Prices checked 2026-10-17
Payroll cost calculator for small crews
Enter how many people you pay and how often. Every payroll plan we track with a published price, ranked by what it costs at the regular price.
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Employees paid each month
Payroll add-on, small-team offer + Basic plan. $29/mo + $6 × 5 employees. Promotional: teams of 5 or fewer including the owner; offer terms and dates on Homebase’s page. Intro offer: free for 6 months, then this price (terms and dates on Homebase’s offer page).
$708 / year at list · $59/mo
Full Service Payroll. $37/mo + $5 × 5 employees. Intro price $31/mo for 3 months. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge.
$744 / year at list · $62/mo
Small Business payroll. $29/mo + $7 × 5 employees. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge.
$768 / year at list · $64/mo
Full-service payroll. $35/mo + $6 × 5 employees. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge. Optional: Mailed tax forms $3 per form.
$780 / year at list · $65/mo
Wave Payroll (US). $40/mo + $6 × 5 employees. Add-on to Wave accounting; the Starter plan is $0.
$840 / year at list · $70/mo
Simple. $49/mo + $6 × 5 employees. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge. Optional: Same-day pay $90 per payroll. Optional: Instant pay $100 per payroll. Optional: Global contractor payment $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts.
$948 / year at list · $79/mo
Payroll Essentials. $49/mo + $6 × 5 employees. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge.
$948 / year at list · $79/mo
Payroll add-on + Basic plan. $49/mo + $6 × 5 employees. Basic is $0 for 1 location and up to 10 employees. Intro offer: free for 6 months from the first payroll, up to 50 employees paid (dates on Homebase’s page).
$948 / year at list · $79/mo
Workforce Payroll. $50/mo + $7 × 5 employees. Intro price $60/mo for 3 months. Optional: Next-day direct deposit for contractors (fee not published).
$1,020 / year at list · $85/mo
Payroll. $50/mo + $8 × 5 employees.
$1,080 / year at list · $90/mo
Plus. $80/mo + $12 × 5 employees. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge. Optional: Same-day pay $90 per payroll. Optional: Instant pay $100 per payroll. Optional: Global contractor payment $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts.
$1,680 / year at list · $140/mo
Workforce Premium. $88/mo + $13 × 5 employees. Intro price $109/mo for 3 months. Optional: Next-day direct deposit for contractors (fee not published).
$1,836 / year at list · $153/mo
Workforce Elite. $134/mo + $17 × 5 employees. Intro price $152/mo for 3 months. Optional: Next-day direct deposit for contractors (fee not published).
$2,628 / year at list · $219/mo
Premium. $180/mo + $22 × 5 employees. Off-cycle runs: no extra charge. Same-day pay: included. Instant pay: included. Optional: Global contractor payment $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts.
$3,480 / year at list · $290/mo
All plans. Quote only: no public price..
All plans. Quote only: no public price.. Published: from $8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee that is not published.
All plans. Quote only: no public price..
Who counts as an employee
Vendors count people differently, and it changes the bill. From each pricing page:
- Gusto: Per active person per month on top of base; US contractors billed at the per-person rate only in months they are paid
- QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): Per ACTIVE employee per month (counted even at $0 earnings); intro discount does not apply to per-employee fees
- OnPay: $6 per paid worker per month (calculator counts paid workers per month)
- Patriot Payroll: Per worker PAID during the month; billed in arrears
- Square Payroll: Per person paid per month
- Homebase (with Payroll): Scheduling plans priced per location; payroll $6 per employee paid
- SurePayroll: $7 per worker
- Justworks: Per employee per month
- Wave: Priced per business profile
Plans that don’t file payroll taxes
Patriot Payroll Basic Payroll ($17/mo + $4/person) and SurePayroll No Tax Filing (Self-Service) ($20/mo + $4/person) don’t file payroll taxes for you. With these you file and deposit federal, state and local payroll taxes yourself, so they aren’t like-for-like with full-service payroll. They’re hidden from the totals unless you tick the box, and labelled Doesn’t file taxes when shown.
Not in the calculator
- QuickBooks Online + Payroll bundles (they include accounting; see QuickBooks Online pricing)
- OnPay bundles with HR and time tracking
- Square contractor-only payroll ($0 base + $6 per person paid)
- Justworks PEO plans (priced per employee, no base fee)
- SurePayroll Nanny & Household payroll