# Square Payroll pricing (2026): plans, cost, and compliance

**Entry price:** $6/mo (Contractor-Only Payroll). Among the 8 hr & payroll software we track it is #2 cheapest of 8; median entry $14/mo.
**Domain:** squareup.com
**Free tier:** No
**Compliance:** HIPAA Not published · SOC 2 Not published · GDPR Not published
**Integrations:** Square POS, Square Staff (Team App), QuickBooks Online, Cash App, Workers' Compensation (add-on)
**Best for:** Square POS merchants (restaurants, retail, services) wanting payroll in one ecosystem; Food-and-beverage businesses with tip-heavy workforces; Micro-businesses running contractor-only payroll at minimal cost
**Price tracked since:** June 2026

## Plans

| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Billing | Notes | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Full-Service Payroll | $35 | — | flat | Flat base $35/mo plus $6 per person paid/mo. Unlimited pay runs, automated federal/state tax filings, multistate support, off-cycle payments, overtime calculations, benefit deductions, and payroll specialist support. | squareup.com |
| Contractor-Only Payroll | $6 | — | per_seat | No monthly base fee; $6 per contractor paid/mo. Direct payment within Square Dashboard, contractor self-onboarding, digital tax forms, and instant deposits via Cash App. | squareup.com |

**Key features:** Native timecard and tip import from Square POS; Automated multi-state payroll tax filings (federal, state, quarterly, annual); Instant deposits to employees via Cash App; 1099-NEC generation and e-filing for contractors; Payroll management directly inside Square Dashboard (no separate login).

**Plan limits:** Full-Service plan requires $35/mo base regardless of employee count; Contractor-Only plan: $6 per contractor paid per month, no base fee; No free tier or trial; payroll specialist support included in base plan.

## Cheaper hr & payroll software alternatives

- [Deel](https://frontdeskreview.com/software/hr-payroll-software/deel/) — from $5/mo

Sources: 1 · Last verified 2026-06-13
Provenance: Pricing published directly on squareup.com/us/en/payroll/pricing (fetched 2026-06-13).
Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/software/hr-payroll-software/square-payroll/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, Square Payroll's entry plan was $6/mo as of 2026-06-13 — https://frontdeskreview.com/software/hr-payroll-software/square-payroll/
License: CC BY 4.0. Price history: https://frontdeskreview.com/data/price-history.jsonl