Justworks Reviews

A Robust HR Suite With the Right Solutions for SMBs

Running a small business can be exhausting, with the to-do list growing by the minute. Luckily, HRIS programs like Justworks extend their services to managing challenging tasks related to payroll, benefits compliance, and HR. Our Justworks review shows that as a top HR and onboarding software, the platform is designed to ease the workload of managers and HR specialists. As a PEO, it will get your company access to corporate health insurance and other perks at rates you haven’t even dreamt of. 

Hiring & Onboarding

Whether a company is big or small, human resources are the bloodstream of an organization, and making sure new employees feel special from the start is imperative. The Justworks HR hiring and onboarding services make welcoming new hires and team expansion planning simple, paperless, and automated. Justworks reviews confirm that onboarding leaves a great first impression for new hires because they learn all about benefits, payroll, and paid time off (PTO) all in one place, leaving managers with more time to handle other HR tasks. 

All-in-One Document Center

Data from new and past hires is stored in the employee directory, in the document center, which integrates seamlessly with other Justworks features such as payroll and benefits. The good thing about the document center, according to Justworks reviews, is that all the essential company documents, be it compliance, offer letters, contracts, or insurance documents, while I-9s and W-2s are easily accessible and logically ordered. Justworks further handles all these documents in the background, leaving employers more time to focus on running their business. And finally, all the documents are securely stored and controlled in the cloud. 

Justworks Time Tracking & Time-Off Policies 

Since this feature is powered by a comprehensive platform, it’s effortless for managers to set up PTO and sick leave policies and manage vacations. This extends to employees too. Tracking accruals is also part of the package. We, however, came across one Justworks review stating that the PTO tracking feature needs improvement because it allows employees to accrue more paid time off than what is offered as part of a company's policy. 

Through the Justworks HR tab under the time off policies feature, there is a tab showing the PTOs for each employee as listed in the directory. Here admins can find a calendar with paydays, birthdays, and work anniversaries. Paying attention to minor details is generally welcomed by users because it allows them to make their employees feel special on days that matter. On the flip side, while numerous Justworks reviews praise the integration with TSheets because it delivers additional insight by tracking who clocks in or out, larger companies say it is not a robust enough time tracking software to cover their needs. 

Justworks Payroll 

This automated feature lets users view and handle payroll through a cloud-based management solution. In addition to the Justworks time tracking, there is also the Employee Timecard Entry for hourly and non-exempt employees, making overtime management a breeze. This feature helps employees get paid regularly, with overtime wages calculated correctly. On payday, employees who use the timecard get notified via email that their pay stub is ready. 

Justworks payroll lets users set up a timeframe for salaried and non-salaried employees. A Justworks vs Zenefits comparison meanwhile reveals that both platforms are adjusted for freelancers and remote workers with minor differences in classification. 

Most of the Justworks customer reviews we researched praised the various perks that come with the payroll feature. Justworks seems to be the remedy for the most serious employer headache – payroll tax filings. The vendor handles W-2s and I-9s, pays quarterly payroll taxes, and keeps company owners in line with the latest tax and employment laws amendments. The Justworks payroll software further makes tax tables for all 50 states (including local regulations) available to users.

The payroll reports are another neat feature; they can be exported as a CSV file and edited in Microsoft Excel, or saved as a PDF file. Justworks reviews, however, reveal that some users would like to see a more robust financial reporting and feel the CSV data exports are limited. 

Risk & Compliance

As a PEO, Justworks exists to keep your organization risk-safe and make sure it doesn’t get lost in the labyrinth of federal tax and labor laws. It even has a sexual harassment prevention training program, though there are Justworks competitors that offer better and more extensive training options.

Workers' compensation, employment liability insurance, and disability insurance – items companies cannot afford to ignore – are all part of the Justworks compliance support and resources. Justworks reviews say the software is a blessing for business owners who do not have the time to learn how to navigate state and federal regulatory compliance requirements, employment practices liability insurance (ECLI), or other employee-related legal issues. The COBRA management plan is offered as an extra in the Justworks compliance package.

Justworks Benefits

Sadly, small businesses don’t have access to corporate-level benefits. This HR software, however, can offer clients with top-notch benefits perks, courtesy of its cooperation with trusted health insurance providers (MetLife, UnitedHealthcare, and One Medical). These include health, vision, dental, disability, and even life insurance. 

