Almost every online payroll service for small businesses is priced the same way: a monthly base fee plus a fee for each person you pay. That makes the base fee matter most for a team of three, and the per-person fee matter most for a team of twenty. Here is what the services that publish their prices charge, taken from their own US pricing pages, and what a team of 5 or 10 pays each month.
The payroll services at a glance
| Service and plan | Base price a month | Per person a month | Payroll taxes filed for you | Intro offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Basic Payroll | $17 | $4 per worker | No, you file them | 30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months |
| Patriot Full Service Payroll | $37 | $5 per worker | Federal, state and local | 30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months |
| Square Payroll | $35 | $6 per person paid | Federal and state | None shown |
| Square Payroll, contractors only | None | $6 per person paid | Not needed | None shown |
| Gusto Simple | $49 | $6 per person | Yes, one state | None shown |
| OnPay | $49 | $6 per worker | Federal, state and local, any number of states | "Get one month free" |
| QuickBooks Workforce Payroll | $50 | $7 per employee | Yes | 50% off the base price for 3 months |
The intro offers are promotions: the prices in this guide are the list prices you pay once they end.
What 5 or 10 employees cost a month
| Service and plan | 5 employees | 10 employees | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Basic Payroll | $37 | $57 | $17 + $4 per worker; you file the taxes yourself |
| Patriot Full Service Payroll | $62 | $87 | $37 + $5 per worker |
| Square Payroll | $65 | $95 | $35 + $6 per person |
| Gusto Simple | $79 | $109 | $49 + $6 per person |
| OnPay | $79 | $109 | $49 + $6 per worker |
| QuickBooks Workforce Payroll | $85 | $120 | $50 + $7 per employee |
| Gusto Plus | $140 | $200 | $80 + $12 per person |
| QuickBooks Workforce Premium | $153 | $218 | $88 + $13 per employee |
List prices, without intro offers, add-ons or benefits. Patriot charges Full Service customers $12 a month for each additional state; OnPay includes every state in its price.
What full-service payroll costs a month for 5 and 10 employees
- 5 employees
- 10 employees
Show the numbers
| 5 employees | 10 employees | |
|---|---|---|
| Patriot Full Service | $62 | $87 |
| Square Payroll | $65 | $95 |
| Gusto Simple | $79 | $109 |
| OnPay | $79 | $109 |
| QuickBooks Payroll | $85 | $120 |
| Gusto Plus | $140 | $200 |
| QuickBooks Premium | $153 | $218 |
At these sizes the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive entry plan is only $23 a month for 5 employees and $33 for 10. The bigger jump comes when you need the second tier for time tracking, multi-state payroll or faster deposits: Gusto Plus and QuickBooks Workforce Premium cost close to twice their entry plans.
Patriot Payroll: best for the lowest full-service price
Patriot sells two plans, and the difference is who files the taxes. Basic Payroll is $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid: Patriot calculates the paychecks and you file and deposit the payroll taxes yourself. Full Service Payroll is $37 a month plus $5 per worker and handles federal, state and local filings and deposits, with Forms 940, 941, W-2 and W-3 included at no extra fee.
Both plans include unlimited payrolls, free four-day direct deposit (two-day for qualifying customers), a free employee portal, auto payroll and free integration with your health benefit provider. Patriot bills monthly in arrears, and in a month when you run no payroll you pay only the base price.
What to watch:
- Each extra state is $12 a month on Full Service.
- The per-worker fee counts contractors too: every employee or 1099 contractor you pay that month.
- Time tracking and HR are add-ons, at $6 a month plus $2 per employee each.
- 1099 e-filing costs extra on Basic: Patriot says nominal fees apply.
The current offer is 30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months.
Choose it if you pay a small team in one state and want the lowest bill that still files your taxes.
Square Payroll: best for Square sellers and contractor-only teams
Square Payroll's full-service plan costs $35 a month plus $6 per person paid. Square calculates, withholds and files federal payroll taxes and handles state income tax and state unemployment filings, with multi-state payroll, off-cycle payments, auto payroll and next-day direct deposit included. Health insurance and 401(k) are add-ons. The same account runs Square's register, compared in POS systems for small business.
The contractor-only plan is $6 a month per person paid, with no base fee. It skips tax filing, multi-state payroll and next-day deposits, but includes digital 1099 delivery.
What to watch: W-2s and 1099s are delivered digitally; if you want paper copies mailed, Square charges $3 per mailed form a year.
Choose it if you already take payments with Square, or you pay only contractors and want the lowest per-person price.
OnPay: best for paying staff in several states
OnPay has one payroll plan, Payroll Essentials, at $49 a month plus $6 per worker, and every account includes:
- Federal, state and local tax filings, and as many states as you need at no extra charge.
- W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings.
- Unlimited pay runs and pay schedules.
