Patriot Software Payroll Review: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Patriot Software is the payroll provider that proves you don’t need to spend $50 or more per month to run payroll correctly. Starting at $17/month plus $4 per employee, it is comfortably the most affordable payroll solution for small businesses in the United States. And the low price doesn’t come with low quality; it carries exceptional satisfaction ratings and processes over $5 billion in payroll annually for more than 60,000 clients across all 50 states.

The tradeoff is scope. Patriot deliberately targets small, US-based companies with straightforward payroll needs. It lacks international payroll, advanced HR features, robust benefits administration, and the deep third-party integrations you’ll find in pricier platforms like Gusto or ADP. If your payroll requirements are simple and your budget is tight, Patriot is one of the best values available. If you need more than basic payroll, you’ll outgrow it.

What Is Patriot Software?

Patriot Software is a cloud-based payroll and accounting platform headquartered in Canton, Ohio. The company was originally founded in 1986, though its current SaaS payroll product launched around 2002 under CEO and founder Mike Kappel. Patriot maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and is SOC 2 Type II compliant for data security.

The company’s focus is narrow by design: affordable, easy-to-use payroll for American small businesses with up to 500 employees. Patriot also offers accounting software, time and attendance tracking, and a basic HR module, all sold as separate products that integrate with each other. Unlike competitors that bundle everything into one platform at a higher price, Patriot lets you buy only what you need and add modules as you grow.

Patriot Software Key Features

Two-Tier Payroll (Basic and Full Service)

Patriot offers two distinct payroll plans. Basic Payroll ($17/month + $4/employee) gives you all the tools to run payroll yourself: calculate paychecks, handle deductions, and print reports. You’re responsible for filing your own taxes. Full Service Payroll ($37/month + $5/employee) adds complete tax filing. Patriot calculates, files, and deposits federal, state, and local payroll taxes on your behalf, including year-end W-2 and 1099 preparation.

This split is genuinely useful. If you already have an accountant handling your tax filings, the Basic plan saves you real money. If you want taxes handled entirely, the Full Service plan is still far cheaper than competitors. Both tiers include unlimited payroll runs at no additional cost, a feature that some competitors restrict or charge extra for.

Unlimited Payroll Runs

Both plans allow you to run payroll as many times as you need per month without additional fees. Need to process a bonus payroll mid-cycle? No problem. This is a genuine differentiator at Patriot’s price point, since some competitors either limit runs or charge per payroll cycle. You can also handle multiple pay schedules (weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly) and multiple pay rates per employee.

Free Direct Deposit

Direct deposit is included at no extra charge on both payroll plans. New accounts start with a 4-day processing lead time. After establishing trust with Patriot (typically after a few successful payroll cycles), you can qualify for 2-day direct deposit. This is competitive with or better than most payroll providers, many of which charge for direct deposit or require higher-tier plans to access faster processing.

Tax Compliance (Full Service)

On the Full Service plan, Patriot handles all federal, state, and local tax calculations, filings, and deposits. This includes quarterly filings, annual filings, and year-end tax forms (W-2s for employees, 1099s for contractors). The software updates daily to reflect current tax rates and regulations. If you operate in multiple states, each additional state costs $12/month. For a single-state operation, the Full Service plan is one of the cheapest full-service tax filing options on the market.

Employee Self-Service Portal and Mobile App

Every Patriot payroll account includes a free employee portal where workers can view their pay stubs, access tax documents, and update personal information. Patriot also provides a free mobile app for employees (available on iOS and Android) that lets them view paychecks and edit federal tax withholding on their phones. Note that there is no dedicated mobile app for employers; payroll administration is handled through a mobile-friendly web browser. This is a minor limitation, but in practice the browser-based interface works adequately on mobile devices.

Contractor Payments and 1099 Filing

Patriot supports payments to both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors within the same system. On the Full Service plan, Patriot will prepare and file 1099-NEC forms at year end. This is valuable for small businesses that use a mix of employees and independent contractors, saving you from needing a separate system or manual filing.

Free Integrations with 401(k) and Workers’ Compensation

Patriot includes free integration with Vestwell for 401(k) retirement plans and offers free workers’ compensation integration. These are notable because our older review flagged the lack of workers’ comp functionality; that gap has since been addressed. These integrations are included at no additional cost on any payroll plan.

Patented Dual-Ledger Accounting

If you purchase Patriot’s accounting software alongside payroll, the two systems share a patented Dual-Ledger Accounting feature that automatically syncs payroll data into your general ledger. This eliminates the double-entry problem that plagues businesses using separate payroll and accounting systems. While this only works within Patriot’s own ecosystem, it’s a meaningful advantage for businesses willing to consolidate their financial tools on one platform.

