Honest Review (2024)
Justworks

Automated payroll processing and simplified benefits management but limited payment options.

Written by Asim Qureshi
By Asim Qureshi, CEO Jibble

August 21st 2024

As a CEO of a time tracking software company I need to know what my competitors are up to. That means I’m often researching about and/or playing around with their products — you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of that research, giving credit to those competitors where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful…

This Review covers:

Overview

Justworks is an HR and payroll software that handles all HR-related tasks like employee benefits, payroll, and compliance.

With Justworks, you can automate your payroll processing, tax filings, and direct deposit, which means you won’t have to deal with the hassle of manual payments. Plus, it offers a range of employee benefits that are super easy to manage through the platform, like health, dental, vision, and 401(k) plans. And get this, Justworks even partners with top-rated insurance carriers to provide affordable and customizable benefits packages.

But wait, there’s more! Justworks also helps you stay compliant with federal and state employment laws by giving you access to HR experts, compliance tools, and online resources. And its time and attendance tracking feature allows employees to clock in and out and managers to approve time off requests, all in one place.

Justworks’ wide variety of features is quite impressive but its limited payment options are a domain where the software falls short. While it offers options like direct deposit and check-printing, important payment channels like payment cards and international wire transfers are missing. Also, not being able to add paystubs in the mobile app is also something that the software could improve on.

Screen showing upcoming payments and alerts for payroll procession

What Do Users Like About Justworks?

  • Multiple paid plans
  • Runs off-cycle payroll
  • Integrates with top accounting software
  • Self-serve employee portal
  • Extensive HR features

What Don’t Users Don’t Like About Justworks?

  • Limited payment options
  • Limited admin functionality in the mobile app
  • Employees cannot view their paystubs on the mobile app

What Pricing Plans Does Justworks Offer?

Justworks offers two pricing plans:

Basic: At a base fee of US$59/user/month, the Basic plan includes payroll, 24/7 support, self-serve onboarding, tax filing, access to workers’ comp insurance, 401(k) plans, and other perks.  

Plus: At a base fee of $99/user/month, the Plus plan includes all the services of the Basic plan and also includes access to medical, dental and vision insurance, health savings accounts (HSAs), and COBRA insurance. 

The pricing of the above plans is based on the number of employees managed in the system. This cost is for businesses with less than 25 employees, but the price per employee decreases as the company grows.

What are the Standout Features of Justworks?

1. Automated Time Tracking and Time Cards

The time tracking feature allows employees to track their hours worked and submit their time cards online. The feature also includes setting up and managing schedules, tracking paid time off, and setting overtime rules. Managers can review and approve employee time cards and make necessary adjustments before processing payroll. Justworks integrates with other Justworks’ services, making it easy to calculate and process payroll accurately and efficiently. 

Screen visualizing Justworks timesheets' screen

2. Automatic Tax Filing

Justworks calculates and files all federal, state, and local payroll taxes on behalf of the employer, ensuring that all tax filings and payments are accurate and timely. The system automatically withholds taxes from employee paychecks and remits them to the appropriate tax agencies. Justworks also handles year-end tax forms such as W-2s and 1099s, simplifying business tax season.

Showing tax information form need to be filled for automated tax filling

3. Customizable Reports

Justworks offers customizable reporting to provide businesses with valuable insights into their payroll data. The reporting feature allows businesses to generate reports that meet their needs, such as analyzing employee costs, tracking time off requests, and monitoring team performance. The reports can be exported and shared with key stakeholders, making communicating financial and HR data easier.

4. Employee Self-Service

Justworks offers an employee self-service feature, which allows employees to manage their personal information, benefits enrollment, and time off requests. This feature also provides access to pay stubs, tax forms, and other important documents. Employees can update their personal information, such as their mailing address and emergency contacts, and enroll in benefits during the open enrollment period. They can also request time off through the self-service portal, which is then sent to their manager for approval. 

Screen showing employee's portal that has important payroll notifications

Selected Positive User Feedback: 

