How Do You Set Up Payroll in Patriot Software Step by Step?

Running payroll accurately and on time matters more than almost any other administrative task a small business owner handles. Yet for many first-time users, the setup process feels like an obstacle course of tax IDs, bank forms, and employee data. The good news? Patriot Software removes that friction with a guided setup wizard, free onboarding assistance, and a three-step payroll process that — once configured — takes the average user under three minutes to complete. This step-by-step guide walks you through every stage of setting up Patriot Software payroll, from gathering documents to running your very first paycheck.

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Quick Summary: What Does the Patriot Software Payroll Setup Process Look Like?

Step	Task	Where to Find It
1	Gather required documents and tax IDs	Before you log in
2	Choose your payroll plan	Signup page
3	Complete the Payroll Setup Wizard	Settings › Payroll Settings
4	Enter company tax identification numbers	Settings › Tax Settings
5	Configure your payment method	Settings › Payroll Settings
6	Add employees and their tax information	Payroll › Employees
7	Enter year-to-date history (mid-year setups)	Setup Wizard › YTD
8	Create pay schedules	Settings › Pay Schedules
9	Run your first payroll	Payroll › Run a New Payroll

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What Is Patriot Software and Why Does It Make Payroll Setup Straightforward?

Patriot Software is a cloud-based payroll and accounting platform designed specifically for U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 1986 and based in Canton, Ohio, the company focuses on making payroll accessible to business owners who lack a dedicated HR team or accounting background.

What sets Patriot Software payroll apart from many competitors is its combination of a step-by-step setup wizard and free human onboarding assistance. Every new customer qualifies for free payroll setup help from a U.S.-based specialist who can import employee data and year-to-date payroll history on your behalf. Consequently, even businesses switching mid-year from another provider can get up and running without hours of manual data re-entry.

Furthermore, Patriot Software payroll offers two plan options — Basic Payroll at $17/month + $4/employee, where you file taxes yourself, and Full Service Payroll at $37/month + $4/employee, where Patriot handles all federal, state, and local tax filings for you. Both plans include the same setup wizard, free direct deposit, and unlimited payroll runs.

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What Do You Need to Gather Before Setting Up Patriot Software Payroll?

What Business and Tax Documents Do You Need?

Collecting the right documents before opening the setup wizard saves significant time. Patriot Software payroll requires the following business-level information:

Federal Tax Details:

• Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Federal tax deposit schedule (monthly or semi-weekly, based on your IRS notice)

State and Local Tax Details:

• State withholding tax account number
• State Unemployment Insurance (SUTA) account number and current SUTA rate
• Local tax ID numbers, where your state or city requires them

Banking Information (required for direct deposit or Full Service Payroll):

• Business owner’s full legal name, Social Security Number, date of birth, and driver’s license number
• Commercial business bank account routing and account numbers

Don’t have your EIN yet? Patriot Software payroll specifically accommodates this situation. During the setup wizard, check the box labeled “I don’t have my EIN right now” and continue. You can return and enter the number later without restarting the entire configuration.

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What Employee Information Must You Prepare?

For each employee on your payroll, gather the following before you begin:

Employee Data Point	Why Patriot Software Payroll Needs It
Full legal name and address	Appears on pay stubs, W-2s, and tax filings
Social Security Number	Required for federal and state tax withholding
Federal W-4 (filing status, allowances)	Determines federal income tax withholding
State withholding form data	Varies by state; drives state tax deductions
Pay type and rate (hourly or salary)	Basis for all wage calculations
Additional pay rates (if applicable)	Patriot supports up to 25 pay rates per employee
Assigned pay schedule	Drives withholding table selection per IRS rules
Payment method preference	Direct deposit bank details or paper check
Year-to-date earnings (mid-year only)	Ensures accurate W-2s and remaining-year withholding

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How Do You Configure Company Settings in Patriot Software Payroll?

How Do You Complete the Payroll Settings Wizard?

