SurePayroll is a payroll service provider that has been around for more than two decades, but is not as well known in the industry as some newer companies as one of the best payroll services. The platform was acquired by payroll giant Paychex in 2010 and offers a stripped-down alternative for businesses or employers that need a simplified payroll solution at a relatively low cost.
SurePayroll offers the basic payroll services a small business needs: automated payroll, direct deposit, and tax calculation. Employees appreciate the quick and easy access to their paychecks, and employers appreciate the simplicity and ease of use, even if the services are less robust than some competitors. In our SurePayroll review, we share everything you need to know, from pricing and features to customer service and security.
SurePayroll
| Transparent pricing? | Yes, for $39 plus $7 per employee per month |
| Duration of the free trial: | Every second month for the first 12 months free |
| 24/7 customer support? | Limited opening hours by phone or chat |
SurePayroll Plan and Pricing Overview
SurePayroll offers simple pricing in two plans for small businesses and a third plan for residential payroll. Both small business plans offer full payroll, including automated payroll, new employee reporting, direct deposit, and employee self-service. Both plans also include access to a human resources consultant, although full HR and benefits management requires an additional fee. Small businesses would likely benefit most from the full-service plan, which includes filing federal, state, and local taxes. Those who prefer to file their taxes themselves will benefit from the low cost of SurePayroll’s No Tax Filing plan, which outperforms most competitors.
SurePayroll is one of the few payroll providers that specializes specifically in household payroll, including specialized employer household support and Schedule H tax filing.
| Construction plans | Prices | Free trial or plan available? | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| No tax return | $20 plus $4 per Employees, per Month |
Yes | Automated payroll Reporting on new employees Direct deposit Online payroll Calculation of income tax HR consultant |
| Complete service | $39 plus $7 per Employees, per Month |
Yes | Everything in “No tax return”, plus: Federal and state taxes filed and paid Year-end tax returns |
| Household payroll | $59 plus $10 each Employees, per Month |
NO | Everything in the Small Business plans plus: Specialized household help (Monday to Saturday) Tax return according to Annex H |
| No tax return | |
|---|---|
| $20 plus $4 per Employees, per Month |
|
| Yes | |
| Automated payroll Reporting on new employees Direct deposit Online payroll Calculation of income tax HR consultant |
|
| Complete service | |
| 39 USD plus 7 USD per Employees, per Month |
|
| Yes | |
| Everything in “No tax return”, plus: Federal and state taxes filed and paid Year-end tax returns |
|
| Household payroll | |
| $59 plus $10 per Employees, per Month |
|
| NO | |
| Everything in the Small Business plans plus: Specialized household help (Monday to Saturday) Tax return according to Annex H |
Best SurePayroll Plan for Small Business: Full Service
SurePayroll’s Full Service plan is the most convenient for small businesses because it allows for automatic filing and payment of federal, state, and local taxes. The less expensive No Tax Filing plan saves you money, but costs you time (and additional fees) to collect and file tax documents and make payments manually. The Full Service plan offers automated payroll with tax filing, so you only need to enter one employee’s information into the software. The Full Service plan’s cost is comparable to similar plans from other providers.
Per
- Taxes filed and paid for you
- Prices comparable to those of the competition
- Self-service employee portal
- Mobile app for Android or iOS
Disadvantages
- Higher costs than the “No tax return” level
- Fewer performance management options than the competition
Other services offered by SurePayroll
- Time recording: SurePayroll does not offer native time tracking functionality, but it integrates with several time tracking platforms including Virtual TimeClock, Homebase, OnTheClock, and others.
- Payments to contractors: Process payroll and taxes for 1099 employees.
- MobileApp: SurePayroll offers two mobile apps, one for employees and one for employers. Employers can access employee information and process payroll through the app, and employees can update their information and view pay stubs.
- Performance management: For an additional fee, HR and benefits management is available through SureHR and SurePayroll’s 401(k) and insurance partners.
The SurePayroll platform and customer support
The SurePayroll brand stands for “simplifying payroll,” and that is reflected in the platform’s clean and simple interface. Unfortunately, this also means that the services are relatively stripped down.
Unusually, SurePayroll doesn’t offer an online help center or frequently asked questions (FAQs) on its website, but it does have a support chatbot that serves a similar function. You can also use chat to reach a human agent between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Central Time (Monday through Friday) or 8 a.m. to noon CT (Saturday).
Alternatively, you can contact customer support by phone:
- Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT
- Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT
SurePayroll customer service can be reached at (877) 956-7873. Customers report overwhelmingly positive interactions with customer service, saying that SurePayroll representatives were friendly and helpful.
Is SurePayroll safe?
SurePayroll uses security procedures and features standard among payroll providers, including encryption, 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), firewall passwords for online and phone service, and third-party system monitoring.
SurePayroll has not had any major security breaches in its history, but its parent company Paychex has experienced incidents in which hackers were able to access limited customer data belonging to individual companies.
SurePayroll User Reviews
SurePayroll has mostly positive user reviews, with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Apple’s App Store for the employee app and 4.7 out of 5 stars for the employer app. The Android app has much lower ratings — 3.2 and 2.8 out of 5, respectively — but also much fewer reviews, less than 200 for each app compared to thousands of reviews on the App Store. Employees love that the platform allows them to get paid quickly, but wish they could download their pay stubs directly from the app instead of switching to the desktop program. Overall, reviews tend to praise the friendly and helpful customer service.
Compare SurePayroll alternatives
SurePayroll vs Justworks
Justworks is a professional employer organization (PEO), meaning it acts as a co-employer or employer of record (EOR) for a company’s employees. The service provides basic payroll and benefits administration, but also offers more comprehensive HR and compliance support than payroll software like SurePayroll doesn’t.
Because SurePayroll’s services are much simpler than Justworks’, their prices are also much lower and they’re better suited to small businesses with straightforward payroll needs.
SurePayroll vs Gusto
Gusto is a more direct competitor to SurePayroll than similar online payroll service providers. Unlike SurePayroll, it doesn’t offer a low-cost, no-tax option. Its most basic plan is similarly priced to SurePayroll’s full-service option, but includes more extensive HR and benefits management options.
Gusto includes native time tracking, expense tracking, and expense reimbursement features, which would be more convenient than integrating multiple platforms with SurePayroll. However, they are only included in higher-end plans, so the cost would likely be similar to a subscription to multiple platforms in addition to SurePayroll.
Is SurePayroll right for you?
SurePayroll is designed for small businesses that need a simple and affordable payroll provider. The platform isn’t as robust as many competitors, but it offers a more affordable option than most similar services. The provider is well suited for a small business without complex payroll needs, such as expense reimbursement or international employees. Its low-cost service plan is a highly competitive option for small businesses that can more efficiently file their own payroll taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SurePayroll a good company?
SurePayroll is positively rated by the majority of its customers and the company has been providing payroll services for almost 25 years. It has been owned by major payroll provider Paychex since 2010.
How much does SurePayroll cost per month?
A basic SurePayroll plan with no tax filing costs $20 plus $4 per employee per month. A full-service plan with automatic tax filing and payment costs $39 plus $7 per employee per month. A household plan costs $59 plus $10 per employee per month.
Are SurePayroll and Paychex the same company?
SurePayroll was founded in 2000 and acquired by Paychex in 2010. SurePayroll continues to operate as a separate payroll platform outside of Paychex, although some of Paychex’s services, including NannyChex, have been integrated into SurePayroll’s services.
