Prices verified September 3, 2026
What payroll actually costs, without the sales call.
Every "$9 per month" headline stops at the base fee. We publish the whole bill — base fee, per-person charge, and the add-ons vendors reveal after you sign up — verified from the vendors' own pricing pages. The table, sorted by cost for a 10-person team:
| Provider | Base | Per person | 10 people | Tax filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Basic | $17/mo | $4 | $57/mo | You file |
| Patriot Full Service | $37/mo | $5 | $87/mo | Included |
| Square Payroll | $35/mo | $6 | $95/mo | Included |
| Gusto (Simple) | $49/mo | $6 | $109/mo | Included |
| OnPay | $49/mo | $6 | $109/mo | Included |
| QuickBooks Workforce (Core) | $50/mo | $6.5 | $115/mo | Included |
Verified pricing as of 2026-09-03, sorted by cost for a 10-person team. Each row is checked against the vendor's own pricing page.
ADP RUN is excluded from the sort because it requires a sales quote. Third-party reviews place typical small-business quotes around $79/mo plus $6 per person — verify by phone. Source: adp.com (no public pricing).
Price your own team
Payroll cost calculator
Estimates the monthly service fee a payroll company charges you. Wages and employer taxes are not included.
$109per month
$1,308per year
Fee inputs default to Gusto Simple pricing, verified September 3, 2026. Change them to match any quote you're holding.
The reviews
Straight verdicts with the tradeoffs named. Every price checked against the vendor's own pricing page and dated.
Gusto — the easiest first payroll you can buy. $49/mo + $6/person, published pricing, benefits built in. Watch the single-state limit on Simple.
OnPay — one plan, one price: $49/mo + $6/worker with multi-state filing included. The multi-state value pick.
Square Payroll — $35/mo + $6/person, best if you already run Square POS. Contractor-only at $6/person with no base.
Patriot — the cheapest full-service at $37/mo + $5/worker. Plain interface, US support, honest pricing.
QuickBooks Payroll — the pick if your books already live in QuickBooks. ~$50/mo + $6.50/person.
Full ranking with the tradeoffs each pick forces: best payroll software for small business.
Why trust Wageclerk
Every price is checked against the vendor's own pricing page and dated. When a vendor hides its pricing (ADP), we say so instead of quoting a number we can't source. We don't accept payment for rankings. The editorial standards page explains exactly how we research and update these tables.