Find the cheapest payroll for your team
Enter how many people you pay. Every provider gets ranked by true monthly cost. We are not affiliated with any vendor, so the cheapest option is the cheapest option, not the one paying the highest commission.
5 employees, every provider, true monthly cost
Pricing reflects each vendor's published rates verified in June 2026. Always verify on the vendor's pricing page. Tax filing add-on shown for Patriot Basic, the one self-service tier. W-2 processing and other year-end fees are covered on /hidden-fees and folded into the /annual-cost view.
Cheapest at 1, 5, 10, 25 employees
The provider that wins at one headcount rarely wins at another. This table shows true monthly cost (including tax-filing add-ons where applicable) for every provider at four common team sizes. The green cell in each column is the cheapest option at that headcount.
| Provider | Base | / ee | Tax filed | W-2 | 1 ee | 5 ee | 10 ee | 25 ee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Basic | $17+$30 tax | $4 | add-on | $25/form | $51 | $67 | $87 | $147 |
| SurePayroll | $29 | $7 | ✓ | $5/form | $36 | $64 | $99 | $204 |
| Square Payroll | $35 | $6 | ✓ | ✓ | $41 | $65 | $95 | $185 |
| Patriot Full Service | $37 | $5 | ✓ | $25/form | $42 | $62 | $87 | $162 |
| Paychex Flex Essentials | $39 | $5 | ✓ | $7/form | $44 | $64 | $89 | $164 |
| Homebase Payroll | $39 | $6 | ✓ | ✓ | $45 | $69 | $99 | $189 |
| Wave Payroll | $40 | $6 | ✓ | $6/form | $46 | $70 | $100 | $190 |
| QuickBooks Payroll Core | $50 | $6.5 | ✓ | ✓ | $57 | $83 | $115 | $213 |
| OnPay | $49 | $6 | ✓ | ✓ | $55 | $79 | $109 | $199 |
| Gusto Simple | $49 | $6 | ✓ | ✓ | $55 | $79 | $109 | $199 |
| ADP Run Essential | $79 | $4 | ✓ | $6/form | $83 | $99 | $119 | $179 |
Lowest sticker. Tax filing is a $30/mo add-on, so it stops being cheapest once you want done-for-you taxes.
Low base plus done-for-you federal and state tax filing. Usually the cheapest 'taxes handled' option from a few employees up; SurePayroll ($29 + $7) edges it at one employee. W-2s billed at year-end.
If you only pay 1099s, skip a full payroll plan. Square's contractor-only plan charges nothing until you actually pay someone. Gusto's contractor plan now carries a $35 base fee.
Who shows you the price?
Every comparison site ranks payroll providers by cost. None of them isolate the question that decides whether you can even comparison-shop: does the provider publish a real, sign-up price, or does it route you to a demo call before it will quote a number? Here is the split, with each published rate verified against the vendor's own pricing page in June 2026.
- $17 + $4/ee (Basic), $37 + $5 (Full Service)
- $29 + $7/ee, single full-service plan
- $35 + $6/ee, $6/contractor
- $39 + $6/ee
- $40 + $6/ee, taxes filed in all 50 states
- $49 + $6/ee, flat
- $49 + $6/ee (Simple)
- $50 + $6.50/ee (Core)
- PaychexQuote only
Publishes a $39 + $5/ee starting sticker for Flex Essentials, but its own site routes every real quote through sales. Actual pricing depends on headcount, frequency, and bundled HR, and commonly lands $50 to $80.
- ADP (Run)Quote only
Publishes no list price at all. Every customer is custom-quoted. The ~$79 + $4/ee figure quoted everywhere is a typical small-business estimate, not a rate you can sign up for online.
Tired of the runaround? The Paychex undisclosed-pricing exit walks through auditing your invoice before you move.
Verified Jun 2026 · rates change, always confirm on the vendor's site
Total cost calculator with add-ons
Most calculators stop at base plus per-employee. This one folds in tax filing, time tracking, and multi-state, then sorts every provider by your true monthly bill.
Estimated penalties: $6 per employee for time tracking, $12 per employee for multi-state. Annual figure adds W-2 processing for providers that bill it separately. Always confirm actual quotes from each vendor.
