Justworks Pricing (2026): Payroll vs PEO Basic and Plus, Price Rises and Startup Cost
Justworks sells two different products. Justworks Payroll is software: $50 a month plus $8 per employee, multi-state included, for any company size. Justworks PEO is co-employment: $79 per employee a month on Basic and $124 on Plus, no base fee, with a minimum of two W-2 employees. For a 12-person seed team that is $1,752 a year on Payroll, $11,376 on PEO Basic or $17,856 on PEO Plus. The PEO price buys access to Justworks' group health plans and HR support, not better payroll. PEO Plus went from $109 to $124 in June 2026, and most pages that rank for "justworks pricing" still show $109.
Justworks pricing (2026)
| Plan | Price (monthly / billed yearly) | For / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll | $8/month/employee + $50/month base fee | Payroll and HR tools, multi-state payroll, access to time tracking; any company size |
| PEO Basic | $79/month/employee, no base fee | PEO: payroll, compliance, HR consulting, 24/7 support, 401(k), EPLI, workers' comp access (required for PEO); PEO needs at least two full- or part-time W-2 employees |
| PEO Plus | $124/month/employee, no base fee | Adds medical, dental, vision administration, COBRA, HSA/FSA, mental health and fertility benefits; PEO needs at least two W-2 employees |
| EOR | $599/month/employee, no base fee | International full-time employees; Add-on available in PEO Basic and PEO Plus only |
| Add-on: Time Tracking | $8/month per employee | |
| Add-on: International contractors | $39/month per paid contractor + exchange rate fees | 60+ countries; FX 'with operating costs built in' |
| Add-on: US-based contractors | $8/month per paid contractor, only in months paid | |
| Add-on: Payroll + Health Insurance | $8/month per benefits-eligible employee | Payroll plan only |
| Add-on: Dedicated HR Consulting | $30/month per employee | PEO Basic and Plus |
| Add-on: Health Insurance Reimbursements (CHOICE, via Thatch) | $25/month per enrolled employee | |
| Add-on: Part-time employees | $79 per part-time employee on PEO; $8 on Payroll | Part-time (29 or fewer hours) not benefits-eligible on PEO |
Prices verified on justworks.com/pricing on October 13, 2026.
Justworks bills monthly only; it publishes no annual plan or volume discount. PEO is billed on the 5th for every active employee, including people on leave and non-working seasonal staff. Payroll is billed on the 15th for every active member of the prior month. No implementation fee. Source: justworks.com/pricing and the Justworks help center.
Price history: three rises in three years
| When | Change |
|---|---|
| First half of 2024 | PEO Plus $99 to $109; standalone Payroll plan ($50 + $8) introduced; the 50+ employee volume discount (Basic $49, Plus $89 from the 50th employee) removed |
| Between May 2 and June 17, 2025 | PEO Basic $59 to $79 (+34%) |
| June 1-8, 2026 | PEO Plus $109 to $124 (+13.8%); other plans unchanged |
Sources: web archive captures of justworks.com/pricing and PricingSaaS change logs for those windows.
What it costs at pre-seed, seed and Series A
| Pre-seed: 3 people, 1 state | Seed: 12 people, 2 states | Series A: 40 people, 2 states | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks Payroll | $888 | $1,752 | $4,440 |
| Justworks PEO Basic | $2,844 | $11,376 | $37,920 |
| Justworks PEO Plus | $4,464 | $17,856 | $59,520 |
| Gusto (Simple at pre-seed, then Plus) | $804 | $2,688 | $6,720 |
| Deel US PEO ($125 per employee) | $4,500 | $18,000 | $60,000 |
| US employer payroll taxes | $26,421 | $114,650 | $431,753 |
| Health cover + workers' comp | $24,942 | $99,768 | $332,560 |
| Fee in runway days: Payroll / PEO Basic / PEO Plus | 1.6 / 5.0 / 7.8 | 1.0 / 6.7 / 10.5 | 0.9 / 7.8 / 12.1 |
Our payroll cost model, vendor prices read October 13, 2026. Salaries $110K / $120K / $135K; pre-seed all in California, seed 10 California + 2 Texas, Series A 32 California + 8 New York. 2026 federal and new-employer state rates (California FUTA credit reduction at 1.5%); health = KFF average employer share of single cover. Runway assumes $500K / $3M / $12M cash and $10K / $50K / $250K MRR. PEO health premiums can differ from the KFF average; that difference is the real PEO question.
