What PayNW does

PayNW, LLC is a Seattle-based, privately held software provider founded in 2008 that sells a cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) platform to mid-market and enterprise employers across the United States. The company's core offering is an integrated HCM Cloud Platform that consolidates payroll processing, human resources record keeping, time and labor management, benefits administration, talent acquisition, employee scheduling, performance management, learning management (LMS), leave management, and tax registration services into a single multi-tenant system. Supporting capabilities include a mobile app, a TeamText SMS communication feature, open APIs for third-party integration, and a labor law poster compliance service. The product is sold under a modular annual subscription model where clients select only the modules they need, with pricing customized per client rather than published as fixed tiers.

PayNW's go-to-market is sales-led and targeted at HR professionals, finance/payroll teams, and operations managers, using a three-step onboarding process (discovery call, personalized demo, customized quote). The customer base spans multiple verticals including senior living, printing/lithography, healthcare/locum tenens, construction, banking/financial services, and nonprofit research, with named customers such as Cascade Living Group (1,300 employees across 6 states), Trojan Lithograph, Echo Locum Tenens, Community First Bank, Armata Construction Services, and IDRI. Distribution is primarily direct, supplemented by membership in the UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) Partner Network, which provides channel access to UKG's enterprise customer base.

The company operates from two offices: its Seattle, Washington headquarters and a Chattanooga, Tennessee office opened in June 2022 following the acquisition of Renewal's HCM division. An earlier 2019 acquisition of ONEMINT further broadened the company's service portfolio. PayNW is organized as a Washington-state LLC, appears to be founder/owner-operated without disclosed institutional capital or external investors, and reports an employee headcount in the 11–50 range. No revenue, funding, or headcount trend data is publicly disclosed in the available sources.

Name

PayNW

Legal name

PayNW, LLC

Website

https://paynorthwest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PayNW is a Seattle-based private software company that sells a cloud-based Human Capital Management platform with integrated payroll, HR, time and labor, benefits, and talent modules to mid-market and enterprise U.S. employers, with offices in Seattle and Chattanooga.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Capital Management Software

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB), Payroll, Time & Attendance (BPACAPAB), Workforce Management & Scheduling (BPACAPAI)

Keywords

• Human capital management
• Payroll processing services
• HR software platform
• Workforce management
• Benefits administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. HCM Platform Subscription: Subscription-based SaaS revenue model where clients pay for access to the integrated HCM cloud platform. The system is modular, allowing clients to include or exclude modules such as timekeeping, payroll, or HR based on their needs, with pricing varying by client.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PayNW sells a cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) software platform delivered as modular subscriptions to mid-market and enterprise employers. The platform integrates payroll processing, HR recordkeeping, time and labor management, benefits administration, talent acquisition, employee scheduling, performance management, learning management, and leave management into a single unified system, with open APIs and a mobile app extending functionality. Supporting services include labor law poster compliance and multi-state payroll tax registration.

