The Best Payroll Software of 2026

Sources

The 63 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

1. Patriot Software patriotsoftware.com/pricing“Basic Payroll is $17/month + $4 per worker paid; Full Service Payroll is $37/month + $5 per worker paid.” “Our payroll is a flat monthly fee + per worker paid fee. Run as many payrolls as you need. We'll bill you in arrears each month.”
2. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle“WORKFORCE PAYROLL Pay your team and get payroll taxes done for you. $50 + $7/employee” “Free trial applies to the monthly base price for the first thirty (30) days of new subscriptions to QuickBooks Online and/or Workforce.”
3. Square squareup.com/us/en/payroll/pricing“For full-service payroll, the cost is $35 per month, plus $6 per person paid per month. For contractor-only payroll, the cost is $6 per person paid per month.” “Manage your team and run payroll anytime, from anywhere, with the Square Team App.”
4. SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/payroll“Pay employees in minutes, easily access reports, and get payroll taxes filed and deposited automatically.”
5. Patriot Software patriotsoftware.com/about“As a SOC 2 Type II compliant organization, we follow rigorous data protection standards and adhere to all required federal privacy, anti-fraud, and security regulations.”
6. Intuit assurance.intuit.com“Badges ISO 27001:2022 SOC 1 Type I SOC 2 Type II PCI:DSS”
7. Gusto gusto.com/product/pricing“Simple Run basic payroll in one state. $49/mo + $6/mo per person”
8. Intuit developer.intuit.com/app/developer/payroll-time/docs/faq“For the rest of the Workforce APIs, access to this data is currently restricted to approved partners only. To request access, open a support ticket.”
9. Intuit quickbooks.intuit.com/time-tracking/mobile“QuickBooks Workforce is also available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.”
10. Gusto Payroll (Gusto)“We’ve got all kinds of plans for all sizes of business. Explore all the options. You’ll pay nothing ‘til you’re ready to run payroll.” “Yes, you can run payroll, check payroll status, add and view team members and manage your team all from the Gusto mobile app. Download the iOS app here and the Google Play app here.”
11. Gusto docs.gusto.com“Leverage Gusto's API to build your own in-app payroll solution, customized for your users' needs, with Gusto Embedded.”
12. Square trust.squareup.com/overview“SOC 2 Type II”
13. OnPay onpay.com/payroll/software/costs-pricing“Payroll Essentials $49 base + $6/worker per month” “Get started at just $49 base + $6/worker per month. No hidden fees, ever.”
14. OnPay onpay.com“Get one month free”
15. OnPay onpay.com/security“Third-party Certification: OnPay holds third-party auditor certification with the AICPA’s SOC program and is SOC 2 Type II compliant.”
16. Paychex paychex.com/payroll/paychex-flex-essentials“Our most affordable option: Only $39/mo. + $5 per employee … Rest easy knowing your federal, state, and identified local payroll taxes will be calculated, paid, and filed on your behalf. *Additional fees may apply. … Get your required employee and independent contractor tax forms for tax season. **Available at additional cost.”
17. Paychex paychex.com/integrations“Plus, Paychex APIs and developer resources make building applications, connections, and solution integrations easier than ever.”
18. Paychex paychex.com/apps/mobile-app“Employees can download the Paychex Flex® app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and log in using their Paychex account credentials.”
19. Paycor paycor.com/plans-pricing“Answer a few questions to get a custom price quote if you're a small business or view our mid-market product plans.”
20. Paycor paycor.com/compliance-solutions/security“Multi-tenant architecture, Cloud-native features, Microservices, and Open APIs” “Paycor is accredited by and compliant with GDPR, FinCEN, US Privacy Shield, SOC 1 Type 2, and SOC 2 Type 2 security standards.”
21. Paycor paycor.com“EMPLOYEE MOBILE APP”
22. U.S. SEC (Paylocity Form 10-K) Paylocity annual report, fiscal 2026 (SEC filing)“Recurring fees for each client generally include a base fee in addition to a fee based on the number of client employees and the number of products a client uses.”
23. Paylocity developer.paylocity.com/integrations/docs/getting-started“Paylocity offers access to APIs that allow customers and partners to access desired data quickly and securely for building integrations.”
