Patriot Payroll Review 2027: Pros, Cons and Verdict

Who Patriot suits

Patriot fits a small US business in one state that wants the lowest regular price for payroll that files its taxes. Full Service is $37/mo plus $5 per worker at the regular price, and it collects, files and deposits federal, state and most local taxes, with year-end forms included.

It also suits owners who want to keep billing simple. Patriot bills monthly in arrears, and in months with no payroll you pay only the base price. Its pricing page says it charges no setup fees or other hidden fees.

This review is based on Patriot's pricing, payroll and 1099 e-file pages, checked November 12, 2026.

Who should skip it

Skip Patriot if you pay staff in several states. Each additional state filing is $12 per month, per state, so the gap to OnPay, which includes every state, shrinks with each one you add.

It is also a poor fit for farms and for businesses that handle wage garnishments or child support through payroll. Patriot's Full Service page says Form 943, garnishments and child support are not handled. Patriot only serves companies with employees working in the USA.

What it costs at 5, 20 and 50 employees

Regular prices, one state, employees only. The advertised price is half of this for the first 3 months, after a 30-day free trial.

Plan	5 employees	20 employees	50 employees
Full Service ($37 + $5 per worker)	$62	$137	$287
Basic ($17 + $4 per worker, does not file taxes)	$37	$97	$217

Full Service is the cheapest regular price on our list for a plan that files your taxes, at every size above.

What it files and what it leaves to you

Full Service collects, files and deposits federal, state and most local taxes. Year-end filings (940, 941, W-2 and W-3) come at no added fee, and 1099 e-filing is free.

"Most local" is the phrase to read twice. Patriot doesn't list which localities it excludes, so check your city or county before you sign up. Patriot also files workers' comp only for Washington and Wyoming.

Basic Payroll calculates taxes but does not file or deposit them. You do that yourself. Patriot says Basic is "Chosen by 84% of customers", so many Patriot users are still filing their own payroll taxes. On Basic, 1099 e-filing costs $20 for up to 5 forms, then $2 each, capped at $80.

Patriot offers a guarantee on Full Service: "We'll take care of any penalties and interest in the unlikely event of a glitch on our end."

Fees and traps

• The headline price is 50% off for only the first 3 months. Full Service then goes from $18.50/mo plus $2.50 per worker to $37/mo plus $5.
• Each additional state is $12/mo.
• Time & Attendance and HR Software are add-ons at $6/mo plus $2 per employee each, at regular price.
• Free 2-day direct deposit is only for qualifying customers. The standard is 4-day, also free.
• We couldn't load Patriot's terms of service, so we can't confirm its contract or cancellation terms. The pricing page says you can add or remove products as needed.

Support is free and USA-based by phone, email and chat, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday. Patriot holds 4.7/5 on Trustpilot from 3,459 reviews, the highest of the services we compared.

Verdict

Patriot ranks third with a score of 8.7. On price alone it beats everything else here: $62/mo for 5 employees on Full Service. It drops below OnPay and Gusto because it covers "most" local taxes rather than all, charges $12/mo for each extra state, and leads with a promo price that doubles after 3 months. For a one-state business in a locality Patriot supports, Full Service is the cheapest way to get your taxes filed. Avoid Basic unless you plan to file payroll taxes yourself.