Patriot Software Pricing and Plans

Patriot’s pricing is transparent, published directly on their website, and significantly cheaper than nearly every competitor. There are no setup fees, no long-term contracts, and you can cancel anytime without penalty. All plans include a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, followed by 50% off for the first three months.

To put these prices in context: a 10-employee company on Full Service Payroll pays $87/month. The same company on Gusto’s Simple plan would pay $109/month, on OnPay would pay $109/month, and on QuickBooks Payroll would pay $110/month. That’s roughly 20-25% savings with Patriot, and the gap widens as employee count increases.

The caveat is that competitors like Gusto and OnPay include time tracking and basic HR tools in their base pricing. If you add Patriot’s Time & Attendance and HR add-ons to that same 10-employee company, your total jumps to $127/month, which actually exceeds some competitors. Buy only the modules you need; that’s where Patriot’s value shines brightest.

Integrations

This is Patriot’s weakest area. The integration ecosystem is limited compared to competitors like Gusto, which connects with dozens of third-party tools. Patriot’s confirmed integrations include:

• QuickBooks: Desktop and Online editions, for syncing payroll data with your existing accounting setup
• Patriot’s own products: Accounting, Time & Attendance, and HR modules integrate natively with each other
• Vestwell: Free 401(k) retirement plan integration
• Workers’ compensation carriers: Free integration for pay-as-you-go workers’ comp
• Email platforms: Gmail, Outlook, and Google Workspace connections
• Zapier: API-level connectivity through Zapier, which opens the door to hundreds of third-party apps indirectly

If you rely on popular scheduling or time-tracking apps outside of Patriot’s own Time & Attendance module, expect to enter hours manually. The lack of native integrations with tools like Deputy, When I Work, or TSheets (now QuickBooks Time) is a real pain point. The Zapier connection helps, but it’s a workaround rather than a solution for businesses that need tight, real-time data sync between multiple platforms.

Customer Support

Customer support is one of Patriot’s genuine strengths. All support is US-based, provided by staff in the Canton, Ohio headquarters, and is free on every plan. There’s no tiered support model where you pay more for faster or better help.

Support channels include phone (877-968-7147), live chat, and email. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 7pm Eastern Time, according to Patriot’s own website. There is no weekend or after-hours support, which is a limitation if you run payroll outside of standard business hours. However, for the vast majority of small business owners processing payroll during the workweek, the coverage is adequate.

Self-service resources include a knowledge base with articles and guides, video tutorials, and free setup assistance when you first create your account. Patriot will walk you through initial payroll setup at no charge, which is a meaningful benefit for business owners who have never managed payroll software before.

The quality of support is consistently praised. Representatives are described as patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. This is an area where Patriot punches well above its price class. Many significantly more expensive payroll providers receive harsher support feedback than Patriot does.

Pros and Cons

Patriot Software delivers exceptional value in a narrow lane. Here’s where it excels and where it falls short.

Who Should Use Patriot Software?

Best fit: US-based small businesses with 1 to 50 employees, straightforward payroll needs, and tight budgets. Patriot is particularly well-suited for service businesses, small retailers, restaurants, freelancers who hire contractors, and any company operating primarily in a single state. Roughly 70% of Patriot’s user base consists of companies with 2 to 10 employees, which reflects the sweet spot for this product.

Also works for: Businesses with up to 500 employees can technically use Patriot, and some do. Companies that already have an accountant handling tax filings can save significantly with the Basic plan. Businesses that want to pair payroll with affordable accounting software benefit from Patriot’s integrated ecosystem.

Not a good fit: Companies with more than 100 employees will likely need more sophisticated reporting, benefits administration, and workflow automation than Patriot offers. Businesses operating in many states should factor in the $12/state/month surcharge, which can erode the cost advantage. Any company with international employees, union payroll rules, complex benefits packages, or a need for advanced HR features (talent management, performance reviews, learning management) should look at Gusto, Rippling, or ADP instead. If you need deep third-party integrations with scheduling, time-tracking, or project management tools, Patriot’s limited ecosystem will frustrate you.

Patriot Software Alternatives

Gusto

Gusto ($49/month + $6/employee on the Simple plan) is the most direct step-up from Patriot. It includes HR tools, benefits administration, time tracking, and hiring/onboarding features in its base plans. Gusto also offers a significantly richer integration ecosystem. The downside is price: Gusto costs roughly 40-60% more than Patriot’s Full Service plan for equivalent employee counts. If you need benefits administration or integrated hiring workflows, Gusto is worth the premium. If you just need payroll, Patriot saves you real money.

