Central
Payroll, compliance & benefits for startups, handled by AI & experts
What is Central? Complete Overview
Central is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and compliance platform designed specifically for startups. It combines AI automation with human expertise to handle all the administrative tasks that founders typically struggle with, saving them 10+ hours per month. The platform manages payroll for US employees and global contractors, multi-state compliance (including registrations, worker's comp, and mail handling), personalized benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401(k)), and HR functions like hiring and onboarding. What sets Central apart is its deep integration with Slack, allowing founders to manage everything through simple chat commands. The service includes dedicated human support and handles all migrations and setups, offering the first month free. Central has raised $8.6M from First Round and Y Combinator and serves 1000+ founders.
Central Interface & Screenshots
Central Official screenshot of the tool interface
What Can Central Do? Key Features
AI-Powered Payroll
Central handles payroll for all types of workers - US employees, global contractors, and one-time payments. It automatically calculates and files payroll taxes, manages reimbursements, and ensures compliance. The system shows clear breakdowns of salaries, taxes, and benefits for each employee.
Multi-State Compliance
Central automatically handles state registrations, worker's compensation, mail handling, and acts as your registered agent in all states. It prevents fines and penalties by ensuring your business stays compliant as you hire across state lines, with automatic alerts for new requirements.
Personalized Benefits
Central provides expert guidance on selecting and managing health insurance (medical, dental, vision), life insurance, disability, and 401(k) plans. Their licensed brokers offer 1-on-1 consultations to find the best options for your team size and budget.
HR & Team Management
The platform streamlines hiring, managing, and offboarding employees with automated offer letters, I-9 verification, onboarding workflows, and severance management. It handles all documentation and compliance aspects of team changes.
Slack Integration
Central's AI teammate operates entirely through Slack, allowing founders to manage payroll, retrieve documents, start workflows, and get human support via chat. Users can query company details, change salaries, request documents, and send contracts all through simple Slack commands.
Best Central Use Cases & Applications
Expanding to New States
When hiring your first employee in a new state, Central automatically handles all state registrations, worker's compensation requirements, and tax filings, preventing costly compliance mistakes and fines.
Immigrant Founder Payroll
Non-resident founders can easily set up compliant payroll for themselves and their team without needing to understand complex US payroll and tax systems, with Central guiding them through every step.
Benefits Management
When your current insurance provider changes coverage, Central's experts quickly identify alternative plans, explain options, and handle all paperwork to transition your team to a new provider with minimal disruption.
Document Retrieval
Employees can request proof of income or other employment verification documents through Slack, receiving professionally formatted, signed documents within minutes without founder involvement.
How to Use Central: Step-by-Step Guide
Book a short call with a Central expert who will understand your company's needs, answer questions, and guide you through the onboarding process.
Add your company information or grant Central access to your current provider for seamless migration. Central handles all data transfer with zero work required from you.
Start running compliant payroll through Central's platform. The system will automatically handle tax filings, benefits administration, and state compliance based on your company's specific needs.
Use Central's Slack integration to manage day-to-day operations. Simply message the Central bot to make changes, retrieve information, or get support from human experts.
Central Pros and Cons: Honest Review
Pros
Considerations
Is Central Worth It? FAQ & Reviews
Central goes beyond software by providing AI automation combined with human experts who actively manage your payroll, compliance, and benefits. Unlike other platforms that require you to figure everything out, Central does the work for you, saving founders 10+ hours per month.
Initial setup takes about 15 minutes. If you're migrating from another provider, Central handles all the migration work for you at no additional cost, with zero effort required on your part.
Central offers fast human support through a dedicated Slack channel or email. All support is handled by in-house experts with no transfers or offshoring. You also get a dedicated insurance advisor for benefits guidance.
Yes, Central can pay global contractors while handling all compliance requirements. The platform supports one-time payments, recurring payments, and invoice-based payments to contractors worldwide.
Central uses encrypted data storage with continuous monitoring. The platform requires mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) and memorized PIN codes for all access, whether through web or Slack.
How Much Does Central Cost? Pricing & Plans
Free Trial
First month freePaid Plans
Custom pricing based on company sizeCentral Support & Contact Information
Monthly Visits (Last 3 Months)
Growth Analysis
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