Payroll · United States
OnPay pricing: what it actually costs per employee
On its cheapest published plan, OnPay costs $109 a month for 10 employees, which is $10.90 per employee per month.
At 5 employees the same plan works out at $15.80 per employee — the headline figure of $6 assumes the base fee is spread over more people.
Price status: Published list price · Last verified 2026-09-06 · Last recorded change 2026-09-06
What the vendor publishes
| Plan | Base / month | Per employee / month | Conditions as published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Essentials | $49 | $6 | Vendor names the base plan "Payroll Essentials"; "No implementation or integration fees"; unlimited pay runs. HR add-on is +$15 base and $2/worker per month. |
Billing: not stated in the vendor's published documentation (checked 2026-09-06).
Free trial: not stated in the vendor's published documentation (checked 2026-09-06).
Minimum contract: not stated in the vendor's published documentation (checked 2026-09-06).
The vendor states there is no setup fee.
What that works out at per employee
Vendors quote a per-employee fee and a base fee separately. What you actually pay per employee is both of them divided by your headcount, so the smaller your team, the further the real figure sits above the advertised one. This table is OnPay's published prices put through that division.
| Plan | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 | 250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Essentials | $55.00 | $15.80 | $10.90 | $7.96 | $6.98 | $6.49 | $6.20 |
Columns are employee counts. Scroll sideways on a phone.
No other adjustment is applied. We do not add estimated tax-filing fees, discounts, or promotional pricing. The full method is at Method.
Who this suits, and who it does not
- If price is the only thing you are deciding on, Patriot Software is cheaper at 10 employees ($57 against $109) — see its figures.
- If your headcount is under 5, the base fee of $49 dominates the bill. Check the per-employee column at your actual size before comparing anything.
- If you are not ready to decide, wait. Published prices change without notice and the figures here are only as current as 2026-09-06. Confirm on the vendor's own page before you sign.
What has changed since we started tracking this vendor
| Date | Plan | What changed | Was | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-06 | — | Pricing page address correction to our data — The vendor moved its pricing page | https://onpay.com/pricing | https://onpay.com/payroll/software/costs-pricing/ |
| 2026-09-06 | Payroll Essentials | Plan name plan renamed by the vendor — Vendor renamed the plan | OnPay Payroll | Payroll Essentials |
The same entries, next to every other vendor's, are on the price history (RSS).
Where to check this yourself
Go to OnPay and open its pricing page. Everything above comes from https://onpay.com/payroll/software/costs-pricing/, read on 2026-09-06.
Related
- OnPay compared with Patriot Software
- OnPay compared with QuickBooks Payroll
- OnPay compared with Square Payroll
- Alternatives to OnPay
- Why payroll costs more than the advertised per-employee fee
- Work out your own cost with the calculator
- What payroll software costs, and where the money goes
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the companies named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Page last updated: 2026-09-06. Sources: vendor pricing pages only. Figures checked between 2026-08-20 and 2026-09-06. I have not used these products. Nothing here is a personal test result.
Ranking method and formulas: Method. Listing position on this site is not for sale.
Corrections: contact form.