Relay Payroll (beta): What it is and who can use it

NEW: Relay Payroll is in beta and is available to a small group of invited customers.

Relay Payroll lets you pay your W-2 employees and 1099 contractors directly from your Relay account. During the beta, it's available by invitation to a small group of customers who are new to payroll and whose team works in the same state as their business.

What is Relay Payroll?

Relay Payroll is natively built into your Relay account, so you can pay your team from the account your money already lives in. You add your employees and contractors, set a pay schedule, and run payroll and the funds come straight from your available Relay balance.

During the beta, Relay Payroll covers W-2 employee and 1099 contractor pay, employee and contractor onboarding, federal and state tax setup, pay schedules, paystubs, and payroll history.

Who can use Relay Payroll during the beta?

Relay Payroll is available by invitation while it's in beta. It's built for businesses that are new to running payroll. You're a fit if:

You don't currently use payroll software.
You pay your team today by ACH, bill pay, or wire.
You pay W-2 employees, 1099 contractors, or both.
Your whole team works in the same state as your business.
You've been invited to the beta.

What isn't supported during the beta?

A few things aren't part of the beta yet. They're on the roadmap for later not available today:

Switching or migrating from another payroll provider.
Entering historical or year-to-date (YTD) payroll from earlier in the year.
Paying employees who work in a different state than your business (the beta is same-state).
A self-serve portal where employees log in on their own.

HEADS UP: Because the beta is for businesses new to payroll, there's nothing to migrate and no prior payroll history to enter. If you already run payroll with another provider, Relay Payroll isn't the right fit for you yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need existing payroll software to use Relay Payroll?

No. The beta is built for businesses that are new to payroll and pay their team today by ACH, bill pay, or wire. If you already use payroll software, Relay Payroll isn't available to you yet.

Can I use Relay Payroll if my employees work in another state?

Not during the beta. Relay Payroll currently supports teams where every employee works in the same state as your business. Support for employees in other states is coming later.

Can I move my existing payroll to Relay?

Not yet. Migrating from another payroll provider, or entering historical and year-to-date payroll, isn't part of the beta. This is on the roadmap for a later release.

How soon can I run my first payroll?

After you finish setting up your company, your account is reviewed before your first payroll can run usually within a couple of business days. Most accounts are approved. If we need more information, you'll see a request in Relay to resolve before payroll can run.

How do I get access?

Relay Payroll is invitation-only while it's in beta, so access is limited to a small group of customers.

Talk to our Customer Experience team

If this article did not fully answer your question, our Customer Experience team is here to help.