Best payroll software for a small US business

Seven payroll providers for 20 employees in two states

Prices are in USD and exclude introductory offers. The plans include different features; obtain comparable quotes for the unpriced providers.

How we ranked these seven · Compare the subscription calculations

For 20 employees in two US states

This shortlist assumes 20 employees in two US states. The prices below are calculated recurring subscriptions before optional services and taxes, not complete quotes.

If payroll is the problem, keep the purchase focused. If managers also chase hours and rebuild schedules, a broader package can be worth more. If accounting already works well, bring the bookkeeper into the choice before replacing that connection.

1. Patriot: tax filing for $149/month in this example

Patriot Full Service costs $149/month for 20 workers and tax filing in two states: $37 base, $100 for workers and $12 for the second state. It leads this payroll-only shortlist because it supplies the required filing service for $20/month less than OnPay.

At four filing states it costs $173/month, above OnPay’s $169. Time tools are separate. Patriot Basic leaves tax filing with you; it is not the service recommended here.

Before switching, use the same payroll correction, approval and accounting-export exercise with each finalist. The price comparison does not establish reliability or usability.

2. OnPay: cheaper once this employer reaches four states

OnPay Essentials costs $169/month for 20 workers, with no extra charge for additional filing states. Patriot is $20/month cheaper in our two-state example; OnPay becomes $4/month cheaper at four states. That makes expansion into more states a concrete reason to choose OnPay.

For payroll questions and corrections, OnPay’s support instructions direct customers to logged-in chat or tickets, Monday–Friday, 9am–8pm ET. Phone help is documented for account-access problems.

The pricing page still advertises phone, email and chat for all clients; it does not establish that payroll corrections can be handled by a direct phone call.

Payroll Essentials excludes the separately priced Time Tracking and HR additions. We have not measured response times or resolution quality.

3. Gusto: payroll, time tracking and scheduling in one plan

Gusto Simple is single-state; Plus adds multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling. For our two-state employer, compare Plus.

Compare Plus if it can replace your separate time and scheduling subscription or the manual transfer of hours into payroll. The cost comparison below includes the subscription difference.

Choose another provider if: you already have a satisfactory time system and need mainly payroll. Ask the finalist to correct an approved timesheet after payroll has been prepared; inspect what must be recalculated and approved.

4. QuickBooks Workforce: payroll connected to your accounts

Intuit's current US lineup uses Workforce Payroll, Premium and Elite. Its own page distinguishes setup review from completed setup, and reserves certain local-tax support and time tracking for higher editions.

Compare it if your bookkeeper can reduce manual work between payroll and your accounts. In the demo, post a normal payroll journal and a corrected one using your accounting codes.

Choose another provider if: the edition needed for your local taxes or reporting produces poor overall value. We have not calculated a comparable price from its different payroll and accounting offers. Request the current payroll-only or explicitly bundled total, its state fees, and its post-promotion amount.

5. RUN Powered by ADP: payroll with additional HR services

RUN's published packages separate Essential payroll from Enhanced, which adds services including garnishment payment and state unemployment insurance support, then broader HR tiers. Compare the package containing the HR services you need.

Compare RUN if you want help with garnishment payments or state unemployment insurance. Ask who performs each task, when extra charges apply and what completion records your payroll operator receives. Confirm those tasks and charges in the agreement.

Choose another provider if: the priced package does little beyond work a leaner option already covers. Request annual cost at your actual payroll frequency, including off-cycle runs, setup, year-end work and required add-ons. We have no business-specific RUN quote and therefore make no cheapest-provider claim for it.

6. Paychex: support from an assigned payroll specialist

Paychex describes several support levels, including assigned payroll specialists. It does not establish that every plan provides the same relationship or response.

Ask who covers when your assigned specialist is unavailable, what information they need from you and how you reach them before a payroll deadline.

Choose another provider if: the contracted support model does not remove enough work to justify the quote. Compare its recurring and event-based charges with the time and external advice you expect to replace. We do not score Paychex's support quality from testimonials, nor assume that a quoted service is automatically superior to self-service software.

7. Rippling: payroll alongside HR, finance or IT

Rippling requires its core platform alongside separately purchased products, which include payroll and other HR, finance and IT capabilities. Compare it if you plan to replace those other products as well as payroll.

Test whether one employee change updates each required system without being entered again. Ask for the complete product list and have the supplier demonstrate an employee change with a specified effective date across the products you would buy.

Choose another provider if: you will keep the other HR, finance and IT systems. Get a quote for the core platform, selected modules and setup. Ask which work your team must still perform; the public pricing information does not give a complete monthly total.

Twenty employees, two states: the recurring bill is $149, $169 or $320

Assume one US employer, 20 billable employees every month, two filing states, 12 months at the retrieved standard rates and no contractors. No promotion, growth or optional module is applied. This is a calculation from published subscription terms, not an observed customer invoice.

Sources for the calculation: Patriot, OnPay and Gusto. These rows are not complete, equivalent service bundles. Add anything essential before choosing on cost.

Gusto costs $1,812 more per year than OnPay. Compare that difference with the cost of any time-tracking or scheduling tools it could replace, plus the time saved transferring and correcting payroll hours.

Now change only the state count. At 20 workers, Patriot is $161 per month across three states and $173 across four; OnPay stays $169 on the stated fee structure. At four states, OnPay becomes cheaper even with the same headcount.

The calculation excludes:

• Wages, employer payroll taxes, insurance and benefit funding, and sales tax on services.
• Optional modules, third-party time tools, and registrations or amendments outside the contracted scope.
• Migration work, your team’s time, and old-provider overlap or exit charges.

Request a price for any unquoted item before comparing final totals. Our cost comparison helps you include them.

Three things to settle before switching

• The complete monthly bill: count employees, states and required extras. Ignore temporary discounts when comparing the ongoing cost.
• Your busiest payroll day: know the funding deadline, correction process and route to help if a run goes wrong.
• The work left with you: identify who enters changes, approves payroll and reconciles the accounting output.

Choose two providers to compare

Start with Patriot and OnPay if cost and payroll scope lead the decision. Compare OnPay with Gusto Plus if time tracking and scheduling also matter.

Our Gusto vs OnPay comparison compares payroll alone with payroll plus time tracking and scheduling.

• Request a Patriot demo
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