Skip to content
Español

Payroll software review

Paycor Payroll

Payroll and HR from Paycor, a Paychex company. Plans for businesses with under 50 employees start at $99 a month plus $5 per employee, with federal and state tax filing.

By PaycorParent company: Paychex, Inc.

RTC SCORE

4.9

#17 of 22 with enough data

Not enough verified data yet

We've verified 7 of 12 key facts for this payroll provider. Until we reach 80%, this page shows what we have, with sources, and it isn't a full review.

Our verdict

Published prices for small businesses, but the contract terms depend on the order you sign. Read the term, the 60-day notice and the conditions of any discount before signing.

What we like

  • Published plan prices: Basic is $99 a month plus $5 per employee, with no setup fee.
  • Its terms say Paycor pays tax penalties and interest caused by its own filing errors.
  • Earned wage access free for the employer, and a pay card with no monthly fee for employees.
  • After you leave, you can download payroll and tax reports for 60 days.

What to watch

  • The term is set by your order: a public 2024 order had 36 months with an early termination fee, and the 50%-off offer ties you for 24 months.
  • 60 days' notice to cancel.
  • Local taxes, extra states and year-end forms appear as extras without a published price.
  • Tip tools are only claimed in marketing, and its POS links don't include Toast, Square, Clover or Shift4 POS.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score4.9out of 10

Methodology v0.1.0

Data completeness70%

We could verify 70% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month payroll cost (reference restaurant), Who files payroll taxes, Published pricing
Weakest point
POS integrations

Score by criterion

  • 12-month payroll cost (reference restaurant)Weight 19%Strongest7.8 out of 10

    $2,088 over 12 months

  • Who files payroll taxesWeight 7%Strongest8.5 out of 10
  • POS integrationsWeight 6%Weakest0.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Tip credit and minimum wage make-upWeight 5%3.0 out of 10
  • Tips imported from POS systemsWeight 5%0.0 out of 10
  • 2026 W-2 ready for No Tax on TipsWeight 5%0.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 5%No data
  • Live support hours a weekWeight 5%No data
  • Payroll in all 50 statesWeight 4%No data
  • Time trackingWeight 4%5.0 out of 10
  • FICA tip credit (Form 8846)Weight 3%No data
  • Tip pooling and tip-outsWeight 3%No data
  • Early termination feeWeight 3%No data
  • Unlimited pay runsWeight 3%No data
  • Fastest direct deposit includedWeight 3%No data
  • Tax penalty guaranteeWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Year-end W-2 and 1099 formsWeight 2%5.0 out of 10
  • Accounting integrationsWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 2%5.0 out of 10
  • Garnishments and new-hire reportingWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Declared cash tipsWeight 2%No data
  • State and local minimum wages built inWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Dedicated specialistWeight 2%No data
  • Paying 1099 contractorsWeight 1%10.0 out of 10
  • Early pay for employeesWeight 1%5.0 out of 10

Current promotions

  • Discount

    Not publishedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Worth 50% of the monthly plan fees for six months; the amount depends on your plan and headcount.
    Conditions
    50% off the monthly fees of Basic, Essential, Core or Complete for the first six months after activation, for new customers. You must keep the services for 24 months from signing: if you leave before month 13 you pay back all the credits, and 50% of them in months 13 to 24. Implementation and other payroll fees are not discounted. Paycor calls it a limited-time offer and publishes no end date.
    Valid until
    The vendor publishes no end date. We take it down if we can't re-check it within 30 days.

  • Discount

    Not publishedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)One month of payroll free; the amount depends on your plan and headcount.
    Conditions
    One month of free payroll and the bundle setup fee waived, shown on the plans page with no published terms or end date.
    Valid until
    The vendor publishes no end date. We take it down if we can't re-check it within 30 days.

Counts in the RTC Score only if our reference restaurant qualifies.

The switching or signing incentive is one of the criteria with the most weight in the RTC Score. We count a promotion only while it's current, with a fixed published amount and conditions our reference restaurant meets. "Up to" amounts, buyouts of your current contract and unpublished amounts don't count. The cost calculator subtracts one only when your numbers qualify.

