Payroll · 20+ employees
Best Payroll for 20+ employees Trades Shops (2026)
At 20 or more employees, check whether a service covers multi-state payroll, HR tools and benefits as well as payroll. Gusto Plus ($80/mo plus $12 per person) adds multi-state payroll, and Gusto Premium is $180/mo plus $22 per person. OnPay keeps one plan at $49/mo plus $6 per person, with HR tools as a $15/mo plus $2 per worker add-on; our editorial range for OnPay is 1-25 employees. Rippling (HR, IT and finance products sold separately) and ADP Run (four packages; ADP's stated range is 1-49 employees) publish no prices, and this listing does not quote a Paychex Flex price; Paychex sells workers' comp insurance, 401(k) plans and HR outsourcing as separate services. For certified, union or prevailing-wage payroll, see the construction payroll services on the main payroll page.
Online or specialty payroll with a published price, no warning
2Gusto
Online payroll with automatic federal, state and local tax filing, contractor payments and published prices for every plan
From $49/mo + $6/person (Simple)
Best for: Trade shops with W-2 employees, 1099 subcontractors or both that want online payroll with automatic tax filing and published prices, especially if they already use QuickBooks Online, Xero, Jobber or Housecall Pro
OnPay
One-plan online payroll at $49/mo plus $6 per person, with QuickBooks and Xero sync and optional pay-as-you-go workers' comp
$49/mo base + $6/person
Best for: Small trade shops that want one published payroll price, QuickBooks or Xero sync and an optional pay-as-you-go workers' comp policy, and that can live without a direct field-service app integration
No warning: built-in payroll, HR suite or no published US price
1Rippling
HR, IT and finance platform with payroll, sold by custom quote
Custom quote only
Best for: Growing trades companies with office staff, several locations or real HR and IT needs that want payroll, HR, devices and spend tools on one platform
Legacy payroll, PEO or reputation warning
2ADP Run
ADP's small-business payroll for 1-49 employees, priced by quote in four packages
Quote only
Best for: Small trades shops (1-49 employees) that want job costing, add-on time tracking and workers' comp from one large payroll provider, and are willing to get a quote before seeing a price
Paychex Flex
Paychex's payroll and HR platform for small and midsize businesses, with add-on insurance, 401(k) and HR services
Check Paychex for current prices
Best for: Growing trades shops that want payroll, time tracking, HR help, workers' comp insurance and a 401(k) from one provider, and are comfortable buying through a sales rep
Frequently asked
Which payroll service fits a 20+ employees trades shop?
It depends on what you need besides payroll, such as tax filing in more than one state, workers' comp, time tracking or job costing. On this page, Gusto and OnPay are online or specialty payroll with a published starting price and no reputation warning, so you can compare costs before a sales call. We do not rank them against each other: compare published prices and plan limits before you choose.
What does payroll cost for 20+ employees?
At 20 people, published list prices before add-ons and promotions are OnPay $169/mo ($49 plus $6 per person), Gusto Plus $320/mo ($80 plus $12 per person) and Gusto Premium $620/mo ($180 plus $22 per person), with the per-person fee added for each extra person. Rippling and ADP Run publish no prices, and this listing does not quote a Paychex Flex price, so get quotes to compare them. ADP's stated range for RUN is 1-49 employees.
Do I really need payroll software at this size?
With W-2 employees, someone has to withhold, deposit and file payroll taxes and issue W-2s at year end. Full-service plans do the filing for you: Patriot Full Service is $37/mo plus $5 per worker in one state, and Gusto Simple and OnPay are $49/mo plus $6 per person. Patriot Basic ($17/mo plus $4 per worker) runs payroll but leaves tax deposits and filings to you.
What about my 1099 subcontractors?
Gusto's payroll plans pay W-2 employees, 1099 contractors or both, and OnPay includes year-end W-2 and 1099 forms in its price. For 1099-only crews, Square Payroll's contractor-only plan is $6 per contractor paid with no base fee but no tax filings or multistate payroll, and Gusto's Contractor Only plan is $35/mo plus $6 per contractor.