Payroll Services in the USA

Already have a US entity, or running payroll across several states or countries? We place you with a vetted US payroll partner who keeps federal, state and FICA filings exactly right, while you stay the legal employer and we stay on your side.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Multi-country ready

What running payroll in the USA involves

If you already employ people through your own US entity, you stay the legal employer, but you still have to run US payroll correctly every month, across federal and every state your people sit in. The IRS and state agencies run tightly integrated systems with automatic penalties, which means errors are visible and costly. This is where a specialist payroll partner earns its place: you keep the employment relationship, they keep the mechanics right.

01

You stay the employer

You stay the legal employer of your US staff. The payroll partner runs the monthly mechanics; you keep the employment relationship.

02

Accurate every cycle

Federal income tax and FICA calculated and withheld correctly, payslips issued, and filings made to the IRS and state agencies on schedule, every month.

03

Multi-country consolidation

Run payroll across several markets under one partner and one process, rather than a different vendor and standard in every country.

How managed US payroll works, step by step

From onboarding your employee data to filing and reconciliation.

01 — Scope & onboard

We map your entity, headcount, and pay structure, place you with the right vetted US payroll partner, and onboard your employee data.

02 — Set up calculations

Federal and state withholding, FICA, and any statutory benefits configured correctly to current US law, so every payslip is right from the first run.

03 — Run monthly payroll

Salaries calculated, federal income tax and FICA withheld, payslips issued, and people paid on schedule, every cycle.

04 — File & reconcile

Filings to the IRS and state agencies made on time (Form 941 quarterly, W-2 and W-3 annually), with year-end reconciliation handled for you.

What payroll in the USA costs

Your statutory employer costs, plus a payroll partner fee. In the US both vary by state; the value of the partner is accuracy and time, in a system where mistakes are visible and penalised automatically.

Employer FICA

FICA (6.2% Social Security to the wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare) totals 7.65% of wages, with federal/state unemployment and workers’ compensation configured correctly state by state on every run.

Minimum wage (2026)

Federal floor is $7.25 per hour, but many states set far higher (California $16.90, Washington $17.13). You pay the highest applicable rate.

Income tax (employee)

Federal 10% to 37% across brackets, plus state income tax in 41 states (0% to 13.3%). Withheld from the employee, calculated and filed correctly each month.

Payroll partner fee

A transparent per-employee or per-payslip fee. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Why run it through Bradford Jacobs

One partner, many countries

If you run payroll across several markets, we consolidate it through vetted partners under one point of contact, not a different vendor and a different standard in every country.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

Federal payroll tax withholding is the same wherever you run US payroll; what differs state to state is unemployment insurance and local tax registration, neither of which any processing partner can shrink. What we benchmark is the partner’s own processing fee, across our payroll network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct, renegotiated for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

US regulations that expose risk

Multi-state registrations, the deposit schedules, local city taxes, the year-end. We place you with partners who get the specifics right, and we stay on your side if anything needs escalating.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

20+ years and the local detail

Two decades running compliant payroll internationally. Bonuses and commissions are not withheld like regular pay: the IRS sets a flat 22% federal withholding on supplemental wages up to $1 million, and 37% above it, regardless of the employee’s actual tax bracket. Miss that distinction and the withholding is simply wrong, not just imprecise.

  • Two decades of payroll
  • Deadlines & filings
  • Year-end handled

Built to scale across markets

Run payroll in one country or twenty through one partner and one process. As you add markets, the standard does not fragment, you keep a single point of contact and consistent compliance everywhere.

  • One process everywhere
  • Single point of contact
  • Consistent compliance

The payroll errors the IRS charges interest on

These are the ones that catch foreign employers, and the reason a specialist partner pays for itself.

Federal & state withholding

Getting state withholding wrong where someone works in a different state than your entity. Misapplying the FICA wage base or the additional Medicare threshold. Missing a state registration or a local tax. Each is easy to get wrong alone and visible to the IRS or a state agency when you do.

Filings, deadlines & reporting

Late federal tax deposits, where penalties and interest apply automatically. None of these are hard for a specialist; all are easy to get wrong alone. That is the whole case for getting your US payroll partner right.

What managed payroll covers

One transparent fee covers the full monthly payroll cycle. No hidden extras.

Tax & FICA

Compliant US payroll processed monthly, with federal and state withholding and FICA correct every run.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with federal income tax and FICA calculated, withheld, and filed correctly each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory obligations administered: FICA, federal and state unemployment, workers’ compensation, and FMLA leave where eligible.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on running compliant payroll in the US.

Do I need a US entity to use payroll services?

Yes. Payroll outsourcing assumes you are the legal employer, which means you have a US entity. If you have no entity and do not want one yet, you need an EOR instead, where the partner is the legal employer. We will confirm which applies to you.

Federal and state income tax withholding, employer and employee FICA, unemployment taxes, statutory benefits and leave, payslips, and all filings to the IRS and state agencies, with year-end reconciliation. You keep the employment relationship; they keep it compliant and on time.

Each state where an employee sits can require its own registration, withholding, and unemployment account, and some cities add local taxes. A good payroll partner is set up for your specific states so withholding is right from the first run. Multi-state handling is the most common place foreign employers slip.

It depends on the state. Employer FICA is 7.65% of wages, plus federal and state unemployment and state-mandated workers’ compensation; the same 7.65% (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare) is also withheld from the employee’s own pay, plus an extra 0.9% Medicare tax on their wages above $200,000. Add the transparent payroll partner fee and you have your all-in cost.

Yes, and it is one of the main reasons companies come to us. One point of contact and a consistent process across markets, rather than a separate provider and a different standard in every country.

Yes. When you incorporate and become the legal employer, we move your people from the EOR arrangement onto your own compliant US payroll, and manage the handover so nothing is missed.

Need compliant payroll in the USA?

Tell us your entity setup and headcount and we will come back with the right partner and pricing you will not get direct, usually within a day. One process, every state and country you operate in.

Tax and labor data verified June 2026 (IRS, DOL, OECD). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your payroll.