Payroll software pricing for small business starts at about 49 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per employee on the best known entry plans, and that single sentence hides most of the real cost. A five person team pays 79 dollars a month on that math. A 25 person team pays 199 dollars a month. A 50 person team pays 349 dollars a month. Those totals look small until you add time tracking, multi state filing, benefits administration, year end forms, and the plan upgrade that unlocks the feature you assumed was included.
Payroll software pricing for small business splits into two camps. The first camp publishes its prices in plain sight. Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks Payroll, SurePayroll, and Patriot publish a base fee plus a per employee fee, and you can work out your bill in 30 seconds. The second camp quotes. ADP RUN and Paychex Flex ask for your headcount and states before they name a number, and a quoted price cannot be compared honestly until you have it in writing.
How Payroll Software Pricing for Small Business Really Works
Most small business payroll tools charge in two parts, and understanding those two parts is the fastest way to avoid a surprise bill. The first part is the base fee, a flat monthly charge that you pay whether you have one employee or 40. The second part is the per employee fee, a monthly charge for each person on the payroll run. A plan listed as 49 dollars plus 6 dollars per employee costs 55 dollars a month for one employee, 79 dollars for five, 109 dollars for 10, and 199 dollars for 25. The per employee fee is the cost that grows with you, and it is the number that decides which tool wins at your size.
Pay frequency changes the math on some tools and not on others. Gusto, OnPay, and QuickBooks include unlimited payroll runs in the monthly price, so weekly pay costs the same as monthly pay. ADP has historically charged per pay run on some plans, which means weekly payroll can cost roughly twice as much as biweekly payroll for the same team. Always ask whether the quoted price covers unlimited runs, and get the answer in writing before you sign. A tool that looks cheap at monthly pay can become the most expensive option in the building the week you switch to weekly pay for hourly staff.
Tax filing is the feature that separates a payroll calculator from a payroll service. Every tool in this guide files federal taxes, and most file state taxes too. The differences sit at the edges. Local tax filing is not automated on some entry plans.
Multi state payroll is a paid upgrade on Gusto, where it requires the Plus plan at 80 dollars plus 12 dollars per employee, and it is included in the single flat plan at OnPay. Year end W-2 and 1099 forms are included at Gusto and OnPay, billed separately at some quoted providers, and charged per form at SurePayroll, where year end forms run about 50 dollars plus 5 dollars per form on top of the monthly fee.
Payroll Software Pricing Compared at a Glance
The table below uses published list prices checked in November 2026. Quoted providers are marked as quote only, because any number attached to them from a third party site is an old deal, not a price you can buy today. Treat every figure here as a starting point, and confirm it on the vendor pricing page before you commit.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry paid plan | Per employee a month | Multi state payroll | Year end forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | No free plan, trial available | Simple 49 dollars a month | 6 dollars | Plus plan only | Included |
| OnPay | No free plan, first month free | Payroll Essentials 49 dollars a month | 6 dollars | Included | Included |
| QuickBooks Payroll | No free plan | Workforce Payroll 50 dollars a month | 7 dollars | Premium and Elite | Included, Elite adds penalty protection |
| SurePayroll | No free plan | Full Service 29 dollars a month | 7 dollars | 9.99 dollars a month add on | 50 dollars plus 5 dollars per form |
| Patriot Software | No free plan | Basic Payroll 17 dollars a month | 4 dollars per employee, tax service extra | Extra, varies by state | Extra on Basic, included with Full Service |
| Paychex Flex | No free plan | Essentials about 39 dollars a month, quote varies | About 5 dollars, quote varies | Quote | Quote |
| ADP RUN | No free plan | Essential, quote only | Quote only | Included on higher tiers | Billed separately |
| Rippling | No free plan | Platform 35 dollars a month plus payroll module | From 8 dollars, module extra | Included | Included |
| Square Payroll | No free plan | 35 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per employee, contractors 5 dollars | 6 dollars | Limited, check state coverage | Included |
| Wave Payroll | No free plan | 20 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per employee, where available | 6 dollars | Limited state availability | Included where available |
The cheapest entry price in the table is Patriot Basic at 17 dollars a month plus 4 dollars per employee, but that price buys payroll calculation only, not tax filing. Add the Full Service tax option and the price rises to about 37 dollars a month plus 4 dollars per employee, which is still the lowest full service total for a very small team.
