SurePayroll
Online payroll for small US businesses and household employers
SurePayroll report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for tiny businesses and families paying a nanny
SurePayroll is simple, cheap payroll from a Paychex company, with apps for owners and staff and a separate plan for families paying a nanny. It's $40 a month for five if you file the taxes, $64 if it does. Year-end forms, extra states and accounting sync all cost extra.
Who SurePayroll is for
- Great if you pay a nanny or caregiver and want the household taxes handled
- Handy when you want to run payroll from your phone
- Good for a handful of staff in one state, where the first state is included
Who SurePayroll is not for
- Tight if you work across several states or local tax areas, as both cost extra
- Skip it if add-ons annoy you: year-end forms, multi-state, accounting sync and time import are all charged
- Too light for teams that want HR tools, as there are none beyond paid legal help
Why SurePayroll 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 moneyNo Tax Filing is $20 a month plus $4 an employee, $40 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Full Service, which files taxes, is $64 for five. Year-end forms add $50 plus $5 a form, and multi-state is $9.99 a month.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan or trial. New customers get every other month free in their first year, which is a good deal, but it's a discount on a paid plan, not a trial.
- CFeaturesPayroll done fully: unlimited and automatic runs, employees and contractors together, tax filing on Full Service and a household plan for nannies. A smaller job, though, with no HR tools beyond paid employment-law help.
- AEase of use4.7 from about 6,100 App Store ratings for the employer app, where owners run payroll and check reports. Staff get their own app for pay stubs.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with apps for owners and for staff. No desktop app, and accounting sync is a $4.99-a-month add-on rather than built in.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SurePayroll'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/surepayroll#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/surepayroll.svg" alt="SurePayroll: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where SurePayroll stands among payroll services
SurePayroll'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 $20 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 2 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. SurePayroll’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 SurePayroll, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace SurePayroll 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 $240 a year.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this 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.
What this rests on. SurePayroll’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 SurePayroll?
SurePayroll is an online payroll service for small US businesses, solo owners and families who employ nannies or caregivers. It pays employees and contractors, and on its Full Service plan files and deposits payroll taxes. SurePayroll is a Paychex company and also sells 401(k) plans, workers' comp and health insurance.
SurePayroll is a paid product, starting at $20 per month, plus $4 per employee. See every plan
Good for
- Small US businesses with a handful of employees
- Families paying a nanny, caregiver or housekeeper
- Owners who want to run payroll from a phone
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
SurePayroll pricing
- Starts at
- $20 per month, plus $4 per employee
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| No Tax Filing | $20per month, plus $4 per employee | The Full Service features, except that you file and deposit all payroll taxes yourself. |
| Full Service | $29per 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. |
Read from surepayroll.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SurePayroll before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsEvery 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.
Stated on surepayroll.com
How people rate the SurePayroll app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
6,141 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
SurePayroll alternatives
- SurePayroll vs Patriot Payroll
Free trial · from $17/mo
- SurePayroll vs Gusto
From $49/mo
- SurePayroll vs OnPay
Free trial · from $49/mo
- SurePayroll vs Roll by ADP
Free trial · from $39/mo
Common questions
Is SurePayroll free?
No. SurePayroll is a paid product, starting at $20 per month, plus $4 per employee.
How much does SurePayroll cost?
SurePayroll lists 2 plans. No Tax Filing: $20 per month, plus $4 per employee. Full Service: $29 per month, plus $7 per employee. Prices were read from surepayroll.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does SurePayroll work on?
SurePayroll is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does SurePayroll offer any discounts?
SurePayroll publicly lists the following: Every other month free for the first year.
How is SurePayroll rated?
SurePayroll's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6,141 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 SurePayroll have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. SurePayroll is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does SurePayroll have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. SurePayroll is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is SurePayroll open source?
SurePayroll is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Who makes SurePayroll?
SurePayroll is made by SurePayroll, Inc.
What are the alternatives to SurePayroll?
The closest alternatives to SurePayroll in our directory are Patriot Payroll, Gusto, Paychex Flex, OnPay and Roll by ADP. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with SurePayroll.
How does SurePayroll compare with other payroll services?
SurePayroll'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 SurePayroll good value for money?
ToolGPA grades SurePayroll B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 2 of the 13 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of SurePayroll?
To replace SurePayroll 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 $240 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. 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.