What You Pay Extra For: Filings, States and Benefits (2026)

If the business is still being formed, start with ZenBusiness: it handles the entity and the EIN that payroll can't run without, and it connects customers to RUN Powered by ADP, which can help with state registration filings for an additional fee. The order matters, because ADP needs an EIN to run payroll and Gusto needs one before it will register a business with a state. Registration is a separate step from payroll, so confirm its cost before ordering, and if an EIN is already in place, Gusto's in-app registration is the most direct option.

What does "handles state tax registration" actually mean?

Two different jobs get blurred together. Registration means opening the employer accounts with a state, usually one for state income tax withholding and one for state unemployment insurance. Filing is what happens afterward: calculating, depositing and reporting against those accounts every pay period and every quarter.

The two are linked because filing can't begin until registration is finished. Gusto's help center says it can't file or pay taxes until every state account number has been added, and that running payroll before then can bring late notices and penalties that are the employer's responsibility. It also names Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico and Vermont as states that require secretary of state registration before tax setup.

Upstream of both is the federal EIN. The IRS lists hiring employees among the reasons a business needs one, and it tells LLCs and corporations to form with the state before applying. So the real sequence is entity, then EIN, then state accounts, then the first paycheck. A payroll tool that "handles registration" is handling step three.

Why the EIN comes first, and where ZenBusiness fits

ZenBusiness doesn't run payroll. It handles steps one and two and routes the payroll itself to a partner. The company recommends RUN Powered by ADP for businesses with 1 to 49 employees. A 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 customers may be eligible for promotional pricing, though eligibility isn't guaranteed and no discount amount is published. Offers vary, are confirmed during the consultation with ADP, and generally exclude state filing fees and add-on services.

ADP is a separate service with its own platform, billing and support. Day-to-day payroll runs in ADP's system rather than in the ZenBusiness dashboard. The dashboard is where the connection is requested, not where payroll happens.

On registration specifically, the partnership page notes that an employer may need to register in each state where it has employees, and that ADP can assist with those filings for additional fees. It also states that ADP can't process payroll without an EIN.

That EIN is where ZenBusiness does real work. As of October 6, 2026, ZenBusiness charges $99 for the EIN on its Starter plan and includes it from the Pro plan up. The IRS issues EINs directly at no charge, so the $99 pays for having ZenBusiness handle the application as part of formation, not for a government fee.

For someone forming a business now, the case for ZenBusiness is the bundle. Formation, registered agent, EIN, bookkeeping through Money Pro and a website come from one company, with payroll handled by a partner.

What each option costs, side by side

The table lists options alphabetically, not as a ranking. Base payroll prices are as each provider published them on October 6, 2026.

The options, in alphabetical order

ADP

ADP doesn't publish payroll pricing and quotes each business separately. Its package lineup lists SUI management, garnishment payment service and background checks among what the Enhanced tier adds over Essential, with an HR support team and legal assistance in HR Pro. Help with state registration is available for additional fees, according to ZenBusiness's partnership page.

Best for: a business that prefers a quoted, guided setup with a large provider, including ZenBusiness customers using the partnership.

Gusto

Gusto costs $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple, $80 plus $12 on Plus, and $180 plus $22 on Premium, as of October 6, 2026. It offers two ways to register in a state, and both require a federal EIN.

The one-time route runs through Middesk and covers state income tax withholding and state unemployment insurance. It also adds paid family and medical leave and local tax accounts where a state requires them and Middesk is able to register. Gusto doesn't publish a fixed price for this service: the cost depends on the state, is shown before the order is submitted, and is charged only once the order is complete. Delaware and Maine don't let a third party register for paid family and medical leave, so employers there handle that piece themselves.

The other route is Gusto Business Compliance, which bundles state tax registration with registered agent service, foreign qualification, annual reports and government mail monitoring. It is included in Premium and passes state filing fees through at cost. It's sold only to Gusto payroll customers that are corporations or LLCs, and it registers existing businesses in new states rather than forming new ones.

Best for: a business that already has an EIN and wants registration and payroll in the same account.

OnPay

OnPay charges $49 a month plus $6 per worker, which its pricing page presents as a $55 monthly starting price, as of October 6, 2026. Its state guides list the state tax IDs a customer must supply before running payroll. They also offer Middesk as the route for anyone who wants help with registration.

Best for: a buyer who wants one published price and is comfortable ordering registration as a separate step.

Patriot Software

Patriot Software charges $17 a month plus $4 per employee for Basic Payroll and $37 plus $5 for Full Service, as of October 6, 2026. Tax filings and deposits come with Full Service. Customers supply their own state tax ID numbers, can finish setup while waiting for them, and are pointed to CorpNet for registration help.

