OnPay Pricing 2026: Base Fee, Per-Worker Cost and the HR Add-On

OnPay costs $49 a month plus $6 per worker paid on its single payroll plan, Payroll Essentials, per OnPay's pricing page on October 19, 2026. HR and time tracking are add-ons with their own base and per-worker fees, and the first month is free. A 10-person team pays $109 a month for payroll alone.

OnPay's pitch is that the base plan already includes what rivals charge extra for: every state, unlimited pay runs, year-end forms and phone support. The real pricing decision is which add-ons you need, and whether a bundle is cheaper than buying them one by one. For most teams that want HR and time tracking, it is.

Toolradar data: OnPay's flat entry fee ranks 23rd of 30 payroll tools with a verified flat entry price on Toolradar, the software directory we run, where the median is $27 a month, as of October 2026 (OnPay on Toolradar). The higher base buys full-service tax filing in every state; Patriot, priced below, charges extra for each additional state. The category view is Toolradar's payroll ranking of 75 tools.

What the base plan includes

Payroll Essentials is a full-service plan: OnPay calculates, files and pays federal, state and local payroll taxes, and produces W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings at no extra charge. Its feature list also includes unlimited pay runs, pay by direct deposit, check or prepaid debit card, garnishment deductions and payroll in as many states as you need.

The per-worker fee applies to workers you pay in the month, and OnPay's plan covers both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. A business with seasonal staff therefore pays more in busy months and less in quiet ones, rather than for a fixed headcount.

The base plan is not only payroll. It covers I-9 and W-4 eSignatures, state new-hire reporting, custom offer letters, six levels of user permissions, document storage, and accounting and time-tracking integrations. OnPay also lists phone, chat and email support and no implementation or integration fees on every plan. Our OnPay review covers how the product handles day-to-day payroll.

The HR add-on and its two enhancements

The HR add-on turns OnPay into a light HR system for a small base fee and a per-worker charge. It adds a central HR dashboard, customizable onboarding workflows with task tracking, a searchable directory and org charts, PTO requests and approvals with accrual balances, equipment tracking and unlimited eSignature templates for company documents.

Two optional HR enhancements sit on top. Compliance Resources is a flat monthly fee and adds state legislative alerts and a library of state-compliant HR templates. Live HR Support costs $65 a month flat for concierge access to licensed HR professionals. Neither scales with headcount, so they weigh most on the smallest teams.

For a 10-person company, HR alone adds $35 a month, while the full HR stack with both enhancements adds $110. That full stack makes most sense for a business with no HR person, where someone needs an expert to call about a termination or a leave question. Teams comparing a dedicated HR system can read how much an HRIS costs first.

Bundles: when they save money

OnPay sells three bundles at a discount to the same products bought separately, and each one targets a different kind of team. Every figure below comes from OnPay's pricing page.

The bundles can be cheaper than the add-ons you actually want. A 10-person team that wants payroll and HR only pays $144 a month. The hourly bundle adds Time Tracking to that for $170, so time tracking effectively costs $26 a month instead of the $55 it would cost on its own at 10 workers.

The salaried bundle works the same way. Payroll, HR and Live HR Support bought separately cost $129 a month plus $8 per worker, more than the salaried bundle's $120 plus $7, which also includes Compliance Resources. So a team that wants Live HR Support should buy the bundle even if it never opens the compliance templates.

What OnPay costs at 5, 10 and 25 workers

We priced the common setups at OnPay's list rates, with every worker paid each month. Benefits premiums, workers' comp premiums and taxes are not included.

At 25 workers, payroll alone costs $199 a month, about $8 per worker once the base fee is spread across the team. The base fee matters most on small teams: at 5 workers, the base fee is more than the per-worker charges combined. That is why a very small employer should compare base fees before anything else.

The salaried bundle has the flattest curve of the three bundles, because its per-worker rate is the lowest at $7. Between 10 and 25 workers it rises only $105, while the hourly bundle rises $150. For a growing team with no hourly staff, it is the bundle that stays cheapest per head as you hire.