24. Paylocity paylocity.com/company/protecting-our-clients“We engage reputable audit firms who perform annual independent attestations for SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II, which cover controls related to financial reporting, security, confidentiality, and availability.”
25. Paylocity paylocity.com/products/capabilities/mobile“To download Paylocity's HR & payroll Mobile App, simply visit your device's app store … Apple Watch and access your most-used features, like timesheets, and schedules from anywhere.”
26. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/payroll-for-1-49-employees/payroll-packages.aspx“Export journal entries from ADP into QuickBooks®, Xero, Wave, Creative Solutions or a generic output file without re-keying data.”
27. Gusto gusto.com/product“Sync your team’s hours from QuickBooks Time into Gusto for accurate (and speedier) payroll.”
28. Homebase joinhomebase.com/integrations“Point-of-sale integrations”
29. Hourly hourly.io/accounting“Integrate with Quickbooks”
30. isolved marketplace.isolvedhcm.com“Tada AI Saving employees time by integrating AI into repetitive day-to-day tasks Learn More ZayZoon Instant access to earned”
31. Netchex netchex.com/solutions/payroll-tax“Easily connect their QuickBooks Online (QBO) account directly to Netchex payroll”
32. Rippling rippling.com/solutions/enterprise“Rippling supports 600+ integrations across HR, IT, Finance, and other business functions, including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce, Zoom, QuickBooks, and more.”
33. Namely namely.com/lp/pricing“we’ve been able to implement Namely Now in as little as 3 weeks!”
34. Paycom Paycom implementation (Paycom)“Adoption timelines vary, but most organizations are implemented within three months.”
35. Rippling rippling.com/solutions/small-businesses“It takes most small businesses 1–3 weeks to set up Rippling.” “Yes. Rippling works for businesses of any size, including teams under 10 employees.”
36. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/payroll-for-50-1000-plus-employees.aspx“Free up time to focus on strategy with a partner you can trust to tackle the payroll details for businesses with more than 50 employees.”
37. Dayforce dayforce.com“Dayforce named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises.”
38. isolved isolvedhcm.com/companies/enterprise“isolved helps you unify systems, simplify compliance and elevate the employee experience with scalable technology”
39. Netchex netchex.com/netchex-faqs“More than 7,500 organizations run payroll and HR on Netchex, from small local teams to employers with hundreds of employees.”
40. Paycom paycom.com/about“Paycom supports small, medium and enterprise-sized companies across the education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and transportation industries and more.”
41. Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide
42. irs.gov IRS: Outsourcing payroll duties
43. dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 21: Recordkeeping Requirements under the FLSA
44. dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA
45. dol.gov DOL: Tips
46. dol.gov DOL: Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
47. irs.gov IRS: Information reporting by applicable large employers
48. ecfr.gov 29 CFR 778.117: Commission payments (regular rate)
49. dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 20: Employees Paid Commissions by Retail Businesses Under the FLSA
50. ecfr.gov 29 CFR 778.207: Other types of contract premium pay distinguished
51. ecfr.gov 29 CFR 778.115: Employees working at two or more rates
52. dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 54: The Health Care Industry and Calculating Overtime Pay
53. xero.com Xero: Xero Introduces Integrated Payroll, Powered by Gusto (August 12, 2026)
54. dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 15: Tipped Employees Under the FLSA
55. irs.gov IRS: Tip recordkeeping and reporting
56. irs.gov IRS: About Form 8027, Employer's Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips
57. ecfr.gov 2 CFR 200.430: Compensation — personal services (Uniform Guidance)
58. irs.gov IRS: Employment taxes for exempt organizations
59. dol.gov DOL Fact Sheet 14A: Non-Profit Organizations and the FLSA
60. irs.gov IRS Publication 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization
61. irs.gov IRS Publication 517: Social Security and Other Information for Members of the Clergy and Religious Workers
62. ecfr.gov 29 CFR 778.203: Premium pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, and other special days
63. ecfr.gov 29 CFR 778.419: Hourly workers employed at two or more jobs