Payroll FYI
Payroll services

RUN Powered by ADP

RUN Powered by ADP handles paychecks, federal and state tax filing, direct deposit, and year-end W-2s and 1099s for small businesses; for larger and midsized teams, ADP Workforce Now covers payroll, HR, time, and benefits in one system.

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The real cost

What DIY payroll actually costs

The IRS doesn't send warning shots. Here's how the numbers stack up.

Miss one $10,000 payroll tax deposit. Here's the bill.

$200
A few days late
2% penalty
$500
A couple weeks late
5% penalty
$1,000
Over two weeks late
10% penalty
$1,500
You ignore the IRS notice
15% penalty

That's one deposit. Most businesses that fall behind miss several before they notice — and the IRS penalty clock starts on the original due date, not the day they contact you.

IRS fiscal year 2024
4.4M
employment-tax penalties assessed
$26.9B
in total penalties
Most of these hit small businesses doing payroll themselves.

The 3 mistakes that trigger it

  • 1Paying a controlled worker as a 1099 contractor — the IRS reclassifies these as W-2 employees and bills you for back taxes plus penalties.
  • 2Missing a quarterly Form 941 deadline — both the IRS and your state start separate penalty clocks that compound every month.
  • 3Depositing on the wrong schedule — the IRS assigns every employer monthly or semi-weekly; guess wrong and the Failure-to-Deposit ladder kicks in.
Side by side

DIY vs RUN Powered by ADP

What matters
Doing it yourself
RUN Powered by ADP
Time per pay run
1–3 hours of your time
Minutes — enter hours, done
Federal & state tax filing
You file. You track deadlines.
ADP calculates, files, and deposits
Who pays if a tax filing is wrong
Biggest difference
You do. Penalties + interest come out of your bank.
If ADP makes the tax-filing error, ADP pays the fines and penalties.
Catching errors before they happen
You hope you caught it
RUN's AI flags payroll anomalies in real time
Keeping up with changing state rules
Google + fingers crossed
Updated automatically for every jurisdiction
Hiring & HR support
None
From basic new-hire reporting to a full HR help desk
Year-end W-2s and 1099s
You prep, print, mail
Generated, filed, and delivered to employees
Choose your level

RUN Powered by ADP — pick what fits

Essential

Payroll done right

  • Full payroll processing
  • Federal, state & local tax calculation and filing
  • Direct deposit
  • Year-end W-2s and 1099s

Enhanced

Everything in Essential, plus…

  • Check signing & stuffing
  • State unemployment insurance management
  • Background checks
  • ZipRecruiter hiring integration
Most popular

Complete

Payroll + HR toolkit

  • Live HR help desk
  • Employee handbook wizard
  • HR forms & tracking
  • Everything in Enhanced

HR Pro

Full HR partner

  • Dedicated HR support
  • Employee training library
  • Legal assistance hotline
  • Everything in Complete

Pricing is quoted to your business — this is exactly why you want a dedicated rep. Sandra will build your quote directly, often better than the website's generic pricing.

Add-ons available: time & attendance · retirement plans · workers' comp · health insurance

Let's make payroll one less thing to worry about.

A free, no-pressure conversation. If you're already in good shape, Sandra will tell you that too.

Schedule a free consultation (727) 481-7860