What "cheap" actually costs you
Every cheap option asks for something in return. Time, compliance risk, multi-state coverage, or year-end fees. Here is what each cheap option asks of you.
Patriot Basic at $17/mo
You file your own federal and state taxes, or pay $30/mo for the add-on.
See hidden-fee breakdownWave Payroll at $40/mo
Now $40 base with tax filing in all 50 states, up from the old $20 self-service tier. No built-in time tracking.
Free option stress testDIY / Payroll4Free
Your time is the cost. One late-deposit penalty erases months of savings.
DIY true-cost analysisCheapest payroll: common questions
Direct answers from the same data that powers the ranking.
How much does a cheap payroll service cost?+
What is the cheapest payroll service for a small business?+
How much does payroll cost per month for 5 employees?+
Is there a truly free payroll service?+
Is it cheaper to do payroll yourself?+
What hidden fees do payroll services charge?+
Can I switch payroll providers mid-year?+
Pick the answer for your situation
The "cheapest" answer changes by team size, by use case, and by what you count as a hidden fee. Each stub below answers one question.
By team size
Which provider wins at 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50 employees, with crossover points.
For 2 to 3 employees
Sub-$60/mo path. Patriot, Wave, and Roll by ADP in the cheap bracket.
For 4 to 5 employees
Sweet spot $50 to $70. OnPay versus Gusto split decides on multi-state.
For 6 to 10 employees
Sub-$100/mo. Patriot's low per-employee fee compounds into a real gap.
S-corp owner
Solo owner reasonable comp path. $20 to $46/mo options.
One employee
Cheapest payroll for a solo owner, household employer, or first hire.
Contractors only
1099-only businesses can skip full payroll. Cheapest contractor plans compared.
Restaurants
Payroll with tip reporting and bundled time tracking, sorted by cost.
Nannies and household
Schedule H. Poppins, SurePayroll Household, HomePay.
Nonprofits
501(c)(3) discounts plus the FUTA exemption math.
Churches
Clergy housing allowance, dual-status minister rules, OnPay's edge.
Daycare and childcare
Hourly staff with state-licensing-compliant records.
Construction
W-2 + 1099 mix, Davis-Bacon, multi-state crews.
Medical practice
HIPAA-aware, multi-EIN PLLC setups.
Free options
Wave, Payroll4Free, and the rest, stress-tested honestly.
Free payroll review
Every 'free' option in 2026 honestly stress-tested.
DIY payroll
True cost comparison versus a $40/mo service, with IRS penalty math.
DIY true cost 2026
Hour-by-hour breakdown plus the IRS penalty schedule.
Hidden fees
Eight charges providers bury in the fine print, plus a fee-avoidance checklist.
Year-end fees
W-2 and 1099 fees side by side. Patriot $25, ADP $6, Gusto $0.
Gusto vs Patriot
Head-to-head with the exact crossover headcount.
Switching providers
When to switch, what it costs, and how not to break W-2s.
Switching from ADP
Mid-year migration playbook. Save $40-$80/mo.
Switching from Paychex
The undisclosed-pricing exit. Audit your invoice first.
Switching from QB Desktop
Discontinued 2024. QBO or leave Intuit.
Total cost calculator
Plug in your inputs, see every provider sorted cheapest first.
Annual cost
12-month true cost including W-2 processing and common add-ons.
Cheapest plan from each major vendor
Each page picks the single cheapest plan from one vendor, works the real cost at 1, 3, 5, and 10 employees, and shows when the cheap tier stops being cheap.
Cheapest Gusto plan
Simple at $49 + $6, the multi-state trap.
Cheapest Patriot plan
Basic at $17 + the $30 tax-add math.
Cheapest OnPay plan
Flat $49 + $6, multi-state included.
Cheapest QuickBooks plan
Core at $50 + $6.50, bundle value on QBO.
Cheapest Square plan
$35 + $6, time tracking free.
Cheapest Wave plan
$40 + $6, tax filing in all 50 states.
Cheapest ADP plan
Run Essential ~$79 + $4, why ADP rarely wins.
Cheapest Roll by ADP
$29 + $5, SMS-first product.