Prices verified Nov 10, 2026 from vendor sites. Written by PayrollPriceWatch.

Payroll fees that are published, and the ones that are not

A hidden fee, on this page, means a charge that is published somewhere on the vendor's pricing material but is easy to miss next to the headline base-plus-per-employee price. Extra states, next-day or same-day pay, paper W-2s, year-end forms, contractor lines, time tracking, and HR add-ons are the kinds of lines we look for. If the dataset stores a dollar amount, it is quoted here. If it does not, the line says not published.

This is not a list of penalties we assumed. Competitor roundups sometimes add a flat dollar amount when a feature is missing. We do not. A missing feature is either included in the plan text, priced in a stored note, or not published. Those are different facts. Setup fees, cancellation fees, and early-termination fees are not published in this dataset unless a note below already states one.

Read each vendor against its own source notes. A sentence that contains a dollar amount is reproduced because it is already in the vendor file. Plan list prices are in the status sentence so the add-on can be compared with the base plan. They are not new research.

Every dollar below is copied from the vendor file that was checked on the date shown. If a plan has no stored fee, the line says not published. If the vendor asks for a quote, the line says Quote only. This page does not average competitors, invent an add-on, or turn a feature name into a price.

Gusto

Gusto, last checked Nov 10, 2026. Three published payroll plans. Simple is one state. Plus and Premium add multi-state payroll and faster pay. Contractors are billed at the plan's per-person rate only in months they are paid. Simple (payroll): base $49, per employee $6, per contractor $6. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: one. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Plus (payroll): base $80, per employee $12, per contractor $12. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Premium (payroll): base $180, per employee $22, per contractor $22. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Simple: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: one).
• Plus: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Premium: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Simple: contractor fee is stored as $6 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Plus: contractor fee is stored as $12 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Premium: contractor fee is stored as $22 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Next-day pay on Simple is an add-on at $15/month plus $3 per person. It is included in Plus and Premium. Same-day pay is $90 per payroll and instant pay is $100 per payroll on Simple and Plus; both are included in Premium.

OnPay

OnPay, last checked Nov 10, 2026. Payroll Essentials is $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with tax filing in every state included. HR, time tracking, and bundles are priced on the same page. Payroll Essentials (payroll): base $49, per employee $6, per contractor $6. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Payroll + Time Tracking + HR (bundle): base $70, per employee $10, per contractor $10. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Payroll + HR + Compliance + Live HR (bundle): base $120, per employee $7, per contractor $7. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Payroll + Time + HR + Compliance + Live HR (bundle): base $130, per employee $10, per contractor $10. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Payroll Essentials: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Payroll + Time Tracking + HR: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Payroll + HR + Compliance + Live HR: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Payroll + Time + HR + Compliance + Live HR: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Payroll Essentials: contractor fee is stored as $6 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Payroll + Time Tracking + HR: contractor fee is stored as $10 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Payroll + HR + Compliance + Live HR: contractor fee is stored as $7 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Payroll + Time + HR + Compliance + Live HR: contractor fee is stored as $10 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• The per-worker fee applies to each W-2 or 1099 worker included in a pay run during the billing period, including a $0 net paycheck.
• Standalone add-ons, not included in Payroll Essentials: HR is $15 base plus $2 per worker; time tracking is $15 base plus $4 per worker; compliance resources are $10 base; live HR support is $65 base. Benefits administration is premiums only.
• Bundle cards list a discounted price and a higher pre-discount price. The pre-discount figures are not consistent across the page ($139 vs $149, and $154 vs $164), so only the repeated discounted bundle prices are stored.
• Help center: base fee is $49 plus $6 per worker paid in the lookback period.
• Discounted bundle price. The page also shows $79 base + $12 per worker as the undiscounted combination.
• Discounted bundle price. The page also shows a higher pre-discount figure, but those figures disagree with each other ($139 + $8 and $149 + $8).
• Discounted bundle price. The page also shows a higher pre-discount figure, but those figures disagree ($154 + $12 and $164 + $12).

