Netchex vs. TMA Payroll: Which HR and Payroll Platform Is Right for Your Business in 2026?

Netchex vs TMA Payroll comes up for a specific kind of owner: someone who already trusts an accountant for the books and figures payroll might as well ride along on the same invoice. A bakery owner in Indianapolis calls her CPA every quarter anyway, so why not let that CPA run payroll too? That’s the exact question TMA Payroll was built to answer, and it’s worth walking through honestly before you sign anything.

TMA Payroll is the payroll arm of TMA Small Business Accounting, an Indianapolis CPA firm. Netchex is a payroll, time, HR and benefits company that builds and owns its own software. Those are two different businesses wearing similar-sounding names, and the difference shapes almost everything below.

Last updated: September 2026. TMA Payroll information comes from the company’s own website, its BBB and Clutch profiles, and public business listings. Netchex figures come from G2 and Netchex’s own customer data.

The Short Version

TMA Small Business Accounting has worked with Indiana small businesses since July 2000, per its BBB business-start date, which lines up with the firm’s own claim of 25 years in business. It’s run out of a single office on Whitley Drive in Indianapolis, and Tyler Thompson serves as owner and president. The firm has been an active member of PASBA, the Professional Association of Small Business Accountants, since 2005, and was named the group’s Firm of the Year in 2011. Payroll isn’t a separate product at TMA. It’s folded into a flat monthly fee alongside bookkeeping, financial statements and tax prep, delivered on the isolved platform, with a payroll team the firm says handles roughly 300 employers and nearly 5,000 employees combined.

Netchex was founded in Louisiana more than 20 years ago for the businesses that keep America running: restaurants, hotels, dealerships, clinics. It builds and owns its payroll, time, HR and benefits software, so one company handles both the platform and the phone. The US-based, FPC-certified support team answers 90% of calls in under a minute with first-call resolution, customers rate that service 4.8 out of 5, and Netchex holds an 8.9/10 Quality of Support score on G2.

Company Overview

Netchex vs. TMA Payroll on Payroll and Time

TMA’s payroll page describes a straightforward setup: web-based payroll on isolved, direct deposit, employee self-service portals and paperless onboarding, plus time and attendance, tax deposits and filings and W-2s, all overseen by a dedicated payroll specialist. For a five-person restaurant that just wants checks to go out correctly every two weeks, that’s a real, functional setup.

Netchex takes a different shape. Time and attendance and Scheduler live in the same system as payroll, not a separate module bolted on, so shift changes and overtime rules flow straight through without a second login. OneScreen Payroll pulls onboarding, overtime, benefits and taxes into one readiness view, and most teams finish a run in under 15 minutes.

Bookkeeping, Tax Prep and the Accountant Relationship

This is TMA’s actual specialty, and it deserves a fair hearing. Bookkeeping, financial statements and tax preparation are the firm’s core services. Payroll is priced in, not billed separately, and TMA’s own pitch names the real friction it’s solving: most small businesses end up with a payroll vendor that doesn’t talk to their accountant. For an owner who wants one phone number for the books and the paychecks, that’s a genuine convenience, not just marketing.

Netchex doesn’t do your bookkeeping or file your business taxes. It works directly with the CPA and benefits broker you already have, and keeps payroll, HR and hiring on one employee record through Netchex Recruit. With its in-house benefits solution, ACA Central tracks hours and coverage offers across full-time, part-time and seasonal staff, and Netchex files Forms 1094-C and 1095-C. (The IRS reporting rules for applicable large employers spell out what’s required.)

We didn’t find dedicated benefits administration or ACA tracking listed among TMA’s services, so if that matters to you, ask before you sign.

Service and Support

TMA carries an A+ rating and BBB accreditation, current as of June 2026, with zero complaints closed in the last three years. That’s a clean record, but it comes with an asterisk worth naming plainly: the BBB profile also shows zero customer reviews, and TMA’s Clutch profile shows zero reviews as well. There simply isn’t much independent, third-party feedback out there yet to judge the day-to-day experience against.

The open question for any isolved-based payroll bureau is what happens when the software itself, not the accountant, is the problem. isolved’s own support FAQ says employers who license isolved through a partner firm “receive support directly from that service provider”. Day to day, that’s fine, since TMA is who you call. When the payroll engine underneath needs fixing, the request still has to travel further, and isolved’s own review numbers land below Netchex’s: a 4.3/5 G2 rating across 1,320 reviews, an 8.5/10 G2 Quality of Support score, a 3.9/5 on Capterra, and a 3.1/5 on Trustpilot.

Netchex keeps that chain short. The company that writes the code also answers the phone. Ninety percent of calls are picked up in under a minute with first-call resolution, and every customer gets a dedicated Account Manager.

Netchex has the best support of any service provider I’ve ever worked with. There aren’t any hoops to jump through with Netchex support.

– Mary Lang, Accounting and Financial Control Director, Atlanta Air Charter

Pricing and Implementation

TMA doesn’t publish a rate card, and payroll isn’t priced as its own line item. It’s folded into the firm’s flat monthly fee alongside accounting and tax work, so the actual dollar figure comes only from a direct conversation with the firm.

Netchex also quotes based on your setup, but implementation is free and project-managed, usually finishing in about six weeks, with free data imports and a 96% implementation satisfaction score. We didn’t find a published implementation timeline on TMA’s site, so if you’re weighing the two, ask TMA for one in writing.

Who Each Is Built For

TMA Payroll may fit if: you’re a very small business or a solo professional practice in central Indiana, you already want one accounting firm for bookkeeping, tax prep and payroll together, and you’re comfortable being an early adopter on a firm with limited independent review history.

Netchex may fit if: you’d rather have a dedicated payroll, time, HR and benefits platform than an accounting-first bundle, you want to keep the CPA and benefits broker you already trust, and you want one company accountable for both the software and the support, whether you’re in Indianapolis or somewhere else entirely. For more on the platform underneath TMA, see our Netchex vs. isolved comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: 5 Best TMA Payroll Alternatives | Netchex vs. isolved comparison | Netchex vs. Paychex

This guide reflects publicly available product information and independent reviewer data (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Reddit, Software Advice, GetApp) as of 2026. Feature availability may vary by plan. Contact each provider for current details.

Disclaimer: Any product roadmap or future plans provided herein are for informational purposes only. They do not represent a commitment to deliver any material, code, feature, or functionality. Plans may change without notification. The development, release and timing of any features or functionality described remain at the sole discretion of Netchex, its affiliates, and partners. Netchex does not give legal, tax, or accounting advice. You are responsible for ensuring your use of Netchex product meets your individual business and compliance requirements.

Print this page