Best payroll software for small businesses in the US (2026)
Four full-service payroll services compared on what five employees cost a month, with the base fee and per-person fee separated out.
Quick answer
For a business paying five employees a month, Square Payroll costs least on published prices at $65 ($35 base plus $6 a person), then Wave Payroll at $70, Homebase at $79 and QuickBooks Payroll at $85. All four calculate and file payroll taxes. Gusto, OnPay and several others blocked our reading of their prices and are not yet included.
Key points
- Payroll is priced as a monthly base plus a fee for each person paid, so the cheapest service depends on headcount.
- At five employees: Square $65, Wave $70, Homebase $79, QuickBooks Payroll $85 a month.
- QuickBooks' per-employee fee rises from $7 to $13 to $17 as you move up a tier.
- Wave says its tax filing excludes 1099 filings; check this if you pay contractors.
- Rippling sells by quote only, so it cannot be ranked.
- Gusto, OnPay, Patriot, Paychex and Justworks refused automated reads and are listed as not yet checked.
What you would pay
Set your own numbers. The list below is ranked with this same calculator at our reference profile: five employees paid every month.
- Square Payroll Full service$65.00
- Wave Payroll Payroll$70.00
- Homebase Payroll Payroll$79.00
- QuickBooks Payroll Payroll$85.00
Regular published prices only. Introductory offers and tax are left out. Figures are arithmetic on the provider’s own numbers, not a recommendation.
The list, in order
Order follows the published method on How we rank. Providers cannot pay for a position.
Square Payroll
Full-service payroll for a $35 monthly base plus $6 for each person paid, with unlimited pay runs and no charge in months you run no payroll.
Suits: small teams with seasonal staff. Watch for: mailing paper W-2s or 1099s costs $3 per form a year.
- Base
- $35/mo
- Per person paid
- $6/mo
- Contractors only
- $6/person, no base
- Pay runs
- Unlimited
Wave Payroll
Payroll with tax filing to the state and the IRS for a $40 base plus $6 per active employee and $6 per contractor paid, with unlimited free direct deposits.
Suits: businesses already using Wave for bookkeeping. Watch for: Wave says its tax filing excludes 1099 filings.
- Base
- $40/mo
- Per employee
- $6/mo
- Per contractor
- $6/mo
- Trial
- 30 days
Homebase Payroll
Payroll built into Homebase's scheduling and time-clock app, for $49 a month plus $6 per active employee, with W-2s, 1099s and tax filings included.
Suits: shift-based businesses that schedule staff in Homebase. Watch for: two-day direct deposit is for qualifying companies only.
- Base
- $49/mo
- Per employee
- $6/mo
- Tax filing
- Included
- Contract
- Pay as you go
QuickBooks Payroll
Three full-service payroll tiers priced as a base plus a per-employee fee, with next-day direct deposit on the entry tier and same-day on the others.
Suits: businesses that keep their books in QuickBooks. Watch for: the per-employee fee rises from $7 to $17 as you move up a tier.
- Payroll
- $50 + $7/employee
- Premium
- $88 + $13/employee
- Elite
- $134 + $17/employee
- Contract
- None; cancel anytime
Rippling
Payroll inside a wider HR and IT platform, sold by custom quote. Rippling says plans start at $8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee it does not publish.
Suits: companies that want payroll, HR and device management in one system. Watch for: no published total price, so it cannot be ranked.
- Price
- Quote only
- Stated from
- $8/employee + base
Figures read from each provider’s own page on 29 October 2026. Prices exclude sales tax. Reference profile: five employees paid every month. Unranked entries publish no price that fits it.
- Gusto, OnPay, Patriot Software, Paychex and Justworks — their pricing pages refused automated reads on 29 Oct 2026. To be confirmed by hand.
- ADP RUN — the pricing page address we used returned "not found" on 29 Oct 2026.
