Equip Payroll Review: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Equip Payroll is one of the most affordable cloud-based payroll platforms on the market, with a base price of $29 per month plus $6 per employee. Built by Primepoint, a payroll and HR technology company with over two decades of experience, Equip strips down enterprise-grade payroll technology into a simplified package designed for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

The value proposition is straightforward: get accurate, unlimited payroll processing without the complexity or cost of platforms built for larger organizations. For very small businesses that just need to run payroll, handle tax filings, and give employees a self-service portal, Equip delivers at a price point that undercuts most competitors. But if you need deep integrations, advanced reporting, or a mobile app, you will hit its limits quickly.

What Is Equip Payroll?

Equip Payroll is a product of Primepoint, a privately held payroll and HR technology company headquartered in Westampton, New Jersey. Primepoint was founded around 2000 and has processed more than 25 million payroll checks, delivering over $5 billion in payroll dollars annually across its full product line. The company serves clients ranging from sole proprietors to organizations with over 10,000 employees through its flagship Primepoint platform.

Equip was created specifically to address the needs of small businesses. Rather than building a new product from scratch, Primepoint took its existing enterprise payroll engine and simplified the interface and feature set for businesses with 50 or fewer employees. When a business outgrows Equip, Primepoint offers a migration path to its full-service payroll and HR platform. The company reports serving over 2,000 customers.

Equip Payroll Key Features

Unlimited Payroll Processing

Equip allows you to run payroll as many times as you need per month at no additional cost. This is a genuine differentiator at this price point. Many competing payroll platforms either charge per payroll run or limit the number of runs included in their base plan. For businesses with hourly workers, seasonal staff, or irregular pay schedules, unlimited runs eliminate the anxiety of incurring extra fees.

Payroll Tax Service

The platform automatically calculates federal, state, and local payroll taxes and handles tax filings on your behalf. It also generates electronic W-2s and year-end forms. For small business owners who dread tax season, this is the core reason to use a payroll service rather than spreadsheets, and Equip includes it in the base plan rather than charging extra.

Employee Self-Service Portal (employeeXperience®)

Equip’s branded self-service portal, employeeXperience®, gives employees direct access to their tax forms, payroll history, vacation accruals, and pay stubs. This reduces the administrative burden on business owners who would otherwise field constant requests for pay information. The portal handles the basics well, though it lacks the polish and mobile-native experience found in some newer competitors.

Employee Onboarding

New hire onboarding is built into the core platform. You can collect employee information, tax forms, and direct deposit details electronically rather than shuffling paper. For small businesses hiring their first few employees, this provides a structured process. It covers the essentials but does not include advanced onboarding features like task workflows, document signing, or training module assignments that larger HR platforms offer.

Reporting and Dashboards

Equip includes reporting tools and dashboards that provide visibility into payroll data, labor costs, and tax obligations. The reporting is functional for basic needs: payroll summaries, tax reports, and employee records. However, the customization options are limited. If you need highly tailored reports or advanced analytics, you will likely find the reporting capabilities insufficient.

Time and Attendance (Add-on)

For an additional $4.50 per employee per month, Equip offers a time and attendance module that is pre-integrated with the payroll engine. It includes time tracking, time-off tracking, and employee leave of absence management. The pre-integration means hours flow directly into payroll without manual data entry. This is a meaningful advantage over using a separate time tracking tool that requires exporting and importing data.

HR Support (Add-on)

The HR Support add-on ($2.00 per employee per month) provides access to an HR professional via email or hotline, a 50-state online HR library, and an online employee handbook builder. For small businesses without a dedicated HR person, this is a practical resource for navigating compliance questions and building basic employment policies. It is not a full HR platform, but for the price, it covers common small business HR needs.

Equip Payroll Pricing and Plans

Equip Payroll uses a simple, transparent pricing model: a flat monthly base fee plus a per-employee charge. There are no annual contracts, no setup fees mentioned on the vendor’s site, and the company emphasizes that its sales representatives are non-commissioned. First-time customers are offered a free trial.

To put this in perspective: a business with 15 employees would pay $119 per month for core payroll ($29 base + $90 in per-employee fees). Adding both optional modules would bring the total to $216.50 per month. That is notably cheaper than most competitors, where base fees alone often start at $40 to $80 per month with comparable per-employee rates.

A note on pricing discrepancies: our previous review listed the core base fee at $39 per month, but the vendor’s current pricing page shows $29 per month. The $29 figure aligns with other current third-party listings and appears to be the accurate current price.

New customers also reportedly receive their 11th and 12th months free, though we recommend confirming this promotion’s availability directly with Equip, as promotional offers can change.

Integrations

This is one of Equip Payroll’s weaker areas. The vendor’s website does not publish a list of specific third-party integrations, an API reference, or a marketplace of connected apps. Feedback on the parent Primepoint platform suggests it is “cloud-based and integrable with other systems,” but specifics are sparse.

The Time and Attendance add-on is pre-integrated with Equip’s payroll engine, which eliminates the need for a separate integration there. Beyond that, there is no documented support for connections to popular accounting software (like QuickBooks or Xero), CRM platforms, or middleware tools like Zapier.

If integrations with your existing business tools are important, contact Equip directly to confirm what is available. For businesses that operate primarily with standalone tools and do not require a tightly connected software ecosystem, this gap may not matter. But for those relying on automated data flows between payroll and accounting, the lack of documented integrations is a real limitation.

Customer Support

Equip provides customer support through an online support portal, a knowledge base, and a contact form on its website. Support appears to be available during regular business hours, though specific hours and time zones are not published on the site. There is no indication of 24/7 support, live chat, or phone-based support directly through Equip.