OnPay vs Patriot on the same team

Patriot Payroll is the obvious low-cost alternative, and its list prices are lower. Patriot's Full Service Payroll lists at $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid, and its HR software at a small monthly base plus $2 per employee, per Patriot's pricing page on October 19, 2026. Patriot was showing a discount off those list prices that day, so check the current offer.

Patriot is cheaper for a single-state team; OnPay closes the gap once you file in several states. Patriot charges a monthly fee for each additional state, while OnPay includes every state in the base plan. At 10 workers, OnPay becomes the cheaper payroll option at three states. Patriot's product is covered in our Patriot Payroll review, and Toolradar's record is Patriot Software on Toolradar.

Gusto is the other common comparison. Our Gusto vs OnPay head to head covers that matchup plan by plan, and Gusto pricing breaks down Gusto's own tiers. For a wider list of cheaper options, see cheaper Gusto alternatives.

Fees, contracts and the free month

• The first month is free. OnPay's sign-up page says so; budget from the second month.
• No setup or integration fees. OnPay lists free white-glove setup and no implementation or integration fees on every plan.
• Benefits carry no admin fee. You pay health, workers' comp and 401(k) plan premiums only.
• Accountants price differently. Firms in OnPay's partner program get discounts or revenue sharing, so a client signed up through a bookkeeper may see a different bill.

What the page does not list is a per-run fee or an off-cycle payroll charge: unlimited pay runs are part of the base plan. That makes OnPay predictable for businesses with bonus runs or mixed pay schedules, since an extra run does not change the bill.

Which OnPay setup should you buy?

Payroll only, under 10 workers in one state: OnPay works, but compare Patriot's lower base first, since the base fee dominates a small bill.

Multi-state teams: Payroll Essentials is the strong pick, because every state is included and the bill does not grow with each new state.

Hourly teams that need a time clock: the hourly bundle, which costs less than payroll plus HR plus time tracking bought separately.

Salaried teams without an HR person: the salaried bundle, for Live HR Support at a lower price than buying it alone.

For the wider field, see our best payroll software for small business ranking and best free payroll software for the no-cost options. If you are still deciding whether to outsource payroll at all, how much payroll costs for a small business and how to run payroll yourself cover the alternatives.

How we checked these prices

Louis Corneloup, founder of Dupple and Toolradar, prepared this breakdown for small businesses choosing a payroll setup. We read every OnPay price, bundle, feature and fee on OnPay's pricing page and the free first month on OnPay's sign-up page on October 19, 2026. Patriot figures come from its pricing page the same day, at list price. The monthly bills are our arithmetic from those published rates. The Toolradar rank and median come from OnPay's Toolradar record that month. Publishing rules for this site sit on the HRpresso about page.

Cite this: HRpresso, "OnPay Pricing 2026: Base Fee, Per-Worker Cost and the HR Add-On", October 2026.

FAQ

How much does OnPay cost in 2026?

OnPay's Payroll Essentials plan costs $49 a month plus $6 per worker paid, with all federal, state and local tax filings included. A 10-person team pays $109 a month for payroll. Prices were read on OnPay's pricing page in October 2026.

How much is OnPay's HR add-on?

The HR add-on costs $15 a month plus $2 per worker. Compliance Resources adds $10 a month and Live HR Support adds $65 a month, both flat. At 10 workers, payroll plus HR comes to $144 a month.

Does OnPay charge extra for multiple states?

No. Payroll Essentials includes payroll in as many states as you need, with federal, state and local tax filings. Patriot, by contrast, charges $12 a month for each additional state on Full Service Payroll.

Is there a free trial of OnPay?

OnPay offers the first month free when you sign up. It has no free plan after that; the cheapest setup is Payroll Essentials, which costs $55 a month for one worker.

Are OnPay's bundles worth it?

Usually, if you want two or more add-ons. The hourly bundle costs less than its three products bought separately at every team size, and it adds time tracking to payroll plus HR for a small increase in both the base and the per-worker fee.

Does OnPay charge for contractors?

OnPay's plan pays both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, and the per-worker fee applies to each worker paid in the month. A month in which you pay fewer people costs less.

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