The OnPay quick read
- Price transparency is very important
- You have or expect multi-state employees
- You want full-service payroll without upselling into HR plans
- You want a deep HRIS, recruiting, or talent platform
- You need global payroll or EOR
- You're chasing the absolute lowest base price (Patriot)
| Best fit | Multi-state small businesses |
|---|---|
| Weakest fit | Businesses wanting a polished HRIS |
| Starting price | OnPay: $49/mo + $6 per person/mo |
| Pricing transparency | Strong — published, plan-based pricing |
| Payroll tax support | Good — federal, state, and local filings included |
| Contractor support | Good — 1099 payments and year-end filings |
| W-2 support | Full-service, included in paid plans |
| Multi-state support | Available — handles employees across U.S. states |
| Benefits | Basic — health, 401(k), and workers' comp through partner integrations |
| HR tools | Light — onboarding, PTO, document storage, and basic templates |
| Accounting integrations | QuickBooks Online, Xero, and common partners |
| Setup difficulty | Easy |
| Support quality | Good — phone, chat, and email; priority on higher plans |
| Overall rating | 8.6 / 10 |
A CPA's take on OnPay
As a CPA and business owner, I care less about whether payroll software has the longest feature list and more about whether it helps a business owner avoid expensive payroll mistakes. The right payroll provider should make tax payments, filings, employee onboarding, contractor payments, and year-end forms feel routine — because payroll is one area where small mistakes can create real compliance problems.
Transparency. One published price, full-service payroll, multi-state included. Easy to recommend and easy to budget.
OnPay is purpose-built for payroll. Don't expect a deep HR or benefits platform.
Small businesses (especially multi-state) that want full-service payroll done correctly without paying for HR features they don't need.
If you want polish or built-in benefits, compare Gusto. If you only have a tiny single-state team and want the cheapest option, look at Patriot's full-service plan.
A 30-second decision
- You want flat, transparent payroll pricing
- You run multi-state payroll
- You want a no-nonsense, payroll-first platform
- You want a deep HR/benefits platform
- You're a Square POS or QuickBooks-first shop
- You need a PEO or global hiring
Who OnPay is best for
- Multi-state small businesses
- Owners who want transparent, predictable payroll pricing
- Specialty employers — farms, restaurants, nonprofits, clergy
- Businesses wanting a polished HRIS
- Companies needing IT/device management or workflow automation
- Global hiring
OnPay pricing
Payroll pricing changes frequently. Always confirm current pricing on the provider’s site before signing up.
OnPay publishes a single, simple price: a flat monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee. That includes full-service payroll, multi-state support, and tax filings — no plan upgrades required for core features.
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Multi-state payroll
- Federal, state, and local tax filings
- W-2 and 1099 filings
- Employee self-onboarding
- Health benefits (supported states)
- 401(k) integrations
- Workers' comp
- No higher tier means no premium add-ons — if you want deep HR, OnPay isn't it.
- Confirm benefits broker availability in your state.
See current OnPay plans and offers.
Feature scorecard
Payroll features
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Direct deposit
- Multiple pay schedules
- Bonus, off-cycle, and reimbursement runs
- Employee self-service portal
- Federal, state, and local payroll tax calculation
- Automatic deposits and filings
- Quarterly and annual filings
- Tax-notice support
- 1099 contractor payments
- Year-end 1099-NEC filings
- Multi-state payroll supported
- Remote-employee tax setup
- W-2 generation and filing
- 1099 generation and filing
- Employee/contractor year-end form access
HR, benefits, and compliance tools
- Employee onboarding
- PTO tracking
- Document storage
- Basic HR templates
- Health, 401(k), and workers' comp through partner integrations (where available)
- New-hire reporting
- Federal, state, and local payroll tax filings
- W-2 and 1099 year-end filings
- Tax-notice support
Ease of use and setup
- One plan, one price — no tier-comparison gymnastics
- Industry-specific setup for farms (Form 943), churches (clergy housing), restaurants (tipped wages)
- Self-serve employee onboarding
- Lightweight HR — by design, not by accident
- EIN
- State payroll tax account numbers
- State unemployment account numbers
- Employee information (I-9, W-4)
- Contractor information (W-9)
- Prior payroll history
- Bank account for funding
- Pay schedule
- Benefits information (if any)
- Workers' comp details (if any)
- Accounting software login
- PTO policy
- Existing payroll provider info (if switching)
Integrations
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- When I Work
- Deputy
- QuickBooks Time
- Integrated health (all 50 states)
- Guideline 401(k)
- Vestwell
- Specialized workflows for farms, nonprofits, restaurants, churches
PayrollSignal take: Integrations matter because payroll is rarely isolated. If your payroll system doesn’t talk cleanly to your accounting software, time tracking, or benefits tools, you may end up spending more time fixing payroll than running it.
