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Paycor (a Paychex company) Review
HR and payroll platform, now owned by Paychex, with published plans for businesses under 50 employees
Quick verdict
Who Paycor (a Paychex company) suits: Established, growing trades businesses that want payroll, HR, onboarding and reporting in one platform and are ready to pay for more than basic payroll. Pricing: From $99/month + $5 per employee; published plans for businesses under 50 employees. Paycor's plan details list Basic $99 + $5, Essential $149 + $6, Complete $199 + $7 and HCM $199 + $12 per employee per month; the plan cards on the same page show Essential at $149 + $7 and a COR plan at $199 + $8, so confirm the plan price with Paycor. Basic has no setup fee; the setup fees for Essential ($59), Complete ($99) and HCM ($199) are marked as waived, and the page advertises 50% off for the first 6 months for new customers (some restrictions apply). Time and scheduling is an add-on. Paycor does not publish prices for companies with 50 or more employees. Time tracking is an add-on on the published plans, prices are published only for businesses under 50 employees, and analytics and HR workflows sit on the higher tiers. For a growing shop that wants payroll and HR in one system, it is worth pricing.
About Paycor (a Paychex company)
Paycor is a human capital management (HCM) platform covering payroll, HR, time and talent. It was founded in 1990 and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Paychex completed its acquisition of Paycor on April 14, 2025, in an all-cash deal valued at about $4.1 billion, and Paycor became an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex.
For businesses under 50 employees, Paycor publishes four plans: Basic at $99 a month plus $5 per employee, Essential at $149 plus $6, Complete at $199 plus $7, and HCM at $199 plus $12 per employee per month. The plan cards on the same page show Essential at $149 plus $7 and a COR plan at $199 plus $8 per employee, so confirm the current price with Paycor. The setup fees of $59 to $199 on Essential, Complete and HCM are marked as waived, and Paycor advertises 50% off for the first six months for new customers, with some restrictions. Paycor does not publish prices for larger companies.
Basic includes payroll and tax service, a mobile app, online reporting, on-demand pay and HR compliance basics. Essential adds onboarding, E-Verify, an HR support center, time-off management and workers' comp. Complete adds on-demand HR support, Paycor Analytics, 401(k) integrations and wage garnishment services, and HCM adds document management, surveys, automated workflows and performance reviews. Time tracking and scheduling are sold as an add-on.
For a trades business that has outgrown basic payroll and wants payroll, HR and reporting in one system, Paycor is an option to price against other HCM platforms.
The trade-off: time tracking and scheduling cost extra on the published plans, analytics start on the Complete plan, and companies with 50 or more employees have to ask for a quote. A very small shop may find it more system than it needs.
How it works
For businesses under 50 employees, you pick one of four published plans, from Basic ($99 a month plus $5 per employee) to HCM ($199 plus $12 per employee), and can add time tracking and scheduling. Larger companies go through Paycor's sales team for pricing. Paycor moves your payroll and employee data onto its platform, then your office runs payroll, files payroll taxes through Paycor's tax service and manages HR tasks in one system, with employees using the mobile app.
Pros & cons
What works
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Published prices for small businesses
Paycor lists four plans for companies under 50 employees, from $99 a month plus $5 per employee, so you can estimate cost before talking to sales.
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Payroll, HR and onboarding in one system
Payroll and tax service come on every plan, and Essential adds onboarding, E-Verify, time-off management and workers' comp.
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Analytics on higher plans
Paycor Analytics is included from the Complete plan up, for owners who want reporting on labor cost and headcount.
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Backed by Paychex
Paychex completed its acquisition of Paycor on April 14, 2025, and Paycor is now a wholly owned Paychex subsidiary.
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Room to grow
Paycor also sells recruiting, talent management, benefits administration and a marketplace of connectors, so a growing shop can add modules later.
What doesn't
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Time tracking costs extra
On the published small-business plans, Time + Scheduling is an add-on, so a crew paid on tracked hours pays more than the plan price.
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No published prices at 50+ employees
Paycor only publishes plans for businesses under 50 employees; larger companies need a quote.
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Key features sit on higher tiers
Analytics starts on Complete ($199 plus $7 per employee) and performance reviews and workflows on HCM ($199 plus $12 per employee), so the cheaper plans are basic.
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More platform than small shops need
A very small trades shop that only needs to pay a few people may find an HCM platform heavier and pricier than a simple payroll service.
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Implementation effort
Moving payroll, HR and time data into any HCM system takes setup work; ask Paycor what implementation includes before you sign.
Pricing
From $99/month + $5 per employee; published plans for businesses under 50 employees. Paycor's plan details list Basic $99 + $5, Essential $149 + $6, Complete $199 + $7 and HCM $199 + $12 per employee per month; the plan cards on the same page show Essential at $149 + $7 and a COR plan at $199 + $8, so confirm the plan price with Paycor. Basic has no setup fee; the setup fees for Essential ($59), Complete ($99) and HCM ($199) are marked as waived, and the page advertises 50% off for the first 6 months for new customers (some restrictions apply). Time and scheduling is an add-on. Paycor does not publish prices for companies with 50 or more employees.
Starting base: $99/mo + $5/employee
Affiliate disclosure: The link to Paycor (a Paychex company) on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
Integrations
Reviews and complaints at the source
We do not copy third-party review scores onto this page: they change often and we could not verify them. Read Paycor (a Paychex company)'s current reviews at the source.
Frequently asked
How much does Paycor cost?
For businesses under 50 employees, Paycor publishes four plans: Basic $99 a month plus $5 per employee, Essential $149 plus $6, Complete $199 plus $7, and HCM $199 plus $12 per employee per month. The plan cards on the same page show Essential at $149 plus $7 and a COR plan at $199 plus $8, so confirm the price with Paycor. Setup fees are marked as waived. Time tracking and scheduling is an add-on, and companies with 50 or more employees need a quote.
Is Paycor good for a trades business?
It fits a growing shop that wants payroll, HR, onboarding and reporting in one system. A very small shop that only needs to pay a few people may be better served by a simpler payroll service.
Who owns Paycor?
Paychex. Paychex completed its acquisition of Paycor on April 14, 2025, in an all-cash deal valued at about $4.1 billion, and Paycor became an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex. Paycor is still sold under its own name.
Does Paycor include time tracking?
Not on the base small-business plans. Paycor sells Time + Scheduling as an add-on for tracking hours, time-off requests and shift swaps, so add its cost if your crew is paid on tracked hours.
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