Cheaper Alternatives to a Full Payroll Service (2026)

Patriot Software's Basic Payroll has the lowest published payroll price for a tiny business, at $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid as of October 6, 2026, but it leaves federal, state and local tax filings and deposits to the employer. For a plan that files those for you, Patriot's Full Service at $37 a month plus $5 per worker and SurePayroll at $29 a month plus $7 per worker are the lowest published full-service prices on this page. If the business has no EIN yet, start there, since a business generally needs one to hire: ZenBusiness can form the business, file for the EIN and refer you to ADP, a separate payroll service that quotes and bills on its own.

What counts as a cheaper alternative to full service?

A full-service payroll plan calculates pay and withholding, then files and deposits the payroll taxes for you. The cheaper alternatives are software that does the math but leaves filing to the employer, low-cost plans that still file, and quoted services priced per business. The tax obligation is the same in every case. What changes is who does the filing work.

Patriot shows the gap inside one company. As of October 6, 2026, Basic Payroll is $17 a month plus $4 per worker and Full Service is $37 plus $5, so a business paying three people would spend $29 a month against $52. The difference buys the federal, state and local filings.

How do the options compare on price?

Both tables list the seven options alphabetically, which is not a ranking. Prices come from each provider's own pricing page as of October 6, 2026, and they change.

The second table applies the published base and per-worker rates to three team sizes, for one state, before add-ons, year-end form fees or promotions.

Among full-service plans, Patriot Full Service costs more than SurePayroll at one to three workers, the two match at $57 for four, and Patriot costs less from five.

ADP

ADP does not publish payroll pricing. It quotes each business after a conversation about headcount and pay schedule. Its small business product, RUN Powered by ADP, is built for businesses with 1 to 49 employees, and ZenBusiness describes it as handling tax calculations, filings and deposits. For a cost-focused buyer, the drawback is that ADP cannot be compared until a quote is in hand.

Best for: an owner who wants full service with room to grow and is willing to get a quote first.

Gusto

Gusto prices its Simple plan at $49 a month plus $6 per person as of October 6, 2026, Plus at $80 plus $12, and Premium at $180 plus $22. Gusto's pricing page describes Simple as payroll in one state with tax filings and payments included, and lists multi-state payroll from Plus up. U.S. contractors are billed at the per-person rate in months they are paid.

Best for: a single-state business that wants room to move up a tier later.

OnPay

OnPay has one published price: $49 a month plus $6 per worker as of October 6, 2026, which its public page quotes as a $55 starting price. OnPay's pricing page says every plan includes federal, state and local tax filings, year-end filings, and payroll in as many states as needed. With a single plan, the bill rises only with headcount.

Best for: a business with workers in more than one state that wants those filings inside the published price.

Patriot Software

Patriot Software sells Basic Payroll at $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid and Full Service Payroll at $37 plus $5, as of October 6, 2026. Its pricing page lists federal, state and local tax filings and deposits as what Full Service adds, so Basic customers handle those themselves. The same page says Full Service includes year-end payroll tax filings at no additional fee, and the per-worker charge applies to every worker paid in the month, contractors included.

Best for: an owner prepared to file on their own with Basic, or a team of four or more that wants full service.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll publishes plans that bundle payroll with QuickBooks accounting, and its pricing page says those plans calculate, file and pay payroll taxes. As of October 6, 2026, Workforce Payroll with Simple Start is $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee, with Essentials it is $125 plus $6.50, and Workforce Premium with Plus is $203 plus $10. A promotional rate of 50% off the base fee runs for three months only. QuickBooks also sells payroll-only plans.

Best for: a business already paying for QuickBooks accounting.

SurePayroll

SurePayroll starts at $29 a month plus $7 per worker as of October 6, 2026, and its pricing page lists federal and state payroll tax filing and deposits as included. Multi-state payroll adds $9.99 a month, and household payroll starts at $39 a month. Year-end W-2 and contractor forms are billed once a year, and a separate fee applies where local taxes are required.

Best for: teams of one to three workers in one state that want full service.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness does not run payroll. It forms the business, acts as registered agent, files for the EIN, offers bookkeeping and builds websites, and it refers customers who need payroll to ADP, a separate service that quotes and bills on its own. As of October 6, 2026, formation plans are Starter at $0 plus state fees, Pro at $199 and Premium at $299, with Pro and Premium renewing at their annual prices. State fees are set by each state and are not part of ZenBusiness's price.

