Schedule 1 · Charges
A payroll bill is five lines in a trench coat.
What small businesses pay to run payroll: base and per-employee fees, filing and state extras, and how providers like Gusto, ADP and SurePayroll price it.
- 01 Base platform fee Charged whether or not a run happens that month. Monthly, per company
- 02 Per-employee charge Usually the line that grows fastest as you hire. Monthly, per head
- 03 Off-cycle runs Bonuses and corrections often sit outside the plan. Per run, where charged
- 04 Year-end filings W-2 and 1099 handling differs sharply between plans. Per form, or included
- 05 Additional states A second state is frequently a pricing tier, not an add-on. Per state registered
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The essentials
The core of the site
The True Cost of an Employee, Beyond Their Salary (2026)
What payroll taxes am I responsible for as an employer?
Read the guide ExplainerWhat Goes Into the Cost of Running Payroll?
How much do payroll services cost for very small businesses?
Read the explainer ShortlistWhat Payroll Services Cost for a Small Business (2026)
How much do payroll services cost for very small businesses?
Read it How-toHow to Budget for Payroll Beyond the Wages (2026)
What payroll taxes am I responsible for as an employer?
Follow the steps ShortlistWhat Payroll Costs for a Business With One Employee (2026)
What's the best payroll service for a small business with one employee?
Read it Head to headPatriot Software vs Gusto on Price (2026)
What's the cheapest payroll software for a tiny business?
Read itNotes
What this site is
Charges above are categories, not quoted prices. No figure is published here that has not been sourced in the article that discusses it.
Pricing structures change without notice. Anything written here is a description of how bills are usually assembled, not a quote.
The categories in the schedule are worked through in What Goes Into the Cost of Running Payroll? and Base Fee vs Per-Employee Fee: Which Matters More. Filings, extra states and benefits are in What You Pay Extra For: Filings, States and Benefits.
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- ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll on Total Cost (2026)
- Base Fee vs Per-Employee Fee: Which Matters More (2026)
- Cheaper Alternatives to a Full Payroll Service (2026)
- How to Budget for Payroll Beyond the Wages (2026)
- OnPay vs SurePayroll on Cost (2026)
- Patriot Software vs Gusto on Price (2026)
- SurePayroll Review: What It Costs (2026)
- The Cheapest Way to Run Compliant Payroll (2026)
- The True Cost of an Employee, Beyond Their Salary (2026)
- What Goes Into the Cost of Running Payroll?
- What Payroll Costs for a Business With One Employee (2026)
- What Payroll Services Cost for a Small Business (2026)
- What You Pay Extra For: Filings, States and Benefits (2026)