The most transparent payroll software pricing for small business is OnPay at 49 dollars plus 6 dollars, because one plan includes multi state filing, year end forms, benefits administration, and HR tools with no tier to climb. The most popular price is Gusto Simple at the same 49 dollars plus 6 dollars, but multi state filing pushes you to Plus, and that doubles the per person fee.
Gusto
Gusto Simple costs 49 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per employee, Plus costs 80 dollars plus 12 dollars, and Premium costs 180 dollars plus 22 dollars. A contractor only plan costs 35 dollars plus 6 dollars per contractor. All plans include unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing, and the price rise in March 2026 lifted Simple from 40 dollars to 49 dollars, which is worth remembering at renewal time because Gusto has raised prices more than once in a single year.
A five person single state team pays 79 dollars a month on Simple, or 948 dollars a year. The same team on Plus pays 140 dollars a month, or 1,680 dollars a year, and the extra 732 dollars buys multi state payroll, time tracking, PTO management, and next day direct deposit. A 10 person team pays 109 dollars a month on Simple and 200 dollars on Plus.
A 25 person team pays 199 dollars on Simple and 380 dollars on Plus. A 50 person team pays 349 dollars on Simple and 680 dollars on Plus, and at that size Premium at 180 dollars plus 22 dollars per person reaches 1,280 dollars a month, which is hard to justify unless you need the dedicated advisor and compliance alerts it adds.
The hidden costs at Gusto sit in the add ons. Time and attendance costs 6 dollars per person a month on Simple and is included on Plus and Premium. Priority support costs 30 dollars a month plus 3 dollars per person on Simple and Plus. Health insurance broker integration costs 6 dollars per eligible employee a month unless Gusto is your broker. None of these charges is unreasonable on its own, but a five person team on Simple with time tracking and priority support pays 79 dollars plus 30 dollars plus 30 dollars plus 15 dollars, which is 154 dollars a month, or nearly double the headline price.
OnPay
OnPay charges one flat plan, Payroll Essentials at 49 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per person, and that single price includes unlimited runs, multi state payroll, all tax filings, W-2 and 1099 year end forms, benefits administration, and HR tools. There is no tier to climb, no multi state upgrade, and no year end surprise. A five person team pays 79 dollars a month. A 10 person team pays 109 dollars. A 25 person team pays 199 dollars. A 50 person team pays 349 dollars. The first month is free, and there is no implementation fee.
The add ons are published too. HR tools cost 15 dollars a month plus 2 dollars per worker. Time tracking costs 15 dollars plus 4 dollars per worker. Compliance resources cost 10 dollars a month, and live HR support costs 65 dollars a month. A 10 person team that adds time tracking pays 109 dollars plus 55 dollars, or 164 dollars a month, and that is still below Gusto Plus at 200 dollars for the same team.
The trade off is depth. OnPay does not match Gusto or Rippling on hiring workflows, performance management, or integrations, and a team that wants a full HR suite will outgrow it. A team that wants payroll done right at a price it can predict will not.
QuickBooks Payroll
QuickBooks Payroll, sold as QuickBooks Workforce, lists Workforce Payroll at 50 dollars a month plus 7 dollars per employee, Workforce Premium at 88 dollars plus 13 dollars, and Workforce Elite at 134 dollars plus 17 dollars, each on a month to month basis. Bundled with QuickBooks Online Simple Start, the entry combination is listed at 88 dollars a month plus 6.50 dollars per employee, and with Essentials the mid tier is listed at 125 dollars plus 6.50 dollars. The first three months usually run at about half price, so budget from month four, when the list price applies in full.
