Free payroll is rarer than free accounting: only two tools run payroll for free with no time limit, one open-source edition does it self-hosted, one calculator prints paychecks one at a time, and the rest offer 30- to 90-day trials of paid products. This list ranks all of them on the same score, so a three-month trial is scored as what it is. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free payroll option that fits
- US employer with up to nine staff, files own taxes: Payroll4Free — pay, withholdings, direct deposit and an employee portal free; the tax-filing service is $25 a month.
- Employer outside the US, any headcount: HR.my — payslips, leave, attendance and claims for unlimited employees, free with no paid tier; statutory rules are yours to set up.
- Technical team, self-hosted: TimeTrex Community Edition — open-source time, scheduling and basic payroll on your own server.
- Need full-service US payroll and a long test drive: Roll by ADP’s three free months, then $39 + $5 per employee; Patriot’s 30 days, then $17 + $4.
Which payroll software tools have a free plan in 2026?
Payroll is the hardest category to make free because the vendor carries real risk: tax tables change, filings have deadlines, and mistakes are the employer’s liability. So the free options split into tools that calculate and pay but leave filing to you (Payroll4Free, HR.my, TimeTrex), a one-check calculator (eSmart Paycheck), a free scheduling and time-clock plan whose payroll is a paid add-on (Homebase), and trials from full-service providers that are long enough to run two or three real pay cycles (Roll by ADP 90 days, Patriot and Wave 30 days).
We excluded Gusto, OnPay, Square Payroll and Rippling, which offer no free plan and no stated trial of 30 days or more, and we list Homebase on its free Basic plan with the caveat that payroll itself is a paid add-on. Trials are scored on the same formula as free-forever plans, which is why they sit below the free tools even when the product is stronger.
Each row opens into the full Scorecard: what is included, every hard limit, the time limit, the card requirement, what triggers the upgrade, the cheapest paid step, who the free tier fits, and where we checked it. Where the vendor’s own pricing page could not be read, the row says which third-party source was used.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H |
Free forever | Unlimited employees · no tax filing | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | 9 employees · US only | No | 83 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Open source | Self-hosted · no support | No | 78 | Scorecard ↓ |
| R |
Trial 90d | 3 months free · then $39 + $5 | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Trial 30d | 30 days · then $17 + $4 | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| H |
Free forever | 10 employees · payroll paid | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Trial 30d | 30 days · then $40 + $6 | No | 58 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Free forever | 1 check at a time · no history | No | 52 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 21 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free payroll option plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1H
HR.myMalaysia · free payroll, leave, attendance and claims for unlimited headcount; crowdfunded, no paid tierFree foreverUnlimited employees · no tax filingNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- Payroll with automated payslips (weekly to monthly), leave management, time clock and attendance with selfie and geolocation, expense claims, workflows, employee self-service portal, documents, announcements
- Hard limits
- None stated: unlimited employees, unlimited storage, free employee accounts
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. There is no paid tier to charge.
- Upgrade trigger
- None; optional donations. The practical limit is that statutory deductions and filings are configured and submitted by you
- Cheapest paid step
- None listed
- Best free for
- An SME outside the US, especially in Asia, that needs payroll plus leave and attendance for any headcount and will set up its own statutory rules
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · hr.my
2P
Payroll4FreeUS · full payroll calculation, direct deposit and employee portal free for up to nine employees; ad-supportedFree forever9 employees · US onlyNo card83⌄
- What’s free
- Pay employees and contractors, federal and state tax calculations, vacation tracking, reports, direct deposit or paper checks, employee portal, support
- Hard limits
- 9 or fewer employees paid per month · US only · Windows-oriented software · ads shown in-app
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated on the vendor site; the free service is funded by advertisers.
- Upgrade trigger
- Wanting Payroll4Free to deposit and file your payroll taxes, or to run direct deposit through its own bank
- Cheapest paid step
- Tax filing service $25/month; direct deposit via Payroll4Free’s bank $25/month (both $30/month) — third-party figures, vendor pricing page unreachable
- Best free for
- A US micro-employer with up to nine staff who is comfortable depositing and filing taxes personally
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · payroll4free.com (homepage) · fitsmallbusiness.com review for add-on prices
Why it ranks here. The only US tool that runs real payroll free, with tax calculation and direct deposit included. The employee cap was recently cut from 25 to 9 on the vendor’s own site, which third-party reviews have not caught up with, and the add-on prices come from a review because the pricing page would not load — both flagged for re-verification.
3T
TimeTrex Community EditionCanada · open-source workforce management: time and attendance, scheduling, leave and basic payroll on your own serverOpen sourceSelf-hosted · no supportNo card78⌄
- What’s free
- Community Edition: time and attendance, staff scheduling, leave management, employee records, basic payroll calculation
- Hard limits
- None stated for Community · no technical support · no mobile app, geofencing or facial-recognition clocks
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source edition)
- Card required
- No. Self-hosted download; paid editions offer a 30-day trial.
