Cheapest Accounting Software with Payroll in 2026
Updated 16 April 2026
Payroll is never included in the base price. Here is what you actually pay when you add payroll to each accounting platform, broken down by employee count.
Total Monthly Cost: Accounting + Payroll
| Software + Payroll | 1 employee | 3 employees | 5 employees | 10 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave + Wave PayrollCheapest | $26/mo | $38/mo | $50/mo | $80/mo |
| Zoho Books Standard + Zoho Payroll | $66/mo | $69/mo | $72/mo | $79/mo |
| QuickBooks Simple Start + QB Payroll Core | $69/mo | $81/mo | $93/mo | $123/mo |
| FreshBooks + Gusto | $61/mo | $73/mo | $85/mo | $115/mo |
All figures use annual billing rates for accounting software. Payroll costs are base price + per-employee fee.
Cheapest at Each Headcount
1 employee
Wave
$26/mo
Wave Payroll: $20 base + $6
3 employees
Wave
$38/mo
Wave Payroll: $20 base + $18
5 employees
Wave
$50/mo
Wave Payroll: $20 base + $30
10 employees
Zoho
$79/mo
Zoho Payroll: $49 base + $15
What Payroll Includes Per Vendor
Wave + Wave Payroll
$0 + $20/mo + $6/employee
- ✓Direct deposit
- ✓Tax filing (most states)
- ✓W-2 and T4 generation
- ✓Employee self-service portal
- ✓Automatic tax calculations
Wave Payroll is available in 14 US states for full-service (tax-filing) payroll. Other states get self-service payroll where you file taxes yourself.
Zoho Books Standard + Zoho Payroll
$15 + $49/mo + $1.5/employee
- ✓Direct deposit
- ✓Federal and state tax filing
- ✓W-2 and 1099 generation
- ✓Employee portal
- ✓PTO tracking
- ✓Workers comp integration
Zoho Payroll is a separate subscription from Zoho Books but integrates natively. The per-employee rate is much lower than competitors at $1.50.
QuickBooks Simple Start + QB Payroll Core
$18 + $45/mo + $6/employee
- ✓Direct deposit (same-day available)
- ✓Federal and state tax filing
- ✓W-2 and 1099 generation
- ✓Employee portal
- ✓Health benefits integration
- ✓Workers comp
QuickBooks payroll is the most widely supported by US accountants. Full-service tax filing in all 50 states. The combined cost is high but the ecosystem value is real.
FreshBooks + Gusto
$15 + $40/mo + $6/employee
- ✓Direct deposit
- ✓Federal and state tax filing
- ✓W-2 and 1099 generation
- ✓Employee self-service
- ✓Health insurance
- ✓401(k) integration
- ✓PTO tracking
FreshBooks uses Gusto as a third-party payroll partner. Gusto is excellent but adds significant cost. The combined stack is pricier than Wave or Zoho.
When to use a standalone payroll provider
If your accounting software does not offer integrated payroll (or you want more robust features like health benefits administration, 401(k) management, and workers comp), consider a standalone payroll provider. Gusto starts at $40/month + $6 per person and works with any accounting tool via CSV export or native integrations.
For more payroll options, see CheapestPayrollService.com and BestPayrollSoftwareForSmallBusiness.com.