Last updated: October 2026

SurePayroll review 2026: pricing, hidden fees, and who it is for

SurePayroll covers additional states for a flat $9.99 fee.

Who SurePayroll is for

SurePayroll’s two plans cover payroll: paychecks, tax filing on Full Service, and direct deposit. HR tools, workers’ compensation, retirement plans, and health insurance are sold as separate add-ons. That narrow core is either its greatest strength or its disqualifying weakness depending on what you need. If your HR “department” is a folder on someone’s desk, SurePayroll fits. If you are building out an HR function, look elsewhere.

Pricing

SurePayroll sells two small business plans. Full Service files and deposits federal, state, and local payroll taxes for you. No Tax Filing has the same features, except you are responsible for filing and depositing all payroll taxes.

The pricing calculator on SurePayroll’s site, read on 30 September 2026, prices Full Service at $29 a month plus $7 per worker. No Tax Filing is $20 a month plus $4 per employee. The same pages also show higher bases for both plans, $39 for Full Service and $29 for No Tax Filing, so confirm which base fee applies before signing up.

At 10 employees in one state, Full Service comes to $99 a month on the $29 base, or $109 on the $39 base. Gusto’s Simple plan, at $49 plus $6 per person, costs $109 for the same headcount.

SurePayroll includes the first state and charges $9.99 a month flat for multi-state payroll, and a separate fee applies to areas that require local taxes. Gusto’s Simple plan covers a single state, and multi-state payroll starts on its Plus plan at $80 plus $12 per person. For 10 employees in 3 states, Gusto Plus costs $200 a month. SurePayroll Full Service costs $108.99 on the $29 base, or $118.99 on the $39 base.

The multi-state savings disappear if you only operate in one state.

Year-end forms are billed separately. SurePayroll bills W-2 and 1099-NEC forms annually at a $50 base fee plus $5 per form, so 10 W-2s add $100 a year.

What it does well

SurePayroll’s switch page says its federal and state tax calculations, preparation, filing, and payments are backed by its no penalty tax filing guarantee. The IRS failure to deposit penalty starts at 2% of the unpaid deposit and reaches 15% only when the deposit is unpaid more than 10 days after the first IRS notice. The switch page does not spell out the guarantee’s terms, so ask for them in writing before relying on it. The tradeoff sits on the No Tax Filing plan, where you are responsible for filing and depositing all payroll taxes, so a late deposit and its penalty are yours.

SurePayroll handles both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in the same system. On Full Service, SurePayroll prepares and files the year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms for both worker types. You do not need a separate contractor payment service. The tradeoff is the per form fee, which counts every 1099-NEC as well as every W-2.

Direct deposit is free on both plans, with two-day direct deposit listed on each. Benefit deductions such as health insurance and 401(k) contributions are entered and tracked in each payroll run. The tradeoff is that SurePayroll’s 401(k) plans themselves are quoted rather than priced on its pricing page.

What it does poorly

Connecting outside software costs extra. Accounting software integration is $4.99 a month, and timeclock integration starts at $5 a month plus $3 per employee. At 10 employees, the timeclock option alone adds at least $35 a month.

SurePayroll lists live help Monday through Friday, with walkthroughs, videos, and help articles available around the clock. SurePayroll is owned by Paychex, which completed the acquisition in February 2011. Announcing the deal, Paychex said small businesses wanting more control of the payroll process would find it in SurePayroll. Businesses preferring a dedicated payroll specialist would find that in the Paychex model.

Who should skip SurePayroll

SurePayroll’s $7 per worker rate is higher than Gusto Simple’s $6, OnPay’s $6, and Patriot Full Service’s $5. On the $29 base, Full Service costs more than Gusto Simple from 21 employees up in one state. On the $39 base, it costs more from 11 employees up.

If benefits are the primary reason you are shopping, first decide whether you need a payroll platform with benefits or a PEO that handles everything.

How it compares

SurePayroll competes most directly with Patriot Software and OnPay. Patriot’s Full Service plan is $37 plus $5 per employee. That costs less than SurePayroll Full Service from 5 employees up on the $29 base, and at every headcount on the $39 base. Patriot charges $12 a month for each additional state, against SurePayroll’s flat $9.99. OnPay is $49 plus $6 per worker and charges nothing extra for workers in more than one state or for year-end W-2 and 1099 forms. For how SurePayroll’s parent company fares head to head, read the Paychex comparison.

SurePayroll fits payroll-only employers in two or more states

Run your own headcount and state count through SurePayroll’s calculator, add the year-end form fee, and compare the total with the providers in the payroll provider hub.

This is not legal or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.