Universal Payroll Associates

Name

Universal Payroll Associates

Legal name

Universal Payroll Associates

Website

https://unipayroll.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payroll Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAAAHAA

Managed Payroll Services (Full-Service Payroll Outsourcing)

Business & Public Services/Administrative & Support Services (BPO, Call Centers, Back Office)/Payroll Processing & Timekeeping Administration

SECONDARYBPACAIAA

Full-Service Payroll Processing

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Payroll Services & Workforce Administration

SECONDARYBPACAIAB

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Payroll Services & Workforce Administration

SECONDARYBPAHABAD

Payroll & Employment Tax Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Accounting, Audit & Tax Services

Keywords

• Payroll processing services
• Payroll tax filing
• Workers compensation administration
• Direct deposit services
• Retirement plan administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payroll Processing Services: Core payroll processing services including check issuance, tax filing, direct deposit, and compliance management. Revenue is generated through recurring service fees based on payroll volume or per-employee pricing.
2. Tax Filing and Compliance: Federal and state payroll tax filing services (941, FUTA, SUTA, State, PFML). Charged as part of the payroll service package or as standalone service.
3. Workers' Compensation Administration: Pay-as-you-go workers' compensation premium administration based on actual payroll, eliminating large upfront deposits.
4. Retirement Plan Administration: Handles depository and reporting requirements for retirement plans in partnership with client-vendors.
5. New Hire Reporting: Required filings for new hire reporting to support client compliance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Universal Payroll Associates is a payroll service bureau that processes payroll checks, files federal and state payroll taxes (including 941, FUTA, SUTA, State, and PFML), and administers related compliance services for businesses. The firm provides direct deposit, workers' compensation premium administration on a pay-as-you-go basis, retirement plan depository and reporting, and new hire reporting, supported by web-based employer and employee self-service portals.

Product overview

Universal Payroll Associates offers a unified payroll service platform combining core payroll processing with multiple add-on modules. The core offering handles payroll checks, tax compliance (941, FUTA, SUTA, State, PFML), and multi-state support for all 50 states. Add-on modules include Web Employee (employee self-service), Tax Filing, Direct Deposit, Retirement Plan Administration, New Hire Reporting, Workers' Compensation (pay-as-you-go), and Vendor Checks. The company also provides dedicated Employer and Employee Portals for accessing historical payroll data and documents. All services are delivered through assigned payroll specialists with a personalized, small-business approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payroll Processing Core payroll processing service that handles payroll checks, tax filings, and compliance for businesses across all 50 states.
• Tax Filing Federal and state payroll tax filing and payment service covering 941, FUTA, SUTA, State, and PFML filings.
• Direct Deposit Electronic paycheck deposit service that allows employees' pay to be deposited into any bank or financial institution.
• Workers' Compensation Administration Pay-as-you-go workers' compensation premium payments based on actual payroll, eliminating large upfront deposits and audit surprises.
• Retirement Plan Administration Manages depository and reporting requirements for retirement plans, working with vendor partners to handle contribution changes via email or phone.
• New Hire Reporting Handles required state filings to report new hires on behalf of client employers.
• Vendor Checks Processing of vendor checks including child support, third-party sick pay, and workers' compensation audits.
• Employer Portal Web-based portal allowing employer clients to view all historical payroll information and gain complete understanding of their operations.
• Employee Portal Self-service web portal enabling employees to access check stubs, view historical payroll information, and retrieve W-2 forms.

Quantifiable outcome

• On-time payroll delivery every time
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Paylocity: Cloud payroll and HR software provider focused on mid-market employers. Competes with Universal Payroll on multi-state payroll, tax compliance, and employee self-service portals with stronger technology and broader product depth.
• Justworks: PEO providing payroll, benefits, and compliance services to SMBs, often with a dedicated specialist model similar to Universal Payroll's value proposition. Competes for the same multi-state employer customer with bundled service offerings.
• Insperity: PEO and HR services company providing co-employment, payroll, benefits, and workers' comp administration. Directly overlaps with Universal Payroll's full-service payroll and pay-as-you-go workers' comp offerings.
• TriNet: PEO serving SMBs with payroll processing, benefits administration, and HR compliance. Competes in the same full-service payroll outsourcing category with a similar dedicated-support value proposition for small and multi-state employers.
• Gusto: Cloud-native payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for small businesses. Targets the exact SMB segment Universal Payroll serves, with automated multi-state tax filing and a modern self-serve UX at competitive per-employee pricing.
• Paychex: One of the largest U.S. payroll service bureaus serving SMBs and mid-market companies across all 50 states. Competes head-to-head with Universal Payroll on core payroll processing, tax filing, and HR-adjacent services for the same small-to-mid-sized employer segment.
• OnPay: Cloud payroll and HR services provider targeting small businesses with full-service payroll, tax filing, and benefits. Directly comparable to Universal Payroll on multi-state payroll, automated tax filing, and SMB customer focus.
• Heartland Payroll (Global Payments): Payroll and HR services provider serving small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S. with full-service payroll, tax filing, and workers' comp — closely mirroring Universal Payroll's bundled service model and SMB customer base.

Broad incumbents

• ADP (Automatic Data Processing): The dominant incumbent in payroll services with RUN, Workforce Now, and Vantage HCM offerings covering SMB through enterprise. Direct competitor on multi-state payroll processing and tax filing, but at vastly greater scale and with self-serve technology Universal Payroll lacks.

Emerging players

• Patriot Software: Affordable, easy-to-use online payroll and accounting software targeted at very small U.S. businesses. Represents the low-cost SaaS threat to traditional bureaus like Universal Payroll in the smallest end of the SMB segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universal-payroll-assoc-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Universal Payroll Associates