Justworks Payroll is the cheapest software line here from seed on. PEO Plus costs about a week and a half of runway at seed and twelve days at Series A, still small next to taxes and health cover. So the PEO decision turns on one thing: whether the premiums you get on Justworks' plans beat what you could buy as a small group on your own by more than the $79 to $124 per head. Get a benefits quote both ways before you decide. If you hire abroad, Justworks EOR at $599 per person is only sold with a PEO plan: a seed team of 8 in the US and 4 abroad pays $36,336 a year in Justworks fees, about 31 days of runway. Run your own team through the calculator.
What PEO Basic and Plus include
- PEO Basic ($79): payroll, compliance support, HR consulting, 24/7 support, 401(k), EPLI, and access to workers' comp, which is required on the PEO.
- PEO Plus ($124): adds medical, dental and vision administration, COBRA, HSA and FSA, mental health and fertility benefits.
- Payroll ($50 + $8): payroll and HR tools across states and access to time tracking, no co-employment and no PEO health plans. Adding health insurance through Justworks costs $8 per benefits-eligible employee.
Add-ons and hidden costs
- The admin fee is not the PEO bill. Health premiums and the required workers' comp policy are billed on top; Justworks does not publish either.
- Part-timers: $79 each on PEO, the same as full-time staff, though part-timers (29 hours or fewer) are not benefits-eligible. On Payroll they cost $8.
- Contractors: US contractors $8 each in months you pay them; international contractors $39 each a month in 60+ countries, plus exchange-rate fees "with operating costs built in".
- EOR billing quirks: an international employee added after the 1st shows two months of fees on the next invoice, and a mid-month termination is billed for the full month.
- Other add-ons: time tracking $8 per employee, dedicated HR consulting $30 per employee, health insurance reimbursements (CHOICE, via Thatch) $25 per enrolled employee.
What buyers say
Justworks had a Trustpilot score of 2.1 from only 37 reviews on October 13, 2026, too few to read much into. Two recent complaints are specific: "Signed up for the basic subscription but have been getting charged at max rate" (March 6, 2026) and "They have filed taxes incorrectly, they do not know CA laws at all" (September 24, 2026). Support also gets praise: "every time I call for support I am amazed at how great they are" (June 30, 2026).
Not hands-on tested yet: we have not run a live account on Justworks. Prices and terms come from Justworks's published pricing page and help center, read on October 13, 2026.
Alternatives at a glance
- Gusto: payroll software, $80 + $12 per person on Plus for more than one state; health insurance through Gusto's brokerage has no admin fee. See Gusto pricing and Gusto vs Justworks.
- Deel US PEO: Deel's own pricing page shows $125 per PEO employee on one tab and PEO Starter $110 / Pro $120 on another. See Deel pricing.
- Rippling: PEO is quote-only. See Rippling pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Justworks cost per month?
Payroll is $50 plus $8 per employee. PEO Basic is $79 and PEO Plus $124 per employee, with no base fee. A 12-person team pays $146 a month on Payroll, $948 on PEO Basic or $1,488 on PEO Plus, before premiums.
Does Justworks have hidden costs?
Not hidden, but outside the headline: health premiums, the workers' comp policy required on the PEO, FX on international contractor payments, and the two-month first invoice for a new EOR employee.
Is Justworks a PEO?
Its Basic and Plus plans are. Justworks Payroll is not: you stay the sole employer and buy benefits separately.
What is the minimum size for Justworks PEO?
Two full- or part-time W-2 employees. Justworks Payroll has no minimum.
Can Justworks employ people outside the US?
Yes, through EOR at $599 per employee a month, but only as an add-on to PEO Basic or Plus.
Related: payroll and EOR costs for startups, SaaS headcount planning and the runway calculator.