Many business owners don't have time to dig into every aspect of payroll. That's why you hire a service, right? But if you don't know about the elements of a payroll service, you don't know whether you have the right service… or if you're being overcharged.

So, what does CSI Accounting & Payroll's payroll service cost? Different businesses have different payroll needs – and therefore add on different features, require different work, and have different influences that are out of their control (such as employee paycheck garnishments). We'll talk about all of that and break down our pricing structure by answering:

• What is the average cost of CSI's payroll service? What is the range?
• What common factors influence the cost?
• What miscellaneous factors influence the cost?
• Is there anything I can do to keep my fee low?

Average Cost of Our Payroll Service

Out of our current payroll-only client base, a typical month of payroll fees (as some things can fall outside of your pay frequency,such as annual W-2 fees) can range from a little under $100 to $500+. The average is around $275 per month. 

Payroll includes a mix of factors that are beyond your control and customizable options that are fully in your control, so we’re going to focus more on what the controllable options will cost you. When we price our payroll service, we consider common factors (such as the number of states you'll pay taxes to, your pay frequency, and the number of employees on payroll) and miscellaneous factors.

Common Factors that Impact Payroll Service Costs

As we mentioned above, common factors in pricing a payroll service can include:

• The number of states you will pay taxes to. Fees will be added per state that we need to process per pay period. If your employees all live in one state, you only pay taxes to one state. 
• Your pay frequency. The more often you pay your staff, the more often we process it. This results in higher fees per pay period. Choose from weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly pay frequencies.
• The number of employees on payroll. Payroll fees are heavily influenced by the number of employees on payroll. There will typically be a small fee per employee per pay period.

Miscellaneous Payroll Service Fees

Aside from the factors that most commonly influence payroll fees, there are also fees for add-ons and situational factors.

Add-Ons

• Showing PTO on paystubs
• HR service
• Timekeeping software
• Printing and delivering paper checks and reports
• Employment verifications
• Amending W2s or quarterly payment tax returns (on behalf of a prior provider, not our error)
  

Situational Factors

• New hire reporting
• Child support and other garnishments*
• Retirement plan reporting*
• Rush fee for late changes to payroll details
• Bounced direct deposits

*These are somewhat optional. We can charge an additional fee to handle garnishments and retirement plan money, otherwise, we can just set these up in our system for no additional cost and allow you to handle the money.

Keep Your Fee Lower Without Compromising

When it comes to payroll features, you get what you pay for. While CSI's fees are similar to national payroll providers’ fees for many small business payroll situations, we won’t always be the lower-priced option in every circumstance. So, before discarding a high-quality service for a low-quality one, consider what you can do to minimize your fees with the high-quality service first.

At CSI Accounting & Payroll, businesses with the lowest fees have opted for some of these:

• Not using timekeeping or doing their own timekeeping. They may have only salaried employees, or they'll be responsible for getting timekeeping reports to us on time.
• Using direct deposit and electronic reports. Not using paper reports saves money.
• Not using delivery for paper materials. If applicable, you can pick them up yourself.
• Not signing on for extra features. Examples include not tracking PTO directly on employees’ paystubs and not signing up for an HR service.
• Not hiring new employees often. Therefore, you don’t need to do new hire reporting often.

Not only that, but clients who bundle both accounting and payroll with us get a discount of $105 per month at the time this article was written. (Do you know about the benefits of having your accounting and payroll handled under one roof?)

Get a Payroll Quote From CSI!

Remember, for many small business payroll situations, CSI has similar prices to large, national providers. Now you know our average payroll fee and range, the factors that influence the cost, and how you can keep your fee minimized, are you ready to see if we can be a good match? Let's chat!

Note: We try to keep this current, but any costs referenced here are subject to change. For a custom quote, please schedule a call:

If you’re not ready to reach out, that’s fine! You can estimate your own per-payroll costs first before talking to a consultant, but only a consultant can give an accurate quote! Try our calculator below: