#1 Rated Small Business Payroll · G2 Best Software 2025
RUN Powered by ADP® — payroll that connects directly to your books
Join over 900,000 small businesses on RUN Powered by ADP. Certum Solutions sets it up, connects it to QuickBooks or Xero, and reconciles payroll in your books every month — so your financials always reflect accurate labor costs.
900K+
Small businesses on ADP
9/10
Say ADP is easy to run payroll
24/7
Live support — always
75+
Years of payroll experience
✔️ Certified ADP Partner
✔️ Nationwide Service
✔️ AI Payroll Error Flagging
✔️ Connects to QuickBooks & Xero
What RUN Powered by ADP Does
Fast payroll. Smarter HR. Less stress every pay period.
RUN is built around three core capabilities — run fast, run human, and run ahead. Here's what that means in practice for your business.
Payroll — online, phone, or mobile
Run payroll in minutes from anywhere. Direct deposit, pay cards, or check — your choice. Automatic tax deductions, deposits, and filings.
AI-enabled error flagging
ADP's AI catches payroll errors before they run — preventing costly corrections, tax penalties, and unhappy employees.
Automatic tax filing
ADP calculates, deposits, files, and reconciles all payroll taxes — and responds to taxing agency inquiries on your behalf.
General Ledger Interface
Exports payroll journal entries to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero — no re-keying. Certum configures the mapping to your chart of accounts.
4.9-star employer mobile app
Run payroll and manage HR from your phone. Employees get their own access portal for pay stubs, tax documents, and direct deposit management.
New hire reporting & onboarding
Automated new hire state reporting. Employees complete onboarding online — entering personal info, direct deposit, and tax withholding themselves.
Employee handbook wizard
Creates a complete employee handbook pre-populated for your state and jurisdiction — updated automatically with FLSA changes. Not available in QuickBooks Payroll or Gusto.
RUN & Done® automation
Set salaried payroll to run automatically on schedule. For businesses with consistent pay periods, payroll can run without any action required.
RUN Packages
Four packages — choose the level of HR your business needs
Every RUN package includes full payroll, tax filing, and General Ledger Interface. Higher tiers add progressively more HR, compliance, and hiring tools.
| Feature | Essential | Enhanced | Complete HR+ | HR Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll, Taxes & Compliance | ||||
| Online, phone & mobile payroll | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 24/7 customer service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tax filing (all payroll taxes) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| General Ledger Interface (QBO, Xero) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RUN & Done® auto payroll | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-enabled payroll error flagging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| W-2 and 1099 e-filing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-jurisdiction payroll | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SUI management | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Job costing | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wage garnishment service | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| People Management & HR | ||||
| New hire self-onboarding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Background checks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ZipRecruiter job postings | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electronic Form I-9 | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HR HelpDesk (live support) | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Employee handbook wizardPre-populated for your state — not in QBO or Gusto | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Salary benchmarks | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| HR toolkits & compliance database | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Applicant tracking system | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Learning management system | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Upnetic legal services | — | — | — | ✓ |
Not sure which package is right? Certum helps you choose — free consultation →
How ADP Compares
See how RUN Powered by ADP scores against the competition
Verified scores from G2 and TrustRadius peer reviews — not ADP marketing claims.
vs. QuickBooks Payroll — G2 Summer 2024
93%
Performance & Reliability
QuickBooks scores 87% on the same metric
vs. Gusto — TrustRadius Summer 2024
98%
Usability
Gusto scores 83% on the same metric
vs. Paychex — TrustRadius Summer 2024
98%
Usability
Paychex scores 79% on the same metric
Customer Survey — ADP 2022
9/10
Prefer ADP over prior provider
Survey of 1,211 RUN customers who switched
Sources: G2 Summer 2024; TrustRadius Summer 2024; ADP internal surveys. Scores are verified third-party reviews.vs. QuickBooks Payroll — G2 Summer 2024
90%
Quality of Support
QuickBooks scores 78% on the same metric
vs. Paychex — TrustRadius Summer 2024
98%
Likelihood to Renew
Paychex scores 90% on the same metric
Ready to get RUN Powered by ADP set up and connected to your books?
Certum handles the referral, coordinates setup, configures the QuickBooks or Xero integration, and reconciles payroll bookkeeping every month. One team for payroll and accounting.
No commitment · (980) 210-6946 · help@certumsolutions.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about RUN Powered by ADP
-
RUN Powered by ADP is ADP's payroll and HR platform designed specifically for small businesses with 1 to 49 employees. It enables businesses to quickly and reliably pay employees and contractors, have payroll taxes automatically deducted and filed, access HR compliance tools, and connect to benefits and hiring resources. It is the #1 rated small business payroll software on G2 for 2025, with nine out of ten customers saying running payroll with ADP is easy.
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RUN offers four packages: Essential Payroll (core payroll, tax filing, GLI, direct deposit, employee portal), Enhanced Payroll (adds SUI management, job costing, ZipRecruiter, wage garnishment), Complete Payroll and HR Plus (adds HR HelpDesk live support, employee handbook wizard, salary benchmarks, HR toolkits), and HR Pro Payroll and HR (adds applicant tracking system, learning management system, and Upnetic legal services). All packages include 24/7 customer service and General Ledger Interface for QuickBooks and Xero.
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RUN includes a General Ledger Interface that exports payroll journal entries to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero without manual re-entry. Certum configures the mapping between ADP payroll categories and your chart of accounts — ensuring wages, employer taxes, benefit deductions, and payroll liabilities post to the correct accounts after every run. This eliminates manual payroll journal entries and ensures your financial reports always reflect accurate labor costs.
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RUN Powered by ADP offers 24/7 live support — Gusto is limited to Monday through Friday, 5:00 am to 5:00 pm PST. ADP also includes a dedicated 4.9-star employer mobile app (Gusto offers mobile access via web browser only), employee handbook wizard pre-populated by state, advanced SUI management, job postings via ZipRecruiter, and background checks. On TrustRadius Summer 2024 reviews, ADP scores 98% for usability versus Gusto's 83%.
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Yes. RUN clients can add timekeeping, retirement plans (401k, SIMPLE, SEP), Pay-by-Pay workers' compensation, and group health benefits through ADP's affiliate ADPIA. For businesses wanting full-service HR and benefits management, ADP TotalSource is a PEO solution that co-employs your workforce and provides enterprise-level benefits, dedicated HR support, and compliance guidance. Certum can help evaluate whether RUN add-ons or TotalSource is the right fit for your situation.
More From Certum Solutions
Payroll connects to everything. Certum manages both sides.
Get RUN Powered by ADP working for your business.
#1 rated small business payroll. Set up by Certum, connected to your books, reconciled every month. Free consultation — no commitment.