Did Paycor remove its pricing page?

Yes. Paycor removed its public pricing page in 2025. All pricing now requires a scheduled demo with their sales team. The pattern is common among mid-market HR software vendors: ADP, Workday, and Ceridian follow the same model. The practical effect is that you cannot compare Paycor's price against Gusto or BambooHR without going through their sales process.

What is the Paycor 50-employee pricing cliff?

At 49 employees, Paycor uses its SMB plan structure (base fee plus per-employee rate). At 50 employees, Paycor moves companies to a separate mid-market pricing model priced at $19-27 per employee per month (custom quote, no base fee structure). For a company at exactly 50 employees, this can mean moving from an estimated $787/month (Core, 49 employees) to approximately $950-1,350/month (mid-market at 50 employees). The actual mid-market rate depends on industry, modules selected, and contract length. Request both pricing tiers before you near 50 employees.

Is Paycor owned by Paychex?

Yes. Paychex completed its acquisition of Paycor in April 2025. The acquisition was announced in 2024 and closed in April 2025, as confirmed by Paychex's official announcement. Paycor continues to operate as a separate brand and product under Paychex ownership. As of August 2026, the Paycor product and its sales process are unchanged in practice, though long-term product direction may be influenced by the acquisition.

Does Paycor offer a free trial?

No. Paycor does not offer a self-serve free trial. To evaluate the product, you must schedule a demo with a Paycor sales representative. By contrast, Gusto offers a 30-day self-serve trial with no credit card required, and BambooHR offers a 7-day trial. If hands-on evaluation before purchase is important, Paycor's sales-first model is a meaningful difference in the buying process.

How does Paycor pricing compare to ADP?

Both Paycor and ADP require a sales call for pricing. Third-party estimates suggest Paycor Core for 25 employees runs ~$499/month. ADP RUN for the same team is estimated at $250-500/month based on user-reported data, though ADP RUN is targeted at smaller businesses (under 50 employees). ADP Workforce Now, ADP's mid-market product, is typically priced higher. Paycor is commonly chosen as an alternative to ADP RUN by companies in the 50-200 employee range who prefer a more modern interface and a combined HR and payroll platform without the complexity of Workforce Now.

Paycor Pricing 2026: Plans, Hidden Costs, and What You'll Actually Pay

Last updated: August 2026

TL;DR

Paycor removed its public pricing page in 2025. Third-party sources estimate four SMB plans: Basic (~$99/mo + ~$6/employee/month), Essential (~$159/mo + ~$9/employee/month), Core (~$199/mo + ~$12/employee/month), and Complete (~$299/mo + ~$16/employee/month). New customers receive 50% off for the first 6 months, then pay full price at month 7. At 50 or more employees, Paycor moves companies to a mid-market pricing model ($19-27 per employee per month, custom quote), which can substantially raise costs compared to the SMB tier. Implementation fees of 10-20% of the annual contract value are commonly reported and rarely mentioned upfront. For transparent, published pricing, Gusto and Factorial are stronger options.

Paycor does not publish its pricing. The company removed its public pricing page in 2025, and all current quotes require a call with a sales representative. This guide compiles pricing estimates from third-party sources including Business.com (2026), OutSail (2025), and HR community forums, cross-referenced where Paycor's own documentation confirms specific policies such as overage fees and implementation timelines. These are estimates, not prices confirmed by Paycor directly.

ℹ Pricing page removed in 2025

Paycor's pricing page is no longer live as of 2025. To get a quote, you must schedule a demo with Paycor's sales team. The estimates in this guide are sourced from third-party reviewers and HR consultants who have gone through the sales process. Treat the numbers below as directional guidance for comparing Paycor against alternatives, not as prices you can lock in without a sales call.

Paycor Pricing Plans (August 2026 Estimates)

Paycor structures its SMB pricing around four plans. The per-employee fees below are per employee per month and are added to the monthly base fee. Both the base and per-employee components are negotiated during the sales call and may differ from these estimates based on company size, industry, and contract length.

Paycor plan pricing estimates, August 2026. Source: Business.com and OutSail user-reported data. Prices not published by Paycor: actual quotes may vary.

Plan	Base fee (est.)	Per employee/month (est.)	Key inclusions	ATS openings
Basic	~$99/mo	~$6/employee	Payroll, direct deposit, tax filing, basic onboarding	Not included
Essential	~$159/mo	~$9/employee	Basic + ATS, recruiting, onboarding workflows	3 active jobs max
Core	~$199/mo	~$12/employee	Essential + time and attendance, scheduling, PTO management	5 active jobs max
Complete	~$299/mo	~$16/employee	Core + performance management, compensation planning, unlimited recruiting	Unlimited

⚠ New-customer discount that expires

Paycor commonly offers new customers 50% off for the first 6 months. The discount resets to full price at month 7. Before signing, calculate the full-price cost (not the promotional price) as your actual baseline, because the discounted period ends before a typical annual contract does.

What Teams Actually Pay

The table below shows estimated total monthly Paycor costs (base plus per-employee fee) under the SMB plan structure. These apply to teams below 50 employees. At 50 or more employees, Paycor transitions to a mid-market pricing model with custom per-employee rates.

Estimated total monthly Paycor cost by plan and team size (SMB pricing, below 50 employees). Full-price rates, excluding the 6-month new-customer discount. Estimates based on third-party reported pricing.

