Why Payroll Outsourcing Should Be a No-Brainer for Home Care Agencies
Payroll is one of the most critical back-office functions in home care and it’s also one of the most overlooked. In Episode 9 of The Home Care Experience, Amy Taylor and Troy Brooks invite special guest Shelby Betts from WHIRKS Payroll to tackle the topic that keeps agency leaders up at night: getting people paid correctly, on time, and with fewer errors.
From EVV mishaps and tax confusion to role-based pay issues and employee trust, Amy, Troy, and Shelby pull back the curtain on what really breaks payroll and what smart agencies are doing to fix it. If you’re still manually reconciling hours on Friday night or wondering why your direct care staff keeps turning over, this one’s for you.
They cover why outsourcing payroll isn’t just convenient, it’s a smart operational strategy that can help agencies grow without drowning in admin. Whether you’re on QuickBooks or ADP, running a small team or hundreds of field staff, this episode delivers practical advice and real talk on building a better payroll process.
Why Home Care Payroll is So Complicated
Shelby breaks down what many agency owners don’t fully grasp: home care payroll isn’t just harder, it’s structurally messier. Agencies often juggle multiple systems: EMRs, EVV platforms, and external scheduling tools. These don’t always talk to payroll systems, creating a cascade of manual entry, potential mistakes, and time-consuming reconciliations. Add in inconsistent pay structures by employee or visit type, and you’ve got a formula for frustration.
From QuickBooks to Quick Mess: Why Software Alone Isn’t Enough
Amy and Shelby both take aim at platforms like QuickBooks and so-called EMR-linked payroll “services” that barely scratch the surface of what agencies really need. Sure, you can enter payroll manually or push data through exports but unless the EMR data is perfect, integrations can do more harm than good.
This is where Shelby makes a key point: tech can’t fix process problems. If your people aren’t entering notes on time, submitting time logs, or adhering to a schedule, your payroll will always be messy, integrated or not.
Troy adds to this by emphasizing the compliance risks that stem from bad data. Misaligned time records and inconsistent pay practices don’t just slow things down, they can trigger audits, wage disputes, or worse. Payroll isn’t just operational, he reminds listeners, it’s a legal vulnerability if done wrong.
Standardize or Suffer: The Power of Process
One of the biggest headaches Shelby sees? Agencies that pay each employee differently, without any structure. It makes reporting harder, slows payroll approval, and causes confusion for employees reviewing their pay stubs. Worse, it sets you up for compliance risk and devalues your company in the eyes of potential buyers.
Her advice? Create standard roles with predictable visit types and pay structures. Then build policies to reinforce them. Less chaos = fewer reruns = fewer Friday night phone calls about $20 paycheck discrepancies.
Tech is Not Service (And ADP Is Not Your Advisor)
What sets providers like WHIRKS apart from payroll tech giants like ADP or Paychex? Service. Shelby’s team doesn’t just process payroll—they help agencies think through how they gather pay data, structure their jobs, and build processes that can scale. They act as advisors, not vendors.
How Amy see’s it? “ADP sells software run by real people. WHIRKS sells real people who use software.”
Off-Cycle Payroll is a Red Flag
Need to run off-cycle payroll weekly? That’s not normal, it’s a signal that your system is broken. Shelby shares how her team helps clients root out these issues, then implement solutions that eliminate the need for late-night corrections. The result? Fewer mistakes, better employee trust, and fewer emergency fees.
Work Opportunity Tax Credits: The Overlooked Goldmine
Many agencies assume outsourcing payroll will be expensive. But WHIRKS flips that math on its head. With the right systems in place, they routinely help clients capture $50K–$80K in Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) which can more than offset payroll processing fees.
Bonus: Yes, You Can Outsource Benefits Too
WHIRKS also manages HR, ACA filings, 401(k)s, and benefits brokerage for many agencies. Amy’s own firm uses them for everything from payroll to HR compliance to health insurance renewals.
Final Takeaway: Focus on What You Do Best
Amy closes the episode with this reminder: home care leaders should focus on caregiving and leadership, not backend admin. “Outsource everything you can, payroll, HR, taxes, even your bookkeeping, so you can focus on your core competency.”
Shelby adds, “Outsourcing isn’t just an expense, it’s an investment in a more stable, scalable, compliant agency.”
Troy wraps with a legal lens: “The more you can standardize and automate, the fewer compliance risks you face. Outsourcing isn’t just about convenience, it’s about protection.”
Listen to the full episode here: https://homecareexperience.com/episodes/why-payroll-outsourcing-is-a-no-brainer
