ABS Payroll & Accounting payroll review: coverage, features & pricing
What is ABS Payroll & Accounting?
ABS Payroll & Accounting has been handling payroll for film and TV productions since 1985. They're one of the few providers built specifically for entertainment industry workflows, with 41 years of experience in production payroll.
Pricing isn't publicly listed, you'll need to contact them for a quote. There aren't any public reviews available yet to gauge customer satisfaction.
In this review, we'll cover their entertainment-focused features, who benefits most from their services, and what to know before reaching out.
Best for
- •Film and television production companies that need specialized payroll handling for union crew, talent, and production staff
- •Entertainment companies working with freelance crew across multiple productions who need flexible payment schedules
- •Productions requiring cryptocurrency payments for international contractors or talent who prefer that option
- •Not ideal for companies outside entertainment, they focus on one industry rather than general business payroll
What makes ABS Payroll & Accounting unique
- •Built exclusively for entertainment industry payroll, handling the complex union rules, residuals, and production-specific workflows that general payroll providers struggle with
- •Combines payroll with Employer of Record services for productions, making it easier to hire crew across different locations without setting up separate entities
- •Offers cryptocurrency payment options alongside traditional methods like ACH and SWIFT, which is uncommon in the payroll space
- •41 years operating in the entertainment space means deep knowledge of guild agreements, SAG-AFTRA rules, and production accounting standards
- •Custom pay frequency options accommodate the irregular payment schedules common in film and TV production work
What countries does ABS Payroll & Accounting support?
ABS Payroll & Accounting operates in 1 countries with local compliance expertise.
- USUnited States
What is ABS Payroll & Accounting's payroll pricing?
Global payroll
Run payroll for your own entities
- ✓multi-currency
- ✓tax-filing
- ✓employee-portal
- ✓api-access
- ✓hris-integration
Note: Prices may vary based on country, employee volume, and contract terms. Contact ABS Payroll & Accounting for a custom quote tailored to your needs. Volume discounts may be available for larger teams.
Not offered by ABS Payroll & Accounting: Contractor management
What are ABS Payroll & Accounting's payroll features?
A look at ABS Payroll & Accounting's platform capabilities and tools.
Pay cycles
- •bi-weekly
- •semi-monthly
- •custom
Payment methods
- •bank-transfer
- •ach
- •sepa
- •swift
- •wise
- •paypal
- •crypto
What are the pros and cons of ABS Payroll & Accounting?
Pros
- +Four decades in the entertainment industry means they understand production payroll inside and out, from deal memos to residuals
- +Crypto payment support gives you more flexibility for paying international crew compared to most payroll providers
- +Mobile app access lets production accountants and crew check pay stubs on set without needing a computer
- +API access available if you need to connect their payroll system to production management software
- +On-demand pay option can help crew access earnings between standard pay cycles, useful during long productions
- +Employee portal gives cast and crew self-service access to tax documents and payment history
Cons
- –Coverage limited to the Americas, so productions with crew in Europe, Asia, or other regions will need additional providers
- –No public pricing means you can't compare costs without going through their sales process
- –Only one country in their core coverage is extremely limited compared to global providers covering 50-100 countries
- –No reviews available yet makes it harder to verify their service quality or customer support responsiveness
- –Entertainment-only focus means companies outside film and TV need to look elsewhere entirely
Frequently asked questions about ABS Payroll & Accounting
What is ABS Payroll & Accounting's pricing?
ABS Payroll & Accounting does not publish its pricing publicly. You'll need to contact their sales team for a quote based on your production's needs.
How many countries does ABS Payroll & Accounting support?
ABS Payroll & Accounting operates within the U.S. only, covering 1 country. If your production has international payroll needs, this provider would not be a fit.
What payment methods does ABS Payroll & Accounting support?
ABS Payroll & Accounting supports bank transfer, ACH, SEPA, SWIFT, Wise, PayPal, and crypto. That's a wide range of options, though keep in mind their operations are U.S.-focused, so not all methods may apply to every situation.
What pay frequencies does ABS Payroll & Accounting offer?
ABS Payroll & Accounting offers bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and custom pay frequencies. The custom option is useful for productions with non-standard payment schedules.
Which entertainment unions does ABS Payroll & Accounting cover?
ABS Payroll & Accounting covers all major entertainment unions, including SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, and WGA. They also handle payroll for both Above-the-Line and Below-the-Line talent, which keeps things consolidated for film and TV productions.
What security certifications does ABS Payroll & Accounting hold?
ABS Payroll & Accounting holds SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS certifications. That's a solid set of credentials for a payroll provider handling sensitive production data.
What support options does ABS Payroll & Accounting provide?
ABS Payroll & Accounting offers 24/7 support, live chat, and a knowledge base. Having round-the-clock access is handy for productions that run on tight, unpredictable schedules.
Is ABS Payroll & Accounting a good fit for large-budget productions?
ABS Payroll & Accounting has a maximum budget handling capacity of $10 million, which may not suit very large productions. If your production budget exceeds that threshold, you'd likely need to look at other providers.
What are people asking about ABS Payroll & Accounting?
Answers from other buyers and from the editorial team.
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Take it up with ABS Payroll & Accounting directly.
Pricing above is what ABS Payroll & Accounting publishes. Your quote depends on countries, headcount, and term, so get it from the source.
