Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Auburn, ME

Advantage Payroll Services began in Auburn, Maine, in 1967 and grew into a regional provider of payroll processing, tax filing and HR administration. In 2002 the company became part of Paychex, the national payroll and human capital management firm. The Advantage web address now points to Paychex. The Merrow Road office in Auburn still operates as a Paychex location serving employers in the Auburn, Lewiston and Portland areas, as well as elsewhere in Maine.

Who they serve

Paychex works with a very broad range of employers. These include self-employed owners, startups and companies with a single worker, as well as firms with 1-19, 20-99 or more than 100 employees. Clients range from small businesses to midsize and enterprise organizations. The company reports that it serves roughly 840,000 businesses. It also says about one in eleven people employed in the U.S. private sector are paid through its systems. Industry-specific offerings cover:

• Restaurants and hospitality
• Professional services and retail
• Skilled trades and manufacturing
• Healthcare and senior living
• Nonprofit organizations

Payroll and HR services

Payroll is the core of the business. Several tiered packages let an employer pick the level of service that fits its size, and support for tax compliance aims to keep filings accurate. Beyond payroll, Paychex offers HR consulting and compliance guidance.

It also offers a professional employer organization (PEO) arrangement, in which a single provider handles benefits, HR, payroll and regulatory obligations. Workforce tools include time and attendance tracking, physical time clocks, and HR analytics and reporting. Talent management options cover AI-assisted recruiting, applicant tracking, background screening, onboarding, a learning management system and employee engagement software.

Benefits, insurance and finance

Employers can also arrange employee benefits through the same provider. These include 401(k) and other retirement plans, health insurance, voluntary and lifestyle benefits, and benefits administration. Licensed insurance agents place workers' compensation coverage with national carriers. Other business policies include commercial auto, general liability, umbrella, cyber liability, business owner and employment practices liability coverage. Financial services include expense management, funding options and payment processing for cards, ACH transfers and eChecks.

How they work with clients

Clients manage payroll and HR through one online platform, with Paychex Flex as the main system and Paychex Oasis serving PEO clients. Separate support lines are set up for payroll and benefits clients, PEO clients and employees. The company points to five decades of experience with HR issues.

It pairs automated handling of routine tasks with a large staff of HR specialists for more complex questions. A software marketplace links the platform to other business applications. Global hiring and international HR services are available for employers with staff abroad.

Paychex also runs programs for accountants, bankers, brokers, financial advisors, franchises and national associations who refer or support their own clients. For Maine buyers, the Auburn office keeps a local presence at the former Advantage headquarters while giving access to a national provider's full range of services.

Payroll Management, Inc. is an independent, family-owned payroll provider headquartered in Auburn, Maine. The company has been in operation since 1989. It works mainly with small and mid-sized employers across a wide range of industries who prefer a hands-on relationship with their payroll vendor over a self-service, call-center model. Its focus is payroll processing, payroll tax compliance, timekeeping and related HR support.

Each client is assigned a specific customer service representative, so owners deal with the same contact rather than being routed between departments. Payroll data can be submitted in whatever way suits the client: by phone, email, fax or through online tools. Pay cycles can be weekly, biweekly, monthly or set to a custom schedule. The firm presents itself as an extension of a client's management team, taking on administrative work that would otherwise fall to owners or HR managers.

Payroll and tax services

The core offering is complete payroll processing. It includes direct deposit, electronic federal and state tax deposits, 401(k) interfaces, IRS tip allocation and year-end W-2 preparation. Employment and income verification for client employees is included without an extra fee. On the tax side, the company accepts accountability for getting deposits and filings right and on schedule, and it reconciles its tax accounts every day. Its filing work covers:

• Deposits of federal and state withholding, FICA, FUTA, SUI and disability taxes
• Quarterly Forms 941 and 940, plus state and local withholding returns
• W-2 filing with the Social Security Administration, and 1099 forms
• New hire reporting to the state
• FICA tip credit and labor distribution reports

A large reporting library is also available. It spans payroll registers, tax liability and variance reports, and HR reports on accruals and EEO-1 data. Premium options include certified payroll, job costing, general ledger exports and QuickBooks exports.

Technology and add-on solutions

Payroll runs on the Payentry platform, including its NextGen release. The My Payentry employee self-service portal gives workers online access to pay statements and W-2s. Clients not on Payentry can deliver documents to staff through FileGuardian, a Swipeclock product. Integrated hiring and onboarding is available through Payentry GetHired.

For timekeeping, the company offers Timeworks Plus. It supports real-time edits, auditable timecard approvals, and data for DOL, FLSA, ACA and PBJ compliance. Web and mobile time clocks record punches, job codes, mileage, tips, PTO requests and department transfers. The firm notes that roughly two-thirds of its time and attendance clients employ 25 people or fewer.

Other offerings include a workers' compensation pay-as-you-go program. It ties premium payments to actual wages each pay period, which helps smooth cash flow and limit year-end adjustments, and the company coordinates with the client's insurance carrier to run it. Clients can also get HR guidance from live HR professionals, labor law posters, and background checks and screening. Paycards give unbanked employees an alternative to paper checks.

Background and specialties

Beyond general small business payroll, the company markets specifically to dental practices. It also keeps a blog covering Maine employment law developments, such as minimum wage changes and reporting time pay rules. It is a BBB Accredited Business and has partnered with Wolters Kluwer to offer free CPE training for CPAs. For buyers comparing national platforms with local providers, its main distinctions are its long operating history, family ownership and an assigned-representative service model.