Feedback on the broader Primepoint organization (which powers Equip’s technology) is generally positive regarding support quality. The support staff is described as knowledgeable and responsive, with a willingness to work through issues. However, some have noted that issue resolution sometimes carries over to the next payroll cycle rather than being fixed immediately, which can be inconvenient from an accounting perspective.

For small businesses accustomed to calling a support line and getting immediate help, the reliance on a portal and knowledge base may feel limiting. If hands-on, phone-based support is a priority, confirm what support channels are available before committing.

Pros and Cons

Based on our analysis of Equip Payroll’s feature set, pricing, and the experience of businesses using the platform and its underlying Primepoint technology, here is where the product stands.

Who Should Use Equip Payroll?

Equip Payroll is built for a specific audience: small businesses with fewer than 50 employees that need straightforward, affordable payroll processing without bells and whistles. It is particularly well-suited for businesses with 1 to 30 employees in industries like retail, food service, professional services, and trades, where payroll needs are relatively simple.

Business owners who run payroll themselves (rather than delegating to an accountant or HR team) will appreciate the simplified interface. The unlimited payroll runs make it a strong fit for businesses with hourly workers or variable pay schedules. And the optional HR Support add-on is valuable for small employers who lack in-house HR expertise and need occasional guidance on compliance issues.

Equip is not the right choice for businesses with more than 50 employees, multi-state operations with complex tax requirements, or organizations that need deep integrations between payroll and other business systems. Companies needing advanced HR features like performance management, benefits administration, or applicant tracking should look at more comprehensive platforms. Primepoint itself offers a path forward for growing businesses, but at that point you are moving to a different product entirely.

Equip Payroll Alternatives

Gusto

Gusto is the most direct competitor in the small business payroll space. It offers a broader feature set including benefits administration, workers’ comp, and a wider range of integrations with accounting and business tools. Gusto’s interface is more modern and mobile-friendly. However, Gusto’s pricing starts higher (around $40/month base plus $6/employee), and some features are locked behind more expensive tiers. Choose Gusto if you need a more complete HR and payroll platform and are willing to pay more for it.

Square Payroll

Square Payroll is another affordable option for very small businesses, especially those already using Square for point-of-sale. It offers a clean interface, automatic tax filings, and tight integration with the Square ecosystem. Its pricing ($35/month base + $6/employee) is close to Equip’s. Square Payroll is the better choice if you are already a Square merchant; otherwise, Equip offers comparable value at a slightly lower base price.

Patriot Payroll

Patriot Software offers a payroll product aimed at small businesses with pricing that competes directly with Equip. Patriot’s full-service payroll (including tax filing) starts at $37/month base + $4/employee, which can be cheaper on a per-employee basis for larger teams. Patriot also offers a basic payroll option at a lower price if you want to handle your own tax filings. Choose Patriot if per-employee cost matters more than the base fee for your team size.

OnPay

OnPay offers a single, all-inclusive plan at $40/month plus $6/employee that includes payroll, HR tools, and benefits administration. There are no tiers or add-ons to navigate. OnPay provides a broader feature set than Equip at a moderately higher base price, making it a strong choice for small businesses that want HR and benefits capabilities included from the start without purchasing add-ons separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Equip Payroll cost?

Equip Payroll’s core plan costs $29 per month plus $6 per employee per month. Optional add-ons for Time and Attendance ($4.50/employee/month) and HR Support ($2.00/employee/month) are available. There are no annual contracts or published setup fees.

Does Equip Payroll offer a free trial?

Yes. Equip offers a free trial for first-time customers. The vendor’s website states “first-time customers can try us for free,” and the trial has been described as 30 days in length. Confirm current trial terms directly with Equip when signing up.

What size business is Equip Payroll designed for?

Equip is designed specifically for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. Businesses that grow beyond this threshold or develop more complex payroll needs can transition to Primepoint’s full-service payroll platform.

Does Equip Payroll handle tax filings?

Yes. The core plan includes payroll tax service, which covers automatic tax calculations, tax filings, and electronic W-2 generation. Year-end tax forms are also included.

Does Equip Payroll have a mobile app?

Equip’s website does not advertise a dedicated mobile app. The platform is cloud-based and accessible through a web browser, but the absence of a native mobile app has been noted as a gap. If mobile access is important to you, confirm the current status with Equip directly.

Can Equip Payroll integrate with my accounting software?

Equip does not publish a list of supported third-party integrations on its website. The Time and Attendance add-on is pre-integrated with payroll, but connections to external accounting, HR, or business tools are not documented. Contact Equip to ask about specific integrations before purchasing.

Who is the company behind Equip Payroll?

Equip is built and maintained by Primepoint, a privately held payroll and HR technology company based in Westampton, New Jersey. Primepoint has over 20 years of experience in payroll processing and serves businesses of all sizes, from small startups to enterprises with over 10,000 employees.

The Bottom Line

Equip Payroll does one thing well: it provides reliable, affordable payroll processing for small businesses without overcomplicating the experience. At $29 per month plus $6 per employee, with unlimited payroll runs and tax filing included, it is one of the most cost-effective options in the category. The backing of Primepoint’s enterprise payroll engine gives it a reliability edge over some newer startups.

Where Equip falls short is in everything beyond core payroll. The lack of documented integrations, the absence of a mobile app, limited customization options, and basic support channels leave gaps that more mature competitors have filled. The platform is functional, not modern. It gets the job done without impressing you.

If you run a small business with fewer than 30 employees, your payroll needs are straightforward, and price is a primary concern, Equip Payroll deserves a serious look. If you need a more complete platform with HR features, benefits administration, integrations, and a polished mobile experience, spend the extra $10 to $15 per month on Gusto or OnPay. They offer substantially more for a modest premium.