  • “Great application in general and gets the job done. I’d give it 5 stars if you could view the calendar in the app itself. I still have to go into a browser to view my company calendar.” – Yoloberman (Source App Store)
  • “Justworks makes onboarding employees incredibly simple and streamlined. I appreciate that it has the functionality of “inviting” new hires to create their profile and enter their information vs. having it fall on the HR team to input.” – Claire L. (Source G2)
  • “The interface is clean, simple, and easy to use. I can quickly access the information I need regarding my PTO, pay stubs, company calendar, organization chart, health benefits, and more.” – Arianna H (Source G2)
  • “The service and guidance related to keeping our company up to date and proactively ahead of compliance, HR, and every element related to managing all manner of needs for our employees, contractors and vendors.” – Chris S. (Source G2)
  • “Simple to use platform that has a neat, intuitive interface with everything at your fingertips. Very simple to use as an admin and as an employee user.” – Phil L. (Source G2)
  • “I love how easy Justworks makes it to take care of payroll and administer benefits, and how it helps us get large group benefits for our small company at reasonable prices. They continue to update their product and services.” –  Kristin N. (Source G2)
  • “Justworks is so user-friendly and simple to set up – the Customer Support and Account Management team is incredible – so friendly, supportive, and timely with their responses!”- Julie G. (Source Capterra)
  • “Has most of the features as the webpage interface. Would love for the website and app to have a tool to calculate available time off for future dates.” – Ctn527 (Source App Store)
  • “Great application in general and do payroll processing perfectly.” – Anna T. (Source App Store)
  • “Great job! Love the convenience the app brings.” – Jonathan Meson (Source Google Play)
  • “Simple and easy to use!” – Kevin Lopes (Source Google Play)
  • “It is easy. It is flexible. It is intuitive. The few times I’ve needed support I have gotten it quickly.” – Matt W. (Source G2)
  • “Justworks makes onboarding employees incredibly simple and streamlined. I appreciate that it has the functionality of “inviting” new hires to create their profile and enter their information vs. having it fall on the HR team to input.” – Claire L (Source G2)
  • “The customer service is unmatched with some of the more well-known brands. The website is very intuitive and easy to use.” – Christa K. (Source Capterra)
  • “Their Customer success ensures everything is smooth for you in the early days. their 24/7 Customer service is great place to get issues addressed.“ – K.L.N (Source Capterra)

Selected Negative User Feedback: 

  • “The JustWorks app has basic features that do not meet the expectations. Can’t view paystubs on app.” – Mattis S. (Source App Store)
  • “Justworks can be frustrating if timesheets are not approved in time. Something that’s a big hassle with multi-time zone and salary and hourly mixed employees.” – Jonathan B. (Source G2)
  • “We do occasionally come across bugs in the platform that may keep us from completing a given task.” – Curt C. (Source G2)
  • “The only downside is how some of the payment scheduling is set up.” – Kate N. (Source G2)
  • “On the Administrative reporting side, they have recently changed reports which have been a little difficult to navigate. Limited payment options.” – Terry L. (Source G2)
  • “Could use more features for 1099, more help around PPP loans but probably everyone had issues given the need. ” – Amir C. (Source Capterra)
  • “It would be great if the calendar could sync with outlook or be exported and has time-tracking feature.’ – Anthony D. (Source Capterra)
  • “I would like a couple more reporting options, and if the admin could switch to staff view so that I could always look at what they are looking at to better assist.” – Kara M. (Source Capterra)
  • “They do not have a mobile app for employees to access the paystubs and others stuff. that is a drawback.” – K.L.N.(Source Capterra)
  • “It would be great if there was a Human Capital Management piece and more admins features” – Neil M. (Source Capterra)
  • “I don’t like how you can’t move employees to different statuses such as “on leave.” – Kourtney S. (Source Capterra)
  • “The 401K reporting is not informative enough to be consistent with my admin needs for our plan outside of Justworks.” – Grazia Z. C. (Source Capterra)
  • “I wish the PTO visibility was a bit easier for employees.” – Allison G. (Source Capterra)
  • “It doesn’t integrate with our 401(k) but we use a smaller company for our 401(k) and it’s so easy to set up a manual deduction.” – Karen S. (Source Capterra)
  • “There are still some features that aren’t well thought out, such as tracking and paying hourly employee time, problematic birthday features, and details like that.” – Juliette D. (Source Capterra)
  • ”It needs admin functionality and more payment options.” – Luigi Ciaccia (Source Google Play)

What are Justworks’ Ratings from Other Reviews?

(As of December 2023)

  • Capterra: 4.6/5
  • G2: 4.6/5 
  • Google Play: 4.3/5
  • App Store: 4.7/5
  • Get App: 4.6/5
  • Software Advice: 4.5/5

What’s My Final Verdict on Justworks?

Justworks is an all-in-one HR and payroll software that offers a full-service payroll solution with features like direct deposit that ensure accurate and timely payments. 

Along with access to HR experts and compliance tools, Justworks also includes a time and attendance tracking feature that makes clocking in and out effortless for employees. Its employee benefits feature simplifies the management of health, dental, vision, and 401(k) plans and the software also allows businesses to partner with top-rated insurance carriers to provide affordable benefits packages to employees.

However, Justworks falls short when it comes to payment options. If you’re a business that frequently makes use of international wire transfers, this software might not be the option for you. Oh, and if you’re planning on managing HR and payroll on the go, you might be disappointed with Justworks’ mobile app. It’s missing some important admin functionalities that are available on the desktop version and also doesn’t offer the ability to view paystubs.

Overall, I find Justworks to be a comprehensive HR and payroll software, but for businesses looking for payment options beyond direct deposit, I suggest they look elsewhere.