How much payroll services cost in 2026

Payroll pricing at a glance

Cheapest full service

$37 + $5Patriot Full Service, cheapest from 3 people; Square ($35 + $6) is cheaper for 1

10 employees

$87 to $400full-service published plans, before add-ons

Typical per-person fee

$4 to $22per employee per month

Quote only

6 big namesADP RUN, Paychex, Rippling, Paycor, Paylocity, Paycom

Almost every small business payroll service charges the same way: a monthly base fee plus a fee for each person you pay that month. The base fee matters most for tiny teams. The per-person fee matters most once you pass about 10 people. Full-service plans calculate pay, deposit your payroll taxes and file your returns. A few cheap plans only do the math and leave filing to you.

If you want a ranked list rather than a price list, see our best payroll services for small business. If you are trying to spend nothing, read what free payroll software really covers first.

Published payroll prices, checked October 2026

These are the plans that show a dollar price on the provider's own pricing page. We read each page on October 16, 2026.

Two pages contradict themselves. SurePayroll shows a $29 base in its calculator and "Starting at $39/month" elsewhere on the same page, so we show $39 and note the $29. Homebase lists $49 + $6 per employee and also "$29 per month for teams up to 5" without saying whether the per-person fee still applies. Ask both in writing before you sign.

What payroll costs for 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 employees

The formula is the same for every plan below: base fee + (per-person fee x people paid that month). Contractors usually count as people paid. Wave and Justworks price them separately.

Ten employees, full-service plans, per month

Published prices, checked Oct 16, 2026. Formula: base + per person x 10.

Why the per-employee cost drops as you grow

The base fee is spread over more people as you hire. That is why a plan that looks pricey for 3 people can be fine at 40, and why premium tiers hurt most when you are small.

Want the full cost of an employee, not just the payroll fee? Use the employee cost calculator, which adds FICA, FUTA and your state's unemployment tax.

Quote-only providers: ADP, Paychex, Rippling and HCM suites

The biggest names do not publish prices. Here is what is known, labeled by source and date.

• ADP RUN: ADP does not publish prices for any RUN package; each shows "Get pricing". Tech.co (updated January 7, 2026, from user reports) puts Essential at about $79 a month plus $4 per employee. Fit Small Business (May 22, 2025, more than a year old) reported $49 base plus $2.50 per employee per weekly pay run from a quote. The two disagree; ADP has confirmed neither. See ADP pricing in detail.
• Roll by ADP: the exception. ADP publishes $39 a month plus $5 per employee for this app.
• Paychex: no prices for Basic, Foundations, Advanced or Complete. The $39 plus $5 figure still on review sites belongs to the retired Flex Essentials plan, which Gusto's competitor guide (August 2, 2026) calls historical pricing. Costbench (June 2026) shows a median of about $10,800 a year from only 4 buyer reports. See Paychex pricing and fees.
• Rippling: its FAQ says plans "start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee"; the base fee is not stated.
• Paycor: quote only. Fit Small Business (May 2026) says it formerly listed $99 plus $5 per employee.
• Paylocity: quote only. OutSail (July 2026, from its advisory data) estimates $18 to $22 per employee per month for core payroll and HR.
• Paycom: quote only. Fit Small Business (July 2026, from a quote) reports $4 to $6 per employee per pay run.

Live promotions (dated): ADP offers three free months to new RUN clients with 1 to 49 employees who sign and start payroll by October 22, 2026, applied as credits on months 4 to 6. Paychex waives payroll fees through April 2027 (up to six months) for new clients who sign a one-year agreement between October 12 and October 31, 2026; setup and other fees still apply, and Paychex can recover the free months if you leave early.

Hidden payroll fees to ask about

Buyers' most common money complaint is the bill that arrives after the headline price. A Paychex reviewer on Trustpilot (October 5, 2026) said "They have a charge for just about everything including when they submit payroll." These are the fees to price before you sign.

Worked example: 10 employees in two states

A second state is where cheap plans stop being cheap. Here is the same 10-person team with one remote employee in another state, using only published prices.

Square and Wave are left out because neither page states how a second state is billed. Square says federal and state filings come "at no additional charge" and Wave says its tax service covers all 50 states at the same price; confirm multi-state coverage with them before you count on it. Gusto is the only one that will open the new state account for you, for a fee that varies by state. The rest expect you to register with the state yourself first. Check the new state's 2026 SUTA wage base and new-employer rate while you are at it.

Payroll fees are small next to payroll taxes

On a $50,000 employee, the employer side of federal payroll tax for 2026 is:

• Social Security: 6.2% x $50,000 = $3,100
• Medicare: 1.45% x $50,000 = $725
• FUTA: 0.6% net rate x the first $7,000 = $42 (6.0% less the 5.4% credit, in states without a credit reduction)

That is $3,867 a year before state unemployment tax. A $5 to $8 per-person payroll fee is $60 to $96 a year. The service fee is the smaller number. A late deposit or a missed state report can cost more than a year of fees, which is why the tax filing guarantee matters as much as the price. We compare those guarantees on the best payroll software page.

DIY vs payroll software vs an accountant or PEO

Doing it yourself saves the fee but puts the deadlines on you. For 2026 wages, Form W-2 is due to employees and the Social Security Administration by February 1, 2027, and e-filing is required once you file 10 or more information returns in total. If you are weighing a PEO instead, start with PEO vs payroll service and PEO companies ranked by score.

What buyers complain about on price

• Price rises after you sign. An ADP reviewer (Trustpilot, October 1, 2026) wrote "I just was increased by more than 10% without any notice" despite a promised freeze. ADP's RUN terms allow base fee increases after the first six months with 30 days' notice.
• Per-employee increases. A QuickBooks Community thread (June 25, 2026) reports a worker charge up "OVER 50% per employee". Another poster says payroll for 15 to 20 employees went from $1,566 in 2022 to $2,210 in 2025. See QuickBooks Payroll pricing.
• Setup and exit fees. ConsumerAffairs reviewers of Paychex report a $2,340 setup fee plus $160 a month (November 2025) and over $1,800 to close an unused retirement plan (September 2025). A Trustpilot reviewer (May 5, 2026) reports a "$1500 cancellation fee AND a $2000 set up fee".
• Add-ons you did not order. A Paychex reviewer (ConsumerAffairs, May 2, 2025) says "Paychex activated the 401(k) plan on their own."
• Modular pricing. Rippling reviewers on Capterra (September 2025 to August 2026) say costs climb with each module and are hard to budget.

Month-to-month plans with self-serve cancellation (Gusto, Patriot, Wave, QuickBooks, SurePayroll) are the easiest to leave if the price moves. ADP and OnPay require 30 days' written notice.

How to pay less for payroll

1. Count the states first. If anyone works in a second state, compare plans that include multi-state (OnPay, Gusto Plus) against a cheap plan plus its per-state fee.
2. Pay contractors on a contractor plan. Square charges $6 per contractor paid with no base fee. QuickBooks Contractor Payments is $25 a month for up to 20 contractors, then $2 each.
3. Get per-month, not per-run, pricing if you pay weekly.
4. Read promo terms. ADP and Paychex free months come with conditions, and Paychex can recover them if you leave within a year.
5. Ask for a price lock in writing, with the length of the lock.
6. Price the exit: final filings, year-end forms after you leave, and how long you keep W-2 access.

For teams of one to five, our payroll for very small teams page compares the plans with the lowest base fees. For provider-by-provider detail, see Gusto pricing and online payroll services compared.