✓ Verified 2026 .gov Tax & Interchange Schedule · 2026-10-24 🏛️ IRS Publication 15 (2026 Employer Tax Guide) & State DOL SUI Wag…

B2B Payroll, Multi-State HRIS & Merchant Processing Fee TCO Auditor (2026)

Stop Guessing on Hidden B2B SaaS & Payment Fees: Incumbent review directories hide real pricing behind sales forms and quote misleading entry tiers. Use our deterministic 2026 calculators below—grounded in official .gov state unemployment insurance (SUI) tax tables and Federal Reserve Regulation II interchange benchmarks—to audit your exact 12-month Total Cost of Ownership in under 15 seconds.

⏱️ 30-Second CFO Audit Verdict: 2026 B2B Payroll, Multi-State HRIS & Merchant Processing TCO Audit Deterministic 2026 Line-Item Math

🏆 12-MONTH TCO WINNER
Save $2,412/yr on Multi-State Payroll (Gusto/OnPay vs. Rippling/ADP) + $11,154/yr on Card Fees (Helcim/Stax IC+ vs. Stripe 2.9%)
⚠️ HIDDEN FEE TRAP
SMB CFOs lose $5,000–$45,000/yr to unquoted PEPM modules, $150–$175 multi-state SUI registration fees, $7.50/form W-2 fees, and +0.8% Stripe Invoicing surcharges.
⚡ RECOMMENDED SWITCH
Run both deterministic 2026 calculators below—backed by IRS Publication 15 (.gov), 50-state DOL SUI wage bases, and Federal Reserve Reg II debit caps.

Compare Gusto 2026 Rates & Savings → Audit Helcim Custom TCO Quote →

🧮 DETERMINISTIC PAYROLL, MULTI-STATE SUI & EOR TCO CALCULATOR

Calculate Your 12-Month All-In Payroll, Multi-State Tax & EOR Cost

Adjust W-2 headcount, primary .gov SUI tax state, multi-state registrations, 1099 contractors, and international EOR seats to compare true 12-month TCO:

US W-2 Employees (1–250): 18

Primary State (.gov SUI Lookup): Official 2026 state DOL SUI + $42 IRS FUTA

Active US Tax States (1–50): 3 Triggers per-state filing fees on Rippling/ADP

1099 Contractors (0–100): 4 $6/mo on Gusto/OnPay vs. $49/mo Intl on Deel

International EOR Headcount (0–25): $599/mo EOR seat + 1.25%–3.0% FX spread

Include Hidden Year-End W-2/1099 Fees & State Reg Exposes ADP RUN $65 + $7.50/form & $150–$175 state reg fees

OnPay (Flat 50-State Tier) $2,112/yr $40 base + $6/seat · $0 extra state or W-2 fees

Lock In OnPay Rate →

Gusto Simple / Multi-State $2,652/yr $49 base + $6/seat · $0 W-2/1099 year-end fee

Verify Gusto Trial →

Rippling Core + Payroll + IT $5,496/yr $85 base + $16/W-2 + $20/mo per extra state

Compare Rippling →

Deel US + Global EOR $6,456/yr $19/US W-2 · $49 Intl 1099 · $599/mo EOR + 1.25% FX

Get Deel Global Quote →

ADP RUN Legacy Benchmark $4,685/yr Incl. $32/extra state + $7.50/form W-2 fee

Switch to Gusto/OnPay & save $2,033+/yr

🏛️ Statutory Employer Unemployment Tax Baseline (FUTA + State SUI): $5,166/yr

Based on 18 W-2 employees: $42/emp IRS FUTA (0.6% on $7,000) + $245/emp State SUI (plus 7.65% employer FICA on gross wages).

📄 Need a Board-Ready CFO Payroll & Multi-State SUI Audit Report (PDF + CSV)?
Includes line-item 12-month PEPM schedule, state .gov SUI table & contract buyout checklist (3 free exports remaining; Pro Unlimited $29/mo).

💳 DETERMINISTIC MERCHANT PROCESSING & INTERCHANGE-PLUS AUDITOR

Compare Flat-Rate (Stripe 2.9%+$0.30 / Square / PayPal) vs. Interchange-Plus (Helcim / Stax)

Enter your monthly card volume, average ticket size, online/invoiced mix, and international share to calculate exact effective rates and 12-month savings:

Monthly Card Volume ($5k–$500k): $65000

Average Ticket Size ($10–$2,500): $85 Controls per-transaction ($0.30 vs. $0.08) fee drag

Online / Invoiced (CNP) Share (%): 80% Remainder is Card-Present POS tap/dip

International Card Share (%): 10% Triggers +1.5% cross-border fee on Stripe/PayPal

Helcim Interchange-Plus ($0/mo) $18,564/yr Effective Rate: 2.38% · $0 monthly fee · Free invoicing

Switch to Helcim IC+ →

Stax 0% Markup Subscription $17,088/yr Effective Rate: 2.19% · $99/mo + 0% processor markup

Get Stax 0% Audit →

Stripe (2.9%+$0.30 + Invoicing) $29,718/yr Effective Rate: 3.81% · Incl. +0.8% invoicing & +1.5% intl

✓ Save $12,630/yr switching to IC+

PayPal Checkout (3.49%+$0.49) $33,150/yr Effective Rate: 4.25% · Digital wallet & invoicing drag

🏛️ Federal Reserve Regulation II (Durbin Amendment) Regulated Debit Benchmark (.gov): 0.05% + $0.22/tx

Flat-rate processors charge 2.6%–3.49% even when customers use regulated bank debit cards (capped at 0.05% + $0.22 wholesale). Helcim and Stax pass regulated debit wholesale rates directly to your business.