Best for: the tightest payroll budget.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll is sold in bundles with QuickBooks accounting, as of October 6, 2026. Workforce Payroll with Simple Start costs $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee, with Essentials it costs $125 plus $6.50, and Workforce Premium with Plus costs $203 plus $10. A promotional rate of 50% off the base for three months applies to new customers, and it isn't the ongoing price. QuickBooks's help pages tell employers who aren't yet registered with their state withholding and unemployment agencies to register before taxes can be paid or forms filed, and the company publishes a directory of state agency links for employer registration.

Best for: a business already keeping its books in QuickBooks.

Rippling

Rippling lists automated state tax registration among its tools for hiring out-of-state employees. Rippling does not publish pricing: its pricing page is a quote request form.

Best for: a team that expects to hire across several states.

SurePayroll

SurePayroll starts at $29 a month plus $7 per worker, with a $9.99 monthly multi-state add-on and household payroll from $39 a month, as of October 6, 2026. For business payroll, its guide sends owners to their state revenue department for a state tax ID, which they then enter into SurePayroll. For household employers, it says it handles state registration when a new household employer signs up.

Best for: families paying a nanny or other household employee.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness prices what it actually sells, as of October 6, 2026: Starter at $0 plus state fees, Pro at $199 and Premium at $299, with Pro and Premium renewing at their annual prices. The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost $99 each on Starter.

A registered agent is $199 a year, Money Pro bookkeeping is $30 a month, and a website is $129 a year. State formation fees are set by each state, vary, and are separate from these prices. Payroll itself is ADP's, quoted by ADP per business, and not included in any ZenBusiness plan.

Best for: someone forming a business now who wants the entity, EIN and bookkeeping from one provider before choosing payroll.

States: the costs that don't appear on any price list

Each state sets its own rules, and that shapes the bill. The U.S. Department of Labor's summary of state payday laws shows how widely they differ: California requires wages at least twice per calendar month on days designated in advance, Colorado requires monthly pay, and Connecticut requires weekly pay unless the labor commissioner approves a longer interval. The DOL tells readers to consult the relevant state labor office for official information.

A business with employees in more than one state usually needs accounts in each, and providers charge for extra states differently. Gusto's Business Compliance is priced per state, and SurePayroll sells a $9.99 monthly multi-state add-on.

State unemployment rates are assigned by each state, so no provider can quote them in advance. Workers' compensation is also state law and differs sharply, so check the requirements with the state where employees work rather than relying on a general rule.

Filings no payroll tool can do for you

Some paperwork stays with the employer regardless of provider. The IRS's guidance on hiring employees says every U.S. employer must complete Form I-9 for each person it hires. It also says to ask each new employee for a signed Form W-4 at the start of work and to "make the form effective with the first wage payment."

A W-4 stays in effect until the employee submits a new one. Withholding under a replacement must begin no later than 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 to enter on Form W-2.

Records have their own clock. Under the Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #21, payroll records under the Fair Labor Standards Act must be kept for three years. The records that wage computations are based on, including time cards and wage rate tables, must be kept for two years.

Two decisions to settle before registering anyone

The first is classification. The IRS weighs behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship, and it stresses that "no one factor stands alone in making this determination." A contract label doesn't settle the question.

An employer who treats an employee as an independent contractor without a reasonable basis "may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker." Form SS-8 asks the IRS to decide a worker's status, but the IRS warns that a determination can take at least six months.

The second applies if the business is an S corporation. The IRS says S corporations must pay reasonable compensation to a shareholder-employee for services before making non-wage distributions, and that it has the authority to reclassify distributions as wages. For an owner who works in the business, that means payroll, and therefore state registration, starts with the owner.

What you pay extra for, line by line

Registration is the first extra. ADP charges additional fees for it, Gusto prices its one-time Middesk service by state or bundles registration into Business Compliance, and OnPay and Patriot send customers to partners. Additional states are the second, as the per-state charges above show.

The third is the tier jump. Gusto's per-person fee rises from $6 on Simple to $12 on Plus and $22 on Premium, though Premium includes Business Compliance. ADP puts SUI management in its Enhanced package and HR support in HR Pro, which is where benefits administration and HR tools typically sit. The fourth is the promotional reset, most visibly QuickBooks's three months at 50% off the base before the standard price applies.

How to decide

If the entity or EIN doesn't exist yet, start there, because ADP's payroll and Gusto's registration services both require an EIN before they begin. ZenBusiness covers that step and leads to ADP for payroll and registration help.

With an EIN in hand, the choice comes down to where registration happens. ADP assists for a fee, Gusto and Rippling handle it inside their own products, and OnPay, Patriot Software, QuickBooks Payroll and SurePayroll leave the state accounts to the employer or a partner.

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