Wave Payroll

Affordable payroll solution from Wave, designed for small businesses and freelancers already using Wave's free accounting software.

Wave Payroll is a payroll add-on to Wave's free accounting platform. Pricing is approximately $20/month base plus $6/active employee for tax-service states and $40/month base plus $6/active employee for self-service states. Acquired by H&R Block in 2019. Best for very small businesses (under 20 employees) already using Wave for invoicing and accounting. The integration between Wave Payroll and Wave Accounting is seamless — payroll transactions automatically sync. Limited HR features and fewer integrations than competitors like Gusto.

Last updated: 2026-03-18

Company Size
SMB
Free Trial
Yes
Free Plan
No
Deployment
Cloud

Wave Payroll Pricing

Tax Service

$40
base + per employee

$40/month base + $6/active employee. Automatic tax filings in supported states.

Self Service

$20
base + per employee

$20/month base + $6/active employee. Manual tax filing required.

Contact vendor for current pricing.

Unverified

Wave Payroll Features

AI & Automation

Workflow Automation

Analytics

Reporting Dashboard

Compliance

EEO/OFCCP Compliance
GDPR Compliance

Integrations

API Access
HRIS Integration

Mobile

Mobile App

Wave Payroll Pros & Cons

Pros

  • + Seamless integration with Wave's free accounting and invoicing
  • + Affordable pricing for very small teams
  • + Direct deposit and automatic payroll tax calculations
  • + Simple interface designed for non-accountants
  • + Good option for freelancers and micro-businesses with 1-10 employees

Cons

  • - Full tax-service payroll limited to certain US states
  • - No HR features — purely payroll
  • - Fewer features than competitors like Gusto at a similar price point
  • - No benefits administration
  • - Limited to US and Canadian payroll only

How we evaluate tools

Our ratings combine verified user reviews from G2 and Capterra with hands-on feature analysis. Pricing is checked against official sources. We may earn a commission through affiliate links, but this never influences our rankings or recommendations. Read our full methodology.

Wave Payroll Integrations

Wave Payroll connects with 3 tools and platforms.

Communication

Gmail

Productivity

Google Workspace Zapier (API)

Company Info

Company
Wave Financial (H&R Block)
Founded
2012
Headquarters
Toronto, Canada
Deployment
Cloud

Review Ratings

Capterra 4.6/5
85 reviews
G2 4.4/5
45 reviews

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