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll, last checked Nov 10, 2026. Sold as QuickBooks Workforce. List prices are Workforce Payroll $50 + $7, Premium $88 + $13, and Elite $134 + $17. New subscribers see 50% off the base fee for 3 months. Comparisons use the list price. Workforce Payroll (payroll): base $50, per employee $7, per contractor $7. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: extra fee. Extra state fee: $12 a month. Workforce Premium (payroll): base $88, per employee $13, per contractor $13. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: extra fee. Extra state fee: $12 a month. Workforce Elite (payroll): base $134, per employee $17, per contractor $17. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Workforce Payroll: extra state fee is stored at $12 a month after the first state.
• Workforce Premium: extra state fee is stored at $12 a month after the first state.
• Workforce Elite: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Workforce Payroll: contractor fee is stored as $7 per contractor, billing separate.
• Workforce Premium: contractor fee is stored as $13 per contractor, billing separate.
• Workforce Elite: contractor fee is stored as $17 per contractor, billing separate.
• Disclosure: one state tax filing is included. Each additional state is $12/month for Workforce Payroll and Workforce Premium only.
• Disclosure: contractor payments via direct deposit are $7/month for Core, $13/month for Premium, and $17/month for Elite, per contractor payment. The disclosure still says Core for the $7 tier. That per-contractor amount is what the calculator uses. The phrase 'per contractor payment' is Intuit's wording.
• Formerly QuickBooks Payroll Core. Card also shows $25/month for the first 3 months (50% off the base). List price is $50.
• Formerly QuickBooks Payroll Premium. Card also shows $44/month for the first 3 months. List price is $88. Local taxes are called out for Premium and Elite.
• Formerly QuickBooks Payroll Elite. Card also shows $67/month for the first 3 months. List price is $134. The $12 additional-state fee in the disclosure is listed for Workforce Payroll and Premium only, so no extra-state fee is added for Elite.

Roll by ADP

Roll by ADP, last checked Nov 10, 2026. One plan: $59 a month plus $7 for each W-2 employee or 1099 contractor paid that month. Tax filing in all 50 states is included. New U.S. customers get three months free. Roll (payroll): base $59, per employee $7, per contractor $7. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Roll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Roll: contractor fee is stored as $7 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Terms: after the trial, $59 per month for the company plus $7 per W-2 employee and/or 1099 contractor actively paid that month.
• FAQ: $59/month + $7/employee after three free months.
• The English pricing URL (rollbyadp.com/en/pricing) showed the same $59 + $7 on November 10, 2026.
• An Internet Archive capture of the pricing page on June 8, 2026 is titled 'Unlimited Payroll for $39 / Month' and its description says $39 per month + $5 per employee. That capture also contains a $29 variant. See the change log.

ADP RUN

ADP RUN is Quote only as of Nov 10, 2026. Quote only. ADP does not publish a RUN list price. A direct fetch of the packages page on November 10, 2026 returned HTTP 403 from this environment.

• Essential Payroll: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Enhanced Payroll: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Complete Payroll & HR+: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• HR Pro Payroll & HR: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Essential Payroll: contractor fee is not published.
• Enhanced Payroll: contractor fee is not published.
• Complete Payroll & HR+: contractor fee is not published.
• HR Pro Payroll & HR: contractor fee is not published.
• No additional dollar amount is stored in the notes. Not published.

Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex is Quote only as of Nov 10, 2026. Quote only. The compare page describes Paychex Flex and tells visitors to contact sales. No monthly or per-employee list price is published.

• Paychex Flex: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Paychex Flex: contractor fee is not published.
• No additional dollar amount is stored in the notes. Not published.

Patriot Payroll

Patriot Payroll, last checked Nov 10, 2026. Basic Payroll is $17 plus $4 per worker paid and does not file taxes. Full Service Payroll is $37 plus $5 per worker paid and does. Each additional state on Full Service is $12 a month. Basic Payroll (payroll): base $17, per employee $4, per contractor $4. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: not included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Full Service Payroll (payroll): base $37, per employee $5, per contractor $5. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: extra fee. Extra state fee: $12 a month.

• Basic Payroll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Full Service Payroll: extra state fee is stored at $12 a month after the first state.
• Basic Payroll: contractor fee is stored as $4 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Full Service Payroll: contractor fee is stored as $5 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• List prices are used in comparisons. New accounts get 30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months. The pricing page's worked examples (10 workers: Basic $57, Full Service $87) match these list prices.
• Time & Attendance and HR Software are each $6/month plus $2 per employee. They are add-ons, not included in the plan totals.
• You file and deposit payroll taxes. The $12 additional-state filing fee applies to Full Service, not Basic.
• Each additional state after the first is $12 per month.