Payroll software has two prices: a base fee you pay every month, and a fee for each person you pay. Which service is cheapest depends mostly on how many people are on your payroll, which is why the calculator above starts at five and lets you change it.
How the ranking works
We ranked the services by monthly cost for a business paying five employees, using regular published prices read from each provider's own page on 29 October 2026. Introductory offers are listed but left out of the ranking. The method is on how we rank.
| Service | Base | Per person | Five employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Payroll | $35 | $6 | $65 |
| Wave Payroll | $40 | $6 | $70 |
| Homebase Payroll | $49 | $6 | $79 |
| QuickBooks Payroll | $50 | $7 | $85 |
Three of the four charge the same $6 per person, so the base fee decides the order at any headcount. QuickBooks' per-employee fee is $7 on Workforce Payroll, $13 on Premium and $17 on Elite, according to its payroll pricing page.
What each includes
- Square lists unlimited pay runs, and no charge in months with no payroll. Mailing paper W-2s or 1099s costs $3 a form, per Square's pricing page.
- Wave files with the state and the IRS and generates W-2s and 1099-NECs, but its page says filing excludes 1099 filings. Its prices apply to customers who signed up after 2 April 2025.
- Homebase includes tax filings, W-2s and 1099s, and combines payroll with scheduling and time tracking. Two-day direct deposit is for qualifying companies.
- QuickBooks offers next-day direct deposit on its entry tier and same-day on Premium and Elite.
Contractors
If you pay only contractors, Square's contractor-only plan charges $6 per contractor with no base. That costs less than any full-service plan when you have no employees.
The bigger cost: employer taxes
At five employees the software costs $65 to $85 a month. Employer payroll taxes are far larger. Our guide to what an employee really costs sets out Social Security, Medicare and federal unemployment tax with an example. The payroll cost calculator runs both US and UK prices, and the UK comparison covers pounds.
Not yet included
Gusto, OnPay, Patriot Software, Paychex and Justworks refused automated reads of their pricing pages, and the ADP RUN pricing address we used no longer exists. Rippling publishes no total price. They are listed below the ranking or as pending until their figures can be confirmed from their own pages.
Keep reading
Best payroll software for small businesses in the UK (2026)
Six UK payroll options compared on what five employees cost a month, from HMRC's free software to cloud payroll priced per payslip.
Guide · US & UKWhat an employee really costs: US payroll taxes vs UK employer National Insurance
Salary is only part of the cost of an employee. Here are the employer taxes on top in the US and the UK, with worked examples using 2026 rates.
Calculator · US editionPayroll software cost calculator
The same calculator on its own page, in dollars.
Questions
How is small-business payroll software priced in the US?
Most services charge a fixed monthly base fee plus a fee for each person you pay that month. Square charges $35 plus $6 per person, Wave $40 plus $6 per employee, Homebase $49 plus $6, and QuickBooks Payroll $50 plus $7 on its entry tier. Prices were read on 29 October 2026.
Do these payroll services file payroll taxes for me?
All four ranked services say they calculate and file payroll taxes. QuickBooks says it calculates, files and pays them. Wave says it files with your state and the IRS but excludes 1099 filings. Filing is still your legal responsibility, so check the service has the right state registrations for you.
Is there a cheaper option for paying only contractors?
Square lists a contractor-only plan at $6 per contractor paid with no monthly base. Wave charges $6 per contractor paid on top of its $40 base. If you have no employees on payroll, a contractor-only plan avoids paying a base fee for features you do not use.
Why are Gusto and OnPay missing?
Their pricing pages refused automated reading when we checked on 29 October 2026. Rather than copy their prices from another site, we list them as not yet included until the figures are confirmed by hand from their own pages. The same applies to Patriot Software, Paychex and Justworks.
What does payroll cost on top of the software?
The software fee is small next to the taxes an employer pays: 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare on wages, plus federal unemployment tax on the first $7,000 of each employee’s pay, according to the IRS. Our guide on what an employee really costs works through an example.