OnPay vs Paychex Flex: prices and state program coverage
Prices read November 9, 2026Help docs read November 8, 2026Listed alphabetically, not ranked
Short answer
OnPay’s lowest plan that files payroll taxes lists at $49 a month plus $6 per worker, which is $109 a month for 10 people before add-ons or discounts. Paychex Flex doesn’t publish a price and quotes by request. Both companies’ pages were read November 9, 2026.
Of the 33 state paid leave and retirement programs The Mandate Monitor tracks, we’ve read help documentation covering 8 for OnPay and 14 for Paychex Flex. A program missing from either list may still be supported.
What do OnPay and Paychex Flex cost?
| Plan | List price a month | 10 people | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnPay Payroll EssentialsOne base plan. HR, time tracking and other tools are add-ons. | $49 baseplus $6 per worker | $109 | ||
| Paychex FlexSold as Basic, Foundations, Advanced and Complete. | Not published. Paychex Flex quotes by request. | |||
List prices from OnPay’s pricing page (read Nov 9, 2026) and Paychex Flex’s product page (read Nov 9, 2026), before discounts and add-ons. The team-size figures are our arithmetic: the base fee plus the per-person fee for that many people.
Plans for each
The free route for state programs
You don’t need a payroll company to meet a state program’s rules. Each paid leave and retirement program page shows how to register and report directly with the state, which charges nothing to register.
OnPay
OnPay is an online full-service payroll and HR service for small businesses.
From $49 a month plus $6 per worker (Payroll Essentials).
Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex is Paychex’s online payroll and HR platform, sold in packages priced on request.
No published price; Paychex Flex quotes by request.
Listed alphabetically. We may earn a commission from these links; it never decides who’s listed or the order. How we make money.
Which state programs does each one cover?
We’ve read help documentation covering 8 state paid leave programs and no state retirement programs for OnPay, and no state paid leave programs and 14 state retirement programs for Paychex Flex. Of the 22 in the table, none are documented for both, 8 for OnPay only and 14 for Paychex Flex only.
| State program | Type | OnPay | Paychex Flex |
|---|---|---|---|
| CalSavers CaliforniaRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Colorado FAMLI ColoradoPaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 | None found yet |
| Colorado SecureSavings ColoradoRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| CT Paid Leave ConnecticutPaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 | None found yet |
| MyCTSavings ConnecticutRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Delaware EARNS DelawareRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Delaware Paid Leave DelawarePaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 | None found yet |
| My Illinois Savings IllinoisRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave MainePaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 | None found yet |
| MERIT MaineRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| MarylandSaves MarylandRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave MassachusettsPaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 8, 2026 | None found yet |
| Minnesota Paid Leave MinnesotaPaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 8, 2026 | None found yet |
| Minnesota Secure Choice MinnesotaRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Nevada Employee Savings Trust (NEST) NevadaRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| RetireReady NJ New JerseyRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| New York Secure Choice New YorkRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| OregonSaves OregonRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Paid Leave Oregon OregonPaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 | None found yet |
| Vermont Saves VermontRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| RetirePath Virginia VirginiaRetirement mandate | Retirement mandate | None found yet | Help docread Nov 7, 2026 |
| Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave WashingtonPaid leave | Paid leave | Help docread Nov 8, 2026 | None found yet |
A help doc is the company’s own article, or the state program’s help page naming the company. “None found yet” means we haven’t read one. It doesn’t mean the system can’t handle the program. 11 of the 33 programs we track aren’t in this table because we’ve found no help doc for either system.
Do they file payroll taxes, and in more than one state?
Filing payroll taxes
- OnPay
- OnPay’s pricing page says federal, state and local tax filings are included. Their page, Nov 9, 2026
- Paychex Flex
- Paychex’s small business payroll page says it calculates, withholds and files federal, state and local payroll taxes. Their page, Nov 9, 2026
More than one state
- OnPay
- OnPay’s pricing page lists multi-state payroll in its base plan and says you can pay workers in as many states as you need. Their page, Nov 9, 2026
- Paychex Flex
- The page we read doesn’t say.
Filing new hire reports
- OnPay
- OnPay’s help center says OnPay handles new hire reporting in each state where you pay employees, once an employee is added and included in a payroll. Their page, Nov 10, 2026
- Paychex Flex
- We haven’t found a page of theirs that says.
Questions employers ask
What do OnPay and Paychex Flex cost for 10 employees?
At list price, OnPay’s Payroll Essentials plan is $109 a month for 10 people ($49 a month plus $6 per worker), according to its pricing page as read November 9, 2026. Paychex Flex doesn’t publish a price and quotes by request.
Which state paid leave programs do OnPay and Paychex Flex handle?
For OnPay we’ve read help documentation covering state paid leave programs in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. For Paychex Flex we haven’t found help documentation for a state paid leave program yet, which doesn’t mean it can’t handle one.
Do OnPay and Paychex Flex work with state retirement programs?
For OnPay we haven’t found help documentation for a state retirement program yet, which doesn’t mean it can’t handle one. For Paychex Flex we’ve read help documentation covering state retirement programs in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Virginia.
Do OnPay and Paychex Flex file payroll taxes for you?
OnPay’s pricing page says federal, state and local tax filings are included. Paychex’s small business payroll page says it calculates, withholds and files federal, state and local payroll taxes.
Can OnPay and Paychex Flex run payroll in more than one state?
OnPay’s pricing page lists multi-state payroll in its base plan and says you can pay workers in as many states as you need. The Paychex Flex page we read doesn’t say.
Do OnPay and Paychex Flex file new hire reports with the state?
OnPay’s help center says OnPay handles new hire reporting in each state where you pay employees, once an employee is added and included in a payroll. We haven’t found a Paychex Flex page that says whether it files new hire reports.
Every payroll system side by side · Which system documents which state program
Sources
- OnPay pricing page (read Nov 9, 2026)
- Paychex Flex product page (read Nov 9, 2026)
- The help document for each state program is linked in the table above. The full lists are on the OnPay and Paychex Flex pages.