Patriot Software

Patriot is the lowest-cost option in this comparison, with a per-employee fee of $5/emp/mo on its Full Service plan, where Patriot files your taxes, plus a lower-priced Basic plan where you file your own payroll taxes. Both run unlimited payroll. The comparison table on this page shows the current base and per-employee fees for the Full Service tier, and the calculator above estimates your monthly cost on your headcount.

Patriot Basic Payroll is cheaper but leaves payroll tax filing to you: it calculates everything and runs payroll, but you file and pay the federal, state, and local taxes yourself. Full Service Payroll costs a little more and has Patriot calculate, file, and pay those taxes for you. If you want hands-off, full-service payroll, choose Full Service; Basic suits businesses comfortable handling their own filings to save money.

Yes. Patriot is built for cost-conscious small businesses that want straightforward, low-cost payroll without a lot of extra HR or benefits features. Its low base and per-employee fees, free US-based support, and simple interface make it a strong fit for small employers. Businesses that need deep benefits administration, time tracking, or HR tools may prefer Gusto or a larger suite.

Yes. Patriot generates and files year-end W-2s for employees and 1099s for contractors on both its Basic and Full Service plans, and handles new-hire reporting. On Full Service it also files and pays your payroll taxes throughout the year, while on Basic the year-end forms are produced but you remain responsible for filing your periodic tax deposits.

Yes. Patriot integrates with QuickBooks Online and with its own Patriot Accounting product, so payroll entries flow into your books without manual re-entry. If you already use QuickBooks for accounting and want a low-cost payroll add-on, Patriot is one of the cheapest ways to run full-service payroll alongside it.