Square Payroll payroll pricing

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Prices re-confirmed on Square Payroll's own page:

$0lowest base fee / month
$65for 5 employees, taxes filed for you
Top 4of 13 for that team, within $3 of each other

Key facts

  • The cheapest Square Payroll plan that files payroll taxes for you is the Full-service payroll plan, at $35 a month plus $6 per employee, as of October 22, 2026 (source: squareup.com).
  • For 5 employees in one state with payroll taxes filed for you, Square Payroll costs $65 a month on its Full-service payroll plan, as of October 22, 2026, a near tie for the lowest price among the 13 US payroll services we track that publish prices: Patriot, Paychex Flex, Roll by ADP and Square Payroll are within $3 of each other (Paychex's main pricing page doesn't link to its Flex Essentials plan, so it may not be offered to every business) (source: squareup.com).
  • For 10 employees in one state with payroll taxes filed for you, Square Payroll costs $95 a month on its Full-service payroll plan ($9.50 per employee), as of October 22, 2026 (source: squareup.com).
  • With 10 employees in two states, Square Payroll costs $95 a month on its Full-service payroll plan, the same as with all 10 in one state, as of October 22, 2026 (source: squareup.com).

Square Payroll plans

PlanBase / monthPer employeePer contractorLimits
Full-service payroll$35$6$6—
Contractor-only payroll$0—$6contractors only

What you'd pay by team size

Monthly price of each plan as published (one state, no contractors). "—" = the plan can't serve that team.
Plan1 employee5 employees10 employees25 employees50 employees
Full-service payroll$41$65$95$185$335
Contractor-only payroll—————

What each plan includes

✓ included · + paid add-on (cost included in our calculator) · — not listed on the source we checked
FeatureFull-service payrollContractor-only payroll
Files and pays payroll taxes for you✓—
Employees in more than one state✓—
Next-day direct deposit✓—
Pay 1099 contractors✓✓
Pay W-2 employees✓—
Unlimited payroll runs✓✓
Direct deposit✓✓
Year-end W-2 and 1099 forms included✓✓
Wage garnishments handled✓—
Employee self-service portal or app✓—
Syncs with accounting software✓✓

Fine print

Tax filing coverage, in Square Payroll's words: Full-service plan only: 'We calculate, withhold, and file all federal payroll taxes on your behalf.' and 'We file payroll taxes to state agencies, including state income taxes and state unemployment taxes (SUTA) where applicable.' Local taxes and a 50-state claim are not stated on the pricing page.

See Square Payroll's current prices

Compare Square Payroll with 12 other services in the calculator

Square Payroll compared

Sources we checked: Square Payroll pricing page (plan cards, comparison table, pricing FAQ) (checked 2026-10-22); Square Payroll product page (checked 2026-10-22); Square Payroll for contractors (checked 2026-10-22)