Payroll Software vs. Whirks Partnership: What’s Best for Accounting Firms?
September 18th, 2025 | 6 min. read
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Are you an accounting firm considering adding payroll services, but feeling overwhelmed by all the software options? Are you wondering whether to invest directly in payroll technology or partner with a specialized provider like Whirks?
This decision keeps many firm owners up at night, and for good reason. Choosing the wrong model can cost your firm months in setup time, expose you to serious compliance risks, and lead to frustrated clients and lost revenue.
In this article, you'll get a side-by-side breakdown of what really happens when you invest in payroll software versus when you partner with Whirks.
We'll compare the hidden costs, implementation timelines, compliance responsibilities, training differences, and long-term scalability, so you can make the right decision for your firm's growth, capacity, and goals.
The Two Payroll Technology Paths for Accounting Firms
When accounting firms decide to offer payroll services, they typically face two main approaches:
Path 1: Client-Driven Software Chaos
Some firms let each client dictate their payroll software choice. Client A uses ADP, Client B uses Paychex, Client C uses QuickBooks Online, Client D uses Gusto, and so on. Letting clients choose their own payroll software creates chaos, inefficiency, and zero profitability.
Path 2: Firm-Controlled Technology
Smart firms standardize on one solution, either investing directly in payroll software or partnering with a provider like Whirks. This is where the real decision lies.
The question becomes: Should you invest directly in software like isolved, Apex, UKG, or AccountantsWorld, or should you partner with a company that provides both technology and expertise?
What It Really Takes to Invest in Payroll Software as an Accounting Firm
Most accounting firms approach payroll software like any other business application and assume they can buy it, set it up quickly, and start serving clients within a few weeks. The reality is far more complex, expensive, and time-consuming than most software salespeople will admit upfront.
System Setup Takes Months, Not Weeks
When you invest directly in payroll software, you're not just buying technology. You're taking on a massive implementation project. The system-level setup alone typically takes 6 weeks to 3 months of dedicated work before you can even think about converting your first client.
This setup phase involves:
- Configuring how clients will interact with your firm
- Setting up data submission protocols
- Establishing security and access controls
- Creating standardized processes across all client accounts
Expect to spend up to three months on configuration before you can run a single payroll. That means that during this period, you're paying for software you can't use while dedicating significant internal resources for configuration work.
You're Fully Liable for Tax Filings and Compliance
One of the biggest surprises for firms investing directly in payroll software is discovering they're responsible for all tax filings.
This means monthly, quarterly, and annual obligations:
- Setting up accounts with every relevant tax agency
- Processing and submitting all required tax forms
- Managing tax payments for all clients
- Handling tax notices and corrections
The expertise requirement: Tax filing requires more than just pushing buttons in software. It requires deep knowledge of federal, state, and local requirements that change regularly. Mistakes can result in penalties that your firm is liable for.
The time investment: Many firm owners underestimate how much time tax administration requires. It's not just the filing. You have to stay current on changing regulations, troubleshooting problems, and managing the inevitable complications that arise.
You’re on the hook for every tax filing, every deadline, and every correction.
ACH and Cash Flow Management Is Your Responsibility
Direct software investment also means solving the impounding puzzle on your own. You'll need to establish:
- Relationships with ACH vendors for electronic payments
- Terms for collecting funds from clients
- Processes for releasing payments to employees
- Banking relationships that support your volume
ACH vendors often require early fund collection, creating cash flow issues for your clients and complicating your payment processing.
Training Covers Features, Not Strategy
Most accounting firms get stuck after investing in software directly because they realize the training they receive focuses on "how" but never addresses "why" or "what."
Software providers teach you:
- How to process a payroll
- How to fix check errors
- How to use their features
They don't teach you:
- What pricing strategies work best
- How to structure client relationships for profitability
- What you should and shouldn't allow clients to do
- How to scale your payroll services efficiently
This leaves firms knowing how to use the tool but struggling to build a profitable, sustainable service offering.
How Partnering with Whirks Solves the Payroll Software Problem
While direct software investment puts all the technical complexity and compliance risk on your shoulders, partnering with Whirks flips that equation entirely. You get access to enterprise-level payroll technology without the headaches, expertise, or liability that comes with managing it yourself.