Check it with your numbers

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
Base fee$99/moSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Basic plan. Essential is $149 plus $6, Complete $199 plus $7 per employee (a second block on the same page shows $7 and $8).
Per employee$5Source: Paycor (opens in a new tab)
Who counts as an employeeUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor charges per employee per month, without saying whether an employee not paid that month counts.
Per contractor (1099)Not publishedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not published.
Published pricingPublishedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)
Setup fee$0 one-timeSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Basic has no setup fee. Essential lists $59, Complete $99 and HCM $199, waived under the current offer.
Year-end forms feeNot publishedSource: California Montessori Project (public board packet) (opens in a new tab)Not published for the small-business plans. A public 2024 order for a larger client billed a W-2 base fee and year-end fees apart.
Each extra stateNot publishedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)The plan list includes additional state and local tax authorities as separate items, without a price.
Other feesMiscellaneous fees can be changed at any time without notice; some services have a minimum fee or minimum employee count. Monthly fees are not prorated when you leave.Source: Paycor (opens in a new tab)From Paycor's general terms (May 2023 version, published on paycor.com); your order can set other conditions.
Taxes and forms
Data pointValue
Who files payroll taxesThe provider calculates, files and pays federal and state payroll taxesSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Additional local tax authorities appear as a separate item in the plan list.
Payroll in all 50 statesUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor doesn't say on these pages that it runs payroll in all 50 states.
Year-end W-2 and 1099 formsPrepared and filed for an extra chargeSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor processes W-2 and 1099 forms; its order terms bill year-end fees after year-end services.
Paying 1099 contractorsIncluded in payroll plansSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)
Tax penalty guaranteePays penalties caused by its own errorsSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)From Paycor's general terms (May 2023 version, published on paycor.com); your order can set other conditions.
Garnishments and new-hire reportingIncludedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)New-hire filing is in the base plan; with Basic you manage garnishments yourself, and Paycor remits them from Complete up.
Paying your team
Data pointValue
Pay schedulesWeekly, Every two weeks, MonthlySource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor lists these as examples.
Unlimited pay runsUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Off-cycle pay runs are listed, but Paycor doesn't say whether extra runs cost more.
Fastest direct deposit includedUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor doesn't publish how fast direct deposit arrives; its pay card offers early access to deposits.
Early pay for employees (earned wage access)Offered; the employee pays a feeSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Free for the employer; employees may pay a small fee, which drops to none with a qualifying deposit to the Paycor Visa card.
Tips
Data pointValue
Imports tips from these POS systemsPAR, OthersSource: Paycor Marketplace (opens in a new tab)Paycor's marketplace says its POS integrations send tips; the listed POS are PAR Brink, NCR systems and others through partners, none of the seven on our list.
Tip pooling and tip-outsUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
Tip credit and minimum wage make-upClaimed, without documented mechanicsSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor says tip credits are automatic, without documenting how.
FICA tip credit (Form 8846)UnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
Declared cash tipsUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
2026 W-2 for No Tax on Tips (code TP and tipped occupation code)Not confirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Its No Tax on Overtime article (Mar 9, 2026) doesn't commit the product, and we found no Paycor page on the tipped occupation code.
2026 W-2 for qualified overtime (code TT)Not confirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Its No Tax on Overtime article (Mar 9, 2026) doesn't commit the product.
Service charges paid as wagesUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
State and local minimum wages built inYesSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)A claim in Paycor's own article, without product detail.
Integrations and time tracking
Data pointValue
POS integrations (hours or sales data)PAR, OthersSource: Paycor Marketplace (opens in a new tab)PAR Brink (through Delaget), NCR back office and NCR Aloha (through Flexspring), Crunchtime and others.
Time trackingPaid add-on or higher planSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor Time is sold apart from the payroll plans.
SchedulingUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)The employee app shows shifts and schedules, but Paycor doesn't say whether scheduling comes in the Basic plan.
Accounting integrationsOthersSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)General ledger reports and an electronic GL; Paycor's marketplace lists a Sage Intacct connector. QuickBooks and Xero are not named.
Payroll engineThe vendor itselfSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)
Benefits and insurance
Data pointValue
Health benefitsUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor sells benefits administration, but doesn't say on these pages whether it sells health coverage.
Workers' compensationPay-as-you-go connected to payrollSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Workers' comp payments deducted with payroll, from the Essential plan up.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termNot publishedSource: California Montessori Project (public board packet) (opens in a new tab)Set by your order. Paycor's general terms have no fixed term, but a public 2024 order set a 36-month initial term.
Automatic renewalNot publishedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)The renewal term is whatever your order says.
Notice to avoid renewal60 daysSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)From Paycor's general terms (May 2023 version, published on paycor.com); your order can set other conditions.
Early termination feeNot publishedSource: California Montessori Project (public board packet) (opens in a new tab)Depends on your order. The general terms let either side end with 60 days' notice, but a public 2024 order set a 36-month term with a fee equal to the monthly fees left, and the 50%-off offer is clawed back if you leave within 24 months.
Early termination clausePaycor's general terms let either side end the service with 60 days' written notice. An order can set an initial term: a public 2024 order set 36 months, with a fee equal to the monthly fees left in the term plus year-end fees. The 50%-off offer requires 24 months; leaving earlier means paying back 100% of the credits before month 13 and 50% in months 13 to 24.Source: Paycor (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesUnless your order says otherwise, Paycor can change its fees with 30 days' notice, and using the service means you accept them. Miscellaneous fees can change at any time without notice.Source: Paycor (opens in a new tab)From Paycor's general terms (May 2023 version, published on paycor.com); your order can set other conditions.
Your records when you leaveYou can download them yourselfSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)After you leave you keep access to payroll and tax reports for up to 60 days to download your data.
Support
Data pointValue
Support 24/7UnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor doesn't publish its support hours for small-business plans.
Live support hours a weekUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not published.
Dedicated specialistUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)A dedicated HR business partner appears in the higher bundles; Paycor doesn't say whether Basic includes an assigned payroll specialist.
Language
Data pointValue
Employee app in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Paycor doesn't say whether its employee app works in Spanish.
Owner's dashboard in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
Pay stubs in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
Support in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)Not documented: Paycor's plans, payroll and restaurant pages don't mention it (checked October 1, 2026).
Contract or terms in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)We only found the terms in English.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: Paycor (opens in a new tab)No Spanish version or language selector on paycor.com.

More about Paycor Payroll

How we score