OnPay

OnPay ($49/month + $6/employee) offers a single, all-inclusive plan that bundles payroll, HR, and benefits at one price. It’s a strong middle-ground option with better feature breadth than Patriot and simpler pricing than Gusto’s tiered structure. OnPay is a particularly good alternative if you want benefits administration without jumping to Gusto’s higher-tier plans. However, OnPay is still meaningfully more expensive than Patriot for businesses that don’t need those extras.

QuickBooks Payroll

If you’re already deep in the QuickBooks ecosystem for accounting, QuickBooks Payroll ($50/month + $6/employee for the Core plan) provides tighter integration than Patriot’s QuickBooks connector. It also includes automated tax filing and same-day direct deposit on higher tiers. But it costs roughly three times Patriot’s Basic plan for comparable employee counts, and QuickBooks’ customer support ratings are generally lower than Patriot’s.

Wave Payroll

Wave offers free accounting software paired with affordable payroll, making it a natural comparison point for budget-conscious businesses. Wave’s payroll pricing varies by state (tax-service states cost more), and its feature set is relatively basic. Wave is worth considering if you want free accounting with adequate payroll, but Patriot’s payroll functionality is more mature and its support is stronger.

ADP Run

ADP Run targets small businesses but scales into mid-market territory with far more features: advanced benefits, compliance tools, extensive integrations, and dedicated account management. ADP uses quote-based pricing, which typically runs significantly higher than Patriot. Choose ADP if you’re growing quickly, need enterprise-grade compliance, or require robust benefits administration. Stick with Patriot if you want simplicity and cost control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Patriot Software offer a free trial?

Yes. Patriot provides a 30-day free trial for all products with no credit card required. After the trial, you receive 50% off for the first three months. There are no setup fees and no long-term contracts.

Can Patriot handle multi-state payroll?

Yes, Patriot supports payroll across all 50 US states. On the Full Service plan, each additional state beyond your primary state costs $12/month. On the Basic plan, you handle multi-state filings yourself, so there’s no extra charge from Patriot, but you take on the compliance responsibility.

Does Patriot Software have a mobile app?

Patriot offers a free mobile app for employees (iOS and Android) to view pay stubs and manage federal tax withholding. However, there is no dedicated mobile app for employers or administrators. Payroll management is done through a mobile-friendly web browser, which works on phones and tablets but isn’t a native app experience.

What is the difference between Basic Payroll and Full Service Payroll?

Basic Payroll ($17/month + $4/employee) provides all the tools to run payroll, calculate pay, and generate reports, but you file and deposit your own payroll taxes. Full Service Payroll ($37/month + $5/employee) adds automated federal, state, and local tax calculations, filing, deposits, and year-end W-2/1099 preparation by Patriot’s team.

Does Patriot Software integrate with QuickBooks?

Yes, Patriot integrates with both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online. This allows you to sync payroll data to your QuickBooks general ledger without manual re-entry. Patriot also offers its own accounting software with a native, patented Dual-Ledger integration if you prefer an all-in-one solution.

Can Patriot Software handle 1099 contractors?

Yes. Both payroll plans support payments to 1099 contractors alongside W-2 employees. On the Full Service plan, Patriot prepares and files 1099-NEC forms at year end. On the Basic plan, you can generate the forms but handle filing yourself.

Is Patriot Software suitable for businesses with over 100 employees?

Patriot’s website states it supports businesses with up to 500 employees. However, the product is designed and optimized for smaller companies. Businesses with more than 100 employees may find the reporting, benefits administration, and integration capabilities insufficient compared to mid-market platforms like Gusto, ADP, or Rippling. The vast majority of Patriot’s user base consists of companies with fewer than 50 employees.

The Bottom Line

Patriot Software does one thing exceptionally well: it delivers reliable, easy-to-use payroll at a price that undercuts virtually every competitor. For a small US business with straightforward payroll needs, it’s hard to find a better combination of affordability, simplicity, and customer support. The 30-day free trial with no credit card, followed by 50% off for three months, makes it essentially risk-free to test.

Where Patriot falls short is everywhere beyond basic payroll. Limited integrations, no native mobile app for administrators, extra charges for time tracking and HR, additional fees for multi-state filing, and the absence of benefits administration all add up. If your needs extend beyond running paychecks and filing taxes, you’ll either pay for Patriot’s add-ons (which can erase the cost advantage) or need to look at a more full-featured platform.

Our recommendation: if you have fewer than 50 employees, operate in one or two states, and primarily need payroll processing with tax compliance, Patriot Software is the best value in its category. If you need HR, benefits, advanced reporting, or a broad integration ecosystem, spend the extra $20-30/month on Gusto or OnPay and get a more complete platform from the start.