After logging in, navigate to Settings › Payroll Settings to launch the guided wizard. The first section asks for your company tax identification details — your federal EIN, state and local tax account numbers, SUTA rate, and IRS tax deposit schedule.

Under “Show Advanced Tax Settings,” you set your default payroll frequency. This matters because Patriot Software payroll calculates withholding differently for weekly versus biweekly versus monthly pay periods, following IRS withholding tables. Setting this correctly from day one ensures employees never receive over- or under-withheld paychecks.

The optional settings section within the wizard lets you configure additional features at no extra cost:

• Workers’ compensation integration — free through Patriot’s partner ERGO Next Insurance (pay-as-you-go)
• 401(k) integration — free setup through partner retirement plan providers
• Health benefits integration — free through SimplyInsured for medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Custom deductions — health premiums, garnishments, HSA/FSA contributions, and more
• Company-paid contributions — employer 401(k) match, HSA top-ups, and similar

Additionally, if you plan to use Patriot’s accounting module alongside payroll, you configure the payroll-to-accounting integration in this same settings area. After that point, every approved payroll automatically generates a journal entry in your accounting software — eliminating double-entry and month-end reconciliation headaches.

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How Do You Set Up Direct Deposit in Patriot Software Payroll?

Direct deposit in Patriot Software payroll requires a one-time verification process to comply with the Patriot Act’s Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. To start the application, click “Start Application” in the Direct Deposit section and provide your business owner identity details and commercial bank account information.

Patriot Software payroll offers three direct deposit processing speeds:

Option	Lead Time	Cost
Standard Direct Deposit	4 banking days before pay date	Free
Expedited Direct Deposit	2 banking days before pay date	Free (qualifying customers)
Wire / Instant Payment	Same or next day	Additional fees apply

According to Business.com’s hands-on review, direct deposit approval typically takes up to 10 business days. During that window, you can still invite employees to self-onboard and continue configuring payroll settings. If some employees prefer paper checks, no application is needed for those individuals — you can mix payment methods freely within the same payroll run.

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How Do You Add Employees to Patriot Software Payroll?

What Steps Does the Employee Setup Follow?

Navigate to Payroll › Employees › Add Employee to begin building your workforce records. Patriot Software payroll walks you through each profile in clearly labeled sections:

1. Personal Information — name, home address, SSN, date of birth, and hire date
2. Federal Tax Information — W-4 filing status, withholding elections, and any flat additional withholding
3. State Tax Information — state withholding form data and any applicable local tax settings
4. Pay Information — hourly or salary designation, pay rate(s), and pay schedule assignment
5. Payment Method — direct deposit bank details or paper check election
6. Deductions and Contributions — employee-specific deductions such as health insurance premiums, 401(k) percentages, or wage garnishments

For multi-rate hourly employees, Patriot Software payroll supports up to 25 separate pay rates per person. This flexibility serves businesses where team members work across different roles or locations at different hourly rates — without requiring separate employee records for each role.

How Does New Hire Self-Onboarding Work?

Instead of collecting paper forms and manually entering data for each new hire, Patriot Software payroll lets you send employees a self-onboarding invitation link. New hires then enter their own W-4 information, direct deposit bank details, and contact data directly into the system. Once they submit, that information populates their employee record automatically — ready for payroll without any manual re-entry on your end.

According to Business.com’s review, the self-onboarding portal is easy to navigate and mirrors the simplicity of the main Patriot Software payroll interface. Note that self-onboarding currently works via web browser only, rather than through a mobile app.

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How Do You Create Pay Schedules in Patriot Software Payroll?

What Pay Frequencies Does Patriot Software Support?

