What payroll software really costs in 2026
You asked what payroll costs; here's the report, already done. We read every official pricing page, the legal fine print, and hundreds of user reports — including the fees that only show up on your first year-end invoice. All prices below are for one owner-employee on the cheapest full-service tier (the software files your taxes), before promos.
| Service | Solo cost/mo | List pricing | PR Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SurePayroll | $36 | $29 + $7/employee; ~$41/mo all-in after the $55/yr year-end filing fee; promo makes every other month of year one free | 7.4 | Review → |
 Square Payroll | $41 | $35 + $6/person; contractor-only plan is $6/person with no base fee | 7.4 | Review → |
 Patriot Payroll | $42 | Full Service: $37 + $5/worker ($21/mo during the current 6-month half-price promo) | 8.4 | Review → |
 Paychex Flex | $44 | Essentials reportedly $39 + $5 (not shown on official site); year-end W-2 fees extra; Select/Pro/Enterprise quote-only | 6.4 | Review → |
 Wave Payroll | $46 | $40 + $6; pairs with Wave's free accounting; +$5 per 1099-NEC at year end | 6.9 | Review → |
 OnPay | $55 | $49 + $6/worker; first month free; per-worker fee only in months actually paid | 8.6 | Review → |
 Gusto | $55 | Simple plan: $49 + $6/person (single-state) | 8.5 | Review → |
 QuickBooks Payroll | $56.50 | Workforce Payroll (ex-Core): $50 + $6.50/employee after the July 2026 increase; 50% off first 3 months | 7.1 | Review → |
 Rippling | $57 | Quote-only; realistic minimum ~$50-65/mo (base + Core + payroll module) on an annual contract | 5.7 | Review → |
 ADP RUN | $83 | Quote-only; leaked Essential rate ~$79 + $4/employee. ADP's own answer for solos is Roll by ADP at $44/mo | 6.8 | Review → |
Quote-only providers (ADP, Paychex, Rippling) are shown at the best third-party-reported estimate — their real quotes vary by rep and negotiation, and users document 3–8% annual increases after year one.
The fees that aren't on the pricing page
List price is where the real math starts. The recurring surprises, by provider:
- Year-end forms. SurePayroll charges $55+/yr for W-2/1099 filing; ADP bills roughly $150–200/yr; Wave adds $5 per 1099-NEC. Gusto, OnPay, Patriot and QuickBooks include year-end forms.
- Multi-state. Gusto locks multi-state behind its Plus tier (a 92% base-price jump); Patriot charges $12/mo per extra state; SurePayroll a flat $9.99/mo; OnPay includes it.
- Local taxes. QuickBooks' base tier makes you print and file local returns yourself — automation costs an upgrade to the $88/mo Premium tier.
- Price-increase history. Gusto has raised prices three years running; QuickBooks raised per-employee fees ~20% in July 2026 on top of a 2025 increase; ADP and Paychex quotes creep after the promo year. Patriot and Square have held steady.
The math for a one-person S-corp
Cheapest defensible setup: SurePayroll at ~$41/mo all-in (after its year-end fee), then Square Payroll at $41 and Patriot at $42 — about $500/yr, and all three file your federal and state taxes.
Our editors' pick, Gusto, runs $55/mo ($49 + $6) — roughly $170/yr more than the budget three. What the extra buys for an S-corp owner specifically: a reasonable-salary estimator built on BLS wage data, correct 2%-shareholder health insurance W-2 handling, and AutoPilot payroll that runs itself. One missed-filing penalty or one hour of your CPA's time costs more than the difference.
Under $45/mo and full-service: Patriot, Square, or SurePayroll. Best overall for a solo S-corp — and what we run our own payroll on: Gusto at $55/mo.
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