HomePay vs SurePayroll 2026: Which One Wins?

HomePay and SurePayroll both file your nanny taxes. Same outcome, different prices, different parent companies.

If you're trying to decide between them, the deciding factors are usually price and what each plan bundles.

Why You're Paying $468–$900/Year for "Full-Service"

Both HomePay and SurePayroll market themselves as full-service, meaning they file your nanny taxes for you. Per IRS Publication 926:

"If you have a household employee, you may need to withhold and pay social security and Medicare taxes, pay federal unemployment tax, or both."

That filing burden (Form W-2 to SSA, Schedule H attached to your 1040, quarterly state unemployment returns, and any state withholding filings) is what HomePay and SurePayroll both charge to handle. Doing it yourself takes about 15 minutes per quarter using the IRS and state websites. The $240–$432/year price gap between the two buys you HomePay's bundled extras (tax agency notice handling is on Plus), not better tax calculations.

And whichever you pick, the tax liability stays yours. Household employment tax is reported on your own Form 1040, on Schedule H, under your own Social Security number, so the IRS holds you responsible no matter who files. Both also have you sign authorizations over your tax accounts so they can file and pay for you. That's standard practice, but a real loss of control. Their guarantees say it plainly: they cover a penalty caused by their own error, never the tax, and SurePayroll's terms note the client is always responsible for paying any taxes due. File yourself and you see every figure before it is sent. Full-service outsources the paperwork, not who's accountable for it.

Side-by-Side Comparison

SurePayroll prices are its Nanny & Household plan, one employee included.

On regular pricing, SurePayroll's $468 is $240/year less than HomePay Essentials and $432/year less than HomePay Plus.

Pricing Breakdown

HomePay charges $59/month for the Essentials tier and $75/month for Plus. Both include payroll, tax filing, direct deposit, and W-2/Schedule H prep. Both also register you with the federal and state tax agencies and include phone, chat and email support. Plus adds dedicated account management with audit support, an employee app for hours, time off and expenses, tax agency notices handled for you, and a free Care.com membership. HomePay's pricing page shows a first-month-free offer on the Plus card only.

SurePayroll's Nanny & Household plan is $39/month ($468/year) with one employee included. Its general pricing calculator lists multi-state payroll at $9.99/month extra and a separate fee in areas with local taxes; the nanny plan page doesn't say whether those apply. That covers payroll, federal and state tax filing, signature-ready Schedule H, W-2 forms, and free 2-day direct deposit. Its six months free offer ended September 30, 2026.

So on regular pricing: HomePay's cheapest tier is $240/year more than SurePayroll, and HomePay's full-service tier is $432/year more. What the extra buys is HomePay's Plus extras and a company that only does household payroll.

Where HomePay Wins

HomePay's strengths are a household-only focus, state tax notice handling (on Plus), and a service guarantee that covers their own filing errors.

Household payroll only. The underlying business is Breedlove & Associates, founded in 1992 and BBB-accredited since 2016 with an A+ rating. Care.com (founded 2006) acquired Breedlove in 2012 and rebranded the service as HomePay. The service was built for families employing nannies, housekeepers, and senior caregivers, and that is all it does.

State tax notice handling (Plus). This is a real differentiator. State tax notices come directly to HomePay; they respond on your behalf and update you. Most household employers find state notices stressful and confusing, so having someone else field them is genuinely useful.

Service Accuracy Guarantee. HomePay reimburses tax penalties caused by their error if they had your complete information on time, subject to the terms HomePay publishes on its service page.

Tax registration on both tiers. HomePay applies for your federal EIN and state tax IDs on your behalf, on Essentials as well as Plus. Useful if you're new to all this.

Care.com membership. The Plus plan includes a free Care.com membership.

For a deeper look, see our HomePay review.

Where SurePayroll Wins

SurePayroll's advantages are price and the Paychex name behind the platform.

Lower price. $39/month for one nanny, one employee included, is the headline number, and there's no premium tier you might feel pushed toward.

Paychex backbone. SurePayroll is owned by Paychex, one of the largest payroll companies in the country (acquired in 2011). The tax filing infrastructure is enterprise-grade.

Unlimited payroll runs. Run payroll as often as you want at no extra charge. Useful if you need to run off-cycle bonuses or corrections.

For more, see our SurePayroll review.

Where They Overlap

The core feature set is identical: full-service tax filing, year-end documents, direct deposit, and 50-state coverage.

Both services:

• File your federal and state quarterly tax returns
• Generate W-2 and Schedule H at year-end
• Include direct deposit
• Cover all 50 states

If your priority is "someone else handles the filings," either one will do that.

Where They Differ Most

The biggest difference after price is the company behind each plan.

HomePay only does household payroll. The product, the support team, and the marketing all assume you're a family employing one or two people.