Pay schedules determine how often each group of employees receives wages and which IRS withholding tables apply. Navigate to Settings › Pay Schedules to create and name your schedules. Patriot Software payroll supports all standard frequencies:

• Weekly — 52 pay periods per year
• Biweekly — 26 pay periods per year (most common for hourly staff)
• Semi-monthly — 24 pay periods per year (typically the 1st and 15th)
• Monthly — 12 pay periods per year
• Quarterly, semi-annually, annually — for less common arrangements

You can create unlimited pay schedules in Patriot Software payroll — for instance, a weekly schedule for hourly warehouse staff alongside a semi-monthly schedule for salaried managers. The platform runs separate payrolls for each schedule, meaning you select the applicable schedule each time you initiate a new payroll run. Assigning the correct schedule to each employee is critical, because Patriot Software payroll automatically applies the matching IRS withholding tables based on pay frequency.

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How Do You Enter Year-to-Date Payroll History in Patriot Software?

When and Why Does Year-to-Date Data Matter?

If you start using Patriot Software payroll mid-year rather than on January 1, you must enter each employee’s year-to-date (YTD) earnings and withholdings from the start of the calendar year through your switchover date. Patriot Software payroll needs this data for two reasons: accurate tax calculations through the remainder of the year, and correct W-2 reporting at year-end.

The setup wizard prompts YTD entry after you finish adding employees. For each person, you input:

• Gross wages paid before the switchover date
• Federal income tax withheld to date
• Employee and employer Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld
• State and local income taxes withheld
• Year-to-date totals for 401(k) or other pre-tax deductions

This step is where Patriot Software‘s free setup assistance proves especially valuable. The onboarding team can import your YTD data directly, saving hours of manual entry — particularly when switching from a payroll provider that exports data in a different format.

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How Do You Run Your First Payroll in Patriot Software?

What Are the Three Steps of Every Payroll Run?

Once setup is complete, running payroll in Patriot Software follows a consistent three-step process that customers average under three minutes to complete, according to Patriot’s own user data.

Step 1 — Enter Hours and Money

From the Payroll menu, click “Run a New Payroll” and select the appropriate pay schedule. The payroll worksheet displays all eligible employees for that schedule, with pay period dates pre-filled. For hourly employees, enter regular and overtime hours (convert minutes to decimals — for example, 4 hours 30 minutes = 4.5). Salaried employees appear with their salary pre-checked and ready to include. You can also add bonuses, commissions, PTO, or other pay types by clicking “Show All Hours and Money Types.”

Step 2 — Approve Payroll

Patriot Software payroll instantly calculates each employee’s gross pay, all tax withholdings, deductions, and net pay. Review the summary, click “View Details” on any employee to inspect their full paycheck breakdown, and make corrections before proceeding. When everything looks right, click “Approve Payroll.” Full Service customers also see their total payroll tax liability at this stage.

Step 3 — Print Paychecks or Confirm Direct Deposit

For paper check users, Patriot Software payroll generates a downloadable PDF for printing on pre-printed check stock. For direct deposit employees, funds transmit according to your selected ACH timeline, and pay stubs become available instantly in each employee’s self-service portal.

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Conclusion: Is Setting Up Payroll in Patriot Software Worth the Effort?

Setting up payroll in Patriot Software is straightforward precisely because the platform eliminates the guesswork at every stage. The guided wizard, free onboarding assistance, self-onboarding for new hires, and intuitive three-step payroll run all work together to get small business owners from zero to first paycheck as quickly as possible.

The initial time investment — gathering tax IDs, configuring pay schedules, and entering employee records — pays off immediately. Once Patriot Software payroll is running, the platform handles tax calculations automatically, sends pay stubs to the employee portal without manual delivery, and (on Full Service) files your federal, state, and local taxes on your behalf with a guaranteed accuracy promise.

For businesses starting fresh, Patriot Software payroll’s 30-day free trial means you can complete the entire setup and even run a test payroll before spending a dollar. For businesses switching mid-year, the free onboarding team imports your historical data so the transition creates no gaps in your compliance record. Either way, Patriot Software payroll gives small business owners a reliable, affordable, and genuinely manageable payroll process — one that continues to simplify as your business grows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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