Payroll · Published price, no warning
SurePayroll Review
Paychex-owned online payroll for small businesses and household employers, with published prices
Quick verdict
Who SurePayroll suits: Small trades shops that want low-cost, payroll-only service with published prices and federal and state tax filing, and do not need built-in scheduling, job costing or HR tools. Pricing: $29/mo + $7 per worker; federal and state payroll taxes filed and deposited, unlimited payroll runs. Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC filing $50 base + $5 per form; multi-state payroll $9.99/mo; a separate fee applies where local taxes are required. Household payroll $39/mo including one employee. Add-ons: accounting integration $4.99/mo, time clock integration from $5/mo + $3 per employee. SurePayroll's pricing page advertises free months for new clients, with terms applying. Year-end forms, extra states, local taxes, accounting sync and time clock integration are billed on top of the base price; payroll-focused, with no scheduling or job costing listed; phone support on weekdays only.
About SurePayroll
SurePayroll is an online payroll service for small businesses and household employers. It was founded in 2000, and Paychex bought it in February 2011 and runs it as a subsidiary; Paychex's latest annual report describes SurePayroll as serving the digitally driven small business self-service market. The site footer reads "A Paychex Company".
SurePayroll publishes its prices. Small business payroll is $29 a month plus $7 per worker and includes unlimited payroll runs, federal and state payroll taxes calculated, filed and deposited, free 2-day direct deposit, automatic payroll scheduling, multiple pay rates and bonuses, new hire reporting, online pay stubs, a mobile app for employers and employees, and live phone and chat support. Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC filing costs a $50 base fee plus $5 per form, multi-state payroll adds $9.99 a month, and a separate fee applies where local taxes are required. Household (nanny) payroll is $39 a month including one employee.
Extras are priced separately: accounting software integration is $4.99 a month (SurePayroll lists QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Sage, Zoho and AccountEdge among its accounting integrations), time clock integration starts at $5 a month plus $3 per employee, employment law plans start at $30 a month, and 401(k) plans are quoted. Workers' compensation and health insurance are offered as separate services. SurePayroll pays both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. Its pricing page also advertises free months for new clients, subject to the terms SurePayroll links from that page.
The trade-off: SurePayroll is a low-cost, payroll-focused service with clear published prices and no commitment, but year-end forms, extra states, local taxes, accounting sync and time clock links are all billed on top of the base price, and its pricing page lists no scheduling or job costing tools. Add up the extras your shop needs before comparing it with other services.
How it works
Create an account online, add your employees, contractors and pay schedule, and run payroll from a computer or the mobile app, or schedule it to run automatically. SurePayroll calculates payroll taxes and files and deposits federal and state payroll taxes for you (a separate fee applies where local taxes are required). Employees are paid by free 2-day direct deposit and can see pay stubs online. Onboarding help and live phone and chat support are included; accounting and time clock integrations cost extra.
Pros & cons
What works
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Low, published base price
$29 a month plus $7 per worker for full-service payroll with federal and state tax filing, listed on SurePayroll's pricing page.
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Unlimited runs and auto payroll
Unlimited payroll runs are included, and payroll can be scheduled to run automatically, which suits weekly pay or off-cycle bonuses.
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Paychex ownership
Paychex has owned SurePayroll since February 2011 and operates it as a subsidiary.
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No commitment
SurePayroll's pricing page says there is no commitment and you can cancel anytime.
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Pays employees and contractors
SurePayroll supports W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, and offers a separate household payroll plan.
What doesn't
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Many extras billed on top
Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC filing ($50 base plus $5 per form), multi-state payroll ($9.99 a month), local tax filing, accounting integration ($4.99 a month) and time clock integration all cost extra.
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Payroll-focused
SurePayroll centers on payroll and tax filing; its pricing page lists no scheduling or job costing, and HR help such as employment law plans is an add-on.
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Support hours are limited
Customer support by phone runs Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central; after-hours calls are returned the next business day.
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No free trial
SurePayroll uses sign-up promotions (such as free months) rather than a free trial.
Pricing
$29/mo + $7 per worker; federal and state payroll taxes filed and deposited, unlimited payroll runs. Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC filing $50 base + $5 per form; multi-state payroll $9.99/mo; a separate fee applies where local taxes are required. Household payroll $39/mo including one employee. Add-ons: accounting integration $4.99/mo, time clock integration from $5/mo + $3 per employee. SurePayroll's pricing page advertises free months for new clients, with terms applying.
Starting base: $29/mo + $7/employee
Affiliate disclosure: The link to SurePayroll 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 SurePayroll's current reviews at the source.
Frequently asked
How much does SurePayroll cost?
Small business payroll is $29 a month plus $7 per worker, with federal and state payroll taxes filed and deposited. Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC filing is a $50 base fee plus $5 per form, multi-state payroll adds $9.99 a month, local taxes carry a separate fee, and household payroll is $39 a month including one employee. Check the pricing page for any current sign-up promotion.
Is SurePayroll good for a small contractor?
It fits a small shop that wants low-cost payroll with tax filing and can do without built-in scheduling, job costing or HR tools. Add up the extras you need (year-end forms, extra states, accounting sync, time clock) to get the real monthly cost.
Who owns SurePayroll?
Paychex, Inc. It acquired SurePayroll in February 2011 and runs it as a subsidiary.
SurePayroll vs Gusto?
SurePayroll is payroll-focused, with extras such as year-end forms, accounting sync and time clock integration billed separately. Gusto has its own listing in this directory. Compare the plan you would actually need on each vendor's current pricing page, including every add-on.
Other payroll services
Gusto
Tier SOnline payroll with automatic federal, state and local tax filing, contractor payments and published prices for every plan
OnPay
Tier SOne-plan online payroll at $49/mo plus $6 per person, with QuickBooks and Xero sync and optional pay-as-you-go workers' comp
Patriot Payroll
Tier SLow-cost online payroll from Canton, Ohio: $37/mo plus $5 per worker with full tax filing, or $17/mo plus $4 per worker if you file taxes yourself
Hourly.io
Tier SPayroll plus pay-as-you-go workers' comp in one app, with GPS time tracking and job costing on every plan
QuickBooks Payroll (plans branded QuickBooks Workforce)
Tier AIntuit's own payroll, now sold as QuickBooks Workforce: runs inside QuickBooks Online, from $50/mo plus $7 per employee payroll-only
Square Payroll
Tier ASquare's payroll for businesses already on Square: $35/mo plus $6 per person paid, or $6 per contractor with no base fee