SeroPayroll vs Payworks
Payworks is a Canadian payroll, HR and time provider. SeroPayroll is self-run Canadian payroll with published prices and the files you upload.
Sero vs Payworks, handled by Sero
Published pricing
From $25/mo for up to 10 employees.
13 jurisdictions
Reconciled to the CRA calculator.
Timesheets and time clock
Hours flow into pay runs.
Year-end ready
T4/T4A/T5018 XML and filing readiness checks.
ROEs on time
.BLK files with the 5-day deadline tracked.
Encrypted company files
Local company files encrypted with a recovery key.
| Capability | Sero | Payworks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $25/mo up to 10 employees (USD) | Check their current plans |
| Service model | Self-run software | Service provider with payroll, HR and time, per their public site |
| Direct deposit | CPA 005 file you upload | Typically handled for you |
| Remittances | Calculated on your schedule; you pay | Typically remitted for you |
| Time tracking | Timesheets and time clock | Time and attendance offering |
| HR | Payroll focused | HR modules available |
| Year-end | T4/T4A/T5018 XML; RL-1 slips only | Typically filed for you |
| Accounting | Posts to GL once; SeroBooks same login | GL exports and integrations |
Competitor details reflect their public information as of October 2026 and may change; check their site for current plans and pricing.
One company, one login, three products that share their numbers
SeroPayroll
Payroll for every province. Right to the cent.
Canadian payroll for all 13 provinces and territories — CPP, EI, QPP, vacation, stat holidays, remittances, T4s and ROEs.
SeroBooks
The books, the store, the bank. One ledger.
Accounting that runs the whole business — invoicing, inventory, banking, sales tax, payroll and year-end for Canada and the United States.
SeroPOS
The point of sale built for the rush.
Point of sale for restaurants and retail — tables, kitchen tickets, inventory, loyalty and online ordering on iPad, Android, Windows and Mac.
Service provider vs software
Payworks, based in Winnipeg, is a Canadian provider of payroll, HR and time and attendance, as of 2026 per its public site. As a service provider, it typically handles funding, remittances and year-end filings for its clients, and offers HR modules alongside payroll for employers who want one Canadian vendor for both.
SeroPayroll is software you run. It does the calculations and generates the files, and you upload them and make the payments through your own bank and government accounts. That keeps the price published and low, and suits employers with someone in-house, or a bookkeeper, comfortable taking those steps. Annual billing costs the equivalent of 10 months.
What SeroPayroll covers
CPP and CPP2, EI, QPP and QPIP, T4127 tax, taxable benefits, vacation pay in dollars owed, thirteen stat holiday calendars, overtime by statute, benefits and garnishments with priority order and a shortfall register, and employer levies by province. Pay runs can be weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. Statutory holidays use each province’s own formula.
Pay stubs show YTD totals and masked SINs, and can be printed as cheques, saved as PDF or emailed. Roles include Admin, Payroll and Read-only, and company files are encrypted locally with a recovery key. A cloud sync add-on is available for teams that want to work from more than one machine.
- Weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly and monthly runs
- Bonus and off-cycle runs
- Garnishments with a shortfall register
- Pay stubs by PDF and email
Year-end and ROEs
SeroPayroll generates T4, T4 Summary, T4A and T5018 XML for CRA upload, with filing readiness checks that catch missing SINs, addresses and other gaps first. ROEs are generated as .BLK files for ROE Web, with the five-day deadline tracked. PIER review catches CPP and EI shortfalls early, before CRA’s own review.
RL-1 is slips only, with no electronic transmission, so Québec employers need another route for that filing. An employee self-service app is in development. If either of those matters a lot to you today, factor it into your decision rather than discovering it after you switch. We’d rather you know the limits up front.
When Payworks may be the better fit
Employers who want a Canadian provider to handle funding, remittances and filings, and who want HR and time tools from the same vendor, may prefer Payworks. Its service model removes the upload and payment steps entirely, and having a dedicated provider can be reassuring for employers without payroll expertise in-house.
Mid-sized organizations with more complex HR needs, such as performance management, onboarding workflows or detailed employee records, may also value a provider relationship and an HR suite that SeroPayroll doesn’t try to offer. SeroPayroll stays focused on getting pay right. Payroll accuracy to the cent is where SeroPayroll puts its effort, and that focus keeps the price low.
Frequently asked questions
Is SeroPayroll a Payworks alternative?
Yes, for employers comfortable running payroll themselves. SeroPayroll covers every province from $25 a month and generates direct-deposit, T4 and ROE files for you to upload. If you want a provider to fund payroll and file for you, Payworks’ service model may suit you better.
Does SeroPayroll include time tracking?
Yes. SeroPayroll includes timesheets and a time clock, and approved hours flow into pay runs. Overtime and banked time are calculated by each province’s statute, so Ontario’s 44-hour week and BC’s daily overtime rules are both applied automatically. Timesheets can be approved before each run.
How much does SeroPayroll cost?
Starter up to 10 employees is $25 a month, Team 11 to 50 is $50, Business 51 to 100 is $100 and Scale 101 to 500 is $249, in USD. Annual billing costs 10 months. There’s a 14-day free trial, and over 500 employees is by conversation.
Does SeroPayroll remit to CRA for me?
No. SeroPayroll calculates PD7A amounts and due dates on your CRA schedule, including quarterly, regular and accelerated remitters. You make the payment through your bank or CRA’s payment options, so the payment itself stays under your control. Revenu Québec’s TPZ-1015 schedule is supported for Québec employers.
Can SeroPayroll post to my accounting system?
Yes. A pay run posts to the general ledger once, never twice. SeroPayroll exports GL journals in CSV and IIF-style formats for most ledgers, and shares a login with SeroBooks, where SeroBooks Pro runs payroll on the same ledger. That keeps payroll and the books in agreement.