We Handle the Complex Stuff You Don't Want to Think About
Whirks takes the behind-the-scenes complexity off your plate, so you can focus on what your firm does best.
- System setup: We've already invested years in optimizing our platform configuration. Your setup takes weeks, not months.
- Tax compliance: We handle all tax filings, payments, and compliance requirements. When tax notices arrive, we resolve them.
- Impounding logistics: We've negotiated favorable terms that allow us to collect funds on check date and pay employees the same day. Your clients get better cash flow, and you avoid the complications.
Strategic Expertise That Software Companies Don't Provide
Our monthly “Whirkshops” focus on helping you build a successful payroll service bureau. We cover topics like:
- Repeatable, profitable, scalable business practices
- Pricing strategies that protect your margins
- Client relationship management best practices
- How to assess and prevent payroll errors before they happen
- Marketing and selling payroll services effectively
This strategic guidance helps you avoid common pitfalls and build a service offering that grows with your firm.
Better Terms for Your Clients
Through our partnership model, we can offer terms that direct software investment simply can't match. For example:
- Same-day impounding and payment processing
- More flexible client onboarding
- Superior customer support response times
Direct Software Investment vs. Whirks Partnership: What Does It Really Cost?
When comparing direct software investment to partnership, most firms focus only on the obvious monthly fees and miss the bigger financial picture.
The real cost comparison includes your time, risk exposure, implementation complexity, and opportunity cost, all factors that often make partnership the more economical choice.
Direct Software Investment Costs Include:
- Software licensing fees
- Implementation and setup time (measured in months)
- Ongoing tax compliance management
- ACH vendor relationships and fees
- Continuous training and support needs
- Risk liability for compliance failures
Whirks Partnership Costs Include:
- Transparent investment fee and per-employee-per-month (PEPM) pricing
- Comprehensive implementation support
- All tax filing and compliance management
- Strategic business guidance and training
- Risk mitigation through our expertise
While the monthly costs might appear higher with a partnership model, when you factor in time, liability, and missed revenue, partnering is often the more cost-effective option.
Which Payroll Model Is Right for Your Firm?
Before you make your decision, it's important to understand which model aligns best with your firm’s goals, resources, and appetite for operational complexity.
Both direct software investment and partnership can work, but each comes with different requirements, responsibilities, and risks.
Let’s break down when each one makes the most sense.
When Direct Software Investment Makes Sense
To be fair, direct software investment might be right for your firm if:
- You have dedicated payroll expertise on staff
- You enjoy managing complex compliance requirements
- You want complete control over every aspect of the process
- You have the time and resources for extensive setup and ongoing management
Choose this path if control and customization are more important than time and complexity.
When Whirks Partnership Makes More Sense
Partnership typically works better if:
- You want to focus on accounting services, not payroll administration
- You prefer predictable costs and reduced risk
- You value strategic guidance and best practices
- You want to offer payroll services without becoming a payroll company
Partnership is ideal if you want a scalable, low-risk way to offer payroll without becoming a payroll company.
Questions to Consider When Making Your Payroll Decision
- How much time can you dedicate to payroll setup and administration?
- Do you have the expertise to manage complex tax compliance?
- What's more valuable to your firm: complete control or expert support?
- Are you trying to build a payroll company or add payroll to your accounting services?
Should Your Firm Invest in Payroll Software or Partner with Whirks?
Deciding between direct software investment and a Whirks partnership is one of the most important choices you'll make as your firm grows.
The right decision depends on your internal resources, how much complexity you want to handle, and your long-term goals.
If you're equipped with payroll experts, enjoy building systems from scratch, and want total control, direct investment in payroll software might be the better fit.
But if you're looking to offer payroll services without becoming a payroll company and would rather spend your time building client relationships and scaling core services, then a Whirks partnership may be the more strategic and sustainable option.
At Whirks, we help accounting firms grow their service offerings by removing the operational burden of payroll. We combine enterprise technology, proven processes, and real business guidance, so you don’t have to start from scratch or go it alone.
At the end of the day, we want to help you make the best decision for your firm's future, even if that means pointing you toward direct software investment when it makes more sense.
Still exploring your options?
Check out these article to see exactly how our onboarding and implementation process works.
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