filing deadlines | Tracked manually, at risk when someone's out or busy. | Tracked and filed by a dedicated team as a full-time job. |
| Garnishment handling | Calculated by hand — a common source of errors. | Calculated and remitted correctly, every cycle. |
| Year-end forms | Assembled under deadline pressure in December and January. | Verified against filings all year, ready before deadline. |
| Employee questions | Routed to whoever in the office handles HR. | Employees get self-service access plus a real point of contact. |
| Audit readiness | Records scattered across spreadsheets and email. | Documented and retrievable for every filing and payment. |
20+
States served
<1%
Filing error rate
2 weeks
Typical onboarding time for a new client
Same-day
Response time for payroll issues
FAQs
Common questions.
How long does it take to switch payroll providers?
Most clients are fully onboarded within two weeks, including historical data transfer and first payroll run verification.
Do you handle multi-state payroll?
Yes — registration, withholding, and reporting are set up correctly in every state you operate in, including as you expand.
What happens if a filing deadline is missed?
It isn't — filings are tracked and completed by a dedicated team, not squeezed in between other responsibilities. If an error ever occurs on our end, we handle the correction and any associated penalty.
Can employees access their own pay stubs and W-2s?
Yes, through a self-service portal, without needing to go through HR for every request.
Do you support pay cards for unbanked employees?
Yes, alongside direct deposit and physical checks.
What if we have contractors as well as employees?
1099 contractors are handled alongside W-2 employees in the same run, with correct year-end forms for each.