OnPay is great. For a single business. For a payroll bureau, the math breaks.
OnPay is one of the better single-business payroll platforms — transparent $49 + $6/employee pricing, accountant-friendly support, and a clean UX that most reviewers prefer to QuickBooks. They do offer a Partner discount for accountants (10% at 1–2 clients, 15% at 3–49, 20% at 50+), which we'll honor in the math below. Even with the 20% partner discount, the per-company base structure compounds across a multi-client book.
$12/client/mo flat ($10 annual). 5 employees included; $2/mo each beyond that.
$49/mo base + $6/employee per company. Accountant Partner: 20% off at 50+ clients = $39.20 base + $6/emp.
50 clients × 6 employees on OnPay Partner (20% off): $39.20×50 + $6×6×50 = $1,960 + $1,800 = $3,760/mo. Payrollix: ~$700/mo. Annual delta: ~$36,700.
Side by side — honestly, including where OnPay comes out ahead.
| Feature | Payrollix | OnPay |
|---|---|---|
| Per-client flat pricing | $12/client | $49 base × N clients (20% off at 50+ via Partner) |
| Multi-client dashboard | Native | OnPay Partner portal |
| IRS e-filing | Yes — e-filed directly with the IRS | Via OnPay |
| W-2 / 1099 generation | Yes — bulk generation, archived 4 years | Included |
| 50-state tax filing | Yes | Yes |
| Direct deposit (ACH) | Moov | Included |
| Same-day ACH | Higher-tier plans | No |
| Geofencing time tracking | Built-in | Integrations only (When I Work, QB Time) |
| Mobile app (iOS + Android) | Employee + client portals | Web-responsive only |
| Dedicated client portal | Yes | Shared with employee view |
| Health insurance | Premium deductions (pre-tax) | Premium deductions + plan marketplace |
| Workers' comp | Class-code tracking + audit-ready report | Tracking + pay-as-you-go insurance |
| 401(k) handling | Deductions, employer match & limits | Deductions + full plan administration |
| HSA / FSA payroll deductions | Yes — pre-tax, on the paycheck | Yes + administers the spending accounts |
| HR tools | Built-in: onboarding, PTO, scheduling, I-9, documents | Paid add-on ($15/mo + $2/emp) |
| Time in market / brand | New (2025) | Founded 2007; well-regarded in accounting circles |
| QuickBooks / Xero integration | Bidirectional | Yes |
| Odoo / FreshBooks / Wave / Sage | Native | No |
| Onboarding packet (8655 + state POAs) | One e-sign session | Piecemeal |
Start your 14-day free trial. We'll help you migrate your data.