SurePayroll

SurePayroll has conflicting published prices as of Nov 10, 2026, so it is not ranked. The pricing page was fetched, and it does not agree with itself. Full Service appears as both $29 and $39 plus $7 per employee. The plan where you file taxes appears as both $20 and $29 plus $4 per employee. No single price is shown in the comparison.

• Fetched November 10, 2026. Visible headline text says both 'Starting at $29/month' and 'Starting at $39/month' in the small-business section.
• The HTML contains a Full Service block at $29/mo plus $7 per employee and another Full Service block at $39/mo plus $7 per employee, with the same feature sentence.
• A separate block says you are responsible for filing and depositing payroll taxes. That block appears twice, once at $20/mo and $4 per employee and once at $29/mo and $4 per employee.
• An in-page calculator defaults to a $29.00 monthly subscription and $7 per worker, and mentions $9.99 for multi-state payroll.
• Nanny and household payroll is a different product: the page shows $45 struck through and $39/mo including one employee. That product is not the small-business plan.
• Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed annually at a $50 base fee plus $5 per form, in addition to the monthly price.

Homebase Payroll

Homebase Payroll, last checked Nov 10, 2026. One published price: $49 a month plus $6 per active employee. Tax filing is included. Payroll is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. A separate contractor fee is not published. Homebase Payroll (payroll): base $49, per employee $6, per contractor not published. Contractor billing: not published. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Homebase Payroll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Homebase Payroll: contractor fee is not published.
• The page also says 'Start with 6 months free' and 'Only pay for employees who get paid.' Comparisons use the published ongoing price of $49 + $6.

Hourly

Hourly is Quote only as of Nov 10, 2026. Quote only. The pricing page names Gold, Platinum, and Platinum+ and describes a monthly fee plus a per-employee fee, then says to request a quote. No dollar amounts are listed.

• Gold: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Platinum: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Platinum+: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Gold: contractor fee is not published.
• Platinum: contractor fee is not published.
• Platinum+: contractor fee is not published.
• No additional dollar amount is stored in the notes. Not published.

Rippling

Rippling is Quote only as of Nov 10, 2026. Quote only for payroll. The pricing page says Rippling Payroll pricing depends on headcount and products, and asks you to request a quote.

• Rippling Payroll: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Rippling Payroll: contractor fee is not published.
• A separate FAQ says plans start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee, and that the total depends on products. That $8 figure is not a payroll price and is not used in the comparison.
• Custom quote. The platform 'starts at $8 per employee per month' line is not treated as the payroll price.

Justworks

Justworks, last checked Nov 10, 2026. Payroll is $50 a month plus $8 per employee. U.S. contractors are $8 per paid contractor. PEO Basic is $79 per employee and PEO Plus is $124 per employee, with no base fee. PEO is a different product and is off by default in the comparison. Payroll (payroll): base $50, per employee $8, per contractor $8. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. PEO Basic (peo): base $0, per employee $79, per contractor $8. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. PEO Plus (peo): base $0, per employee $124, per contractor $8. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Payroll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• PEO Basic: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• PEO Plus: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Payroll: contractor fee is stored as $8 per contractor, billing separate.
• PEO Basic: contractor fee is stored as $8 per contractor, billing separate.
• PEO Plus: contractor fee is stored as $8 per contractor, billing separate.
• US-based contractors: $8/month per paid contractor, available on Payroll, Basic, and Plus.
• Time tracking add-on: $8/month per employee. Not included in the plan totals.
• International contractors are $39 per paid contractor. Employer of Record is $599 per employee. Those are not U.S. payroll plans and are not in the table.
• Payroll + health insurance add-on is $8 per benefits-eligible employee.
• Page: $8/month/employee + $50/month base fee.
• Co-employment PEO. No base fee. $79 per employee per month.
• Co-employment PEO. No base fee. $124 per employee per month.

Square Payroll

Square Payroll, last checked Nov 10, 2026. Full-service payroll is $35 a month plus $6 per person paid. Contractor-only payroll is $6 per person paid, with no base fee. Tax filing for employees is included on the full-service plan. Full-service payroll (payroll): base $35, per employee $6, per contractor $6. Contractor billing: same as employee. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Contractor-only payroll (contractor_only): base $0, per employee $0, per contractor $6. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: not included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Full-service payroll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Contractor-only payroll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Full-service payroll: contractor fee is stored as $6 per contractor, billing same as employee.
• Contractor-only payroll: contractor fee is stored as $6 per contractor, billing separate.
• FAQ: full-service is $35 per month plus $6 per person paid per month. Contractor-only is $6 per person paid per month.
• Mailing paper W-2s or 1099s is $3 per form per year. Digital delivery is included.
• $35/mo + $6 monthly fee per person paid.
• $6/mo per person paid. No base fee. Not a plan for W-2 employees. Automated employee tax filing is not included.

