Pricing
subscription
Best For
Micro-businesses with 1-10 employees that want set-and-forget payroll
Rating
7.2/10
Last Updated
Mar 2026
TL;DR
SurePayroll is owned by Paychex but operates as its own brand targeting micro-businesses with 1-10 employees. The standout feature is AutoPilot — set it once and payroll runs automatically every pay period. No clicking, no approving, no forgetting. Plans start at $29.99/month + $5/employee. It's deliberately simple, which is either perfect or frustrating depending on how much control you want over your payroll process.
What is SurePayroll?
Payroll for the Smallest Businesses
SurePayroll launched in 2000 as one of the first fully online payroll services. Paychex acquired them in 2011 but kept the brand running independently. The target customer is crystal clear: businesses with fewer than 10 employees that want the simplest possible payroll experience. No learning curve. No configuration complexity. Just automatic paychecks.
AutoPilot Is the Whole Point
SurePayroll's AutoPilot feature lets you set up payroll once and forget about it. Enter your employees, set their pay rates and schedule, and payroll runs automatically every cycle. If nothing changes week to week, you literally don't touch it. The system calculates taxes, processes direct deposits, and files returns without any intervention. For a solo business owner wearing 15 hats, this is genuinely valuable. You stop worrying about missing a payroll deadline.
What's in the Box
Full-service payroll with tax filing in all 50 states. Direct deposit in 2-4 days. W-2 and 1099 generation. New hire reporting. Employee self-service for pay stubs. Basic HR document storage. 401(k) integration through Paychex. Workers comp through Paychex. The Paychex backing means the tax engine is reliable — you're getting Paychex's compliance infrastructure at a lower price point.
Where SurePayroll Falls Short
Benefits administration is limited. No health insurance brokerage — you need to arrange that separately. Time tracking isn't built in. The interface is simple but not modern — it gets the job done without impressing anyone. Reporting is basic. The self-no-service plan ($19.99/month) requires you to file your own taxes, which saves money but adds complexity. Customer support hours are limited to business hours Eastern time.
Pricing That Makes Sense for Tiny Teams
Self-Service: $19.99/month + $4/employee (you file taxes). Full-Service: $29.99/month + $5/employee (SurePayroll files everything). For a 5-person team on Full Service, you're at $54.99/month. That's competitive with Patriot and cheaper than Gusto for very small teams. Nanny payroll for household employers starts at $29.99/month for 1-2 employees.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- AutoPilot runs payroll automatically every cycle — truly set-it-and-forget-it
- Very competitive pricing for businesses under 10 employees
- Backed by Paychex tax compliance infrastructure — bulletproof tax filing
- Nanny/household payroll option fills a niche most competitors ignore
- Two-day free trial lets you test with real data before committing
Cons
- No benefits brokerage — health insurance must be arranged separately
- No built-in time tracking — need a separate tool or manual entry
- Interface is functional but outdated compared to Gusto and Rippling
- Customer support limited to business hours Eastern time only
- Not built to scale — starts feeling cramped past 10-15 employees
SurePayroll Pricing
Self-Service
- Payroll processing
- Direct deposit
- Tax calculations
- Employee self-service
- W-2 generation
- You file taxes yourself
Full-Service
- Everything in Self-Service
- Automatic tax filing
- Federal, state & local taxes
- Tax deposits
- Year-end filing
- New hire reporting
Pricing last verified: March 25, 2026
Who is SurePayroll Best For?
- Micro-businesses with 1-10 employees that want set-and-forget payroll
- Solo business owners who hate dealing with payroll manually every cycle
- Household employers needing nanny or domestic worker payroll
- Very small teams that want Paychex-quality tax filing at a lower price
Technical Details
The Bottom Line
SurePayroll scores 7.2/10. It stands out for autopilot runs payroll automatically every cycle — truly set-it-and-forget-it. Best suited for micro-businesses with 1-10 employees that want set-and-forget payroll. Keep in mind that no benefits brokerage — health insurance must be arranged separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on editorial analysis