- Upgrade trigger
- Mobile app, geofencing, invoicing, recruiting, or vendor support (Professional and up, one-year minimum)
- Cheapest paid step
- Professional from $50/month for up to 10 employees, one-year term plus activation fee (third-party figure; vendor page shows no numbers)
- Best free for
- A small employer with IT skills that wants self-hosted time clock, scheduling and payroll calculation at no license cost
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · timetrex.com/pricing · fitsmallbusiness.com review (Community Edition details)
Why it ranks here. TimeTrex covers the whole time-to-pay chain, which no other free tool here does, but the Community Edition page would not load and the vendor’s pricing page lists no numbers, so the row leans on a third-party review. Self-hosting and the absence of support keep friction low in score terms.
4R
Roll by ADPUS · ADP’s chat-based payroll app with tax filing; three free months is the longest trial from a major providerTrial 90d3 months free · then $39 + $5No card66⌄
- What’s free
- Full Roll app during the trial: unlimited payroll runs, chat-driven payroll, federal and state tax filing
- Hard limits
- None stated during the trial
- Time limit
- 3 months (about 90 days), terms linked but not shown
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page.
- Upgrade trigger
- The end of the three free months
- Cheapest paid step
- $39/month + $5 per employee, monthly, no contract (page metadata shows $29 — inconsistent)
- Best free for
- A US micro-business owner who runs payroll from a phone and wants a full quarter to test a major provider
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · rollbyadp.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. A 90-day trial of a full-service product with filing is worth more than most ‘free’ payroll calculators, which the capacity and core-job scores reflect. Duration is scored as a trial, and friction loses points for the unstated card requirement and the two different base prices on the same page.
5P
Patriot PayrollUS · 30-day trial of Basic or Full Service payroll; the cheapest long-term US payroll on this listTrial 30d30 days · then $17 + $4No card62⌄
- What’s free
- Trial of Basic (you file) or Full Service (Patriot files and deposits federal, state and local taxes): unlimited payrolls, direct deposit, employee portal, contractor payments
- Hard limits
- None stated during the trial
- Time limit
- 30 days, then 50% off for three months
- Card required
- Not stated; the page lists accepted cards but not whether one is needed to start.
- Upgrade trigger
- Trial expiry
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic $17/month + $4 per worker (promo $8.50 + $2), billed monthly in arrears
- Best free for
- A US small business that wants cheap long-term payroll and a full month to test it
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · patriotsoftware.com/payroll/pricing
Why it ranks here. Patriot is not free after 30 days, but at $17 plus $4 a head it is the cheapest paid payroll here, and the trial is long enough to run two cycles. Scored as a trial; friction loses points because the card requirement is not stated and extra state filings cost $12 a month each on Full Service.
6H
HomebaseUS · free scheduling and time clock for one location; payroll is a paid add-on at $49 + $6 per employeeFree forever10 employees · payroll paidNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- Basic: basic scheduling, basic time tracking, POS integration; payroll available as a paid add-on
- Hard limits
- 1 location · up to 10 employees · payroll not included
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever); a 14-day All-in-One trial reverts to Basic
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- Running payroll (add-on), more than 10 employees or one location, or advanced scheduling
- Cheapest paid step
- Payroll add-on $49/month + $6 per employee paid ($29/month for teams up to 5; first 6 months free promotion); Essentials $30/location/month
- Best free for
- A single-location café or shop with up to ten hourly staff that needs free scheduling and a time clock now and payroll later
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · joinhomebase.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Homebase is on this list because it is the free front door most hourly-staff businesses walk through, not because it runs payroll free — it does not. The core-job score says so plainly; the time clock and schedule it gives away are the data payroll needs.
7W
Wave PayrollCanada · 30-day trial of payroll inside Wave’s free accounting account; tax service in all 50 US statesTrial 30d30 days · then $40 + $6No card58⌄
- What’s free
- Wave Payroll: direct deposit, employee and contractor pay, tax service in all 50 US states; trial starts after the first payroll run
- Hard limits
- None stated during the trial
- Time limit
- 30 days from the first payroll processed
- Card required
- Not stated on the payroll page.
- Upgrade trigger
- Trial expiry or activating billing
- Cheapest paid step
- $40/month + $6 per active employee + $6 per contractor paid (US sign-ups after April 2025)
- Best free for
- An existing Wave Starter user adding a few US employees who wants payroll inside the same free books
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · waveapps.com/payroll
Why it ranks here. Wave’s payroll is never free; its value is sitting inside an accounting account that is. The trial clock starts at the first run, which is friendlier than most, but the card requirement is unstated and the price is mid-pack.