A five person team on the standalone entry plan pays 85 dollars a month, or 1,020 dollars a year. A 10 person team pays 120 dollars a month. A 25 person team pays 225 dollars a month. The same team on the bundled Simple Start combination pays 120.50 dollars a month at 10 people, or 1,446 dollars a year, and that bundle is the honest comparison, because most QuickBooks Payroll buyers already pay for QuickBooks Online. The value here is integration. Payroll entries flow into the books without retyping, tax liabilities sit next to cash flow, and the Elite tier adds tax penalty protection up to 25,000 dollars, which is a real guarantee, not a marketing line.
The cost to watch is the bundle trap. If you do not already use QuickBooks Online, the payroll price alone looks close to Gusto, but the accounting subscription underneath it is a second bill. Local tax filing is not automated on the Core plan, which matters for businesses in localities with local income taxes. Faster direct deposit and QuickBooks Time sit on the higher tiers. For a business already inside the QuickBooks world, this is the most convenient option, and convenience that saves an hour a week is worth paying for. For a business on Xero or FreshBooks, the integration advantage disappears, and the price does not.
SurePayroll
SurePayroll Full Service starts at 29 dollars a month plus 7 dollars per employee, which gives it the lowest base fee among the published full service tools. A five person team pays 64 dollars a month. A 10 person team pays 99 dollars. A 25 person team pays 204 dollars. That looks like a clear win until you add the extras.
Multi state payroll costs 9.99 dollars a month extra. Year end forms cost 50 dollars plus 5 dollars per form. A 10 person team in two states that files year end forms pays 99 dollars plus 9.99 dollars a month, plus about 100 dollars once a year for forms, which lifts the true annual cost to about 1,408 dollars, against 1,308 dollars at OnPay, where both items are included.
SurePayroll offers every alternating month free during the first 12 months, which is a genuine saving worth about six months of base fees in year one, but only if you count the base fee and not the per employee fee, and only if you stay past the promotion. The tool is a Paychex subsidiary, and it is built for solopreneurs and very small teams that want automated tax filing and unlimited runs without a sales call. It does not offer the HR depth of Gusto or the flat simplicity of OnPay, and the per form year end charge is the kind of fee that annoys owners most, because it arrives in December, when cash is already tight.
Patriot Software
Patriot Basic Payroll costs 17 dollars a month plus 4 dollars per employee, and Full Service Payroll costs 37 dollars a month plus 4 dollars per employee. A five person team pays 37 dollars a month on Basic, or 57 dollars on Full Service. A 10 person team pays 57 dollars on Basic, or 77 dollars on Full Service. A 25 person team pays 117 dollars on Basic, or 137 dollars on Full Service. Those are the lowest full service totals in this guide, and for a single state team with simple pay, they are hard to beat.
The trade off is scope. Basic Payroll calculates pay and lets you file taxes yourself, which saves money only if your time is free. Full Service files federal, state, and local taxes for you. Time and attendance, HR, and benefits are separate products with separate prices, and multi state support varies by state, so check your states before you commit. Patriot suits a business with one location, hourly staff on a simple schedule, and an owner who wants the lowest possible monthly bill and is happy to live without a hiring pipeline or a performance review module. It does not suit a business that plans to hire in five states this year.
Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex Essentials is listed at about 39 dollars a month plus 5 dollars per employee in third party pricing surveys, which puts a 10 person team at about 89 dollars a month. That figure is an estimate from publicly reported quotes, because Paychex does not publish a full rate card, and every package above Essentials says request pricing. Paychex is one of the largest full service providers, with a dedicated payroll specialist on higher packages, a PEO option, and support that picks up the phone, and that service is what the quote pays for.
A small business should treat Paychex as a quote to compare, not a price to assume. Ask for the quote at your exact headcount, with your states, your pay frequency, and your year end forms included, and ask whether setup, implementation, and per run fees are billed separately. Compare that single annual number against the published totals in this guide. If the Paychex quote lands within 20 dollars a month of OnPay or Gusto for the same coverage, the human support may be worth it. If it lands 100 dollars higher, the support is not buying you anything your team will notice week to week.
