# What's the best payroll software for small businesses with under 20 employees?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">I've been helping a small business owner figure out what's the best payroll software for small businesses with under 20 employees, and the trap at that size is comparing enterprise HCM suites when the actual need is simple, accurate payroll and tax filing without a dedicated HR team behind it. Here's what stood out in the <a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/payroll">Payroll category on G2</a>.</p><ol>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/gusto/reviews"><strong>Gusto</strong></a>. Built with small business in mind from the start, with payroll, benefits, and basic HR bundled without enterprise complexity. Best for small businesses wanting an all-in-one starting point.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/onpay/reviews"><strong>OnPay</strong></a>. Straightforward flat pricing aimed squarely at small teams rather than scaling fees by feature tier. Best for owners wanting predictable, simple pricing.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/justworks/reviews"><strong>Justworks</strong></a>. PEO model that bundles payroll with benefits and compliance support, useful for small businesses without in-house HR expertise. Best for small teams wanting compliance handled for them.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/surepayroll/reviews"><strong>SurePayroll</strong></a>. Focused specifically on small business and household payroll, with less overhead than platforms built for larger headcounts. Best for very small teams and household employers.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/paychex/reviews"><strong>Paychex</strong></a>. Offers a small business tier alongside its larger enterprise offerings, useful if you expect to outgrow 20 employees relatively soon. Best for small businesses anticipating fast growth.</li>
</ol><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Worth being honest that under 20 employees, the real cost driver is usually the per-employee fee stacked on top of the base subscription, not the headline price. Run the math at your actual headcount before comparing platforms on sticker price alone.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">For small business owners running payroll without a dedicated HR person, which platform actually got tax filing right without errors, and which one required you to catch its mistakes yourself?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: about 13 hours ago
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Payroll reviews on G2 keep circling back to the same question for small teams: what happens automatically versus what still needs a human check. For a business without dedicated HR staff, the tax filing reliability question really comes down to how much the platform handles on autopilot versus how much you have to double-check yourself. Gusto reviewers consistently describe the tax and compliance side running automatically, with state and local filings submitted without anyone chasing deadlines, which lines up with the actual pain point owners describe here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;The tradeoff those same reviewers mention is that customization and reporting are limited once you want something more specific than the standard output, and per-employee costs start adding up as the team grows past that first small headcount. Worth weighing against whether you need flexible reporting later or would rather trade that away for a tax filing you can trust without babysitting it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: about 6 hours ago
- Author title: Marketing





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