Product overview

PayNW is a human capital management (HCM) software provider offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture. The core HCM Cloud platform integrates multiple modules including Payroll, HR (Human Resources), Time & Labor Management, Benefits Management, Talent Acquisition, Employee Scheduling, Performance Management, Learning Management System (LMS), Leave Management, Mobile App, TeamText, Open APIs & Interfaces, and supporting services like Labor Law Posters and Tax Registration Services. The platform is designed for businesses seeking an all-in-one payroll and HR solution, with modules available both individually and as an integrated suite, supporting operations across multiple states with compliance and tax management capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payroll Core payroll processing module handling payroll runs, tax calculations, and direct deposit for employees across multiple states, designed for HR and finance teams at mid-market and enterprise employers.
• HR (Human Resources) Human resources management module for employee record keeping, compliance, and HR workflow automation, intended for HR professionals managing employee data and policies.
• Time and Labor Management Time tracking and labor management module handling timekeeping, attendance, and labor allocation across work locations, designed for operations teams managing hourly and shift-based workforces.
• Benefits Management Benefits administration module for managing employee benefits, enrollment, and benefit plan administration, intended for HR teams administering health, retirement, and other employee benefit programs.
• Talent Acquisition Recruiting and talent acquisition module for managing the hiring process, candidate tracking, and onboarding, designed for HR and hiring managers seeking structured recruiting workflows.
• Employee Scheduling Shift scheduling and employee scheduling module for managing work shifts, rotations, and schedule compliance, designed for operations managers handling complex shift workforces.
• Performance Management Employee performance management module for goal setting, reviews, and performance tracking, intended for HR leaders and people managers running structured review cycles.
• Learning Management System (LMS) Learning management system module for employee training, course delivery, and compliance training management, intended for HR and training teams administering workforce learning programs.
• Leave Management Leave management module for tracking PTO, vacation, sick leave, and other employee time-off requests, designed for HR teams and employees handling time-off workflows.
• HCM Mobile App Mobile application for employees and HR professionals to access payroll, time tracking, scheduling, and HR functions on mobile devices, enabling on-the-go workforce interactions.
• TeamText Text messaging integration for employee communication and HR outreach, allowing organizations to push notifications and conduct team messaging within the HCM environment.
• Open APIs and Interfaces API and integration interfaces enabling connectivity with third-party systems and custom integrations, designed for IT teams and integration partners requiring data exchange with external applications.
• Labor Law Posters Labor law compliance poster service for federal and state workplace posting requirements, designed for employers needing to meet physical and digital workplace notice obligations.
• Tax Registration Services Payroll tax registration service for new business accounts and multi-state tax compliance, designed for employers expanding into new states or establishing new payroll tax accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Estimated 2 days saved per pay period for some users
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayNW is a member of the UKG Partner Network, indicated by the UKG-Partner-Network logo displayed on the company website. This partnership positions PayNW as part of UKG's channel ecosystem for distributing HCM solutions.
• AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)minorOthersPayNW displays the AICPA badge on its website, indicating membership or compliance with AICPA standards and possibly CPA-focused marketing alignment.
• IPPA (Institute of Payroll Professionals)minorOthersPayNW displays the IPPA (Institute of Payroll Professionals) logo/badge on its website, indicating membership in this payroll professional organization.
• APA (American Payroll Association)minorOthersPayNW displays the APA (American Payroll Association) badge on its website, indicating membership in this payroll professional association.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ADP: ADP is the dominant incumbent in payroll services and HCM with RUN Powered by ADP and ADP Workforce Now for mid-market, plus Vantage HCM and enterprise offerings. PayNW testimonials explicitly reference customer defections from ADP, making it the most-cited competitor.
• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group): UKG is a major HCM/workforce management suite provider and is simultaneously PayNW's channel partner. Comparable on HCM product surface area but operates at vastly greater scale with global enterprise capabilities.
• Workday: Workday provides cloud HCM, payroll, and financial management primarily for mid-market and enterprise. Comparable on integrated cloud HCM platform architecture, though typically skews larger in deal size than PayNW's customer base.

Direct peers

• Paychex: Paychex is a leading payroll and HCM provider serving SMB and mid-market customers with integrated payroll, HR, benefits, and retirement services. Highly comparable to PayNW on target customer segment, product breadth, and SaaS delivery model.
• Paylocity: Paylocity sells a cloud-based HCM platform with payroll, HR, talent, time, benefits, and learning modules to mid-market employers. Closest direct competitor to PayNW on modular HCM suite architecture and mid-market positioning.
• Paycom: Paycom offers a single-database HCM SaaS platform covering payroll, HR, talent management, time and labor, and benefits for mid-market employers. Directly comparable to PayNW on integrated HCM delivery and mid-market focus.

Emerging players

• Rippling: Rippling is a venture-backed unified workforce platform combining HR, payroll, IT, and spend management. Comparable on modular HR/payroll/benefits surface but with deeper native IT and finance integrations and significantly more capital.
• Gusto: Gusto is a payroll, HR, and benefits platform primarily serving SMB and smaller mid-market customers. Overlaps with PayNW's payroll and benefits modules but skews smaller in customer size and is consumer-grade in UX.
• TriNet: TriNet provides HR solutions including payroll, benefits, and risk/compliance primarily to SMB and small mid-market via PEO and SaaS models. Comparable target segment to PayNW with similar mid-market customer pain points addressed.
• BambooHR: BambooHR offers cloud HR software with payroll and time tracking add-ons targeting SMB and mid-market. Comparable modular HR platform approach, though historically stronger in core HR than in payroll depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/260520
• Xx.com/paynorthwest1
• Facebookfacebook.com/149476085095867

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PayNW