ADP SmartCompliance vs. ADP Workforce Now

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP SmartCompliance
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
ADP SmartCompliance is a tax and regulatory compliance platform for midsize or larger companies using an ERP or non-ADP platform for HR and HRMS services.N/A
ADP Workforce Now
Score 8.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HR platform for mid-sized businesses. It features customizable modules of various HR services that businesses can tailor to their specific needs, as well as regulatory monitoring and alerts to help businesses remain compliant.N/A
Pricing
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Essential
Contact sales team
Enhanced
Contact sales team
Complete
Contact sales team
HR Pro
Contact sales team
Payroll Essentials
Contact sales team
HR Plus
Contact sales team
Hiring Advantage
Contact sales team
Performance Plus
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredRequired
Additional DetailsPricing varies based upon modules deployed and features enabled.Please contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Features
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
Sales and Use Taxes8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Cross-border Taxes8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
VAT / GST Taxes9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Energy and Fuel Taxes9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Reporting & Compliance
Comparison of Tax Reporting & Compliance features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
7.9
Ratings
1% above category average
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Exemption Processing7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Document Management7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Complex Tax Scenario Management8.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.8
Ratings
1% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.8
Ratings
2% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
Ratings
4% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
Ratings
5% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
Ratings
29% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
Ratings
10% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.30 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
Ratings
9% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
Ratings
3% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.4
Ratings
20% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings6.30 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
Ratings
26% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings5.80 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings5.80 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings6.30 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.6
Ratings
16% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings2.30 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
User Ratings
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Likelihood to Recommend
9.6
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.6
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(0 ratings)
2.2
(0 ratings)
Availability
6.9
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Performance
6.6
(0 ratings)
6.4
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.7
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.2
(0 ratings)
5.8
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.6
(0 ratings)
1.5
(0 ratings)
Configurability
6.5
(0 ratings)
6.4
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.6
(0 ratings)
6.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.9
(0 ratings)
7.4
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.3
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.6
(0 ratings)
6.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Likelihood to Recommend
Customer service when I call in for Wage Payment issues is usually very helpful and I get answers quickly. I have had several different CSRs since we have had ADP SmartCompliance and they have not always been the most helpful or forthcoming with information. It makes it difficult to do what I need to do if I don't have the help and support from those that know what needs to happen and when. I can't always have a conversation with that person when I need to.
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well suited for folks in manufacturing or building (jobs and tasks required). Good for small and big business, ease of forming to what you want rather then getting oversold on items that you will not use. Lots of training options available
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Pros
  • Upload agency notices when received in the mail
  • Provision a new state is very easy through SmartCompliance
  • There is a resource link within SmartCompliance that gives you a lot of information about the state you are entering with new employees, agency phone numbers, and helpful hints.
  • You can easily see your tax profiles and the status of each along with the quarterly reports that have been filed.
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  • HRIS that is personalized for the employee and addresses DE&I needs.
  • Payroll, of course! The system addresses all needs, such as deductions, additional pay, premium OT, and shift differentials.
  • Onboarding is an excellent way to stay in compliance and have all documents completed.
  • Tax and Banking and resolution to any issues.
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Cons
  • I would like to be provided a copy of additional information provided to a jurisdiction when there is an Agency Notice resolution.
  • Access to the code used on the quarterly reports. Code numbers don't do us any good if we don't know what they are in order to address accordingly.
  • The amount of time for issue resolution on an agency notice, at times, can take a very long time before receiving a resolution and there is never a response when asking for an update.
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  • Customized pre-process payroll reports (Limited on pre-process payroll reports)
  • Labor Allocation (Allocations make payroll reporting very hard to review and find any errors )
  • Recruiting (ATS is very basic)
  • Geofencing (should be able to change shape rather than a circle)
  • Pay Classes (should be able to change at Practitioner level rather than reach out to support)
  • Cookies and Cache have to be cleared on a regular basis
  • Only able to see employee documents/acknowledgements one at a time in the employee file
  • Timecards can only be managed/viewed by 1 person
  • Timeoff emails do not have a link
  • Cost per payroll - not just monthly fee so cost with off cycle payrolls
  • Separate I9 step not needed - during onboarding - 2nd Everify step
  • ADP Workforce Now does not pull in allowances for Houly employees into payroll ONLY Salaried employees
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Likelihood to Renew
There is no other option on the table for us at the moment to go with a different vendor. We also have had very little issues processing with ADP that would make us want to look for a new vendor.
