Managed Payroll · Cost Guide
The honest, all-in number: what companies pay for in-house payroll staff, DIY software, a PEO, an outside accountant, or a fully managed service, compared side by side at real headcounts. BEG runs the whole function for $25-$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, with a $500 monthly minimum.
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TL;DR
Running payroll costs somewhere between roughly $300 a month for basic DIY software and $9,000 a month or more for an in-house payroll manager or PEO, depending on headcount and who does the work. BEG delivers a fully managed service, not software, at $25-$45 per employee per month all-inclusive, with a $500 monthly minimum for small teams.
The Direct Answer
A payroll service typically costs $300 to $700 monthly for self-service software at 20-50 employees, $1,250 to $2,250 monthly for a fully managed service at the same size, and $6,000 to $10,000 or more monthly for an in-house payroll manager or a PEO, depending on headcount, states, and what is included.
The number that matters is not the sticker price on a plan page. It is the all-in cost once you add the base fee, the per-employee fee, the tax filing add-on most vendors charge separately, the time your team spends running it, and the risk of a missed filing. Below is what each method actually costs once those pieces are counted.
Cost By Method
| Method | Monthly cost (25 employees) | Monthly cost (50 employees) | Who does the work | Compliance risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-house payroll manager | $5,000-$7,500 | $5,000-$7,500 (same salary) | Your employee | On you if they leave or make an error |
| DIY payroll software | $200-$450 | $350-$700 | You or your team, every cycle | You own filing accuracy |
| Outside accountant / CPA firm | $400-$900 | $700-$1,500 | Your accountant, on a billing cycle | Shared, but you pay for their time to fix issues |
| PEO (co-employment) | $3,125-$5,000 | $6,250-$10,000 | PEO, but you co-employ your staff | Lower, but you lose employer control |
| BEG managed payroll | $625-$1,125 | $1,250-$2,250 | BEG, fully managed | BEG is accountable for accuracy |
In-house payroll manager figures assume a $60,000-$90,000 base salary plus payroll taxes and benefits, spread monthly. PEO figures reflect typical published PEPM ranges of $125-$200. BEG figures use the $25 PEPM (existing system) and $45 PEPM (isolved) rates described below.
What Changes the Number
Headcount, the number of states you operate in, filing frequency, off-cycle and bonus runs, and whether garnishments or multi-entity payroll apply all push the monthly number up, regardless of which method you use.
The U.S. Department of Labor's state labor office directory is the primary source for confirming state-specific wage and hour requirements before you set up multi-state payroll.
The BEG Model
BEG charges $25 per employee per month to run payroll inside your existing system, or $45 PEPM to run it on BEG's isolved HCM platform, both all-inclusive, with a $500 monthly minimum and no migration required.
BEG operates as your managed payroll team inside ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, Paychex, Rippling, or whatever you already run. No migration, no re-training your team.
BEG moves you onto isolved, a full HCM platform with employee self-service, automated compliance updates, and benefits administration tools beyond basic payroll.
Billing is the greater of $500 or your headcount times your PEPM rate. This keeps the engagement viable for BEG at very small headcounts. See the per-employee breakdown for what that means below 20 employees.
From signed agreement to your first BEG-run pay cycle, most clients are live within 3-5 business days, whether staying on their current system or moving to isolved.
For the full scope breakdown by tier, see managed payroll pricing, or explore BEG's full managed payroll service for the complete list of what is included at every headcount.
Run Your Own Numbers
Enter your employee count and current payroll method in the free cost calculator for an instant estimate of your current spend vs. BEG's flat PEPM rate.
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The Real Comparison
A payroll manager at $70,000 salary costs roughly $91,000 per year fully loaded with taxes and benefits, or about $7,580 per month. At 30 employees, BEG's managed payroll costs $750-$1,350 per month, all-inclusive. The math holds at almost any headcount below several hundred employees.
Your Exact Number
Answer a few quick questions about headcount, states, and your current setup. Your exact BEG monthly and annual cost shows on screen instantly, no commitment required.
FAQ
Most small businesses spend $70-$250 monthly on DIY payroll software, or $625-$1,125 monthly with BEG's fully managed service for 25 employees at $25-$45 PEPM. The right choice depends on whether you want software you operate yourself or a team that runs it for you.
The sticker price is lower, but DIY software shifts the labor of data entry, error correction, and filing verification onto your team. A managed service costs more per line item but removes that time and the compliance risk that comes with it.
A PEO charges $125-$200 PEPM because it takes on co-employment, bundling payroll with benefits, HR, and workers' comp under a shared employer structure. BEG runs payroll only, at $25-$45 PEPM, with no co-employment and no PEO markup.
No. Federal and state tax filings, quarterly 941 and 940 filings, and year-end W-2 preparation and delivery are included in the flat $25-$45 PEPM rate, not billed as add-ons.
DIY software has the lowest sticker price, typically $70-$250 monthly. It is cheapest in dollars but most expensive in staff time and compliance risk, since your team enters data and verifies filings every cycle.
Yes. Monthly billing is the greater of $500 or your employee count multiplied by your PEPM rate. For companies with very few employees, see the per-employee cost breakdown for what that minimum means in practice.
Want the per-employee math? See payroll cost per employee or read about payroll system and software costs.
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