Compare payroll software for roofing contractors, roofing crews, and companies managing W-2 employees plus 1099 subcontractors.
Roofing companies need payroll that handles W-2 crew and office staff, 1099 subcontractors when you use them, and labor cost that ties to jobs when you use QuickBooks. Our picks work for small and growing roofing operations—from those running books in QuickBooks to teams that want an all-in-one platform or simple flat-rate payroll.
Our top payroll picks for roofing.
Best overall for small roofing companies4.8From $49/moAll-in-one payroll with 1099 support for subs, contractor self-service, and automatic tax forms. Handles W-2 and 1099 in one system. Built-in time tracking for crew. No sales cycle—good for owners and office managers running payroll.
Best for roofing companies using QuickBooks4.6From $30/moPayroll inside QuickBooks so labor cost flows into job costing and projects. Ideal when you run estimates, invoicing, and books in QuickBooks. Pay crew and 1099 subs in the same system; time tracking can tie hours to jobs.
Best value for straightforward payroll4.5From $40/moFlat pricing and one plan. Pay W-2 employees and 1099 subcontractors with tax forms included. Simple for small teams and seasonal crew—works with any accounting software. Support included.
Best for growing roofing companies4.4From Custom pricingPayroll and HR that scale to more crew and job sites. Custom pricing and optional dedicated support. Good when you're expanding and want a full-service partner for compliance and multi-state.
Side-by-side at a glance.
| Software | Best for | Starting price | Payroll types | Standout feature | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | Best overall for small roofing | $49/mo | W-2, 1099 | 1099 subs; time tracking; all-in-one | Read review |
| QuickBooks Payroll | Roofing using QuickBooks | $30/mo | W-2, 1099 | Labor cost in jobs; job costing | Read review |
| OnPay | Best value; straightforward payroll | $40/mo | W-2, 1099 | Flat pricing; 1099 included | Read review |
| ADP | Growing roofing companies | Custom pricing | W-2, 1099, multi-state | Scale; optional dedicated support | Read review |
What to look for when you're choosing payroll as roofing.
Roofing companies often have W-2 crew and office staff plus 1099 subs for specialty or peak work. Your payroll system should handle both in one place—correct withholding for W-2, no withholding for 1099, and the right tax forms (W-2 vs 1099-NEC) at year-end. Contractor self-service lets subs view pay stubs without extra admin.
Roofing can be busier in certain seasons; crew size may fluctuate. Choose payroll that makes it easy to add and remove employees or subs without long contracts. Gusto and OnPay are month-to-month and straightforward; QuickBooks Payroll fits the same pattern when you're already in QuickBooks.
Labor cost by job is central to roofing profitability. If you run your books in QuickBooks, payroll that posts labor to jobs (QuickBooks Payroll) keeps job costing accurate. Gusto and OnPay sync to QuickBooks but don't push cost to jobs the same way; they're still strong for running payroll and tracking who worked where.
Crew hours can be captured with mobile apps, time clocks, or manual entry. The best setup syncs hours into payroll so you're not re-entering data. Gusto has built-in time tracking; QuickBooks Payroll integrates with QuickBooks Time for time-by-job. Accurate hours support job costing and overtime compliance.
1099 subcontractors need 1099-NEC at year-end. Confirm your payroll provider includes 1099 runs and e-file without per-form fees. Running contractor payments through the same system as W-2 payroll keeps one record and simplifies reporting.
Many roofing companies have an owner or office manager running payroll. Choose software that's straightforward to set up and run—published pricing, no long sales cycle, and support when you need it. Gusto and OnPay are built for self-serve; QuickBooks Payroll fits if you already use QuickBooks; ADP offers dedicated support when you're ready to scale.
How each pick fits roofing: what to validate in a trial, with links to our full reviews and official sites.
Gusto is practical payroll software for roofing companies that surge W-2 crews in storm season and lean on 1099 tear-off or sheet-metal partners the rest of the year. Self-serve signup and published pricing help when you are hiring fast after hail events. During your first payrolls, confirm deposits, overtime on long daylight pushes, and clean separation between employee payroll and large subcontractor checks that should not look like wages. Run a test week with steep-pay bonuses, per-square incentives, and a 1099 dump-trailer vendor to see how reimbursements and classifications read on registers. If you tag crews by territory, verify those labels before insurance audits pull payroll history. Scale benefits or add satellite offices without swapping payroll cores.
QuickBooks Payroll is payroll software roofing contractors choose when QuickBooks already carries estimates, supplements, and job costing, and labor must post per roof automatically. True gross margin on insurance and retail jobs needs burdened payroll in the same system. On trial payrolls, reconcile labor to a retail re-roof and a storm job with multiple supplements to confirm burden and class codes map correctly. Flow approved hours from QuickBooks Time so steep-slope and low-slope crews do not get re-keyed after supers sign off. Validate multi-state withholding if chase crews work across state lines after disasters. Clean ties keep your labor percent honest when adjusters scrutinize bids.
OnPay is payroll software for roofing shops that want predictable per-person billing while flexing headcount up and down with weather-driven demand. Support matters when a Monday rain delay stacks Saturday makeup hours into overtime. Use early payrolls to prove tax deposits, new-hire reporting for rapid hires, and 1099 handling for repeat sub crews. Import a payroll with per-job bonuses and warranty leak callbacks to ensure rates and reimbursements stay auditable. Confirm GL mapping if QuickBooks receives journals so each job class still ties out. Flat invoices help when insurance pay cycles lag cash outlays for materials.
ADP is payroll software to quote for roofing enterprises spanning multiple states, brands, or in-house sheet-metal shops that need deeper compliance benches than lean self-serve tools. Implementation teams align storm-response hiring with tax registrations where crews temporarily bunk. After go-live, audit SUI and locals for every state where trucks earn revenue during catastrophe deployments, not just your license garage. Test multi-branch labor reporting if you separate retail from insurance P&L. If union metal shops or prevailing wage on commercial decks apply, review certified outputs with ADP before agencies compare them to your apps. Price the relationship after those validations.
Head-to-head comparisons to narrow your choice.
Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll both handle W-2 and 1099 payroll with automatic tax filing, but they target different workflows. Gusto is a sta…
Compare →Gusto and OnPay both serve small businesses with payroll, tax filing, and benefits, but they take different approaches. Gusto offers more HR…
Compare →Gusto and ADP both offer payroll, tax filing, and HR, but they serve different scales. Gusto is built for small businesses with transparent…
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ADP and Paychex are two of the largest full-service payroll and HR providers. Both use custom pricing and serve small business through enter…
Compare →For more options across all use cases, see our best payroll software roundup. To compare platforms side-by-side, see our payroll software comparisons.
Quick answers for this use case.
