Paychex Flex payroll pricing
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Prices re-confirmed on Paychex Flex's own page:
Note: This price comes from Paychex's Flex Essentials page. Paychex's main pricing page lists its other packages as "Request Pricing" and doesn't link to it, so this plan may not be offered to every business. Confirm with Paychex.
Note: Paychex's Flex Essentials page says the plan is for businesses that "Have fewer than 20 employees and/or contractors". It doesn't say whether bigger teams can sign up, so ask Paychex before you count on this price.
Key facts
- The cheapest Paychex Flex plan that files payroll taxes for you is the Essentials plan, at $39 a month plus $5 per employee, as of October 22, 2026 (Paychex's main pricing page doesn't link to its Flex Essentials plan, so it may not be offered to every business) (source: paychex.com).
- For 5 employees in one state with payroll taxes filed for you, Paychex Flex costs $64 a month on its Essentials 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: paychex.com).
- For 10 employees in one state with payroll taxes filed for you, Paychex Flex costs $89 a month on its Essentials plan ($8.90 per employee), as of October 22, 2026 (Paychex's main pricing page doesn't link to its Flex Essentials plan, so it may not be offered to every business) (source: paychex.com).
Paychex Flex plans
| Plan | Base / month | Per employee | Per contractor | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paychex Flex Essentials | $39 | $5 | — | contractor price not published |
What you'd pay by team size
| Plan | 1 employee | 5 employees | 10 employees | 25 employees | 50 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paychex Flex Essentials | $44 | $64 | $89 | $164 | $289 |
What each plan includes
| Feature | Paychex Flex Essentials |
|---|---|
| Files and pays payroll taxes for you | ✓ |
| Local (city/county) tax filing | ✓ |
| Pay 1099 contractors | ✓ |
| Pay W-2 employees | ✓ |
| Unlimited payroll runs | ✓ |
| Direct deposit | ✓ |
| Employee self-service portal or app | ✓ |
Fine print
- Paychex Flex Essentials: Online self-signup plan built for businesses that 'Have fewer than 20 employees and/or contractors' (target audience, not a stated hard cap). Tax filing: 'Rest easy knowing your federal, state, and identified local payroll taxes will be calculated, paid, and filed on your behalf.' with footnote '* Additional fees may apply.' (amount not published). Year-end forms are NOT included: 'W-2s and 1099s** Get your required employee and independent contractor tax forms for tax season.' / '** Available at additional cost.' Payroll runs: 'Unlimited Payrolls Pay employees as often as you like with no restrictions or additional fees.' Includes direct deposit, new-hire reporting, mobile app and Employee Self-Service. Support: '24/7 support options available' (channel not specified). 'No cost or obligation until your first payroll'. Contractor pricing not stated (price is quoted 'per employee'). Other states: the sign-up FAQ says 'If employees work in other states, you can add that information too.' No extra-state fee is published (and the tax service footnote says '* Additional fees may apply.'), so we don't price this plan for teams in more than one state. This plan's contractor price isn't published, so we leave it out when you add contractors.
Tax filing coverage, in Paychex Flex's words: Flex Essentials: 'your federal, state, and identified local payroll taxes will be calculated, paid, and filed on your behalf' ('* Additional fees may apply.')
See Paychex Flex's current prices
Compare Paychex Flex with 12 other services in the calculator
Paychex Flex compared
Sources we checked: Paychex Flex Essentials page (checked 2026-10-22); Paychex compare payroll packages (reached via https://www.paychex.com/pricing redirect) (checked 2026-10-22); Paychex small business payroll page (no prices) (checked 2026-10-22); Paychex Partnerships (checked 2026-10-22)