What's the best payroll software for accountants?
Most payroll rankings talk to business owners. This one talks to the firm running payroll for them.
You run payroll for a dozen clients, or a hundred. Each one needs on-time pay runs and filings, and each one asks what payroll will cost. What matters to you isn't a pretty employee app. It's one dashboard for every client, a price you can quote, and a margin, whether through a discount or a revenue share.
The short answer: OnPay is the best default, with a public client price and the choice between discount and revenue share. Patriot is the cheapest at volume, with discounts up to 30% at 100 clients. Gusto Pro fits when clients arrive already on Gusto. ADP suits larger, multi-state clients, on quote.
We left out platforms whose accountant program we could not read on an official page.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link ever changes a score.
The best payroll software for your client book
4 payroll platforms built for accounting firms
Every platform here has an accountant program with a multi-client view. The right-hand column shows how the firm makes money on it, which is usually what decides.
| Best for | How the firm earns | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OnPay | Best overall | Discount or revenue share, up to 20% | 4.3/5 | $49/mo + $6 per worker | — | Small to mid-size firm | Visit → |
| 3 | Gusto Pro | Best for flexible billing | Revenue share, discount or firm billing | 4.1/5 | Client price to confirm with Gusto | — | Clients already on Gusto | Visit → |
| 2 | Patriot Payroll | Best at volume | Discount from 5% to 30% by tier | 4.0/5 | From $25.90/mo + $3.50 per worker (Full Service, Diamond) | — | Large book of small clients | Visit → |
| 4 | ADP RUN | Best for complex clients | Revenue share under conditions | 3.7/5 | Quote only | — | Larger, multi-state clients | Visit → |
Prices read in 2026 on official pages, in US dollars, before taxes. Scores are each tool's score across our pages; the rank measures fit for an accounting firm.
How we compared and ranked
The top results for this search are mostly written by payroll vendors about their own product. We ranked from the firm's side: a platform only made the list if we could read on an official page that it has an accountant program with a multi-client view, and how the firm is paid.
We read the accountant pages, pricing pages and partner terms, plus owner and accountant discussions about which tools they keep. The rank measures fit for a firm. The score out of 5 is the tool's score across all our pages, which is why Gusto scores above Patriot but ranks below it: Patriot publishes its full grid.
QuickBooks Payroll and Payroll Relief are not ranked: we could not read their accountant terms on an official page. They are covered in the tips.
- Multi-client managementOne dashboard, client setup, bulk pay runs.30 %
- Firm economicsDiscount, revenue share, firm or client billing.25 %
- Published pricingA price you can quote a prospect today.20 %
- Tax filing and complianceDeposits and filings handled, multi-state costs.15 %
- SupportReachable during a pay run, migration help.10 %
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
OnPay
OnPay built its accountant program around the question every firm asks first: who pays, and who keeps the margin? You choose between passing a discount on to clients or taking a revenue share, and between OnPay billing the client or billing your firm. Discounts are 10% from 3 clients, 15% from 20 and 20% from 50. Even at 1 or 2 clients, OnPay lists free payroll for your own firm and free client setup.
Every client sits in one dashboard, and OnPay migrates client data for free. Payroll syncs to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero, so the general ledger stays in step with each pay run. The public price your client sees is easy to explain: $49 a month plus $6 per worker.
The limit: OnPay's accountant page says pricing starts at $55 a month while its pricing page shows $49 plus $6 per worker. Ask which figure your clients will actually be billed before you quote them.
Tip: if you bill clients for payroll yourself, pick firm billing plus the discount, so the client sees one invoice from you.
- Discount or revenue share, your choice
- Free firm payroll
- Free client migration
- ✓Public client price
- ✓One dashboard for every client
- ✓Syncs with QuickBooks and Xero
- ✗Two different starting prices on its own site
- ✗Discount tiers top out at 20%
- ✗US only
The best default for a firm that wants transparent client pricing and a flexible margin. If you need the deepest per-client discount, Patriot goes up to 30% at 100 clients.
