Square Payroll is the natural choice for any business already running on Square POS — tips, hours, and timecards flow in automatically, and the contractor-only tier ($6/contractor with no monthly base) is genuinely cheap. For a restaurant/retail/services accounting firm with most clients on Square, Square Payroll deserves serious consideration. For everyone else, the per-company base hits all the same walls.
$12/client/mo flat. 5 employees included; $2/mo each additional.
$35/mo + $6/employee per company (Full Service). $6/contractor/mo with no base (contractor only).
50 clients × 6 employees on Square Payroll: $35×50 + $6×6×50 = $1,750 + $1,800 = $3,550/mo. Payrollix: ~$700/mo. Annual delta: ~$34,200.
| Feature | Payrollix | Square Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Per-client flat pricing | $12/client | $35 base × N clients |
| Square POS integration | No native | Native (tips, hours, timecards auto-flow) |
| Square ecosystem (Capital, Bank, Invoicing) | None | Full Square Money platform |
| Brand recognition (restaurant / retail / services) | New | Dominant SMB POS brand |
| Embedded health / 401(k) benefits | Roadmap | Integrated |
| Multi-client dashboard | Native | Limited |
| IRS e-filing | Direct MeF (in-house) | Via Square |
| 50-state tax filing | ||
| Contractor-only pricing | Included in standard plan | $6/contractor, no base |
| Mobile app (iOS + Android) | Employee + client portals | Square Team app (employee) |
| Dedicated client portal | ||
| Geofencing time tracking | Built-in | Via Square POS |
| Benefits (health, 401(k)) | Roadmap | Integrated |
| QuickBooks / Xero | Bidirectional | |
| Odoo / FreshBooks / Wave / Sage | Native | |
| Onboarding packet (8655 + state POAs) | One e-sign | Piecemeal |
Start your 14-day free trial. We'll help you migrate your data.