OnPay Review (2026): Flat-Price Payroll for Small Businesses

Quick answer: OnPay charges one published price — $49 per month plus $6 per worker, so $79 per month for a five-person team (listed on OnPay's pricing page, 2026-09-12) — and includes federal, state and local tax filings, W-2s and 1099s, multi-state payroll, unlimited pay runs, benefits administration and accounting integrations, with the first month free and no implementation fees. Optional add-ons cover HR ($15 base plus $2 per worker), compliance resources ($10 base) and live HR support ($65 base). It is one of the simplest full-service payroll prices available to a small business; what you give up is the deep app ecosystem and tiered premium support of the larger platforms.

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What OnPay is

OnPay is full-service payroll software aimed at small businesses, accountants and a handful of specialist industries such as farms, restaurants and nonprofits. Full-service means the software calculates pay, pays employees and contractors, and files and deposits payroll taxes on your behalf; you remain the employer of record. This review is based on OnPay's published pricing and product pages, not hands-on testing.

Pricing (listed on OnPay's pricing page, 2026-09-12)

There is a single plan. Everyone gets the same feature set, and the only pricing decisions are headcount and which of the three HR add-ons you switch on.

What the flat price includes

According to OnPay's pricing page:

• Tax filing and deposits for federal, state and local taxes, with W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings included.
• Multi-state payroll — "pay workers in as many states as you need" — at no extra charge, which is a common upcharge elsewhere.
• Unlimited pay runs and schedules, so off-cycle bonus runs and corrections do not cost extra.
• Direct deposit, employee self-onboarding and basic hiring tools such as offer letters and I-9/W-4 e-signature.
• Benefits administration for health, dental and vision.
• Accounting integrations with customizable line-item mapping, and 50-plus reporting fields.
• Support by phone, email and chat.

What it costs at different sizes

Computed from the published price, excluding benefit premiums; the right-hand column adds the HR add-on at $15 base plus $2 per worker:

OnPay prices per "worker", so ask how contractors you pay irregularly are billed before you count them in your estimate.

Where OnPay is weaker

• One tier means one support level. There is no premium plan with a dedicated advisor; live HR support is an add-on rather than a tier.
• Ecosystem depth. OnPay lists accounting integrations with line-item mapping, but the app marketplaces and third-party integrations of the largest platforms are wider.
• Global payroll and EOR are not part of the product. International hiring needs a different provider.
• Benefits are brokered, not published. As with every payroll platform, the premiums you pay depend on a quote for your team.

Setting up and switching

OnPay states there are no implementation or integration fees, and its onboarding is self-serve with support available. If you are switching mid-year, gather your EIN, state tax account numbers, employee W-4s and every paycheck already issued this year; year-to-date history has to be entered accurately so the W-2s come out right. Run one payroll in parallel with your old system before you trust direct deposit to the new one.

Who should pick what

• Pick OnPay if you want a single, predictable price that already includes multi-state payroll and all filings, and you do not need a premium support tier. Use OnPay's free first month to run a real payroll before committing.
• Pick OnPay with the HR add-on if you want its HR tools bundled for $15 plus $2 per worker rather than paying for a separate HR product; check OnPay's page for the current feature list.
• Pick Gusto instead if you value a broader integration ecosystem or want a dedicated advisor at the top tier; note that Gusto's Simple plan matches OnPay's $49 plus $6 price but is single-state, with multi-state on Plus at $80 plus $12.
• Pick a PEO if group health benefits and outsourced compliance are the real problem; that is a different category at a very different price.

FAQ

Is OnPay really $49 plus $6 with nothing else? That is the published base price, and OnPay's page says it includes tax filings, year-end forms, multi-state payroll and unlimited runs with no implementation or integration fees. The optional extras are the HR add-on, compliance resources and live HR support, plus whatever benefit premiums you elect. Check OnPay's current pricing before budgeting, since promotional offers change.

Does OnPay integrate with QuickBooks Online? OnPay's pricing page lists accounting integrations with customizable line-item mapping and references a QuickBooks Online integration. Confirm the specific mapping you need — classes, locations, departments — during the free month.

How does OnPay compare with Gusto on price? On published prices they match at the entry level: $49 per month plus $6 per person. The difference is that OnPay includes multi-state payroll at that price, while Gusto's Simple plan is single-state and multi-state requires Plus at $80 plus $12 per person. At 25 people that is $199 versus $380 per month, computed from each vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-12.