Square Payroll
Square Payroll Pricing
Square Payroll pricing from the vendor’s own pricing page: 2 plans, cost by headcount, and the extra fees to budget for.
- starting price
- $35/mo + $6/employee1
Square Payroll plans
Full-service payroll
$6/employee/mo + $35/mo base1
Monthly, per person paid; no long-term contract
- Federal and state tax payments and filings
- Multi-state payroll, auto payroll and off-cycle runs
- Tip import, overtime and labor-cost reports
Contractor-only payroll
$6/contractor/mo1
Monthly, per contractor paid; no base fee
- Pay by direct deposit, check or Cash App
- Form 1099-NEC filing and digital delivery
- Time card import from Square POS or the Team App
Price at a glance
Square Payroll cost by company size
- Payroll Software: published starting price$35/mo base + $6/employee/mo
| Employees | Payroll Software: published starting price |
|---|---|
| 1 | $41/mo$1,476 over 3 yrs |
| 5 | $65/mo$2,340 over 3 yrs |
| 10 | $95/mo$3,420 over 3 yrs |
| 25 | $185/mo$6,660 over 3 yrs |
| 50 | $335/mo$12,060 over 3 yrs |
| 100 | $635/mo$22,860 over 3 yrs |
The published starting price only: plan tiers, add-ons and other products are quoted on top.
Extra and hidden costs
Implementation fee
None3No implementation fee is listed.
Paper W-2 and 1099 mailing
$3 per mailed form a year, only if you opt in1
Tax form amendments
Paid service, priced by estimate for each case1
Workers' compensation
Pay-as-you-go policy from NEXT Insurance, quoted per business1
Health insurance (SimplyInsured)
Premiums, with the employer paying at least 50%; not offered in HI, MN, ND, SD, VT or DC1
401(k) (Vestwell)
Most popular plan $125 a month + $8 per participating employee; participants pay from 0.2% a year1
Early pay to a debit card
1.75% of net pay, paid by the employee (free with Cash App)1
Contract term
Monthly1
Is it worth the price?
15th percentileSquare Payroll at $185/mo1 vs a category median of $201.50 (list price per month at 25 employees, 10 payroll software products with published prices).
At 25 employees, Square Payroll lists at $185 a month. Of the 10 payroll software products with published prices, 1 cost less and 8 cost more.
Price comparison
| Product | Starting price | Pricing model | Pricing details |
|---|---|---|---|
 Patriot Payroll | $37/mo + $5/employee/mo (Full Service Payroll plan)4 | Base fee + per employee | What Patriot Payroll costs |
 Square Payroll | $35/mo + $6/employee/mo1 | Base fee + per employee | Square Payroll pricing |
 Wave Payroll | $40/mo + $6/employee/mo5 | Base fee + per employee | Wave Payroll pricing |
 Gusto | $49/mo + $6/employee/mo6 | Base fee + per employee | What Gusto costs |
 SurePayroll | $29/mo + $7/employee/mo (Full Service plan)7 | Base fee + per employee | What SurePayroll costs |
 Paychex Flex | $39/mo + $5/employee/mo (up to 19 employees)8 | Base fee + per employee | Paychex Flex pricing |
Lowest published monthly price of a plan that files payroll taxes for payroll software, cheapest first at 25 employees. Paychex Flex’s priced plan is not sold at 25 employees. “See plans”: priced on another basis; “Quote only”: no published price.
Square Payroll price comparisons
Frequently asked questions
How much does Square Payroll cost per month?
Full-service payroll costs $35 a month plus $6 for each person paid that month. Contractor-only payroll costs $6 per contractor paid, with no base fee.
What does Square Payroll cost for 10 employees?
At 10 people paid, full-service payroll costs $95 a month, or $1,140 a year at list price. Benefits, workers' comp and paper forms are extra.
Does Square Payroll cost less than ADP?
Square publishes its price: $35 a month plus $6 per person paid. ADP does not publish prices for its RUN payroll packages and quotes each business, so ask ADP for a written quote at your headcount and compare it with Square's list price.
What extra fees does Square Payroll charge?
Mailing paper W-2s or 1099s costs $3 per form a year. Tax form amendments are quoted per case. Health insurance, a Vestwell 401(k) and NEXT workers' comp are billed by those partners. Employees who take early pay to a debit card pay 1.75% of net pay.
Is there a setup fee or a contract?
No. Setup is free, billing starts when you pay your first employee, and there is no long-term contract, so you can cancel anytime.
Does Square Payroll charge a fee for contractors?
Yes. Each contractor paid in a month costs $6, whether on the contractor-only plan or alongside employees on full-service payroll.
What plans does Square Payroll offer?
Square Payroll lists 2 plans: Full-service payroll ($6/employee/mo + $35/mo base) and Contractor-only payroll ($6/contractor/mo). List prices, before discounts and add-ons.
What do alternatives to Square Payroll cost?
At 25 employees Square Payroll lists at $185 a month; the lowest-priced alternatives compared here are Patriot Payroll ($162, $23 less), Wave Payroll ($190, $5 more), and Gusto ($199, $14 more), at list price.
What does Square Payroll charge beyond the subscription?
Square Payroll lists 6 extra costs: Paper W-2 and 1099 mailing, Tax form amendments, Workers' compensation, Health insurance (SimplyInsured), 401(k) (Vestwell), and Early pay to a debit card.
Is Square Payroll cheaper than Gusto?
Yes, at list price. For 25 employees Square Payroll comes to $185 a month against $199 for Gusto. Features, support and contract terms side by side: Square Payroll vs Gusto.
How this page was made
What it is built from
21 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 14, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology
Independent review
Passed our independent review on Nov 2, 2026. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested Square Payroll hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction
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Square Payroll Pricing
Sources
The 10 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- 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.” “No commitment, no long-term contracts required”
- Square squareup.com/us/en/payroll/small-business“Transparent pricing with no hidden fees or long-term commitments.”
- Square squareup.com/us/en/compare/square-vs-gusto“Square’s all-inclusive flat pricing starts at $35 a month plus $6 for every additional person paid – and you don’t start paying until you pay your first employee.”
- Patriot Software patriotsoftware.com/pricing“Basic Payroll is $17/month + $4 per worker paid; Full Service Payroll is $37/month + $5 per worker paid.”
- Wave waveapps.com/payroll“$40 USD base fee+ $6 per active employee+ $6 per independent contractor paid”
- Gusto gusto.com/product/pricing“Simple Run basic payroll in one state. $49/mo + $6/mo per person”
- SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/payroll“Pay employees in minutes, easily access reports, and get payroll taxes filed and deposited automatically.”
- Paychex paychex.com/payroll/paychex-flex-essentials“Our most affordable option: Only $39/mo. + $5 per employee”
- Square squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy“If your Country of Residence is the United States, your Square entity is Block, Inc., 1955 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612, United States.”
- Block, Inc. investors.block.xyz/resources/investor-faqs/default.aspx“Block, Inc. was incorporated in June 2009 in Delaware.” “You’ll find our stock under the symbol XYZ on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)”