SurePayroll is a small-business payroll company with a household plan. Its site banner reads "Payroll purpose-built for small business," and its Nanny & Household plan sits alongside that: $39/month with one employee included, federal and state taxes filed for you, a signature-ready Schedule H, and a plan page that explains the household basics. Paychex acquired NannyChex in May 2022 and folded it into SurePayroll by April 2023.

If you want a company that only ever deals with household employers, that's HomePay. If the plan itself is what matters, both cover the same filings.

Run Your Own Numbers

Both services calculate the same federal and state taxes. What differs is who clicks "submit" and what's bundled. Plug your nanny's pay into the calculator below to see what either provider would file on your behalf.

Who Should Pick Which

The decision usually comes down to whether HomePay's extras and household-only focus are worth $240–$432/year more than SurePayroll's regular price.

Choose HomePay if:

• You want a company that only does household payroll
• State tax notice handling matters to you (it's on Plus)
• You'd use the Care.com membership on Plus
• You're new to household employment and want help with EIN/state IDs (either HomePay tier)

Choose SurePayroll if:

• Lower monthly price matters more than HomePay's extras
• You want Paychex-backed tax filing infrastructure

Choose NannyKeeper if:

• You're comfortable spending about 15 minutes a quarter on the IRS and state websites
• You want step-by-step household filing guidance without HomePay's price
• You'd rather keep your own tax-account logins than sign authorizations over them to a provider
• $288-$800 a year matters more to you than not touching the forms

The Self-Service Option: NannyKeeper

Both services above charge $468-$900/year to press submit on returns that stay in your name. If you're willing to do that yourself, self-service costs a fraction of either.

NannyKeeper is a self-service nanny payroll tool at $10–$18/month ($100–$180/year on annual billing). It calculates federal and state taxes for every payroll, generates W-2 and Schedule H, sends reminders before each quarterly deadline, and covers all 50 states. The trade-off: you submit the quarterly forms yourself on the IRS and state websites. That takes about 15 minutes per quarter.

If you're already comfortable doing your own taxes online, the self-service savings are real: $288-$368/year vs. SurePayroll and $528-$608/year vs. HomePay Essentials on the subscription alone. Guiding a first-time household employer through each step is what NannyKeeper is built around. One customer, a senior-caregiver employer, put it this way:

"NannyKeeper is an excellent, economical service that helps you efficiently manage your household employees, ranging from nannies to senior caregivers.

Beyond providing seamless household payroll and tax preparation services, NK has a robust set of helpful resources to guide new and experienced household employers. This includes an extensive range of FAQs that cover the household employer basics to IRS regulations and all 50 states' related tax laws.

As intuitive and as easy as NK is to use, it's their extraordinary customer support that sets them apart. From elementary questions to more complex issues, NK's support team is quick to respond with the relevant answers and resolutions. NannyKeeper is a great partner." Verified customer, senior-caregiver employer, April 19, 2026

More customer quotes, each dated and reproduced word for word, are on our reviews page.

FAQ

Is SurePayroll cheaper than HomePay?

Yes. SurePayroll is $39/month ($468/year) for one nanny on regular pricing, compared to HomePay Essentials at $59/month ($708/year) and HomePay Plus at $75/month ($900/year). That's a $240–$432/year difference depending on which HomePay tier you compare to.

Is there a cheaper option than HomePay or SurePayroll?

Yes, if you're willing to file the forms yourself. NannyKeeper costs $100-$180/year on annual billing, calculates the same federal and state taxes, generates the W-2 and Schedule H, and emails you before every quarterly deadline. You submit the returns on the IRS and state websites, about 15 minutes per quarter, and you review every number before it goes in. Direct deposit is available on every paid plan at $6-$8 per transfer. That's $288-$368/year less than SurePayroll and $528-$800/year less than HomePay.

Does HomePay file taxes that SurePayroll doesn't?

No, both file federal and state quarterly taxes and prepare year-end W-2 and Schedule H. The functional outcome is the same. The differences are in price, support, and added services like state tax notice handling on HomePay Plus.

Can I switch from one to the other mid-year?

Yes. You can switch nanny payroll providers at any time. Your new provider handles filings going forward. Ask your current provider whether it will issue your nanny a W-2 for the months it ran payroll. If it will, your nanny gets two W-2s that together cover the year; if it won't, the new provider's W-2 can cover the whole year. Switching at the start of a quarter (April 1, July 1, October 1) makes the transition cleanest. See our switch from SurePayroll guide or switch from HomePay guide.

Is SurePayroll really 6 months free?

Not anymore. SurePayroll's terms say the offer covered accounts opened September 1 to 30, 2026, and even then the free months were spread across the first year (months 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11) for accounts kept open twelve months. Its pages may still show the banner. Regular pricing is $39 a month for one nanny.

Does either one handle the EIN application?

Both HomePay tiers include federal EIN and state tax ID registration. SurePayroll says it helps you get a state tax ID as part of its free onboarding; its page doesn't mention applying for the federal EIN. Getting your own EIN takes about 5 minutes on the IRS site and is free. See our EIN guide.

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