8E
eSmart PaycheckUS · a free paycheck calculator that prints a paystub with correct withholding, one check at a timeFree forever1 check at a time · no historyNo card52⌄
- What’s free
- Free paycheck calculator with paycheck and paystub printing; no saved employee data
- Hard limits
- One paycheck per calculation · no payroll history · no filing
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated; the vendor site blocked our fetch and the review does not mention a card.
- Upgrade trigger
- Stored employee records, payroll history, or W-2/940/941 e-filing
- Cheapest paid step
- Annual plan up to 5 employees $75/year; federal deposits $35/year and state deposits $30/year extra (third-party figures)
- Best free for
- A US sole employer who needs to compute and print an occasional correct paycheck
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · fitsmallbusiness.com review (vendor site blocks fetching)
Why it ranks here. A calculator, not a payroll system: nothing is saved between checks. It ranks last on capacity and core job for that reason, and because every figure here comes from a third-party review — the vendor blocks automated reading — the row is marked for manual re-verification.
Which free payroll option has no credit-card requirement?
Homebase states that no card is needed; HR.my has no paid tier to charge and TimeTrex is a download. Payroll4Free, Roll by ADP, Patriot, Wave Payroll and eSmart Paycheck do not state a card requirement on the pages we could read, which we record as “not stated”. Patriot and Roll are trials of paid products, so expect to add a payment method before the trial ends; neither page says whether one is needed to start.
The more important question in payroll is who files. Only the trials (Roll, Patriot Full Service, Wave) file federal and state taxes for you during the free period. Payroll4Free calculates and will file for $25 a month; HR.my and TimeTrex calculate what you configure and file nothing; eSmart prints a stub. If you are not prepared to make deposits and file returns yourself, the free-forever options on this list are not free of work.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free payroll option fits your situation?
US, nine or fewer employees, I can file taxes myself
Payroll4Free. Calculation, direct deposit and a portal free; add filing for $25 when you stop wanting to.
Outside the US, any headcount, zero budget
HR.my. Payslips, leave and attendance for unlimited staff; configure deductions once.
Technical, want time clock + payroll on my own server
TimeTrex Community Edition.
US, want a real provider and a long test
Roll by ADP for three months; Patriot for 30 days and the lowest price after.
Hourly staff, need scheduling first
Homebase Basic now; its payroll add-on when the schedule is stable.
I just need one correct paycheck today
eSmart Paycheck’s calculator.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, calculating pay and withholdings, producing payslips and paying employees on a schedule. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 21 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections through the Update your free tier form.
How did we verify these free tiers?
For each product we opened the pricing page and recorded the free tier’s stated limits, the trial length where the offer is a trial, the cheapest paid plan and its billing basis, and the card requirement if stated. Three vendor pages could not be read on the verification date — Payroll4Free’s pricing page, TimeTrex’s open-source page and eSmart Paycheck’s whole site — so those rows take their paid-plan figures from the Fit Small Business reviews and are marked for manual re-verification at the next quarterly pass. Payroll4Free’s employee cap (9) comes from the vendor homepage and overrides the older 25 still quoted in reviews.
Prices are USD. Roll by ADP shows two different base prices on one page ($39 in the body, $29 in metadata); we quote the body price and flag the inconsistency. We did not run payroll on any of these tools; the score measures the published free tier, not the product’s accuracy.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any truly free full-service payroll in the US?
No. Payroll4Free is the closest: calculation, direct deposit and a portal are free for up to nine employees, but tax filing is a $25-a-month add-on. Everything else that files for you is a trial.
Which free payroll software has no employee limit?
HR.my (unlimited, no paid tier) and TimeTrex Community Edition (self-hosted, no stated cap). Payroll4Free caps free use at nine employees; Homebase Basic at ten but does not include payroll.
Does Homebase run payroll for free?
No. Homebase’s free Basic plan covers scheduling and a time clock. Payroll is a paid add-on at $49 a month plus $6 per employee, with a promotional free period for new customers.
Which trial is the longest?
Roll by ADP at three months, then Patriot and Wave Payroll at 30 days. Gusto, OnPay, Square Payroll and Rippling offer no trial of 30 days or more and are excluded.
Can I use these outside the United States?
HR.my is built for employers outside the US and lets you configure your own statutory deductions. TimeTrex is Canadian and self-hosted. Payroll4Free, eSmart, Roll, Patriot and Wave Payroll are US-only.
How is this different from the Best Payroll Software comparison?
This list answers ‘where can I run payroll without paying’. The Best comparison answers ‘which provider should I buy’ and ranks paid tiers. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule.
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