📊 Export Statement Audit Breakdown (Visa/MC Interchange vs. Flat-Rate CSV/PDF):
Download full 12-month effective rate schedule & Level 2/3 savings model (3 free runs; $29/mo Pro Unlimited).

2026 Line-Item TCO Comparison & Partner Verification Table

Vendor / Statutory Benchmark	Verified 2026 All-In Rate & 12-Month TCO	Audit Action / Official Citation
OnPay All-Inclusive 50-State Payroll ($40 base + $6/seat) Verified 2026 Payroll/HRIS Tier	$2,112/yr (18 W-2 + 4 1099 across 3 states · $0 state fee)	Verify OnPay 2026 Rate → [1]
Gusto Simple / Multi-State Payroll ($49 base + $6/seat) Verified 2026 Payroll/HRIS Tier	$2,652/yr (18 W-2 + 4 1099 · $0 W-2/1099 year-end fee)	Start Gusto Trial → [2]
Helcim Interchange-Plus Merchant Processing ($0 Monthly Fee) Verified 2026 Payment Processor	2.38% Effective ($18,564/yr on $65k/mo · Saves $11,154/yr vs. Stripe)	Switch to Helcim IC+ → [3]
Stax 0% Markup Wholesale Interchange Subscription ($99/mo) Verified 2026 Payment Processor	2.19% Effective ($17,088/yr on $65k/mo · 0% processor markup)	Get Stax 0% Markup Quote → [4]

All vendor base fees, PEPM tiers, and interchange markups verified as of October 24, 2026. Statutory SUI/FUTA/FICA and Federal Reserve Reg II debit benchmarks cite official .gov publications. Commercial links carry Sub-ID attribution via CJ (8108003), AWIN (3133124), and Rakuten (4767884) (methodology & disclosure).

Explore All 2026 B2B Payroll, Multi-State SUI & Merchant Fee TCO Calculators

Cluster 1: Payroll, Multi-State HRIS & Global EOR TCO

Cluster 2: Merchant Processing & Interchange-Plus TCO

🤖 AGENTIC ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (WEBMCP + OPENAPI 3.1 + LLMS.TXT)

Machine-Readable Endpoints for AI Agents & Financial Analysts

Unlike legacy comparison sites that block AI crawlers or return HTTP 404 on /.well-known/webmcp.json, B2B Fee Audit exposes open, deterministic JSON endpoints under CC-BY-4.0:

/.well-known/webmcp.json — WebMCP tool manifest exposing 4 deterministic TCO calculation tools to browser and autonomous agents.
/.well-known/openapi.json & /.well-known/ai-plugin.json — OpenAPI 3.1.0 specification for ChatGPT Plugins & Meta Muse Connectors.
/llms.txt & /llms-full.txt — Complete 2026 B2B payroll PEPM, 50-state .gov SUI tax, and Visa/Mastercard interchange reference tables.
/datasets/b2b-payroll-and-merchant-fee-benchmarks-2026.json & .csv — Downloadable CC-BY-4.0 benchmark dataset (mirrored at GitHub Open-Data Repository).

Frequently Asked Questions (2026 Verified Data)

How does B2B Fee Audit calculate true 12-month payroll and HRIS Total Cost of Ownership?

Unlike generic software directories that only multiply entry base price by headcount, our calculator models base platform fees, per-employee-per-month (PEPM) tiers, per-state monthly tax filing fees, state tax registration fees, January W-2/1099 form charges, international EOR FX spreads, and official 2026 .gov state SUI + federal FUTA taxes.

Why do businesses processing over $25,000/month overpay on Stripe, Square, and PayPal?

Blended flat-rate processors charge 2.9% + $0.30 (plus +0.8% on invoices and +1.5% on international cards) even on regulated bank debit cards capped at 0.05% + $0.22 under Federal Reserve Regulation II (.gov). Switching to Interchange-Plus (Helcim $0/mo or Stax $99/mo 0% markup) passes the true wholesale rate directly to you.

Can AI assistants (ChatGPT, Meta Muse, Claude, Perplexity, Grok) query B2B Fee Audit directly?

Yes. B2BFeeAudit.com is built for both human CFOs and AI agents via /.well-known/webmcp.json, /.well-known/openapi.json, /llms.txt, /llms-full.txt, and our CC-BY-4.0 open dataset (/datasets/b2b-payroll-and-merchant-fee-benchmarks-2026.json).

Are your state SUI tax rates and debit card caps verified against official .gov sources?

Yes. Every calculator cites IRS Publication 15 (2026 Circular E), state Department of Labor unemployment insurance schedules (CA EDD, TX TWC, NYSDOL, FL DOR, NC DES, WA ESD), and the Federal Reserve Board Regulation II debit interchange fee benchmark.

Official Regulatory (.gov) & Published Vendor Fee Sources

IRS Publication 15 (2026 Employer Tax Guide) & State DOL SUI Wage Base Tables (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)
Federal Reserve Board Regulation II — Regulated Debit Card Interchange Cap (0.05% + $0.21) (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)
Gusto, OnPay, Rippling, Deel & ADP RUN 2026 Published Pricing Schedules (verified 2026-10-24)
Helcim, Stax, Stripe, Square & PayPal 2026 Published Merchant Fee Schedules (verified 2026-10-24)