# Payroll4Free review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Free online payroll for US businesses paying nine or fewer people Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Payroll4Free is a US online payroll service that does not charge for its basic payroll software when a business pays nine or fewer people, no more than once a month. It calculates federal, state and local payroll taxes, pays employees and 1099 contractors by direct deposit or paper check, and lists two optional paid services for tax filing and bank-handled deposits. The site says it is funded by companies that place small ads inside the software. - **Category:** Payroll - **Made by:** Payroll4Free.com, Inc. (since 2012) - **Website:** https://payroll4free.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you pay staff more than once a month or have 10 or more. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Payroll4Free has a free plan. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Basic payroll services are free while you pay 9 or fewer people, no more than once a month, including payroll processing, tax calculations, direct deposit through your own bank, paper checks, reporting and support. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | All basic payroll services for businesses paying 9 or fewer people no more than once monthly, with ads from partner companies shown inside the software. | Read from https://payroll4free.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Payroll4Free before buying. ## Key features - **Employees and contractors:** Pays W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, and the FAQ says year-end tax forms are included for both. - **Tax calculations and reports:** Calculates federal, state and local payroll taxes and gives access to filled-out tax forms. Filing the forms for you is an optional paid service. - **Direct deposit or checks:** Employees and contractors can be paid by paper check, direct deposit or a mix of both. Direct deposit through your own bank is free. - **Time off tracking:** Vacation, sick and PTO time can be set up to accrue by length of service or hours worked. - **Employee portal:** Employees can view pay information, reprint paystubs and W-2s, check accrued time and change personal details online. - **Exports and imports:** Payroll data can be exported to accounting packages, banks and benefit companies, and employee hours can be imported from a time clock file. ## Good for - US businesses with nine or fewer people on payroll, paid monthly or less often - Owners who are comfortable handling their own tax deposits and filings - Businesses that pay both employees and 1099 contractors ## Worth knowing - Free only for 9 or fewer people paid no more than once monthly; the site publishes no prices beyond that. - Tax filing for you (Payroll Tax Service) and deposits through its bank (Direct Deposit Service) are paid, with no price shown. - Each extra state or location carries a fee the site does not price. Payroll is for US businesses only. - The FAQ says it needs a small browser extension, and Macs must run Windows to use it. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Payroll4Free runs basic payroll at no charge for US businesses paying 9 or fewer people no more than once a month, paid for by partner ads shown inside the software. Tax filing and bank deposits cost extra with no prices shown, and it needs a browser extension that Macs can only run through Windows. - **Value for money: B.** Basic payroll is free for 9 or fewer people, paid for by partner ads. Tax filing and its deposit service cost extra, with no price shown. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free for 9 or fewer employees paid once a month, which covers a small business, but nothing is free beyond that. - **Features: C.** Pay runs, tax calculations, time off, an employee portal and reports. Filing and extra states are paid, and it is US only. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. The FAQ says it needs a browser extension and that Macs must run Windows to use it. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, with QuickBooks the only named connection. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Payroll4Free's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among payroll services - Payroll4Free's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 17 of the 40 other payroll services we grade, and level with 7. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 40 of 40) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/payroll ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Payroll4Free you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. - You could make: Time off and reports: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with QuickBooks **Tags:** Payroll, Time off, Reports ## Alternatives - [Wagepoint](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wagepoint): Canadian payroll with T4s, ROEs and optional time tracking. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/payroll4free-vs-wagepoint) - [OnPay](https://toolgpa.com/tools/onpay): US payroll with published prices, plus HR and time add-ons. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/onpay-vs-payroll4free) - [Patriot Payroll](https://toolgpa.com/tools/patriot-payroll): Low-cost online payroll for small US businesses. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/patriot-payroll-vs-payroll4free) - [Gusto](https://toolgpa.com/tools/gusto): Payroll and HR for small businesses, with apps for owners and staff. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/gusto-vs-payroll4free) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://payroll4free.com - https://www.payroll4free.com/features.html - https://www.payroll4free.com/faq.html - https://www.payroll4free.com/about.html Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/payroll4free Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).