Our Justworks review finds the price comparison tool on the official website a great touch for providing transparency in benefits selection. It’s pretty straightforward and simply lays out the different offers, allowing users to see how the company stacks up against competitors. The platform also supports 401(k) plans, and employees can elect to include wellness insurance and flexible spending accounts. 

Justworks Integrations 

To help your organization keep every part of its software ecosystem in sync, Justworks offers integration with many popular platforms. We’ve already mentioned the integration with time tracking TSheets, but there is more. The software also integrates with some of the most popular accounting software – QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks, and Xero – which is excellent for small businesses. 

While a lot of users find the integrations satisfactory, we came across reviews arguing that Justworks doesn’t provide sufficient customization with the QuickBooks integrations. Justworks customer reviews further signal that if the software had more native support for the different types of payroll reports, it would genuinely be an all-inclusive platform for SMBs.

Justworks Pricing 

If you are interested in partnering up with Justworks, the vendor offers two pricing plans, but unlike competitors, it does not offer a free version. On the upside, Justworks is one of the few that does not suffocate its potential clients with marketing language and empty promises. Their pricing plans are upfront and can be adjusted to the number of employees of an organization, and this, as confirmed by Justworks customer reviews, leaves no room for hidden costs. Clients who pick the annual billing for either of the plans further get a 15% discount. 

Justworks Basic Plan 

This plan includes the standard Justworks HR services like onboarding, payroll, W-2 & I-9 filings, PTO Management, workers’ compensation, etc., with access to life and disability insurance, health, and wellness perks, and the 401(k) plan management. If your organization has fewer than 25 employees, Justworks will charge you $49/employee/month. If you employ between 25 and 99 people, the cost drops to $44/employee/month. For organizations with 100-174 employees, the Justworks Basic plan costs $39/employee/month. The vendor is available to negotiate a quote if the number is higher. 

Justworks Plus Plan

In addition to the standard HR tools, compliance, payroll, and benefits of the Basic plan, this one has the COBRA administration, access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as health advocacy services and savings, and 24/7 customer support. Just like the Basic, the Plus Plan has different monthly prices depending on the number of employees. For fewer than 25 employees, the price is $99/employee/month, for 25-99, it is $89/employee/month, for 100-174, it is $79/employee/month, and for organizations with 174+ employees, the Justworks team recommends you contact them for a quote. 

Justworks Referral Program & Partners

The research for our Justworks review showed that the company likes to give back to clients who give. So, a customer who makes a referral gets $100 per employee, based on the number of employees of the referred company. For example, if you refer the Justworks HR services to a company with 30 employees, your bonus will be $3,000 (it is usually paid within 30 days of the referral’s first payroll processing). The partnership program of Justworks has three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, based on the number of customers referred. Justworks Partners is specifically intended for financial advisors, HR consultants, accountants, and brokers who decide to recommend the software to their clients. 

Justworks Customer Service

The resources available on the vendor’s website, positively rated in many reviews, cover a wide range of topics starting from account administration and payroll to benefits and compliance and even the COVID-19 tax credit record. 

Then, the Justworks support is handled by a chatbot that collects basic information from existing or potential clients while they wait for the rep to respond. During the research for this Justworks review, we were particularly impressed by the live chat feature that displays a photo along with the name of the representative the client is talking to. Other ways to reach support is through the Justworks phone number and email. 

Another positive thing about the ‌customer‌ ‌service is that clients who sign up for their services have a designated account manager. This gets high marks from us because users get help by a team of experts to walk them through the implementation of new features and make sure every step of their Justworks experience is positive. 

Our Verdict

For businesses looking for an alternative to hiring a team of HR specialists and getting a reliable partner to manage their payroll and benefits as a bonus, Justworks might be a great fit. As multiple Justworks reviews confirm, it is a solid PEO that caters to the needs of small organizations and businesses. A significant drawback, however, is that Justworks offers only two pricing plans and no option to mix and match, meaning you might end up paying for services you won’t be using. So, it all depends on your needs – if you can make use of the bulk of features in either plan, Justworks is an excellent platform. If that is not the case, there are Justworks alternatives out there worth considering.