Base fee, per-employee fee, and the charges that live outside both
The advertised structure is simple - $20-$150 a month plus $4-$15 per employee - and the invoice rarely is. Every line a Gilbert business actually gets billed for is priced below.
Two free marketplace paths: one form brings back multiple vetted payroll providers who know they are competing for the account.
Payroll services quoted to Gilbert businesses in 2026 run $20-$150 a month in base fees plus $4-$15 per employee per month, which puts a ten-person Gilbert payroll at roughly $70-$250 a month before year-end filing and add-on charges.
The county around Gilbert holds 117 business establishments, of which 103 employ fewer than 20 people - the size band where payroll is bought as a service rather than staffed, per Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Gilbert plus 4 surrounding communities within 40 km hold about 6,020 people, which is enough employer density that several payroll providers will quote the same account - the competition a single quote request is meant to create.
The line items that surprise Gilbert buyers are never the base fee. Year-end W-2 and 1099 filing is commonly 4-8 dollars per form, additional state filings run 6-20 dollars per state per month for remote employees, off-cycle payroll runs cost 5-50 dollars each, and implementation fees reach $200 dollars at the enterprise end of the market.
Price a payroll service the way you would price a lease: total cost over twelve months at your real headcount, not the number on the pricing page. For a ten-employee Gilbert business that total commonly lands between $70 and $250 dollars a month before add-ons - and the spread between providers at the same headcount is routinely wider than the spread between service tiers at one provider.
Put a payroll quote out to competing quotes before you compare prices
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.
Every line, priced (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) |
How to make two Gilbert quotes comparable
- 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
The stale-advice warning: the e-filing threshold moved
Plenty of still-published payroll guides tell small employers they can paper-file W-2s and 1099s until they hit 250 returns. That threshold is gone. The rule now counts all information returns together, and at 10 or more for the year, electronic filing is required. For a Gilbert business with a handful of employees plus a few contractors, that arithmetic arrives much sooner than the old rule implied - and it is a question worth asking any provider: is electronic filing included at my tier, or billed per form at 4-8 dollars?
What this means in Gilbert
A late deposit costs 2% to 15% of the deposit; a full year of payroll processing for a small Gilbert employer costs less than one such penalty on a modest payroll. Price the service second and the failure mode first.
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.
Put a payroll quote out to competing quotes before you compare prices
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
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.
Is it worth switching payroll providers?
Switching costs are lower than most owners assume - the practical constraints are having complete year-to-date wage data, timing the move at a quarter boundary where possible, and confirming the new provider registers you in every state. The savings case is rarely the base fee; it is usually the elimination of per-state, per-form and off-cycle charges that accumulated with a legacy plan.
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.
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 Arkansas is on this site's final-paycheck page with its source.
How much does a payroll service cost for a small business?
In 2026 published pricing, payroll services charge a monthly base fee of roughly $20-$150 dollars plus $4-$15 dollars per employee per month. A ten-employee business commonly lands between $70 and $250 dollars a month before add-ons. Full outsourced processing is often quoted per person instead, at roughly $30-$100 dollars per employee per month. These are directional market ranges, not quotes.
Put a payroll quote out to competing quotes before you compare prices
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.