Poppins Payroll vs SurePayroll (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Poppins Payroll if

• Fits if you pay one nanny or caregiver and want someone else to file the household taxes
• Makes sense if you manage payroll for a parent's carer and just want it handled

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you run a business, as the site does not pitch it as business payroll
• Pricey if you have several employees, at $10 more per head on top of $49
• Watch out: closing before quarter-end costs $49, and before December costs $110 for year-end filings
• Watch out: state registration fees, late payroll revisions and prior wages are billed on top
• Tight if you want a long free try, because the trial ends with the calendar month

Pick SurePayroll if

• Fits if you pay a nanny or caregiver and want the household taxes filed
• Works for a handful of staff in one state, where the first state is included

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you work across several states or local tax areas, as multi-state is $9.99 a month and local taxes carry a fee
• Watch out: year-end W-2s and 1099s are billed at $50 plus $5 a form, on top of the monthly price
• Skip it if add-ons annoy you: accounting sync is $4.99 a month and time clock import from $5 plus $3 an employee
• Too light for teams that want HR tools, as there are none beyond employment-law help from $30 a month
• Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no free plan or trial, only a discount in year one

Poppins Payroll

• Closing an account before the end of a quarter costs $49 for quarter-end filings, and before December $110 for year-end filings and documents.
• State registration fees, where a state charges them, are billed separately, as are non-standard services such as late payroll revisions and manual tax preparation.
• Built for household employers; the site does not present it as a payroll service for businesses.
• A bank account is required at sign-up and the plan renews monthly until canceled.

SurePayroll

• Runs US payroll; the first state is included, multi-state payroll is $9.99 a month and local taxes carry a separate fee.
• Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed once a year at $50 plus $5 per form.
• Accounting sync is $4.99 a month, time clock import from $5 a month plus $3 per employee, and employment law help from $30 a month.
• Household employers buy a separate Nanny & Household plan at $39 a month, including one employee, marked down from $45.

Poppins Payroll

Employer setup

Registers the household as an employer with the IRS, sets up federal and state tax accounts where possible and files new-hire paperwork with the state.

Payroll on your schedule

Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly pay, subject to state rules, paid by direct deposit or by the employer's own check.

Tax filings

Files federal, state and local payroll taxes online where possible, with year-end Schedule H and W-2 documents for active customers.

Leave tracking

Tracks PTO and sick time once the employer sets the policies.

Prior wages

Can record payments made outside Poppins and file the related taxes, for an additional fee.

SurePayroll

Unlimited and automatic payroll

Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, and payroll can be scheduled to run on its own on the chosen pay dates.

Tax filing on Full Service

Full Service calculates, files and deposits federal, state and local payroll taxes and gives access to Forms 940, 941, W-2 and 1099.

Free 2-day direct deposit

Direct deposit with a two-day lead time is included, and pay stubs and reports stay available online at any hour.

Employees and contractors

W-2 employees and 1099 contractors are paid in the same payroll, with multiple pay rates, bonuses and new hire reporting.

Employer and employee apps

Owners run payroll and review reports from the SurePayroll app, and employees see their own pay stubs and account details in theirs.

Household payroll

A separate Nanny & Household plan files household payroll taxes and prepares Schedule H and W-2 forms for families.

Poppins Payroll

• Household payroll$49

  per month, plus $10 per additional employee

  The only plan. Covers employer tax account setup, new-hire reporting, direct deposit or your own checks, quarterly and year-end filings, and PTO and sick leave tracking.

SurePayroll

• No Tax Filing$20

  per month, plus $4 per employee

  The Full Service features, except that you file and deposit all payroll taxes yourself.

• Full Service$29

  per month, plus $7 per employee

  Payroll taxes filed and deposited, unlimited payroll runs, free 2-day direct deposit and W-2 and 1099 workers. The first state is included.

Poppins Payroll

No public discounts listed.

SurePayroll

• Other savings

  Every other month free for the first year

  New customers get every alternating month free during their first 12 months, which SurePayroll advertises as 6 free months. Terms apply.