Patriot Payroll
Patriot publishes its whole accountant grid, which almost nobody else does. The discount starts at 5% with 1 to 5 clients (Bronze) and climbs to 10% at 6-20, 15% at 21-50, 20% at 51-99 and 30% at 100 or more (Diamond). At Diamond, Full Service payroll, with deposits and filings handled, costs $25.90 a month plus $3.50 per worker. Basic payroll, where you file taxes yourself, drops to $11.90 plus $2.80.
For a firm already handling filings, Basic is a real option: you keep the tax work and pay less per client. With Full Service, year-end filings such as W-2s come at no extra cost, and workers download their W-2s and 1099s themselves. Payroll entries sync to QuickBooks Online or export to QuickBooks Desktop.
The limit: each additional state costs $10, which adds up for clients with remote workers. Integrations are thinner than OnPay or Gusto.
Tip: count your clients before you sign up. Moving from 20 to 21 clients takes you from 10% to 15% across the board.
- Discount up to 30%
- Full grid published
- Basic or Full Service per client
- ✓Lowest per-client price at volume
- ✓Clear tiers by number of clients
- ✓Choose who files taxes
- ✗$10 per additional state
- ✗Fewer integrations
- ✗Plain interface
The cheapest option once your client book is large. For a smaller firm that wants a revenue share instead of a discount, OnPay is more flexible.
Gusto Pro
Gusto Pro is Gusto's platform for accounting firms. It offers three billing modes: the client is billed and you take a revenue share, the client is billed and gets a discount, or your firm is billed. Partner tiers go up to 20%.
Gusto is the payroll tool many non-accountant owners prefer, so it often arrives with the client. Running it from a firm dashboard means you don't have to move clients who already love it.
The limit: tiers are counted on reward-eligible clients only, so confirm in writing which tier your book will reach. We don't print a client price here: Gusto bases it on the client's own plan plus a per-employee rate, and we could not read a full grid on an official page.
Tip: if you also keep your firm's own payroll there, ask Gusto in writing whether payroll for your own firm is free, and under which conditions.
- Three billing modes
- Tiers up to 20%
- Clients often already on it
- ✓Revenue share or discount, per client
- ✓Familiar to business owners
- ✓One place for the firm and its clients
- ✗Tiers counted on eligible clients only
- ✗Client price to confirm with Gusto
- ✗US only
The right pick when your clients come to you already using Gusto. For a published grid you can quote on day one, OnPay or Patriot are easier.
ADP RUN (Accountant Connect)
ADP Accountant Connect is ADP's free platform for accountants, covering payroll, tax, HR and data on your clients. Client payroll runs on RUN, sold in four packages (Essential, Enhanced, Complete and HR Pro), all on quote. A revenue share program exists under conditions.
ADP's strength is depth: when a client grows, adds HR needs or hires in several states, you rarely need to move it.
The limit: no public price at all. You can't tell a prospect what payroll will cost before ADP quotes, and each client negotiates separately.
Tip: ask ADP for the revenue share conditions in writing before you move several clients there. They depend on volume.
- Free platform for the firm
- Payroll, tax and HR
- Scales with growing clients
- ✓Depth for complex clients
- ✓Four RUN packages
- ✓Revenue share available
- ✗Quote-only pricing
- ✗Each client negotiates separately
- ✗Heavier than OnPay or Gusto
The pick for firms with larger, multi-state clients. For a book of small businesses, OnPay or Patriot cost less and are easier to quote.
What quietly eats the firm's margin
The per-worker price is only part of the story. These are the traps firms run into most.
The tier you never reach
Two prices on one site
Extra states
Firm billing and late payers
- Count your clients and check which discount tier you land in.
- Decide per client: discount with firm billing, or revenue share with client billing.
- Get the client price in writing from the accountant team.
- List every state each client pays employees in.
- Ask whether client migration is free.
- Put the payroll price and who bills it in the engagement letter.
Eight tips to run client payroll profitably
These come from the providers' own accountant terms and from what accountants and owners say about the tools they keep.
Put most clients on one platform
Discount tiersEvery discount grid rewards volume. Moving 25 clients to one provider gets you 15% at Patriot or OnPay instead of 5 to 10% spread across tools.