The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost $99 each on Starter. Registered agent service is $199 a year, Money Pro bookkeeping is $30 a month, and a website is $129 a year. No ZenBusiness plan price includes payroll.

Best for: an owner who has not yet formed the business or obtained an EIN and wants formation, compliance and bookkeeping in one place, with payroll handled by a partner.

Before comparing prices: the entity, the EIN and the bank account

A payroll plan does nothing for a business that cannot run payroll yet. The IRS says a business generally needs an EIN to hire employees, and that an LLC or corporation should be formed with the state before applying, or the application may be delayed. In Publication 583, the IRS lists opening a business checking account, kept separate from personal accounts, as one of the first things a new business should do. Entity, then EIN, then bank account, then payroll: that is the order a payroll budget starts from.

An owner can apply for the EIN directly with the IRS or have ZenBusiness file it alongside formation. From there, ZenBusiness customers reach payroll through its ADP payroll partnership: the customer requests the connection from the ZenBusiness dashboard, an ADP representative follows up about employee count and pay schedule, and ADP provides a quote. ZenBusiness says ADP cannot process payroll without the EIN, and it lists business bank account details among what setup requires. ZenBusiness customers may be eligible for promotional pricing, which is confirmed in that consultation and generally excludes state filing fees and add-ons.

ADP is a separate service with its own platform, billing and support. Payroll runs in ADP's system, not in the ZenBusiness dashboard.

What costs stay with the employer on every plan?

No plan removes the employer's own paperwork. The IRS requires every U.S. employer to complete Form I-9 for each person hired, and new employees should give the employer a signed Form W-4 when they start, effective with the first wage payment. A W-4 stays in effect until replaced, and withholding under a replacement must begin by the start of the first payroll period ending on or after the 30th day after the employer receives it. The employer also needs each employee's name and Social Security number for Form W-2.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Department of Labor requires payroll records to be kept for three years, and the records wage calculations rely on, such as time cards and wage rate tables, for two years. Pay frequency is set by state law: the Department's state payday summary shows California requiring payment at least twice per calendar month on days designated in advance, Colorado monthly, and Connecticut weekly unless the labor commissioner approves a longer interval. The Department advises checking with the relevant state labor office. Workers' compensation is also governed by state law and differs sharply, so owners should confirm their own state's rules before budgeting.

Is paying contractors instead a cheaper alternative?

Only if the workers genuinely are contractors. The IRS decides worker status on control, weighing behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship, and it says no fixed number of factors settles the question and no single factor decides it. An employer that treats an employee as an independent contractor without a reasonable basis may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker. A business can file Form SS-8 to ask the IRS to determine status, but the IRS says a determination may take at least six months.

What if the owner is the only person on payroll?

If you run an S corporation and work in the business, payroll is not optional. The IRS requires S corporations to pay a shareholder-employee reasonable compensation before making non-wage distributions, and it can reclassify distributions as wages. For one worker, as of October 6, 2026, the published math is $21 a month on Patriot Basic, $42 on Patriot Full Service and $36 on SurePayroll.

What else moves the monthly bill?

The base fee is rarely the whole bill. Patriot charges for each additional state filed on Full Service, SurePayroll adds $9.99 a month for multi-state payroll, and year-end form fees, local tax fees and expiring promotions can all raise the effective price. Bundles distort comparisons too: QuickBooks Payroll's published price includes accounting software, and ZenBusiness plan prices cover formation and related services, never payroll.

Which cheaper option fits which business?

Taking the options in alphabetical order: ADP suits an owner comfortable getting a quote before seeing a price. Gusto suits a single-state business that may want to move up a tier, and OnPay a business that wants multi-state and year-end filings inside one published price. Patriot Basic suits an owner who will file and deposit payroll taxes on their own, and Patriot Full Service a team of four or more that wants filing handled.

QuickBooks Payroll makes sense mainly for a business already on QuickBooks accounting. SurePayroll fits full service for one to three workers, with its year-end form fees worth checking first. ZenBusiness fits an owner who has not yet formed the business, has no EIN, or still runs business money through a personal account: it handles formation, the EIN and the books, and payroll goes through its referral to ADP, a separate service with its own platform, billing and quote.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and payroll requirements vary by state and change over time.