- Support by phone, chat and email, with no implementation fees.
Benefits integration and administration are free; you pay only the plan premiums. HR tools are an add-on from $15 a month plus $2 per worker, and time tracking from $15 a month plus $4 per worker. OnPay also advertises "Get one month free" for new customers.
Choose it if your team works in more than one state, or you want one price with no tiers to outgrow.
Gusto: best for growing teams that want benefits and HR
Gusto's three plans step up quickly:
| Plan | Base price a month | Per person a month | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $49 | $6 | Unlimited payrolls, tax filings and payments, basic PTO policies; one state |
| Plus | $80 | $12 | Time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay, multi-state payroll |
| Premium | $180 | $22 | A named advisor, HR guidance, Gusto Business Compliance, same-day and instant pay |
Health insurance through Gusto carries no Gusto administration fee; you pay the premiums. 401(k) plans, workers' comp and other business insurance are available through Gusto too.
What to watch:
- Simple covers one state. Paying people in a second state means Plus.
- Next-day pay is an add-on on Simple, at $15 a month plus $3 per person. Same-day pay costs $90 per payroll and instant pay $100 per payroll on Simple and Plus.
- Solo owners of an S corp have their own plan, Gusto Solo, at $49 a month plus $6 per person.
Choose it if you plan to add health benefits, a 401(k) and HR tools as you hire, and want them in the same system as payroll.
QuickBooks Payroll: best if you already use QuickBooks
Intuit now sells QuickBooks Payroll as QuickBooks Workforce, in three plans:
| Plan | Base price a month | Per employee a month | Direct deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce Payroll | $50 | $7 | Next day, if you run payroll by 5 p.m. |
| Workforce Premium | $88 | $13 | Same day, if you run payroll by 7 a.m. |
| Workforce Elite | $134 | $17 | Same day, if you run payroll by 7 a.m. |
Every plan calculates, files and pays your payroll taxes, gives employees their W-2s in a portal and e-files 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms. Premium adds time tracking; Elite adds tax penalty protection of up to $25,000 a year.
What to watch: the current offer is 50% off for 3 months on the base price only; per-employee fees, per-contractor fees and state tax filing fees are charged in full from the start. Payroll bundled with QuickBooks Online has lower per-employee fees: see QuickBooks Payroll pricing for the bundles and the full plan comparison.
Choose it if your books are in QuickBooks Online and you want payroll to post there without an integration.
SurePayroll, ADP, Paychex and Rippling
SurePayroll ("SurePayroll by Paychex" on its site) prices its Small Business plan from a monthly fee plus $7 per worker, but its pricing page shows the starting fee as both $29 and $39 a month, so confirm it at sign-up. Year-end W-2 and 1099 forms are billed separately, at $50 a year plus $5 per form, and paying in another state is $9.99 a month. It currently advertises 6 months free, described elsewhere on the same page as every other month free during the first 12 months.
ADP and Paychex do not publish prices. RUN Powered by ADP comes in four packages, Essential, Enhanced, Complete and HR Pro, each marked "Get pricing"; ADP notes an additional fee for W-2 and 1099 forms on Essential. Its packages page offers 3 months free on each package, and up to 6 months free if you switch before November 26. Paychex Flex lists Basic, Foundations, Advanced and Complete, each with "Request Pricing", and runs a promotion of up to six free months of payroll for new clients with 1 to 250 employees who sign up between October 12 and November 24, 2026, on Foundations, Advanced or Complete under a one-year agreement. The free months cover the payroll component only, and if you leave within the year Paychex can recover their value.
Rippling quotes payroll on request: its pricing page says plans start at $8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee, and that payroll pricing depends on headcount and the products you choose.
With any quote-only service, ask for the monthly price after the free months end, the per-employee fee and the cost of year-end forms, and compare that figure with the table above.
How to choose
- A small team in one state, lowest price? Patriot Full Service Payroll, at $62 a month for 5 employees.
- Paying only contractors, or already on Square? Square Payroll: $6 a person for contractors, $35 plus $6 for employees.
- People in more than one state? OnPay, where every state is included at $49 plus $6.
- Planning to offer benefits and HR as you grow? Gusto, starting on Simple and moving to Plus for multi-state payroll and time tracking.
- Your books are in QuickBooks? QuickBooks Workforce Payroll, or a payroll and accounting bundle. Still choosing accounting software? QuickBooks alternatives compares Xero, FreshBooks and Wave, including their payroll add-ons.
- Want a dedicated rep and a written proposal? Get quotes from ADP and Paychex, and compare them after the free months end.
Run a salon or spa? Several salon booking systems sell payroll as an add-on; salon software lists those prices, so you can compare them with a standalone service. And if you pay only yourself and a few contractors, bookkeeping software for freelancers and invoicing software may cover more of what you need.