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We are happy with the service and options offered by ADP. Although the cost is a bit high for a not-for-profit organization, it is essential that we have multi-jurisdictional support for the 20 plus states where employees work and reside. As our company is diminishing in size, we may need to look at making a change to conserve costs. At this time, that would be the only reason we would not renew our WFN contract.
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Usability
SOme historical information is hard to retrieve and communications go out to clients when ADP is doing some internal work. This is confusing when the client gets one of these notices but no action is required. ADP needs to stop the notices or put a message on the top so the client is aware.
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Lack of documentation and test environment make it extremely difficult to deploy work processes through the system. While there are a handful of things throughout the system that work well, particularly from an employee's perspective, many tasks, which would be simple for practitioner users in other systems, require these users to ask for administrator support. Additionally, the ghosts in the ADP machine cause established process (e.g. automated report delivery) to stop working with no notice and no error report.
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Reliability and Availability
Exceptional Services Received during our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
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ADP outages are very rare
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Performance
If ADP is having issues, they communicate the problem within the solution once you log in. They also communicate that the issue will be fixed promptly. Reports run efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time. Also, the reports allow for various reporting types to be produced like a PDF or a Microsoft Excel file.
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Overall, I think the functionality of the program works pretty well. Sometimes, certain browsers do not work well for the policy function of ADP, but that is the only issue thus far
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Support Rating
ADP's support team creates case numbers for every transaction and process. This case is being tracked for status update. ADP Support always notifies us the next step of the process by emailing us if action is needed or not. We can always check the status online and can follow up with them. We can also call them for instant answer to our urgent concerns.
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Most of it is not local, which impacts barriers and customs. I do think they know a lot, but not the cohesive piece. Some naturally know more about certain things than others. The payroll section should be broken out more because payroll is a big topic with many problems, so it can be hard to get the right person who can actually help you.
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In-Person Training
Exceptional Training Services Received during and after our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
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In-person training was pretty good - I think this significantly depends on the trainer. Our trainer was really good and showed what ADP can do - but I know that all trainers are not the same - and this truly makes such as difference. Overall, our training went pretty well.
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Online Training
They have annual training for Smart Compliance, which is very helpful. We learn the most up to laws for various subject matters, like garnishments, payroll law, child support, state unemployment laws by states. We also earn credit toward certifications. The training is user friendly, and highly recommended. It can be done live or listened to at your own convenience.
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At the time training was not as expansive as it is now. If it could go wrong it did for me so the process was difficult and lengthy. I needed to have more in person walkthroughs of things to ensure the transition was done correctly. Not sure what else I can say, we were part of the initial move to Workforce Now when it was introduced.
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Implementation Rating
Although there are meeting schedule time to time during the implementation, however, some of the time the account manager is not able to attend or miss the meeting. as that said, never able to get a full house to discuss thing in detail with a group. ADP need to look into this
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Either assign more than one specialist to the implementation process, or assign less clients to the implementation specialist. The process requires attention to detail and the ability to test and re-test as well as verify the information. It also requires a lot of back and forth between the client ant the implementation specialist, so they need to be readily available during the whole implementation process.
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Alternatives Considered
ADP SmartCompliance had already been selected as a vendor prior to my joining the company. I think one area where ADP excels over OneSource is in the amendment processing. OneSource has a very manual process where you have to request each period/state/jurisdiction needed, then you have to manually review and approve each amendment within a short amount of time. ADP's process of submitting an amendment sync and automatically detecting what amendments are needed based on the information in the sync is much preferred.
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I also used UltiPro (way back -- it didn't even appear in dropdown). Recommend ADP Workforce Now above all others. Paycor and Paycom were both very clunky. I even helped implement Paycom and could never get it to work how the business needed it to.
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Scalability
Exceptional Services Received during our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
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We have been able to grow with ADP from just a few hundred employees to over 10,000 so it's actually very scalable for payroll usage. We do not use the benefits and onboarding offerings for most of our employees but they are built to scale easily enough for when our corporate team has over 1,000 FTE.
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Return on Investment
  • we were able to outsource our garnishments, so that the bulk task it handled by someone else.
  • we have been able to process tickets quicker for missing deposits can we can see if the payment was sent back from the bank.
  • we are able to fund our final pay payments more efficiently and quicker
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  • ADP Workforce Now handles all of our tax filing which frees up our time to do other things. They keep us compliant communicating updates on a timely basis.
  • Calculates payrolls accurately. Our management and employees have built a level of confidence due to the ease of pulling statements, year end documents etc.
  • A really nice feature is the follow up email what a change has been made to banking information. There were a couple of times the employee did not make changes to their account information. This kept their funds from getting routed into the wrong hands.
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ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

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