Managed payroll: we prepare your bank payment file (NACHA/ACH). Coming soon. Learn more
Payroll with compliance built in

Payroll that checks the law before anyone is paid.

A dedicated payroll manager registers you in each state and runs your payroll, with every payroll checked against 14 federal and state rules. $24 an hour for the hours worked. No subscription.

All 50 states and DC, one rate. You pay your team directly from your own bank, with a bank payment file we prepare (coming soon).

  • State unemployment registration
  • Federal tax deposits
  • New-hire reports
  • Form I-9
  • Minimum wage and overtime
  • Agency notices
Pricing

One price: $24 an hour.

For the hours your payroll manager works. No subscription.

Managed payroll

$24 / hour

What you get, with worked examples

A dedicated payroll manager runs payroll for you. You approve every payroll, and every task and its hours before it starts. All 50 states and DC, with no extra charge for more states.

  • The software is included
  • All 14 payroll checks on every payroll
  • State payroll registration in each state where you have employees
  • Federal and state payroll returns filed for you, with your authorization
  • Agency notices explained and replies prepared
Book a call
$0Subscription, per-employee and per-payment fees. What you get for $24 an hour · Full pricing
Inside the platform

See what you and your employees will use.

The Approve payroll screen in the employer portal: total cost, net pay, taxes to deposit, one employee's pay and a warning about a missing Texas unemployment account number, with Approve and Send back buttons

Approve each payroll before anyone is paid

  • Total cost, net pay and taxes to deposit on one screen
  • Warnings show before you approve
  • Approve, or send it back with a note
How to approve a payroll →
The employee portal with its four pages, My profile, My pay stubs, My time off and My timesheets, showing a two-week timesheet with daily hours, a company holiday and a Submit for approval button

Employees log hours, ask for leave and see their pay

  • Enter hours and submit the timesheet
  • Ask for time off and see balances
  • Pay stubs, W-4, I-9 and bank details
The employee guide →
The Timesheets screen in the employer portal: hours worked, leave and holiday hours for each employee in the pay period, with one submitted timesheet open and Approve and Send back buttons

Approve hours before they reach payroll

  • Hours, leave and holidays for each employee
  • Overtime worked out for the work state
  • Approved timesheets fill the payroll
How timesheets work →
The Time off screen in the employer portal: a vacation request waiting for approval with Approve and Decline buttons, and a form to record leave

Approve leave in one click

  • Requests show the dates, hours and reason
  • Approved leave is what payroll pays
  • Balances grow with each approved payroll
Time off, step by step →
A StartEase initiative for small businesses

Got an IRS or state notice? We will help you read it, free.

For any small business, whether or not you use StartEase. A notice is easy to misread and costly to ignore. Send it to us, and a payroll specialist tells you in plain words what it means, what to do and by when.

  1. Send a photo or the PDFNo account and no sign-up needed.
  2. Get a plain-words answerWhat the notice means, what to do, and the reply date.
  3. Get help with the correctionWe help you file the right correction with the agency.

Free help to understand a payroll notice. It is not tax or legal advice.

Salary calculator

What does a salary really cost the company?

Enter a salary and a work state. See the payroll taxes the company pays on top, and what the employee takes home, with the 2026 federal and state rates the platform uses.

Free, no sign-in. It runs in your browser and sends nothing.

EXAMPLE
Texas, $75,000 a yearSingle, paid monthly, new employer
Salary$75,000.00
Social Security (6.2%)$4,650.00
Medicare (1.45%)$1,087.50
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42.00
Texas unemployment (2.7%)$243.00
Company pays$81,022.50
Employee takes home$61,592.50

An estimate, not tax advice. Your own unemployment rate is on the state's notice.

Questions

Before you book.

How much does StartEase cost?

$24 an hour, for the hours your payroll manager works. There is no subscription, no per-employee fee and no per-payment fee. You approve each task and its estimated hours before work starts. See pricing.

Which states do you cover?

All 50 states and DC. There is no extra charge for employees in more than one state.

I’m afraid one payroll mistake will bring a penalty. How do you help?

Every payroll is checked against 14 federal and state rules, and a payroll that breaks one is stopped before anyone is paid.

How do I know what is due, and when?

Federal tax deposits, Form 941 every quarter, Form 940 (FUTA) once a year, state unemployment (SUTA) and withholding reports, new-hire reports, and W-2, W-3 and 1099-NEC forms at year end are prepared from your payrolls, in all 50 states and DC. One calendar shows every due date, what was paid and the confirmation number.

Will I still spend payday chasing timesheets and approvals?

No. Employees fill in their own timesheets, and your payroll manager chases the missing ones.

What about the forms for a new hire?

New hires fill in their own W-4, I-9 and bank details online, and you review what they entered.

We have staff in a new state. Where do we start?

We register you for that state’s payroll tax and unemployment accounts.

I already pay an outside person and still do half the work. What is different?

One dedicated payroll manager runs your payroll from start to finish, and you only approve.

How do you pay my employees?

You pay your team directly from your own bank. We prepare the bank payment file (NACHA/ACH) and you upload it at your bank. This is coming soon, and until then you pay from your own bank and mark people paid. Tax deposits are separate: StartEase can make them for you as your authorized agent (IRS Form 8655). Otherwise you deposit from your own EFTPS account. How the bank payment file works.

Do you file my taxes?

Yes. We file your federal returns once you sign IRS Form 8655, and your state returns once you sign the authorization each state requires. Where you have not authorized us, we remind you before each due date and record your confirmation number.

A letter from the IRS or the state arrived. What do I do?

Send us a photo or a PDF of the notice. We read it against your setup and tell you in plain words what it means and what to do, and we prepare the reply.

How do I get access?

Book a meeting. Accounts are created by invitation. Tell us where your employees work and we confirm your states with you.

Where can I read the rules?

Every check, with its legal basis and government links, is in the help center.

Video guides

Learn StartEase in 12 short videos.

From your invitation email to your first payroll, pay stubs and time off, in the order a new company uses it. Each video links to the written guide.

Watch the video guides →
  1. Getting started1 video
  2. Set up your company2 videos
  3. Employee onboarding1 video
  4. Run and approve payroll3 videos
  5. Pay stubs and reports2 videos
  6. Time off and leave3 videos
Watch

Payroll law, explained

Short videos on payroll law and compliance for employers. We add new ones here as we make them.

MCTMT Explained: The New York City Metro Payroll Tax for Downstate Employers
Texas Payroll Setup, Taxes & Deadlines: A Full Walkthrough for First-Time Employers

Watch all the step-by-step video guides →

Thirty minutes, and you will know where you stand.

We go through your states, your employees, and what a first payroll looks like.

Book a meeting
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