SurePayroll
Fast, easy online payroll with automatic tax filing for small businesses and households
By SurePayroll (A Paychex Company) · 4.0/5 verified-buyer score
Positioning guardrails
Best for
- Small businesses with roughly 1–50 employees that want payroll and tax filings handled automatically
- Household employers paying nannies, housekeepers, or in-home caregivers
- Solopreneurs and single-employee businesses that need simple, low-cost payroll
- Accountants and resellers who refer clients to a low-friction payroll platform
- Owners who want unlimited payroll runs and free 2-day direct deposit at a low monthly price
Ideal size: 1–50 employees people · Small business, solo operator, or household employer running simple U.S. payroll
Not for
- Mid-market or enterprise employers needing global payroll or multi-entity consolidation
- Companies that need a full HRIS with recruiting, performance, and workforce planning
- Buyers who require vendor-published security certifications such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001
- Businesses with complex, high-volume contractor or international payment needs
Value metrics scorecard
Time-to-Value
Same day (signup takes about 30 seconds)
~1 days to first production value
Total Cost of Ownership
$1,300/yr
Starts at $348 · Monthly base fee plus per-employee fee, billed monthly, cancel anytime; free human onboarding
Implementation Friction
1/5
Engineering + admin effort required
Buyer Score
out of 5 · verified buyers
Full cost breakdown
Mandatory implementation fee
None
Seat tiers
No seat minimum stated; base plan plus $7 per employee
Add-on costs
- Accounting software integration: $4.99/month
- Timeclock software integration: from $5/month plus $3 per employee
- 401(k) plans: custom quotes based on plan selection
- Employment law (legal and HR compliance): plans start at $30/month
- Multi-state payroll: $9.99/month; a separate fee applies to areas requiring local taxes
- Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms: $50 base plus $5 per form, billed annually
Company & support
Who is behind SurePayroll, and how your team gets help once it is live.
Company
- Founded
- Not recorded
- Headquarters
- Not recorded
How you get support
- PhoneAll plans
- EmailNot listed
- Live chatAll plans
- Support portal / ticketsNot listed
- Community forumNot listed
- Help centre / docsNot listed
- Dedicated account managerNot listed
- In person / on-siteNot listed
- Hours
- Business hours
- Response time
- Not stated
Pricing page lists live phone and chat support and free onboarding help from real humans; customer service is stated as Monday through Friday.
“Not listed” means the vendor’s public pages don’t mention that channel, not that it is unavailable. Ask about it during evaluation.
Market position
Where SurePayroll sits against its closest alternatives. Pick any two of cost, speed, friction and buyer score, and up to 9 companies to compare.
Quadrant view
Typical annual cost × Time-to-value
The lines cross at the median of the solutions shown, so about half sit on each side of each line.
Companies on the chart 6 / 10
- SurePayroll
- Blueprint
- Freed
- OptimoRoute
- Relay
- PeopleKeep
Add or change companies
Up to 10 companies including SurePayroll. Listed closest first.
Stack fit signal
Compatibility with standard B2B ecosystems.
No supported MCP path today, so it cannot be driven from an AI client.
AI & MCP readiness
What SurePayroll ships in AI, and what it asks of your ecosystem.
Compliance attestations
* IAPP AIGP certifies individuals, not products. It means named staff hold the credential — not that the platform does.
Bottom line
SurePayroll by Paychex is online payroll built for small businesses, solo operators, and household employers. Plans run about $29–$39 per month plus $7 per employee, with unlimited payroll runs, automatic federal, state and local tax filing, free 2-day direct deposit, and free human onboarding. Add-ons cover accounting and timeclock integrations, 401(k) plans, workers' comp, health insurance, and employment law support. The vendor reports 25+ years in market and an A+ BBB rating.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SurePayroll cost per year?
Pricing is a monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee. The homepage advertises Full Service at $29/month plus $7 per employee (the pricing page shows $39/month), and a No Tax Filing plan at $20–$29/month plus $4 per employee. A 10-employee business on the Full Service plan is roughly $1,300–$1,700 per year before add-ons. Onboarding is free, there is no implementation fee, and there is no contract.
How quickly can we run our first payroll?
Very quickly. SurePayroll says account creation takes about 30 seconds, and then you add company, employee, bank, and tax information, with free onboarding support included. Payroll runs take minutes, and the first several months are discounted or free on alternate months during your first year.
Does SurePayroll file and deposit payroll taxes automatically?
Yes, on the Full Service plan the vendor calculates, files, and deposits federal, state, and local payroll taxes and keeps the records. The lower-cost No Tax Filing plan includes the same payroll features but leaves tax filing and depositing to you. Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are prepared and filed for an annual fee of $50 plus $5 per form.
Is SurePayroll a replacement for a full HR system?
No. It is a payroll-first service with adjoining benefits and HR services such as 401(k) plans, workers' compensation, health insurance, and employment law support from $30/month. Companies needing recruiting, performance management, or workforce planning should pair it with a dedicated HRIS.
What security certifications does SurePayroll hold?
The vendor's security page describes encrypted databases, 128-bit SSL, firewalls, intrusion detection, PIN-protected accounts, and annual independent audits reported to its board. It does not publish SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, or FedRAMP certifications, so buyers with formal certification requirements should confirm directly with the vendor.
Can SurePayroll pay contractors and household employees?
Yes. It supports W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, files 1099-NEC forms, and offers a dedicated household payroll product starting at $39/month including one employee, with automatic tax filing, Schedule H, and mobile payroll. It is marketed to families paying nannies, caregivers, housekeepers, and gardeners.