Wave Payroll

Wave Payroll, last checked Nov 10, 2026. U.S. full-access payroll is $40 a month plus $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid. The employee fee applies even in a month the person is not paid, as long as they are active and not on leave. U.S. full-access payroll (payroll): base $40, per employee $6, per contractor $6. Contractor billing: separate. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• U.S. full-access payroll: additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• U.S. full-access payroll: contractor fee is stored as $6 per contractor, billing separate.
• Canada, not used in this U.S. comparison: $25 CAD base plus $6 per active employee and $6 per contractor paid.

Deel

Deel, last checked Nov 10, 2026. U.S. self-serve payroll is bundled with Deel HR and priced per employee with no base fee: Core $22, Advanced $39, Elite $49. PEO Starter on the same page is $110 per employee. Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Core) (payroll): base $0, per employee $22, per contractor not published. Contractor billing: not published. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Advanced) (payroll): base $0, per employee $39, per contractor not published. Contractor billing: not published. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Elite) (payroll): base $0, per employee $49, per contractor not published. Contractor billing: not published. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan. Deel HR + PEO Starter (Core) (peo): base $0, per employee $110, per contractor not published. Contractor billing: not published. Tax filing: included. States: all included. Extra state fee: not published on this plan.

• Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Core): additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Advanced): additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Elite): additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Deel HR + PEO Starter (Core): additional states are stored as included. No separate extra-state price.
• Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Core): contractor fee is not published.
• Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Advanced): contractor fee is not published.
• Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Elite): contractor fee is not published.
• Deel HR + PEO Starter (Core): contractor fee is not published.
• A Deel blog post says U.S. payroll starts at $24 per employee per month. That does not match the $22 Core card on the product page. The product-page cards are the prices stored here.
• PEO Starter is co-employment and is off by default in the comparison. Higher PEO tiers on deel.com/plp/peo/ ($120, $137, $147) are not repeated here.
• $22 per employee per month. No base fee published.
• $39 per employee per month.
• $49 per employee per month.
• $110 per employee per month. PEO, not self-serve payroll.

BambooHR Payroll

BambooHR Payroll is Quote only as of Nov 10, 2026. Quote only. Payroll is an add-on on the pricing page. The add-on lists direct deposit and federal and state tax filing, and it does not list a price.

• Payroll add-on: extra-state fee is not published (stored coverage: unknown).
• Payroll add-on: contractor fee is not published.
• The same page does publish HR software prices. Those are not payroll prices and are not used in the comparison. For more than 25 employees the FAQ says Core starts at $10.25, Pro at $17.50, and Elite at $25 per employee per month (the plan cards show $10, $17, and $25). For 25 employees or fewer the FAQ lists flat rates of $250, $425, and $650 per month. The FAQ and the plan cards do not use the same Core and Pro numbers.

Published price at 10 employees

The list below is the ordinary rank: 10 employees, 0 contractors, 1 state, tax filing included, and PEO plans left out. It is not a special price for the topic of this page. Quote only and conflicting vendors stay unlabeled with a dollar amount. Annual figures are the monthly list price times 12. Promotional months are not applied.

• Patriot Payroll Full Service Payroll: $87 a month ($1,044 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Square Payroll Full-service payroll: $95 a month ($1,140 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Wave Payroll U.S. full-access payroll: $100 a month ($1,200 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Gusto Simple: $109 a month ($1,308 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Homebase Payroll Homebase Payroll: $109 a month ($1,308 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• OnPay Payroll Essentials: $109 a month ($1,308 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll: $120 a month ($1,440 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Roll by ADP Roll: $129 a month ($1,548 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Justworks Payroll: $130 a month ($1,560 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• Deel Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US (Core): $220 a month ($2,640 a year at twelve times the monthly list price).
• SurePayroll: conflicting published prices, not ranked.
• ADP RUN: Quote only.
• BambooHR Payroll: Quote only.
• Hourly: Quote only.
• Paychex Flex: Quote only.
• Rippling: Quote only.

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PayrollPriceWatch lists published prices so you can compare them. It is not financial, tax, legal, or payroll advice.