How we rank payroll providers
The ranking rule
Providers with a published price are ranked by estimated annual cost for your business, lowest first, among plans that meet the requirements you entered. Promotions, introductory discounts and affiliate payments are never part of that number.
What we never do
- We never invent or estimate a price. If a provider doesn't publish one, we say so and show no number.
- We never let an affiliate relationship influence the order. Affiliate links are attached to a result after it's ranked, never before.
- We never require an email or account to see results.
Confidence levels
| High confidence | Every figure in the total is a published price, verified within the last 45 days. |
|---|---|
| Medium confidence | A "starting at" price is in the total, a price is older than 45 days, year-end form fees are unpublished, or we assumed contractors are paid every month. |
| Low confidence | Something you need is an add-on with no published price, or a fee that applies to you (such as an additional state) is unpublished. The total leaves it out and says so. |
| Quote only | The base or per-employee price is unpublished. We show no number at all. |
How prices are verified
Every price is read directly from the provider's own pricing page, recorded with the exact wording and the date it was checked. Prices are re-checked on a schedule; a figure not re-verified within 45 days is flagged, and one not re-verified within 90 days is removed from the site until it is checked again.