Justworks is a US payroll and HR provider for small businesses deciding between payroll software and a PEO that adds compliance help and benefits. The catch, as of Oct 2026: Payroll is 8 dollars per employee a month plus a 50 dollar monthly base fee, while PEO Basic is 79 dollars per employee with no base fee, so you're choosing a service model, not a tier.
Justworks tends to come up once you've hired a few people and realised payroll isn't the only job that comes with them. I read Justworks' own pricing page, and the four options on it aren't really tiers of one product: one is payroll software, two are PEO plans, and one is for hiring abroad.
Justworks prices per employee, side by side
| Plan | Price (dollars per employee a month) | What the page lists | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll | 8, plus a 50 dollar monthly base fee | Payroll for all employees, HR tools, expert support, access to time tracking | The base fee sits on top of the per-employee price |
| PEO Basic | 79, no base fee | Payroll, compliance support, HR consulting and tools, 24/7 support, 401(k), an applicant tracking system, access to time tracking | Workers' comp is listed as required for the PEO plans |
| PEO Plus (marked Popular) | 124, no base fee | Everything in PEO Basic plus medical, dental and vision administration, HSA/FSA accounts, mental health and fertility benefits | Same workers' comp requirement as PEO Basic |
| Global EOR | 599, no base fee | Hiring globally, global HR support, global compliance support | Built for teams looking to expand outside the US |
Figures are as shown on Justworks' pricing page as of Oct 2026, in dollars per employee per month. The first three plans are labelled US Teams. I've kept to the amounts the page prints, so check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
Software or PEO: the choice behind Justworks' prices
The four prices look like a ladder, but they aren't one. Payroll is the software: you run payroll for your team with HR tools, expert support and access to time tracking, and the page's feature list covers multi-state payroll, vendor payments, contractor payments, off-cycle payments, W-2 and 1099 filings and employer payroll tax filings. The PEO plans are a different arrangement, sold on compliance support, HR consulting and, on PEO Plus, benefits administration.
So the real question isn't which plan. It's whether you want payroll software or a PEO. The step from 8 dollars to 79 dollars per employee only makes sense if you want what the PEO column adds: compliance support and HR consulting on PEO Basic, or medical, dental and vision administration on PEO Plus. If all you need is people paid on time with the filings done, the PEO price is paying for things you won't use.
Two smaller details matter too. The Payroll plan carries a 50 dollar monthly base fee on top of the per-employee price, and that fee weighs more the fewer people you pay, so a very small team feels it most. The PEO plans have no base fee. And the feature table lists access to workers' comp, federal and state, as required for PEO, so factor that in before you pick PEO Basic or PEO Plus.
I'm not giving employment, tax or legal advice here, and I'm not going to explain what a PEO does legally. This is what Justworks' own pricing page says, read plainly.
What Justworks covers on each plan
Here's how the page breaks the features down:
- Paying your team: payroll for all employees, multi-state payroll, multiple pay rates, custom payroll periods, off-cycle payments, tips processing and digital pay stubs.
- Paying other people: vendor payments and contractor payments.
- Filings on the Payroll plan: W-2 and 1099 filings and employer payroll tax filings.
- PEO Basic on top: compliance support, HR consulting and tools, 24/7 support, 401(k) and an applicant tracking system.
- PEO Plus on top of that: medical, dental and vision administration, HSA/FSA accounts, mental health benefits and fertility benefits.
- Global EOR: hiring globally, with global HR support and global compliance support.
If you're still weighing up HR systems in general, I've rounded up HR software for small businesses, and there's a piece on how payroll software can help you keep staff if retention is part of the reason you're looking.
Who Justworks fits, and who it doesn't
It suits:
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- US small businesses that want payroll and HR tools in one place.
- Owners weighing up a payroll-only subscription against a PEO that bundles compliance support and benefits.
- Teams that want medical, dental and vision administration handled, which is what PEO Plus is for.
I'd look elsewhere if:
- You're running a business outside the US. The Payroll and PEO plans are labelled US Teams.
- You're a very small team that only needs payroll and doesn't want a 50 dollar base fee on top of the per-employee price.
- You don't want workers' comp arranged through a PEO, since the page lists it as required for PEO.
My advice on Justworks
I'd start on Payroll if you're a US business that needs people paid and filed correctly and you're happy handling benefits and compliance yourself. I'd only look at PEO Basic or PEO Plus if you want that compliance support and benefits administration taken off your plate, and I'd factor workers' comp into the decision before signing. I'd skip Justworks if your team isn't in the US, because that's who these plans are built for.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Justworks only for US businesses?
Its Payroll, PEO Basic and PEO Plus plans are labelled US Teams on the pricing page. Global EOR, at 599 dollars per employee a month, is the option for teams looking to expand globally.
How much does Justworks Payroll cost?
The page shows 8 dollars per employee a month plus a 50 dollar monthly base fee, as of Oct 2026.
Does Justworks Payroll include benefits?
The plan blocks put medical, dental and vision administration, HSA/FSA accounts, mental health benefits and fertility benefits under PEO Plus, at 124 dollars per employee a month.
Is workers' comp required with Justworks?
The feature table lists access to workers' comp, federal and state, as required for PEO.