Team size	Basic	Essential	Core	Complete
5 employees	~$129/mo	~$204/mo	~$259/mo	~$379/mo
10 employees	~$159/mo	~$249/mo	~$319/mo	~$459/mo
25 employees	~$249/mo	~$384/mo	~$499/mo	~$699/mo
49 employees (just below cliff)	~$393/mo	~$600/mo	~$787/mo	~$1,083/mo

⚠ The 50-employee pricing cliff

At 49 employees on Core, estimated cost is ~$787/month. At 50 employees, Paycor moves companies to its mid-market pricing model: $19-27 per employee per month, custom quote, no published base fee structure. For a 50-person team, mid-market pricing at $19 per employee works out to approximately $950/month, and at $27 per employee to $1,350/month. The transition can mean a 20-70% cost increase for a single new hire. If you are approaching 50 employees, request mid-market pricing now so the jump is not a surprise at renewal.

Hidden Costs and Add-Ons

Paycor's advertised base fee and per-employee rate are rarely the full picture. The following charges are commonly reported by HR consultants and users who have completed the Paycor sales process.

•Implementation fees: Paycor charges implementation fees estimated at 10-20% of the annual contract value. For a 25-person team on Core paying ~$499/month ($5,988/year), the one-time implementation fee is approximately $600-1,200. This charge is rarely mentioned in the initial sales conversation.
•Overage fees: Paycor's own documentation confirms overage charges when employee headcount exceeds the contracted number. Reported rates: Basic $10/employee over, Essential $15/employee over, Complete $20/employee over. If you hire beyond your contracted headcount, overages trigger in the same billing cycle.
•ATS limits by plan: Essential caps active job postings at 3, Core at 5. If you run more recruiting campaigns simultaneously, you either upgrade to Complete (unlimited) or pause existing postings to open new ones.
•Add-on modules: Benefits administration, learning management, expense management, and advanced analytics are available as paid add-ons with pricing not published. Any Paycor quote that includes these modules will exceed the plan base estimates above.
•The 6-month discount cliff: The 50% new-customer discount means month 7 is the first month at full price. Budget for the full-price rate from day one to avoid a surprise at month 7.

Paycor vs. Alternatives on Price

HR software pricing comparison at 25 employees, August 2026. Paycor figures are estimates from third-party sources. All other pricing verified from vendor websites.

Software	~25-person monthly cost	Payroll included?	Price published?	Free trial
Paycor Core (est.)	~$499/mo	Yes	No	No
Paycor Complete (est.)	~$699/mo	Yes	No	No
Gusto Simple	$199/mo	Yes	Yes	30 days
Gusto Plus	$380/mo	Yes	Yes	30 days
BambooHR Pro + Payroll (est.)	~$500-625/mo	Add-on	Base only	7 days
ADP RUN	Custom quote	Yes	No	No
Factorial	~$125-175/mo	Add-on	Partial	Yes

At 25 employees, estimated Paycor Core (~$499/month) costs more than Gusto Plus ($380/month), and Gusto's pricing is published and confirmed. Paycor's advantage over Gusto is its compliance depth for regulated industries, workforce management (scheduling, time tracking), and performance management on the Complete plan. The case for Paycor is not cost. It is functionality in payroll compliance, labor management, and HR at 50-500 employees, where Gusto's simpler feature set becomes a limitation.

When Paycor Makes Sense

•50-500 employee companies in regulated industries: Paycor's strongest use case is mid-market companies in healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and financial services that need compliance-heavy payroll features, certified payroll, union management, or industry-specific modules. These are sectors where Gusto's simpler structure is not adequate.
•Companies that need time and labor management alongside payroll: Paycor's scheduling, time clocks, and workforce analytics modules are integrated with payroll. For operations-heavy businesses (shift workers, multiple locations, variable hours), this integration reduces manual reconciliation errors compared to connecting a separate time system to a standalone payroll platform.
•Replacing ADP RUN at the 50-100 employee mark: Paycor is frequently selected by companies outgrowing ADP RUN who want to stay within a mid-market HRIS rather than move to ADP Workforce Now. Paycor's interface is generally rated more modern than ADP RUN by G2 reviewers.

When to Consider Alternatives

•Under 50 employees with simple payroll needs: Gusto Simple ($199/month for 25 employees, payroll included, 30-day free trial) costs less than estimated Paycor Basic ($249/month for the same team) and offers full pricing transparency. For a team that needs payroll and basic HR records without compliance-heavy features, Gusto is the better value.
•When pricing transparency is a requirement: Paycor requires a sales call to get any number. If you need to compare vendors on a budget-approval deadline, Gusto and Factorial publish their prices. Paycor, ADP, and BambooHR do not.
•When you need a free trial: Paycor does not offer a self-serve free trial. Gusto offers 30 days; BambooHR offers 7 days. If your procurement process requires hands-on evaluation before contract, Paycor's demo-only model is a friction point.
•International teams: Paycor is US-only for payroll. If you need international payroll or EOR services, Deel or Rippling are purpose-built for that use case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Paycor does not publish its pricing. Third-party estimates (Business.com, OutSail) suggest four SMB plans: Basic (~$99/month base + ~$6/employee), Essential (~$159/month + ~$9/employee), Core (~$199/month + ~$12/employee), and Complete (~$299/month + ~$16/employee). For a 25-person team, estimated totals range from ~$249/month (Basic) to ~$699/month (Complete) at full price, not including the new-customer 50% discount for the first 6 months. At 50 or more employees, Paycor moves to mid-market pricing ($19-27 per employee per month, custom quote).