What payroll costs in Fredericktown - and what a late deposit costs
A Fredericktown business with ten employees typically pays $70-$250 a month for payroll processing in 2026. That figure tells you almost nothing about your risk: this guide prices the service, then prices the mistakes - federal deposit penalties, Missouri's unemployment tax, its minimum wage, and its final-paycheck rule - with the official sources next to each.
Two free marketplace paths: one form brings back multiple vetted payroll providers who know they are competing for the account.
Payroll services quoted to Fredericktown businesses in 2026 run $20-$150 a month in base fees plus $4-$15 per employee per month, which puts a ten-person Fredericktown payroll at roughly $70-$250 a month before year-end filing and add-on charges.
The federal penalty for depositing employment taxes late runs 2% up to 5 days late, 5% through 15 days and 10% beyond that, rising to 15% after an IRS notice goes unanswered - percentages applied to the deposit, not to the monthly fee a Fredericktown business is comparing.
Missouri sets the new-employer unemployment tax rate by state formula rather than as one flat number, and applies it to the first $9,000 of each employee's wages per year - the state-set portion of every Fredericktown payroll, shown in full in the table below.
Payroll pricing is quoted per month and consumed per employee, which is why the same provider can look cheap to a three-person shop in Fredericktown and expensive to a thirty-person one. Multiply the base fee by twelve, add the per-employee fee times your headcount times twelve, add the year-end filing charge, and only then compare providers.
The reason payroll gets outsourced is rarely the arithmetic - it is the calendar. Federal deposits run on a schedule set by your prior-year tax liability, Form 941 is due the month after each quarter closes, Missouri adds its own unemployment filings, and every deadline carries a percentage penalty. A Fredericktown owner doing this alone is not saving money if a single deposit slips.
Get competing payroll quotes - one form, several providers
Two free marketplace paths: one form brings back multiple vetted payroll providers who know they are competing for the account. Competing quotes are the only reliable way to see what your headcount actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual payroll provider pays to appear in our research.
What payroll services cost in 2026
| What you are buying | 2026 published range | The number that actually matters |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly base fee | $20-$150/month | Meaningless alone - always price it with your headcount attached |
| Per employee, per month | $4-$15/employee/month | At 10 employees this is most of the bill: $70-$250/month all in |
| Fully outsourced processing | $30-$100/person/month | Quoted per person rather than base plus fee - bundles compliance work |
| Year-end W-2 and 1099 filing | $4-$8/form | Included at some tiers, billed at others - ask before January |
| Additional state filings (remote staff) | $6-$20/state/month | One remote hire in a new state can change the plan you need |
| Off-cycle or bonus runs | $5-$50 each | Bonus season is when this line shows up on the invoice |
| Setup / implementation | $0-$200 | Commonly waived at small-business tiers - ask, it is negotiable |
| A late federal deposit | 2%-15% of the deposit | The reason the monthly fee is the second-most important number (IRS IRC 6656) |
What a payroll quote should include - and what the padded version sells
A complete quote includes
- The all-in monthly total at your real headcount, not just the base fee
- Full-service tax filing and deposits stated as included, with the returns named
- Year-end W-2 and 1099 filing priced, or explicitly included
- Every state you employ someone in, registered and filed for
- A written error policy: who pays penalties and interest on a provider-caused late deposit
- The renewal price and the cancellation notice window, in writing
Red flags in a payroll proposal
- A headline price that excludes tax filing, sold back as an add-on
- Per-employee billing that continues for terminated employees
- 'Compliance guaranteed' with no named returns and no penalty policy
- Refusal to show filing confirmations for a sample client month
- An introductory rate with an unstated renewal price
- Payroll history you cannot export in full if you leave
What Missouri adds to every payroll
| Question | Missouri answer |
|---|---|
| State unemployment tax - new employer rate | 2.376% for 2026 (same for mining and construction); 1.00% for 501(c)(3) nonprofits (range 0.0% - 6.0%, NOT including the maximum rate surcharge or the contribution rate adjustment) |
| Taxable wage base per employee | $9,000 - Primary: labor.mo.gov DES tax rates page gives the 2026 taxable wage limitation of $9,000 (down from $9,500 in 2025, $10,000 in 2024, $11,000 in 2022) and a 2022-2026 new employer rate table showing |
| State minimum wage | $15.00 - Employers must pay tipped employees at least 50% of the minimum wage ($7.50) plus enough to reach $15.00 total |
| State income tax withholding | graduated, roughly 2%–4.7% |
| Local payroll or income taxes | Yes — two cities levy a 1% earnings tax on wages, withheld by the employer: St |
Missouri's taxable wage base ratchets down as the trust fund stays healthy - $11,000 in 2022 to $9,000 in 2026 - and construction gets no penalty rate, paying the same 2.376% new employer rate as everyone else.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Federal deposit rules and state wage, unemployment and final-paycheck laws change - verify current requirements with the IRS and your state labor and revenue agencies, or with a licensed CPA or attorney, before acting.
