The company’s agentic AI engine recognized for industry innovation and impact

Paychex WISE recognized as one HR Executive’s Top HR Products of the Year in 2026
Built on Paychex's trusted HR, payroll, and workforce expertise, WISE combines embedded AI capabilities with expert guidance to proactively identify issues, automate workflows, and drive better business outcomes

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paychex (NASDAQ:PAYX), a leading provider of expert-enabled HR, payroll, and benefits, today announced that WISE (Workforce Intelligence Strengthened by Expertise), the company’s AI-powered intelligence engine, has been named a Top HR Product by HR Executive. WISE is one of only 14 solutions to earn the designation for 2026.

Hosted by HR Executive and HR Tech, the annual Top HR Products competition aims to uncover the most impactful and forward-thinking technologies introduced into the market over the last year. Each submission is reviewed by a panel of esteemed judges and then assessed for innovation, functionality, ease of use and value to HR organizations. After a rigorous evaluation and live product demonstration, WISE was recognized as a Top HR Product of 2026.

"The future of AI in HR is not simply providing information or answering questions — it is delivering real intelligence that can help organizations confidently take action," said Ryan Bergstrom, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Paychex. "Being named a Top HR Product winner by HR Executive – one of our industries most respected award programs – validates our vision for WISE and the value it is delivering to businesses every day. We are proud to be redefining what AI can do by combining trusted expertise, proprietary workforce insights, and agentic AI capabilities that help our customers anticipate issues, make better decisions, and complete work more efficiently."

Since its launch in May 2026, WISE has helped customers proactively prevent payroll errors and unlock operational efficiency, while also enabling Paychex service teams to focus on providing customers with higher-value support.

Specifically, Intelligent Pay Cycle, powered by WISE, continuously monitors payroll workflows for anomalies and proactively flags missing pay data, incomplete time records, and unresolved approvals before they become payroll issues. Key results to date include:

Enabled proactive payroll management, with nearly 90% of identified time and pay rate errors corrected before payroll processing day.
Reduced review and resolution times for direct deposit changes, decreasing the average turnaround from approximately three days to less than two days.

WISE represents a fundamental shift in how intelligence is applied within HR, moving from user-directed tools to an agentic platform embedded directly into HR, payroll, and workforce management workflows. WISE underpins Paychex’s strategy to power people and performance through agents, intelligence, and assistants — while seamlessly connecting customers to human expertise when it matters most. Together, these capabilities deliver actionable insights, expert guidance, and agentic automation that help organizations work faster, smarter, and more efficiently.

Industry analyst and judge Madeline Laurano said, "The most compelling HR technologies do more than just address the challenges HR teams face today – they help anticipate what’s next. This year’s Top HR Product winners show how innovation, grounded in market needs, can deliver greater efficiency, better insights and more strategic value. These are the kinds of solutions that move the industry forward and redefine what’s possible for HR."

Paychex will be honored on Monday, October 19, during the HR Icons Awards Evening at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the night before HR Tech 2026. Those attending the conference will have the opportunity to see Paychex’s award-winning WISE in action by visiting Booth #4227 during expo hours Tuesday, October 20 to Thursday, October 22.

More information about WISE and AI at Paychex is available at paychex.com/ai.

About HR Executive

Established in 1987, HR Executive is the premier global media company covering strategic issues in HR. Part of the Arc network, HR Executive provides more than 175,000 subscribers with news, content and analysis of global HR trends. HR Executive is where HR professionals go when they need to know, providing in-depth coverage on all facets of human resource management, including recruiting, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, learning and development, employment law, talent management, the latest technologies and more. Visit hrexecutive.com.

About HR Tech

HR Tech is the industry's premier event series showcasing breakthrough HR technologies, with its flagship U.S. conference serving as its cornerstone since 1997. HR Tech in the U.S. features the world's largest expo of innovative HR solutions, live product demonstrations and the industry’s preeminent startup competition. The HR Tech portfolio has expanded globally with additional annual events in Europe and Asia, creating a worldwide network of innovation hubs that shape the future of work.

HR Tech is part of the event arm of HR Executive, a prestigious global media company established in 1987 that delivers news, content and analysis of strategic HR trends to more than 220,000 subscribers worldwide. The synergy between the events and media channels enables the brands to create a comprehensive knowledge ecosystem that addresses all aspects of human resource management, establishing the organization as the definitive authority for visionary HR leaders. Visit www.HRTechConference.com to learn more.

About WISE

WISE (Workforce Intelligence Strengthened by Expertise) is the AI-powered intelligence engine transforming business operations with embedded context-aware intelligence, expert-enabled guidance, and autonomous execution. With Paychex’s five decades of trusted data and human expertise at its core, WISE transforms AI from a passive tool to expert-designed agentic workflows with the ability to complete tasks autonomously, making work faster, smarter, and more efficient

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) provides a comprehensive suite of expert-enabled technology and advisory solutions that help businesses manage HR, payroll, and benefits. Serving approximately 840,000 clients and paying 1 in 11 U.S. private sector workers, Paychex combines scale, trusted expertise, and innovation to help businesses succeed. Built on more than 50 years of workforce experience and one of the industry’s largest proprietary HR datasets, Paychex’s WISE agentic AI engine embeds intelligence directly into workflows to improve productivity, enhance decision-making, and deliver better outcomes. Learn more at paychex.com.

Media Contact

Chelsea Wernick

Public Relations Program Manager

Paychex, Inc.

(585) 216-2974

cwernick@paychex.com