Payroll · 6-20 employees
Best Payroll for 6-20 employees Trades Shops (2026)
This is the SMB payroll sweet spot. Most trades shops in this range benefit from modern SMB payroll (Gusto Plus, OnPay) with full feature breadth — tax filing, benefits administration, time tracking integration. Avoid legacy options (ADP, Paychex) at this size unless you have compliance complexity that specifically requires them.
Recommended
4Gusto
The modern SMB payroll favorite — best affiliate economics in the entire WrenchStack universe ($300-$1,000+ per signup via PartnerStack)
$40/mo base + $6/employee on Simple
Best for: Modern SMB trades shops with 2-25 W-2 employees + optional 1099 subcontractors who want self-service payroll, automatic tax filing, and integrated employee benefits without the complexity of ADP-tier enterprise systems
OnPay
Lean SMB payroll with flat pricing — favorite of small trades shops who don't need Gusto's bolt-ons
$40/mo base + $6/employee
Best for: Price-conscious SMB trades shops (1-15 employees) who want clean modern payroll without upsell tiers, and don't need extensive FSM-integration depth or premium benefits tooling
Patriot Payroll
Ultra-affordable payroll for 1-3 employee shops — cheapest tax-filing payroll in the market
$17/mo Basic Payroll (no tax filing) + $4/employee, or $37/mo Full Service with tax filing + $4/employee
Best for: Very-small trades shops (1-5 employees) who want tax-filing payroll automation at the lowest possible price and don't need extensive FSM integration or benefits administration
Hourly.io
Payroll + pay-as-you-go workers comp combined — the only payroll service with WC built in, structurally relevant for trades
$40/mo base + $6/employee + WC premium calculated per actual payroll (vs estimated upfront)
Best for: Trades contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, landscaping) in Hourly's geographic footprint who want to eliminate WC audit-shock dynamics or who are migrating away from problematic WC carriers (Pie Insurance pattern)
Context-specific fit
1QuickBooks Payroll
Payroll embedded in QuickBooks Online — convenient for QBO users, mediocre as standalone product
$50/mo Core + $6/employee
Best for: Trades contractors already running QuickBooks Online as their accounting platform who value single-vendor consolidation and seamless integration over standalone product polish
Frequently asked
What's the best payroll for a 6-20 employees trades shop?
Based on price + product fit, Gusto is the top recommendation for 6-20 employees trades. Modern SMB trades shops with 2-25 W-2 employees + optional 1099 subcontractors who want self-service payroll, automatic tax filing, and integrated employee benefits without the complexity of ADP-tier enterprise systems. OnPay is a strong alternative.
What does payroll typically cost for 6-20 employees?
For 6-20 employee shops, modern payroll runs $100-$300/month total. Gusto Plus at $80 + $12/employee scales to $164-$320/mo for 7-20 employees. OnPay at $40 + $6/employee runs $76-$160/mo. Legacy ADP/Paychex usually 30-50% more.
Do I really need payroll software at this size?
Yes — once you have any W-2 employees, the tax-filing complexity (quarterly 941, year-end W-2 issuance, multi-state withholdings) creates risk + time cost that almost always exceeds the $40-$70/mo payroll software cost. Hand-filing or check-writing for employees is a false economy.
What about my 1099 subcontractors?
Most modern payroll (Gusto, OnPay, Patriot) handle 1099 contractors cleanly alongside W-2 employees in the same workflow. Year-end 1099-NEC issuance is automatic. For 1099-only shops (no W-2 employees), Square Payroll has the cheapest contractor-only tier ($6/contractor, no base fee).