What a Fredericktown quote should contain
- Employee count, split into salaried, hourly and contractors - contractors are usually priced separately or per 1099
- Every state where an employee physically works, including remote staff - each one commonly adds 6-20 dollars a month
- Pay frequency, and how many off-cycle or bonus runs you expect in a year at 5-50 dollars each
- Whether full-service tax filing and deposits are included at the quoted tier or sold as an add-on
- Year-end W-2 and 1099 filing: included, or 4-8 dollars per form
- Implementation or setup fee, and whether prior-year payroll history is migrated at no charge
- Benefits, garnishments, time tracking and workers' comp integration - each is commonly its own line
- The renewal price, in writing, alongside the first-year price
Why only these two paths
The most expensive payroll service is the one whose mistake you sign for. The IRS states plainly that outsourcing payroll does not transfer the employer's responsibility to deposit and report employment taxes - which means a Fredericktown business comparing a $20 dollar plan against a $150 dollar plan is comparing the wrong two numbers if either provider misses a deposit.
Hard bar, verifiable by anyone: free to the buyer, and structurally multi-vendor - one request produces several competing quotes, which is the check against over-quoting that no single sales relationship provides. Marketplaces that charge buyers or route to a single seller are not listed, and any listed path that drops below the bar gets removed. We list no individual payroll brand as a recommendation: this site does not rank providers it cannot audit filings for.
| Path | What it is | Why it made the bar |
|---|---|---|
| BuyerZone | B2B quote marketplace covering payroll services and other business categories | One form, multiple vetted providers respond with competing quotes - free to buyers |
| 360Connect | B2B quote marketplace with local service-area matching for payroll solutions | Matches up to five suppliers per request, 100% free to buyers |
The Fredericktown decision path
Withheld income tax and the employee share of FICA are trust funds - money that was never the company's. That is why the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty can reach an owner or officer personally, and why 'the company can't pay' is not an exit from this particular bill.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Federal deposit rules and state wage, unemployment and final-paycheck laws change - verify current requirements with the IRS and your state labor and revenue agencies, or with a licensed CPA or attorney, before acting.
Get competing payroll quotes - one form, several providers
Two free marketplace paths: one form brings back multiple vetted payroll providers who know they are competing for the account. Competing quotes are the only reliable way to see what your headcount actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual payroll provider pays to appear in our research.
Common questions
Is payroll priced per employee or per payroll run?
Both models exist. The common structure is a monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee, which is predictable regardless of how often you run payroll. A per-run model charges each time you process, which favors businesses paying monthly and penalizes weekly payrolls. Ask for the all-in annual total under your actual pay frequency - that single number makes the two models comparable.
What do I need to give a payroll company to get a quote?
Employee count split into salaried, hourly and contractors; every state where someone physically works; pay frequency; expected off-cycle runs; and whether you need benefits, time tracking, garnishments or workers' comp integration. Providing all of it up front is what makes competing quotes genuinely comparable - and it is exactly what a marketplace form collects once and sends to several providers.
What hidden fees do payroll companies charge?
The recurring surprises are year-end W-2 and 1099 filing at roughly 4-8 dollars per form, additional state tax filings at 6-20 dollars per state per month for remote employees, off-cycle or bonus runs at 5-50 dollars each, setup or implementation fees, charges for mailed paper checks, and per-employee fees that continue for terminated staff. Ask for the full fee schedule in writing, not the pricing page.
When does a final paycheck have to be paid?
That is set by state law, and it differs for employees who are fired versus employees who quit. Several states require immediate payment on termination; others allow the next regular payday; a few add a penalty that accrues per day until the check is delivered. Unused vacation payout is likewise state-specific. The rule for Missouri is on this site's final-paycheck page with its source.
What is state unemployment tax and why does my rate change?
Every employer pays state unemployment insurance tax on each employee's wages up to a state taxable wage base. New employers are assigned a starting rate; after enough history, the rate moves within a statutory band based on claims experience. Two identical payrolls can owe very different amounts because both the rate and the wage base are set state by state - the Missouri figures are published on this site's state page.
Do I have to file W-2s and 1099s electronically?
Almost certainly yes. The threshold dropped to 10 returns: if you file 10 or more information returns of all types combined in a calendar year, they must be filed electronically. Articles still citing the old 250-return threshold are out of date. Any full-service payroll provider files electronically as standard - confirm it is included rather than billed per form.
Get competing payroll quotes - one form, several providers
Two free marketplace paths: one form brings back multiple vetted payroll providers who know they are competing for the account. Competing quotes are the only reliable way to see what your headcount actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual payroll provider pays to appear in our research.
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