- Patriot discount at 21-50 clients
- 15%
Don't force a client off Gusto
Client retentionOwners who aren't accountants often prefer Gusto. Running them through Gusto Pro keeps the client happy and still gives you a revenue share or discount.
- Gusto Pro partner tiers
- Up to 20%
Use Basic payroll if you file taxes anyway
Lower costIf your firm already handles payroll tax filings, Patriot Basic costs $16.15 plus $3.80 per worker at Bronze, against $35.15 plus $4.75 for Full Service. You keep the filing work and the margin.
- Basic at Diamond
- $11.90 + $2.80
Keep QuickBooks clients on QuickBooks Payroll
Same fileFor clients already on QuickBooks, payroll in the same file saves a sync. The public price starts at $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee with Simple Start. Check Intuit's ProAdvisor terms directly, since we could not read them on an official page.
- Public starting price
- $88/mo + $6.50
Plan year-end W-2s and 1099s before January
W-2 and 1099Year-end is when a cheap plan gets expensive. Patriot's Full Service includes year-end filings such as W-2s at no extra cost, and workers can download their W-2s and 1099s from the app, which cuts the calls your firm takes in January. If a client is on a plan where you file yourself, budget those hours in the engagement letter.
Moving a client mid-year means carrying year-to-date totals so the W-2 is right. Switch clients on January 1 when you can.
- Patriot Full Service year-end filings
- No extra cost
Check the QuickBooks or Xero sync before you move a client
QuickBooks and XeroA firm lives in the general ledger, so the payroll sync matters as much as the pay run. OnPay syncs with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. Patriot syncs payroll entries to QuickBooks Online and exports them to QuickBooks Desktop, with no Xero sync listed. For a Xero client, that alone points to OnPay.
- OnPay sync
- QuickBooks Online, Desktop, Xero
Ask for free migration before you move a client
Before switchingOnPay migrates client data for free. Moving year-to-date history by hand is where most switching time goes, so make free migration a condition.
- OnPay client migration
- Free
Run your own firm's payroll for free
Small winOnPay lists free payroll for your own firm in its accountant program. Gusto offers firms a free plan if they keep adding clients. Check the conditions before you pay for your own payroll.
- OnPay firm payroll
- Free
Your client runs payroll alone? Go further
This page is for the firm. If the question comes from the business owner, start here.
Payroll for accountants · FAQ
What payroll software do accountants use for clients?
Most US firms run client payroll on a platform with an accountant program: OnPay, Patriot, Gusto Pro or ADP Accountant Connect. Firms already on Intuit often keep clients on QuickBooks Payroll. The deciding factors are the multi-client dashboard, who bills the client, and whether you get a discount or a revenue share.Is payroll software free for accounting firms?
Often for the firm itself, not for clients. OnPay lists free firm payroll and free client setup, and ADP calls Accountant Connect a free platform. Your clients still pay their plan unless you choose firm billing.Discount or revenue share: which is better?
Take the discount if you bill clients yourself and want a margin you control. Take the revenue share if the provider bills the client directly. OnPay and Gusto Pro let you choose; Patriot gives a discount by tier, up to 30% at 100 clients.Which payroll software has the best accountant discount?
Patriot, with tiers up to 30% at 100 or more clients. OnPay goes up to 20% at 50 clients and Gusto Pro up to 20%. At smaller books, OnPay starts discounting at 3 clients, Patriot from the first one at 5%.Should the firm or the client be billed for payroll?
Firm billing keeps the client relationship and one invoice in your hands, but you carry the cost if a client pays late. Client billing is simpler to run. Decide per client: OnPay and Gusto Pro allow both.Which payroll software handles W-2s and 1099s and syncs with Xero?
OnPay syncs with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. Patriot's Full Service includes year-end filings such as W-2s at no extra cost and syncs with QuickBooks Online, but lists no Xero sync. For a Xero client, OnPay is the simpler fit; for a QuickBooks client at volume, Patriot costs less.What about QuickBooks Payroll for accounting firms?
It makes sense if your clients already keep their books in QuickBooks, since payroll lands in the same file. Its public price starts at $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee with Simple Start. We could not read its accountant program on an official page, so it is not ranked here.