Patriot Software
Run US payroll, file taxes on Full Service, and keep books in Patriot Accounting or post a journal to QuickBooks Online.
Best for
US shops that want cheap payroll (and optionally a cheap ledger) under one login, and will accept a thinner feature set than Gusto or QuickBooks Online.
Not ideal if
Anyone who needs inventory, a native Xero journal, or payroll inside QuickBooks Online with no second vendor. Also a poor fit if you expected Basic Payroll to file the taxes, or if you pay people outside the US.
Standout
A published payroll sticker well below Gusto and OnPay, plus an optional $20 ledger, and Full Service tax filing with free USA phone support on every tier.
About Patriot Software
Patriot Software is US payroll plus an optional ledger, sold together or separately under one login. You add employees and contractors, enter hours (or import them from the Time & Attendance add-on), and run payroll as often as you want. Patriot calculates withholdings and pays by free direct deposit or printed check. On Full Service, Patriot deposits and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes (940, 941, W-2, W-3). On Basic you get the calculations and you file. After you map wages, taxes, and deductions once, each run posts a journal into Patriot Accounting, or into QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop is an IIF export you import yourself. You still match the bank lump.
It can replace QuickBooks Online if you buy Accounting. It can also sit next to QuickBooks Online as payroll only. It does not replace Xero; there is no native Xero journal. Gusto and OnPay are the other full-service payroll picks in this directory; both cost more at the published base, and Gusto also posts into Xero. Wave is a cheaper cash ledger with payroll as a separate add-on. Kick is the other replacement ledger. Rippling is the broader HR, IT, and spend platform. Patriot's job is a low sticker for US payroll, with a cheap books module if you want both in one login.
People who stick want tax filings (or cheap calculations they file themselves) without a Gusto-sized base, and they will live with a thinner feature set. Bookkeepers in public forums put multiple small clients on it. Owners cite the price and USA phone support. They leave when they need inventory, a Xero file, or payroll journals that already live inside QuickBooks Online with no second vendor.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
Full Service is cheap and files the taxes
Owners compare the $37 + $5 sticker to Gusto and say Full Service is the tier that is actually worth buying, not Basic.
Bookkeepers park small clients on it
Firms in r/Bookkeeping describe 20-plus clients (most under 10 employees) staying on Patriot after trying Gusto or Intuit.
USA phone support is included
Support is free phone, chat, and email 9 a.m.–7 p.m. ET on every tier. Owners repeat that as the reason they stay at the low sticker.
What they hesitate about
State remittance can run late
A bookkeeper described California EDD notices after late remits (Patriot paid the late fee; the state denied abatement). Another commenter alleged late state payments that did not match the summaries.
Basic looks like full-service until it is not
The $17 + $4 sticker is calculations only. Filing, deposits, and free 1099 e-file start at $37 + $5, plus $12 per extra state.
The books and the QBO sync are thin
No inventory. No native Xero. Contractor payments and payroll history do not import into QuickBooks Online. Time cards are an add-on.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- Partial
- QuickBooks Online
- Yes
- Xero
- No
- Multi-entity
- Partial
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- Yes
- Payroll
- Yes
In Patriot Accounting, dismiss payroll and contractor bank imports so you do not double-post, match the payroll journal to the lump debit, reconcile accounts, and hand cash or accrual reports. Next to QuickBooks Online, review the Patriot journal, post contractor payments yourself, match the bank lump, and lock the period in QuickBooks. Adjustments after a run do not auto-sync.
Invite the accountant as a Patriot user (permissions on Premium). Full Service files 940, 941, W-2, and W-3. The CPA still prepares the income tax return from Patriot reports or the QuickBooks Online file.
Images
Features
Run payroll and file the taxes (Full Service)
Enter hours, approve the run, and pay by free 4-day direct deposit (2-day for qualifying customers) or check. Unlimited runs, including off-cycle. Basic ($17/mo + $4 per worker paid) calculates taxes; you file. Full Service ($37/mo + $5 per worker paid) deposits and files federal, state, and local taxes plus year-end 940, 941, W-2, and W-3. Extra filing states are $12/month each. US workers only.