Customer support
| Support feature | Available | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phone support | Yes | Standard business hours |
| Chat support | Yes | In-app chat |
| Email support | Yes | Available across plans |
| 24/7 support | No | Standard business hours |
| Dedicated representative | Depends | Typically higher-tier plans only |
| HR advisor access | Add-on | Available as add-on or higher tier |
| Tax-notice support | Yes | Included with full-service payroll |
| Setup support | Yes | Self-serve with optional guided setup |
Payroll support matters more than ordinary software support because payroll problems often have deadlines attached. A login issue is annoying. A missed payroll tax deadline can be expensive.
OnPay pros and cons
- Published flat pricing
- Multi-state payroll included
- Full-service tax filing
- Strong specialty support (farms, restaurants, nonprofits, clergy)
- Free setup and prior-payroll import
- HR depth limited vs. Gusto, Rippling, ADP, Paychex
- Less polished employee experience than Gusto
- No PEO or global payroll
- Benefits vary by state
Which businesses should use OnPay?
Works, but Gusto's contractor plan can be cheaper.
Capable, but Gusto Solo is purpose-built for one-person S corps.
OnPay's sweet spot.
Multi-state included in flat price — a key advantage.
Restaurant-friendly with tip handling and tip credit.
Built-in support for clergy and nonprofit payroll quirks.
Handles ag-specific tax forms like 943.
Capable; HR-heavy alternatives may fit better at scale.
Not designed for enterprise HR.
PayrollSignal Fit Meter
Watch-outs before you buy
- Confirm benefits availability in your state.
- If you need time tracking, plan to use a partner integration.
- OnPay is payroll-first by design — don't expect HRIS depth.
Best alternatives to OnPay
Published pricing, clean UX, and a free contractor-only plan.
OnPay wins on flat-rate multi-state value.
Best for: Modern small businesses that want transparent pricing and built-in benefits
Lower base price for the simplest cases.
OnPay is multi-state out of the box and feature-richer.
Best for: Budget-conscious one-state employers
Native QBO integration.
OnPay wins on flat pricing and multi-state simplicity.
Best for: QuickBooks Online users
Not sure if OnPay is right for you?
Payroll companies can look similar on the surface, but the best choice depends on your employees, contractors, states, benefits needs, HR support, accounting software, and growth plans. Take the free PayrollSignal quiz and get a recommendation built for your business.
How we reviewed this provider
We review payroll providers based on small business fit, not just feature count. A provider can have many features and still be the wrong choice for a very small business if it’s too expensive, too complex, or unclear about pricing.
| Category | Weight |
|---|---|
| Payroll functionality | 20% |
| Payroll tax & compliance support | 20% |
| Pricing & transparency | 15% |
| Ease of use | 15% |
| HR, onboarding & benefits | 10% |
| Integrations | 10% |
| Customer support | 5% |
| Scalability | 5% |
Our ratings are intended to help small business owners choose payroll software based on fit. A lower-rated provider may still be the better choice for a specific business if its pricing, integrations, service model, or HR features better match that business’s needs.
OnPay FAQs
The bottom line
OnPay is one of the easiest payroll recommendations PayrollSignal makes — full-service, multi-state, transparent flat pricing.
If you already know OnPay fits your needs, you can check current pricing below. If you’re still comparing options, take the free PayrollSignal quiz first.