OnPay
Run US payroll, file taxes in all 50 states, and post a mapped journal into QuickBooks Online or Xero.
Best for
US shops that want full-service payroll tax filing in all 50 states at a published $49 + $6 sticker, and a mapped journal in QuickBooks Online or Xero.
Not ideal if
Anyone who needs payroll to live inside QuickBooks Online with no second vendor, who needs a built-in time clock, or who expected OnPay to be the ledger.
Standout
All-50-state tax filings sit in the published $49 + $6 base, then OnPay posts a mapped journal into QuickBooks Online or a bill or manual journal into Xero.
About OnPay
OnPay is US payroll, HR, and benefits, not a ledger. You add employees or contractors, run payroll as often as you want, and OnPay calculates withholdings, pays people by direct deposit, printable check, or debit card, and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes in all 50 states plus DC (941, 940, W-2, and 1099-NEC). After each run you map wages, taxes, and deductions to your chart of accounts. OnPay posts journal entries into QuickBooks Online, or a bill or manual journal into Xero. You still close the books there.
It does not replace QuickBooks Online or Xero. Gusto's published Simple sticker matches OnPay's base, but Simple is single-state; multi-state starts on Plus. OnPay puts all-50-state filings in that $49 + $6 base. Patriot sells cheaper payroll plus an accounting module under one login. Rippling is the broader HR, IT, and spend platform if payroll is only one piece. Kick is the replacement ledger. Stay in QuickBooks Online if you want Intuit Workforce journals inside that file with no second mapping layer.
People who stick want one published price that already covers multi-state filings, unlimited runs, and phone support, and they will pay the base-plus-headcount bill as the team grows. Owners on public forums cite a short payroll run and no extra fee per run. Bookkeepers and accountant partners care that the journal or bill lands in QuickBooks Online after they finish the mappings.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
A published flat fee and unlimited runs
Owners cite the $49 + $6 sticker, no per-run fee, and paying only for people they include that month.
A short setup and the hire enters their own details
Forum users describe about an hour to configure, then self-onboarding so the hire enters bank and tax details.
Multi-state and 1099s without an upsell
The same base covers W-2 and 1099 in one run and tax filings in all 50 states plus DC.
What they hesitate about
Support is slow when a filing goes wrong
Threads describe months-long fixes, missing W-2c, and the owner filing 941-X after a tax or year-end error.
Mid-year switches and odd tax cases can land messy
One owner spent 50-plus hours on a switch, then found local tax and >2% owner health-insurance wages wrong on the W-2.
HR and time tracking are thinner than the price suggests
A 2.5-year user stayed for the price but wanted a built-in time clock and a 401(k) they already used. Official pricing puts the PTO dashboard on the HR add-on.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- No
- QuickBooks Online
- Yes
- Xero
- Yes
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- Yes
- Payroll
- Yes
After each run, review the OnPay journal in QuickBooks Online (summary is payroll plus tax sweep; detail is one journal per employee plus the sweeps) or the Xero bill or manual journal. Match it to the lump bank debit, clear benefit liabilities when you pay the carrier, and lock the period in the ledger. Unmapped accounts block the auto-sync. Desktop shops import an IIF.
Invite the accountant as a user or OnPay Partner. OnPay files W-2s, 1099-NECs, 940, and 941. The CPA still needs the QuickBooks Online or Xero file for the rest of the return.
Images
Features
Run payroll and file the taxes
Run payroll as often as you want. Unlimited runs are in the base, including off-cycle. OnPay withholds, pays by direct deposit, printable check, or debit card, and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes in all 50 states plus DC. Multi-state is in the base. There is no second plan for a second state.
Sync the journal to QuickBooks Online or Xero
Connect from the App Directory and map every payroll category. After each run, OnPay posts journal entries to QuickBooks Online (summary is payroll plus tax sweep; detail is one journal per employee plus the sweeps). Xero Early uses a manual journal. Growing and Established can take bills. Unmapped accounts block the auto-sync. QuickBooks Desktop is an IIF export you import yourself.
Pay contractors and file 1099-NECs
Pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in the same run. OnPay generates and files Form 1099-NEC at year end. Self-print is free. Direct mail is $10 per form. You pay the per-person rate only in months you include that contractor in a run. There is no Contractor Only plan; the $49 base still applies.
Self-onboard a new hire
Send the invite from OnPay. The hire enters tax and bank details and e-signs I-9 and W-4. OnPay can file the new-hire report to the state. Custom offer letters and onboarding checklists sit in the base. Richer workflows, org charts, and the PTO dashboard start on the HR add-on.
Benefits and workers' comp on the same payroll
The published base lists benefits admin: compare health, dental, and vision, use in-house licensed agents, and deduct premiums on the run. Workers' comp (ERGO NEXT pay-as-you-go) and 401(k) partners such as Vestwell update from the same payroll. Premiums still come from the carrier. This is still payroll, not the books.
Add HR tools for PTO and org charts
The HR add-on is +$15 base and +$2 per person. Official pricing puts the PTO dashboard, visual org charts, richer document templates, and equipment checklists on that add-on. Compliance Resources is another $10/month. Live HR Support is $65/month.
Pricing
A 5-person shop pays $49 + $30 = $79/month. Ten people is $49 + $60 = $109/month. Add the HR add-on and a 5-person shop is $49 + $30 + $15 + $10 = $104/month. Direct-mail W-2s or 1099s are $10 per form; self-print is free. Including a $0 worker in a run still bills the $6. Some states add sales tax on the SaaS bill. Partners get 10–20% off or a revenue share. Free setup and data migration. Monthly billing. Pricing page title advertises first month free; the body does not spell promo terms.
Payroll
Full-service US payroll for a small team that wants all-50-state filings in the base.
- Unlimited payrolls per month
- Tax filings and payments in all 50 states plus DC
- Pay W-2 and 1099 workers in the same run
- W-2 and 1099-NEC year-end filings (self-print free)
- Phone, chat, and email support 9am–8pm ET weekdays
HR add-on
Shops that want a PTO dashboard, org charts, and richer onboarding workflows on top of payroll.
- PTO requests, approvals, and team calendar
- Visual org charts and employee directory
- Richer onboarding workflows and e-sign templates
- Document storage with audit trails
- Equipment and software provisioning checklists
Compliance Resources
Optional enhancement for state-by-state compliance alerts and a resource library.
- Proactive state-by-state compliance alerts
- Compliance resource library
Live HR Support
Optional enhancement if you want licensed HR experts on call, not just payroll support.
- Concierge HR support
- Licensed HR experts
- HR document template library
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of OnPay
Gusto
Pick Gusto instead if you want Solo S-corp payroll, a Contractor Only plan, or built-in time tracking. Gusto Simple matches OnPay's $49 + $6 sticker but is single-state; Plus is $80 + $12. OnPay puts all-50-state filings in the base.
Rippling
Pick Rippling instead if payroll is one piece of a bigger workforce stack (HR, IT device and app access, and spend) and you will take a sales quote for that breadth.
Patriot Software
Pick Patriot Software instead if you want cheaper payroll and a cheap accounting module under one login. OnPay sits next to QuickBooks Online or Xero; it does not replace them.
QuickBooks Online
Stay in QuickBooks Online if the books already live there and you want Intuit Workforce payroll journals inside that file, with no second mapping layer. OnPay posts into QBO; it is not QBO.