Payroll software cost calculator
Set your own numbers and see what each payroll option costs in dollars, from prices read on each provider’s own page.
- Square Payroll Full service$65.00
- Wave Payroll Payroll$70.00
- Homebase Payroll Payroll$79.00
- QuickBooks Payroll Payroll$85.00
Regular published prices only. Introductory offers and tax are left out. Figures are arithmetic on the provider’s own numbers, not a recommendation.
US prices read 29 October 2026. Default: five employees paid every month.
How it works
The calculator uses only figures each provider publishes. Where a fee is not published, the row says so and the figure leaves it out, which is why such a row ranks after every fully priced one. Introductory discounts are ignored because they end; tax is excluded because it depends on you.
The same code ranks the lists in our payroll comparisons, using the defaults shown, so the order on those pages is the order this calculator gives for that profile. See how we rank.
Best payroll software for small businesses in the US (2026)
Four full-service payroll services compared on what five employees cost a month, with the base fee and per-person fee separated out.
Guide · US & UKWhat an employee really costs: US payroll taxes vs UK employer National Insurance
The salary is only the visible part. Here are the employer taxes, minimum pay rules and statutory costs on top of it in the US and UK, with worked examples.