Online payroll built for small businesses and household employers. SurePayroll files and pays your federal, state and local payroll taxes — and backs it with a guarantee that covers the penalties if they get it wrong.
We tested SurePayroll against the setups small employers actually run — spreadsheets, a busy accountant, or software built for companies ten times their size.
Turn on Auto Payroll and salaried runs process themselves on schedule. You get a reminder before it goes, and you only step in when something changes.
Federal, state and local taxes are calculated, filed and paid for you — and the tax filing guarantee means SurePayroll covers the penalties if the error is theirs.
A dedicated household payroll product handles nannies, carers and housekeepers properly — including Schedule H at year end. Very few payroll tools do this at all.
Set salaried payroll once and let it run on schedule. Review the preview, or ignore it and it still goes out on time.
Federal, state and local payroll taxes calculated, filed and paid. If SurePayroll makes the error, SurePayroll pays the penalty.
The mobile app does full payroll runs, not just read-only summaries. Approve from a job site, a car park, or a kitchen table.
A real phone number with people who answer it — including Saturdays. This is the single biggest reason owners stay.
A purpose-built product for household employers, with Schedule H handled at year end instead of left to your accountant.
401(k), workers' comp, health benefits and time tracking connect through Paychex partners and sync to the payroll run.
Add your business and your people, connect a bank account, and SurePayroll takes it from there — including moving your data across from your old provider. Sign up through our link and you get $100 free once you run your first payroll.
Get started with SurePayroll →SurePayroll's whole pitch is being cheaper than the big names for a small headcount. Pick based on whether you want the tax filing handled or you'd rather do it yourself.
SurePayroll sets and updates its own pricing, and runs promotions from time to time. Check the current rates and any new-customer offer on SurePayroll's site before you sign up.
Our take after reviewing all four. Short version: SurePayroll wins on price and support, Gusto wins on benefits and HR breadth, QuickBooks wins if your books already live there.
| SurePayroll | Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll | Patriot Payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost at small headcount | Among the cheapest | Higher per person | Mid to high | Very cheap |
| Automatic tax filing | Yes — with a penalty guarantee | Yes | Yes (on higher tiers) | Full-service tier only |
| Nanny / household payroll | Yes — a dedicated product | Workaround only | No | No |
| Phone support | US-based, six days a week | Weekdays, plan-dependent | Weekdays | Weekdays |
| Benefits & HR depth | Add-ons via Paychex partners | Best in class for small teams | Add-on | Limited |
| Best for | Micro-businesses & household employers | Small teams wanting benefits built in | Businesses already in QuickBooks | Bare-bones budget payroll |
| Our review | 8.9 / 10 — read it | 8.7 / 10 — read it | 8.5 / 10 — read it | Not yet reviewed |
"Six employees, one location. We were paying nearly double with a bigger provider for features we never touched once."
"We employ a nanny. Nothing else we looked at treated that as a real use case — this handled Schedule H without us asking."
"The interface looks its age next to the newer tools, and reporting is basic. But payroll goes out correctly and support answers, which is what I'm paying for."
Composite feedback from owners we've spoken to while reviewing payroll software. Not paid endorsements.
We'd rather you skip it than sign up and regret it. Here's the honest cut.
Automatic runs, taxes filed and guaranteed, and a phone number that gets answered — at a price a small employer can actually justify. That's the whole pitch.
Start with SurePayroll →