Field notes

What we've had to figure out at the counter.

Not "ultimate guides." Notes — the specific things that trip up a 1–20 person shop setting up payroll, written the way we'd tell you across the counter.

Pay structure

The 1099-only trap: why "cheap payroll" quietly bills you for employees you don't have

If everyone you pay is a contractor, most payroll pricing is built to overcharge you. Here's the part that isn't.

March 12, 2024 · 9 min · Updated Jun 2025

State rules

One tech in Nevada, two in Texas: what per-state filing fees actually cost you

The line item comparison sites never model. We ran the same 6-person crew across four providers.

Jan 8, 2024 · 11 min · Updated Apr 2025

Existing stack

If you already keep books in QuickBooks, does QuickBooks Payroll actually save you the reconciliation?

Sometimes yes, sometimes it just locks you in. The four questions that decide it.

Nov 2, 2023 · 8 min · Updated Feb 2025

Method

Reading is fine. An answer is better.

Four questions about your setup. Results on the next screen — no email.

Spec my payroll →

What we've had to figure out at the counter.

The 1099-only trap: why "cheap payroll" quietly bills you for employees you don't have

One tech in Nevada, two in Texas: what per-state filing fees actually cost you

If you already keep books in QuickBooks, does QuickBooks Payroll actually save you the reconciliation?

How we rule a provider out — the elimination logic, in the open

Workers' comp is a payroll question, not an insurance one — until it isn't

Switching payroll mid-year without breaking your W-2s

Reading is fine. An answer is better.