ADP RUN
ADP RUN is quote only across its Essential, Enhanced, Complete, and HR Pro tiers, and publicly reported estimates put Essential at about 59 to 79 dollars a month plus 4 to 5 dollars per employee. ADP processes payroll for roughly one in six American workers, and its compliance engine is the deepest in this guide, which is why larger small businesses and franchise operators choose it. The cost structure is the catch. ADP has historically billed per pay run on some plans, so weekly payroll costs more than biweekly, and W-2 and 1099 forms are billed separately on some packages.
Ask ADP for a written quote that states the base fee, the per employee fee, the per run fee, the year end form fee, and the contract length, and ask whether the price is fixed for 12 months. Then run the same headcount through the published tools and compare annual totals, not monthly headlines. ADP wins when you need enterprise grade compliance, multi entity payroll, or a provider your franchise agreement names. It loses on price transparency, and a 10 person business that does not need that depth will pay more for it without feeling the benefit.
Rippling
Rippling starts with a required platform fee of 35 dollars a month, and the payroll module adds from 8 dollars per user a month on top, with the full HR plus payroll plus IT bundle landing at 20 to 35 dollars per person a month for most customers. A five person team pays about 35 dollars plus 40 dollars, or 75 dollars a month at the low end, before any module beyond payroll. A 10 person team pays about 115 dollars a month at the low end, and 200 to 350 dollars a month once the bundle is complete. Rippling requires a custom quote for the full picture, and the minimum contract is typically 12 months.
Rippling is the strongest tool in this guide for a fast growing team that wants payroll, HR, IT, and expenses in one system that updates everywhere at once. Hire someone and their laptop, their logins, and their payroll record are provisioned together. That is genuinely valuable at 30 people and genuinely unnecessary at five. A five person business that buys Rippling pays for an engine it cannot use yet. Buy it when headcount growth is the problem, not when payroll accuracy is the problem.
Square Payroll and Wave Payroll
Square Payroll costs 35 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per employee, and 5 dollars per contractor, which makes a five person team cost 65 dollars a month. It suits a business already taking payments through Square, because hours from Square shifts can flow into payroll, and the team already lives in the Square dashboard. State coverage is limited, so check your states first, and the HR depth is thin next to Gusto.
Wave Payroll costs 20 dollars a month plus 6 dollars per employee where available, which makes a five person team cost 50 dollars a month, the lowest published full service total for a tiny team, but availability is limited to a small set of states, and Wave is an accounting first company, not a payroll specialist.
Total Cost of Ownership
The monthly subscription is only the first line of the true cost. Add the per employee fee multiplied by 12, add time tracking if it is not included, add the multi state upgrade if you hire across state lines, add year end form fees, add the accounting bundle if the payroll tool requires it, and add the switching cost of moving payroll mid year, which includes parallel runs, new direct deposit authorizations, and a week of double checking.
A tool that costs 79 dollars a month on the headline and 154 dollars a month with add ons costs 1,848 dollars a year, not 948 dollars, and that gap is the difference between a budget that holds and a budget that breaks.
Work payroll software pricing for small business at three sizes before you choose. At five people, the gap between the cheapest full service tool and the most expensive in this guide is about 70 dollars a month, or 840 dollars a year, which is real money for a small business, and the cheapest tool wins unless you need a feature it lacks.
At 25 people, the gap between OnPay at 199 dollars and Gusto Plus at 380 dollars is 181 dollars a month, or 2,172 dollars a year, and the question becomes whether multi state filing, time tracking, and PTO are worth 2,172 dollars, or whether you would rather buy time tracking separately for 500 dollars a year and keep the difference. At 50 people, the gap between a flat plan and a premium tier can exceed 10,000 dollars a year, and at that size a quote from ADP or Paychex is worth getting, because the published tools are priced for small teams, and a negotiated annual contract can undercut them.
