Payroll
Manage payroll with manual entry, calculator, provider sync, and tax form generation.
Overview
Axiomatic provides payroll capabilities for recording employee compensation, calculating withholdings, syncing with external providers, and generating tax forms. Whether you run payroll manually, use a third-party provider, or a combination of both, the platform keeps your books in sync with payroll events.
Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Manual entry | Record payroll runs with gross pay, withholdings, and employer taxes |
| Calculator | Estimate net pay and tax withholdings before running payroll |
| Provider sync | Import payroll data from Gusto, ADP, Deel, or Remote |
| Tax forms | Generate W-2, 1099, 941, and 940 forms for compliance |
Connecting a Provider
Sync payroll data from supported providers to automatically create ledger events and maintain accurate expense records.
Supported Providers
| Provider | Sync Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gusto | OAuth + API | Full sync of runs, employees, and tax withholdings |
| ADP | API key | Requires ADP Workforce Now or Run |
| Deel | API key | Contractor and employee payroll |
| Remote | API key | Global payroll and contractor payments |
Setup Steps
- Navigate to Settings > Integrations
- Select the payroll provider (Gusto, ADP, Deel, or Remote)
- Complete the OAuth flow or enter your API credentials
- Choose which entities to sync
- Configure sync frequency (daily recommended for active payroll)
Once connected, payroll runs are imported automatically. Each run creates journal entries for gross wages, withholdings, employer taxes, and net pay.
Manual Payroll Calculator
Use the built-in calculator to estimate payroll before recording a run.
Walkthrough
- Go to Finance > Payroll > Calculator
- Select the pay period (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly)
- Enter employee gross pay for the period
- Add federal and state withholding allowances (W-4 data)
- The calculator displays:
- Federal income tax (FIT)
- Social Security (FICA employee)
- Medicare (FICA employee)
- State and local taxes (if applicable)
- Net pay
- Optionally add employer-side taxes (FICA employer, FUTA, SUTA)
- Click Record Payroll to create the ledger entries
The calculator uses current tax tables and supports multiple pay frequencies. For year-to-date accuracy, ensure prior runs are recorded so the calculator can apply progressive withholding.
Tax Compliance
W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement)
W-2 forms report wages, tips, and withholdings for employees. Axiomatic generates W-2 data from recorded payroll runs. Export W-2 data for filing with the SSA and for distribution to employees by January 31.
1099 (Non-Employee Compensation)
1099-NEC reports payments to contractors. Use the 1099 tracking feature to flag vendor payments that require 1099 reporting. The platform aggregates payments by vendor and tax ID for year-end filing.
Form 941 (Quarterly Federal Tax Return)
Form 941 reports federal income tax withheld, Social Security, and Medicare. Axiomatic aggregates payroll data by quarter to populate 941 schedules. Export the data for filing with the IRS.
Form 940 (Annual FUTA)
Form 940 reports Federal Unemployment Tax. The platform calculates FUTA liability from employer-side payroll and supports state credit for SUTA payments.
API Reference
| Action | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
| List payroll runs | GET /api/payroll?entityId=...&view=runs | All payroll runs with line items |
| List employees | GET /api/payroll?entityId=...&view=employees | Employee records for payroll |
| Create payroll run | POST /api/payroll with action: "create_run" | Record a manual payroll run |
| Sync provider | POST /api/payroll with action: "sync_provider" | Trigger provider sync |
| W-2 export | GET /api/payroll?entityId=...&view=w2&year=... | W-2 data for tax year |
| 1099 export | GET /api/payroll?entityId=...&view=1099&year=... | 1099 data for tax year |
| 941 data | GET /api/payroll?entityId=...&view=941&quarter=... | Quarterly 941 data |
| 940 data | GET /api/payroll?entityId=...&view=940&year=... | Annual 940 data |
Feature Gating by Tier
Payroll features are gated by subscription tier:
| Feature | STARTER+ | PRO+ | BUSINESS+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual payroll entry | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payroll calculator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Provider sync (1 provider) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Provider sync (unlimited) | No | No | Yes |
| W-2 / 1099 export | No | Yes | Yes |
| 941 / 940 export | No | No | Yes |
| API access | No | Yes | Yes |
Upgrade your tier in Settings > Billing to unlock additional payroll capabilities.