The typical pricing model
Most small business payroll platforms charge a monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee. A 5-person crew and a 20-person crew on the same plan pay very different totals — headcount is usually the biggest driver of your bill, not the base plan itself.
What's often not in the base price
- Time tracking — included on higher tiers, often an add-on for entry-level plans
- Multi-state processing — frequently requires a higher plan tier
- HR advisory support — usually reserved for premium tiers
- Benefits administration — often priced separately from payroll itself
For a crew of 5–15 people, expect somewhere between $100–$250/month for full-service payroll with tax filing, before optional add-ons. Larger crews or multi-state operations will run higher.
What manual payroll actually costs
The comparison that matters isn't software vs. free — it's software vs. the owner's time plus the risk of a filing mistake. A few hours a month of an owner's time, plus the real risk of a misclassification or filing error, usually costs more than a $100–200/month software subscription once you price it honestly.
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