Block Square Payroll

Name: Block Square Payroll
Brand: Block
Rating: 4.7 (657 reviews)

Block Square Payroll is a payroll service that processes W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, calculates payroll, automates supported tax filings and remittances, and integrates with Square point-of-sale, timecards, tips, and team management to reduce duplicate data entry.

Est 2009|Valuation $37.3B|Raised $8.1B

LinkedIn 663K|Website|Web traffic 908K|FTEs 7,143

MarketsPayroll & Compensation Management

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

Where Square Payroll offers advantages:

Integration with Square point-of-sale and timekeeping tools can reduce duplicate data entry for merchants already using that ecosystem.
Vendor-published base fees and per-employee pricing are straightforward for many small teams, which simplifies budgeting for smaller businesses.

Where competitors often outperform:

Gusto: A broader HR feature set and multi-tiered HR services are often cited as advantages for organizations that require more than payroll.
OnPay: Some reviewers report fewer issues for specific use cases after switching from Square Payroll.
ADP/Paychex: May provide more structured, high-touch support models appropriate for organizations that require assigned service representatives and broader payroll services, albeit often at higher cost and potentially with less transparent pricing.

Where Square Payroll offers advantages: - Integration with Square point-of-sale and timekeeping tools can reduce duplicate data entry for merchants already using that ecosystem. - Vendor-published base fees and per-employee pricing are straightforward for many small teams, which simplifies budgeting for smaller businesses. Where competitors often outperform: - Gusto: A broader HR feature set and multi-tiered HR services are often cited as advantages for organizations that require more than payroll. - OnPay: Some reviewers report fewer issues for specific use cases after switching from Square Payroll. - ADP/Paychex: May provide more structured, high-touch support models appropriate for organizations that require assigned service representatives and broader payroll services, albeit often at higher cost and potentially with less transparent pricing.

	Square Payroll	Gusto	ADP (RUN/SMB)
Starting Price	Vendor-published base fee plus per-employee charges	Pricing varies by plan; published comparisons indicate differing starting tiers	Pricing is often quote-based and varies by package; public pricing is less transparent
Typical Fit	Businesses using Square POS that need payroll integrated with timecards/tip handling	Businesses seeking broader HR functionality and multi-tier HR support	Businesses seeking a traditional payroll service model with assigned support (varies by plan)
Key Strength	Integration with the Square product set and straightforward published pricing structure	Broader HR feature set and tiered HR services	Scale and enterprise-oriented support options, with dedicated service offerings (often at higher cost)
Key Weakness	Reporting limitations, support escalation concerns, and potential edge-case payroll gaps	Costs can increase as HR feature needs grow; more complex pricing as tiers scale	Pricing opacity and potentially heavier-weight offerings for very small businesses