Patriot payroll pricing
Some payroll providers may pay us a referral fee if you sign up through our links. It never affects the order of results. How we make money.
Prices re-confirmed on Patriot's own page:
Full product name: Patriot Software
Key facts
- The cheapest Patriot plan that files payroll taxes for you is the Full Service Payroll plan, at $37 a month plus $5 per employee, plus $12 a month for each state after the first, as of October 22, 2026 (source: patriotsoftware.com).
- For 5 employees in one state with payroll taxes filed for you, Patriot costs $62 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: patriotsoftware.com).
- For 10 employees in one state with payroll taxes filed for you, Patriot costs $87 a month on its Full Service Payroll plan ($8.70 per employee), as of October 22, 2026 (source: patriotsoftware.com).
- With 10 employees in two states, Patriot costs $99 a month on its Full Service Payroll plan ($87 with all 10 in one state), as of October 22, 2026 (source: patriotsoftware.com).
Patriot plans
| Plan | Base / month | Per employee | Per contractor | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Payroll | $17 | $4 | $4 | — |
| Full Service Payroll | $37 | $5 | $5 | 1 state included |
What you'd pay by team size
| Plan | 1 employee | 5 employees | 10 employees | 25 employees | 50 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Payroll | $21 | $37 | $57 | $117 | $217 |
| Full Service Payroll | $42 | $62 | $87 | $162 | $287 |
What each plan includes
| Feature | Basic Payroll | Full Service Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Files and pays payroll taxes for you | — | ✓ |
| Employees in more than one state | — | ✓ |
| Built-in time tracking | + | + |
| Health benefits administration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pay-as-you-go workers' comp | ✓ | ✓ |
| HR tools (onboarding, handbook, compliance) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local (city/county) tax filing | — | ✓ |
| Pay 1099 contractors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pay W-2 employees | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited payroll runs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Direct deposit | ✓ | ✓ |
| Year-end W-2 and 1099 forms included | — | ✓ |
| Paid-time-off tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Employee self-service portal or app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Syncs with accounting software | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tax penalty guarantee | — | ✓ |
| Phone support | ✓ | ✓ |
Fine print
- Basic Payroll: Payroll calculation only: you file and deposit payroll taxes yourself (tax filing is only in Full Service). Per-worker fee charged only for workers paid that month; only the base price in months without payroll. Optional 1099 e-filing has 'nominal fees' for Basic Payroll customers, so year-end forms are not listed as free. Free 4-day and 2-day direct deposit (2-day for qualifying customers). Health benefits, 401(k) and pay-as-you-go workers' comp are free integrations (premiums extra). HR Center compliance notifications included.
- Full Service Payroll: Files and deposits federal, state and local payroll taxes; year-end filings (940, 941, W-2, W-3) at no additional fee. Multi-state filing costs $12 per month for each additional state (first state included). Tax filing reliability guarantee: 'We’ll take care of any penalties and interest in the unlikely event of a glitch on our end.'
Tax filing coverage, in Patriot's words: Full Service Payroll only: federal, state, and local tax filings & deposits; 'Patriot will file and deposit payroll taxes in as many states as you need. (Each additional state filing is $12 per month, per state.)'
Free trial: 30-day free trial
Current offer (not included in our prices or in the automatic price check): 30 days free + 50% off for 3 months (applies to base and per-worker fees: Basic $8.50/mo + $2 per worker, Full Service $18.50/mo + $2.50 per worker; add-ons $3/mo + $1 per employee)
Compare Patriot with 12 other services in the calculator
Patriot compared
Sources we checked: Patriot Software pricing page (301-redirects to /pricing/): plans, add-ons, plan comparison, FAQs (checked 2026-10-22)