Cheapest Payroll Software by Situation
| Situation | Cheapest honest pick | Monthly cost at 10 people | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single state team, 1 to 10 people, payroll only | Patriot Full Service | 77 dollars | Lowest full service total, no tier games |
| Single state team that wants everything included | OnPay | 109 dollars | One price, multi state and year end included |
| Team already on QuickBooks Online | QuickBooks Payroll bundle | 153 dollars with Simple Start | Books and payroll in one place |
| Multi state team, 10 to 25 people | OnPay | 109 to 199 dollars | Multi state included, no Plus upgrade |
| Team that wants HR, hiring, and PTO in one place | Gusto Plus | 200 dollars | Time tracking and PTO built in |
| Contractor only team | Gusto Contractor Only | 35 dollars plus 6 dollars per contractor | Lowest base for contractors only |
| Fast growing team heading past 30 people | Rippling, quoted | About 115 dollars at the low end, bundle higher | Payroll plus HR plus IT in one system |
| Business that wants a human specialist on call | Paychex Flex, quoted | About 89 dollars at entry, quote varies | Dedicated support and PEO option |
Payroll software pricing for small business rewards the buyer who compares annual totals at their own headcount, not the buyer who compares headline base fees. The base fee is the smallest part of the bill for any team above five people. The per employee fee decides the winner, and the add ons decide whether the winner stays the winner after the first invoice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is payroll software pricing for small business per month?
Most published entry plans cost 49 to 50 dollars a month plus 6 to 7 dollars per employee, which is 109 to 120 dollars a month for a 10 person team, or 1,308 to 1,440 dollars a year before add ons. The lowest full service total is Patriot at 77 dollars a month for 10 people. Quote only providers can land above or below that range, so get the quote in writing and compare annual totals.
Is there free payroll software for small business?
No full service payroll tool in this guide offers a free plan. Some offer a free trial or a free first month, and some accounting tools include a free payroll calculator, but tax filing, direct deposit, and year end forms are paid features everywhere. A free spreadsheet can calculate pay, but it cannot file taxes or deposit wages, and the penalty for a missed filing costs more than a year of software.
What is the cheapest payroll software for 5 employees?
Patriot Full Service at 57 dollars a month is the cheapest full service total for five people, followed by OnPay and Gusto Simple at 79 dollars a month. SurePayroll at 64 dollars a month is cheaper on the headline, but multi state and year end form fees can lift it above OnPay. Wave Payroll at 50 dollars a month is cheaper still where it is available, but state coverage is limited.
Does payroll software include tax filing?
Every full service plan in this guide files federal taxes, and most file state taxes. Local tax filing is the exception, and it is not automated on some entry plans. Always confirm that federal, state, and local filing are included for your exact locations, and confirm that W-2 and 1099 forms are included or priced, before you sign.
Should I choose Gusto or OnPay?
Choose OnPay if you want one flat price with multi state filing and year end forms included and no tier to climb. Choose Gusto if you want hiring tools, performance management, and a deeper HR suite, and you are happy to pay for Plus to unlock multi state payroll and time tracking. At 10 people the difference is 109 dollars a month against 200 dollars on Plus, so the HR features need to be worth 91 dollars a month to you.
Verdict
Payroll software pricing for small business is simple once you compare annual totals at your headcount and include the add ons. Patriot Full Service is the best value for a tiny single state team that wants the lowest full service bill. OnPay is the best value for most small businesses, because one flat price covers multi state filing, year end forms, and HR tools with no upgrade pressure, and a 10 person team pays 109 dollars a month for the whole package.
Gusto Plus is the best value for a team that wants payroll plus hiring and PTO in one polished product and is willing to pay 200 dollars a month for it. QuickBooks Payroll is the best value only if you already live in QuickBooks Online. Get quotes from ADP and Paychex once you pass 25 people, and recheck every price on the vendor page before you buy, because this market raises prices without warning, and the price you saw last year is not the price you will pay this year.