Post the journal to Patriot Accounting or QuickBooks Online
Map wages, taxes, deductions, and contributions once. Each live run (and voids) posts a journal into Patriot Accounting or QuickBooks Online. Choose a summary or a line per employee. Contractor payments and payroll history do not import into QuickBooks Online. Connecting Patriot Accounting disconnects QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop is an IIF export.
Keep books in Patriot Accounting
Connect banks and cards through Plaid (up to two years of automatic history). Categorize income and expenses, send unlimited invoices, record vendor payments, and reconcile accounts. Reports toggle cash and accrual. Unlimited users at no extra seat fee; permissions are Premium. US addresses only for customers, vendors, and contractors.
Invoice and collect through Stripe
Unlimited customers and invoices on Accounting Basic. Customers pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or ACH once you connect Stripe. Stripe's processing fees apply. Estimates, recurring invoices, payment reminders, receipt attachments, and subaccounts sit on Premium ($30/mo).
Pay contractors and e-file 1099s
Pay 1099 contractors in the same payroll as W-2s, including direct deposit. Create and print 1099s and 1096s at no extra form fee. E-file is free on Full Service. On Basic Payroll or Accounting-only it is $20 for 1–5 forms, then $2 each through 35, capped at $80. Patriot does not support corrected 1099s. Contractor payments do not sync to QuickBooks Online.
Time cards and HR as add-ons
Time & Attendance is $6/month + $2 per employee who uses a time card. Employees clock in from the web or the My Patriot app; you import hours into the run. HR Software is the same $6 + $2 add-on for files, manager permissions, and the HR Compliance Center. Neither is included in Basic or Full Service.
Pricing
A 5-person single-state shop on Full Service pays $37 + $25 = $62/month. A second filing state adds $12 ($74/month). Add Accounting Basic and the bundle is $82/month. The same shop on Basic Payroll is $17 + $20 = $37/month, and you file the taxes. Ten people on Full Service is $37 + $50 = $87/month before add-ons. Time & Attendance or HR is another $6 + $2 per employee each. 1099 e-file is free on Full Service; Basic or Accounting-only starts at $20 for up to 5 forms. 30-day trial, then 50% off for 3 months; after that, list price. Month to month. Payroll billed in arrears. Months you pay nobody, you still pay the base.
Accounting Basic
A cheap US ledger if you will invoice, import the bank, and skip estimates, receipts, and user permissions.
- Unlimited customers and invoices
- Unlimited vendors, contractors, and users
- Automatic bank imports (Plaid)
- Income and expense tracking
- Stripe invoice payments (Stripe fees apply)
- Account reconciliation and cash/accrual reports
Accounting Premium
The same ledger plus estimates, recurring invoices, receipt attachments, subaccounts, and user permissions.
- Everything in Accounting Basic
- Estimates that convert to invoices
- Recurring invoices and payment reminders
- Receipt and document attachments
- User-based permissions
- Up to 8 levels of subaccounts
Basic Payroll
US shops that want calculations, free direct deposit, and unlimited runs, and will file the taxes themselves.
- Unlimited payrolls
- Free direct deposit
- Tax calculations (you deposit and file)
- Employee and contractor portals
- Auto payroll
- Pay contractors in the same run
Full Service Payroll
The filing tier. Patriot deposits and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes. Extra states are $12/month each.
- Everything in Basic Payroll
- Federal tax filings and deposits
- State tax filings and deposits
- Local tax filings and deposits
- Year-end 940, 941, W-2, and W-3 at no extra form fee
- 1099 e-file included
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of Patriot Software
Gusto
Pick Gusto instead if you want benefits and HR on the same login, and a mapped journal into QuickBooks Online or Xero. Patriot Full Service is cheaper. Gusto Simple does not file a second state, and Patriot has no native Xero journal.
OnPay
Pick OnPay instead if you want full-service filings in all 50 states at a published $49 + $6 base with no extra per-state fee. Patriot Full Service files all 50 states but charges $12/month per additional state.
QuickBooks Online
Stay in QuickBooks Online if you need inventory, a large app store, or payroll journals that already live inside that file (Intuit Workforce). Patriot can post into QBO; it is not QBO.
Wave
Pick Wave instead if you want a free or $19 cash ledger and you do not need Patriot's payroll-plus-books bundle. Wave Payroll is a separate add-on.