Square Payroll
Payroll for Square sellers, with timecards from Square POS
Square Payroll report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for shops and cafes already selling with Square
If you already take payments with Square, this is the obvious payroll: hours and tips come straight in from the till, and staff can be paid into Cash App. It's $65 a month for five people. Away from Square it's a plain payroll service with no HR tools.
Who Square Payroll is for
- Great if your timecards and tips already live in Square POS
- Handy when staff want paying straight into Cash App
- Good for owners who only pay contractors, at $6 a person
Who Square Payroll is not for
- Too light for teams that want HR tools, since there aren't any here
- Not for you if you don't use Square, as the timecard and tip import is the main reason to pick it
- Tight if staff want paper forms, at $3 for each mailed W-2 or 1099 a year
Why Square Payroll gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyFull-service payroll is $35 a month plus $6 a person, $65 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Paying only contractors is $6 a person, $30 for five, though that plan files no taxes.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan or trial on record. There is no long-term contract, so you pay month by month, but you pay from the start.
- CFeaturesPayroll done fully, with tax filing for each state you pay in, tips and hours pulled from Square POS, overtime and scheduling. It's a smaller job, though: no HR tools, and health insurance and 401(k) are paid add-ons.
- AEase of use4.7 from about 41,000 App Store ratings for the Square Team app, where owners run payroll and staff onboard themselves. If you're on Square already, the hours are already there.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Square Point of Sale, Cash App and QuickBooks Online. No desktop app, and it's sold on Square's US site only.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Square's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/square-payroll#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/square-payroll.svg" alt="Square Payroll: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Square Payroll stands among payroll services
Square Payroll's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 9 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 0 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Square Payroll’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 13 of 18, level with 3
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 18, level with 13
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 18, level with 5
- AEase of useAbove 9 of 18, level with 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 18, level with 16
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 payroll services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Square Payroll, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Square Payroll 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.
It costs $72 a year.
What you could make
- Time tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
What this rests on. Square Payroll’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Square Payroll?
Square Payroll is Block's payroll service for US businesses, run from the Square Dashboard or the Square Team App. Full-service payroll files federal and state payroll taxes and takes hours, tips and overtime from Square's point of sale and team tools. A cheaper contractor-only plan pays 1099 contractors without the tax filings.
Square Payroll is a paid product, starting at $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll. See every plan
Good for
- Restaurants, shops and salons already taking payments with Square
- Businesses with tipped hourly staff
- Owners who pay only contractors and want a per-person price
Worth knowing
- Contractor-only payroll leaves out tax filings, auto payroll, off-cycle payments, multistate payroll and garnishments.
- Mailed paper W-2s and 1099s cost $3 per form a year; workers' comp, health insurance and 401(k) are paid add-ons.
- Scheduling, tip import, overtime and labor-cost reports come only with full-service payroll.
- It runs US payroll, filing federal and state taxes, and is sold on Square's US site.
Key features
- Full-service payroll
- Unlimited pay runs, auto payroll, off-cycle payments and multiple pay rates, with no long-term contract.
- Payroll tax filing
- Calculates, withholds and files federal payroll taxes and state taxes, including state unemployment, for each state or locality you pay in.
- Timecards, tips and overtime
- Imports hours from Square POS or the Team App, tracks direct tips, calculates overtime and schedules staff up to 10 days out.
- Pay by deposit, check or Cash App
- Next-day or two-day direct deposit, paper checks, or Cash App, where team members can get paid instantly.
- Square Team App
- Owners run payroll and manage the team from a phone, and employees onboard themselves and see their pay stubs.
- Reports and QuickBooks
- Custom reports on paychecks, employee and company totals, labor-cost reports, and a QuickBooks Online integration.
Square Payroll pricing
- Starts at
- $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor-only payroll | $6per person paid / month, contractors only | Pay contractors from the Square Dashboard by direct deposit, check or Cash App, with 1099s delivered digitally. No tax filings or auto payroll. |
| Full-service payroll | $35per month, plus $6 per person paid | Unlimited and auto payroll, federal and state tax filings, multistate payroll, scheduling, tip import, labor-cost reports and next-day deposit. |
Read from squareup.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Square Payroll before you buy.
How people rate the Square Payroll app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
41,157 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
- Square Point of Sale
- Cash App
- QuickBooks Online
Square Payroll alternatives
- Square Payroll vs Gusto
From $49/mo
- Square Payroll vs OnPay
Free trial · from $49/mo
- Square Payroll vs QuickBooks Workforce
Free trial · from $50/mo
- Square Payroll vs Patriot Payroll
Free trial · from $17/mo
- Square Payroll vs Roll by ADP
Free trial · from $39/mo
Common questions
Is Square Payroll free?
No. Square Payroll is a paid product, starting at $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll.
How much does Square Payroll cost?
Square Payroll lists 2 plans. Contractor-only payroll: $6 per person paid / month, contractors only. Full-service payroll: $35 per month, plus $6 per person paid. Prices were read from squareup.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Square Payroll work on?
Square Payroll is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is Square Payroll rated?
Square Payroll's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 41,157 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Square Payroll have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Square Payroll is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Square Payroll have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Square Payroll is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Square Payroll open source?
Square Payroll is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Square Payroll integrate with?
Square Payroll's listing names Square Point of Sale, Cash App and QuickBooks Online. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Square Payroll?
Square Payroll is made by Block, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Square Payroll?
The closest alternatives to Square Payroll in our directory are Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks Workforce, Patriot Payroll and Roll by ADP. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Square Payroll.
How does Square Payroll compare with other payroll services?
Square Payroll's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 9 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is Square Payroll good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Square Payroll B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 0 of the 13 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Square Payroll?
To replace Square Payroll 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. It costs $72 a year. What you could not make: Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.