Cheapest OnPay plan in 2026
OnPay does not have tiers. There is one plan, $40 base plus $6 per employee, and it includes every feature OnPay offers. That single-tier design is the reason OnPay routinely lands in cheapest-payroll comparisons even when it does not have the lowest sticker price.
True monthly cost at common headcounts
Source: OnPay pricing page as of April 2026.
| Employees | OnPay / mo | OnPay / yr | Gusto Simple / yr (comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $46 | $552 | $552 |
| 3 | $58 | $696 | $696 |
| 5 | $70 | $840 | $840 |
| 10 | $100 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| 15 | $130 | $1,560 | $1,560 |
| 25 | $190 | $2,280 | $2,280 |
OnPay and Gusto Simple price-match exactly at every headcount in a single state. The OnPay advantage shows up the moment you have an employee in a second state, because Gusto Simple forces a Plus upgrade that doubles the price and OnPay does not.
Why one plan with every feature is the cheapest design for SMBs
Tiered pricing in payroll software has a hidden cost that almost never shows up in vendor sticker comparisons. You buy the cheap tier, you grow, you hit a feature you need that lives in the next tier up, and you upgrade. The upgrade is rarely incremental. Gusto Simple is $40, Plus is $80. Paychex Flex Essentials is in one bucket, Select is in another, Pro is in a third. Each step is a doubling, not a $5 increment.
OnPay collapses that risk by selling one plan with everything. The headline price is $40 + $6, which is identical to Gusto Simple, but the price never moves because there is no upgrade path. Multi-state payroll, integrated 401(k), health insurance broker, time-off tracking, R&D tax credit, accountant collaboration, every supported integration is in the one plan.
For a small business that is honest about not knowing what features it will need in 18 months, this single-tier design is the cheapest payroll bet. The price is locked. The features are unlocked. The total-cost-of-ownership math gets simple in a way tiered plans cannot match.
Everything OnPay includes for $40 + $6
- Federal and state tax filing. Federal 941, 940, 944. State unemployment and state income withholding in every state.
- Year-end W-2 and 1099 filing. Included. No per-form charge.
- Multi-state payroll. Included at no extra per-state cost. This is the single biggest cost advantage versus Gusto Simple.
- Direct deposit. Standard 2-day deposit. No same-day option, which is the most notable feature gap.
- Unlimited payroll runs. Off-cycle bonuses, corrections, terminations cost nothing extra.
- Contractor payments. 1099 contractors at the same $6 per head price. No separate contractor plan needed for mixed rosters.
- Integrated 401(k). Via Guideline or Vestwell, billed separately by the provider.
- Health insurance broker. Via OnPay's broker partners, billed separately by the carrier.
- Industry-specific features. Restaurant tip reporting, agricultural labor (Form 943), clergy housing allowance, nonprofit 501(c)(3) discounts.
- Accountant collaboration. Multi-user access for the bookkeeper or CPA, no per-user fee.
The vertical depth OnPay quietly does better than Gusto
OnPay has industry-specific configurations baked into the single plan. Restaurants get tip reporting and Form 8027 support. Agricultural employers get Form 943 instead of Form 941. Churches get the clergy housing allowance treatment that splits compensation between taxable wages and excluded housing. Nonprofits with a 501(c)(3) determination letter get a published discount. None of these are upsells. They are part of the standard $40 + $6 plan.
For a small church or daycare or restaurant, this matters more than the price comparison. Gusto can technically do clergy housing on the Simple tier but the documentation pushes you toward Plus for any meaningful niche configuration. Patriot does not handle clergy at all. OnPay's vertical depth at the cheap-tier price is the under-rated reason to choose it for niche payroll.
See cheapest payroll for churches and cheapest payroll for nonprofits for the specific niche math.
The three honest reasons not to pick OnPay
First, the employee app is functional but not pretty. Gusto's app is the gold standard at this price point. If a polished self-serve employee onboarding experience is something your workforce will judge you on, Gusto's UX is a meaningful upgrade for the same money.
Second, same-day direct deposit is not available. OnPay's fastest is next-day. For cash-tight businesses that wait until the last possible moment to fund payroll, the same-day option Gusto Plus, Square, and QuickBooks all offer is a genuine operational advantage.
Third, the benefits broker network is smaller. OnPay has health, dental, vision, and 401(k) partners but the catalogue is narrower than Gusto and ADP. If you have specific carrier relationships you need to maintain, OnPay may not have the connection.
None of these are dealbreakers. All three are reasons that the headline price-match with Gusto Simple sometimes tips to Gusto in practice. The honest summary: pick OnPay if you value simplicity, multi-state inclusion, and vertical-specific features. Pick Gusto if you value employee experience, same-day deposit, and broader benefits.
Other cheapest-vendor breakdowns
Cheapest Gusto plan
Simple at $40 + $6, the multi-state trap
Cheapest Patriot plan
Basic at $17 + the $30 tax-add math
Cheapest QuickBooks Payroll plan
Core at $45 + $6, bundle savings on QBO
Cheapest Square Payroll plan
Single tier $35 + $6, POS-bundle path
Cheapest payroll for 6-10 employees
Sub-$100/mo sweet spot
By team size
Crossover headcount for every cheap provider
Common questions
What is the cheapest OnPay plan?
OnPay has only one plan. It costs $40 per month base plus $6 per employee. That is the entire price list. Every feature is included, every state is included, year-end W-2s and 1099s are included.
How much does OnPay cost for 5 employees?
OnPay at 5 employees is $40 + (5 x $6) = $70 per month, or $840 per year. There are no add-ons, no tier upgrades, no year-end fees on top.
Is OnPay cheaper than Gusto?
OnPay and Gusto Simple are the same monthly price at $40 + $6. OnPay is cheaper in practice because OnPay includes multi-state payroll and Gusto Simple does not. The moment you hire someone in a second state, Gusto forces an upgrade to Plus at $80 + $12; OnPay does not.
Does OnPay charge for W-2s at year-end?
No. W-2 and 1099 filing is included in the $40 monthly fee. There is no per-form or year-end charge. This is a meaningful advantage versus Patriot ($25 per W-2 set) and Paychex (typically $7 per W-2).
Does OnPay support multi-state payroll?
Yes. Multi-state is included in the standard plan at no extra cost. There is no per-state surcharge. This is unusual at the cheap end of the market.
What does OnPay not do well?
OnPay's employee app is functional but not as polished as Gusto. The benefits broker network is smaller than Gusto and ADP. Same-day direct deposit is not supported (next-day is the fastest). If those gaps matter to you, the price equivalence with Gusto tips toward Gusto.