Where are you coming from?
Pick your current setup. Each guide has a TL;DR, an honest side-by-side, where the other company is better, and a checklist.
Bigger HR suites, PEOs and restaurant payroll
What would it cost?
List prices only, straight from each company's pricing page. If they don't publish one, we say “quote only” and leave it there.
Your team, side by side
✓ Prices checked Oct 31, 2026List prices from each company’s own pricing page. Promos, add-ons and taxes not included. Quote-only providers show “quote only.” How we calculate
The calendar matters more than the software
A first payday in January means your old provider closes 2026 and the new one starts clean.7
Referral window: Gusto's terms.8 W-2 date: IRS.9
Dad storyPicture a bakery owner on December 30th.
Her payroll company is fine. Just fine.
She's been meaning to switch for two years.
Switch with a January payday, and the new provider only needs January.
Wait until July, and she gets to type in half a year.
The cake can wait. The calendar can't.
(Made-up bakery. Real rules.)
Four tools. No sign-up.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing to download, nothing sent anywhere.
Should I switch?
Four taps, one honest answer. Sometimes it's “stay put.”
Open →
Payroll cost calculator
Your team, their list prices, side by side. Quote-only means quote-only.
Open →
Switching checklist
Everything to download, set up and confirm. Remembers where you left off.
Open →
First-hire checklist
Pick a start date. Get the W-4, I-9 and new-hire deadlines.
Open →Guides
How to switch payroll providers
Why January is the easy button. Timeline, who files what.
Read →Payroll for your first employee
EIN, W-4, I-9, new-hire report, first 941. In order.
Read →S-corp owner: paying yourself
Salary first, distributions second. What the IRS says.
Read →The real cost of cheap payroll
Dad's own story, with a fees-plus-your-time calculator.
Read →House rules
- Every price and deadline links to the company's own page or a .gov page.
- We say where competitors are better. Sometimes they're cheaper.
- Stories are made up. Businesses are pretend; rules are real.
- We earn a referral reward from Gusto signups. It says so at the top of every page.
- Not tax advice. Payroll mechanics, yes. Tax strategy, ask a CPA.
Dad joke of the day
Loading a joke…
FAQ
Who is Payroll Dad?
A cartoon Dad who reads payroll fine print so you don't have to. The stories are made up. The rules, prices and deadlines link to official sources.
Do you work for Gusto?
No. We're independent. We earn a referral reward if you sign up for Gusto through our link, and we say so at the top of every page.
Why do you tell people when a competitor is cheaper?
Because sometimes it is. A switch you regret isn't good for anyone. The quiz will tell you to stay put when that's the honest answer.
Is this tax advice?
No. It's education about how payroll works. Your salary, entity and tax questions belong with a CPA or enrolled agent.
How current are the prices?
Every price was read from the vendor's own page on Oct 31, 2026. Each page lists its sources at the bottom, and all of them are here.
Sources, checked Oct 31, 2026
Every number on this page comes from one of these pages. Prices change; if a vendor updates its page, theirs wins.