Run Your Own Payroll.
Keep Your Privacy.
The specialized toolkit for solo-entrepreneurs. Calculate FICA, WA L&I, and PFML in milliseconds. Generate audit-proof PDFs and tax return data completely locally — without a $40/month subscription.
Why Micro-Payroll?
Missed deadlines
Forgetting to file is the #1 cause of IRS penalties for solo-entrepreneurs. The calendar shows exactly what's due and when.
Zero-filing confusion
Even with no payroll, WA ESD and IRS still expect a zero report. Our fast track generates it in 60 seconds.
Form-filling fear
You have the numbers — but which box on WA EAMS or CA EDD does each one go into? Form Mapper shows you exactly.
Why Solo-Entrepreneurs Switch
Traditional payroll is built to handle HR for 500-person companies. We're built exclusively for you: the army of one.
☁️ Traditional Cloud Payroll
- ✖ $40/mo base fee + per employee costs
- ✖ Requires linking your secure bank credentials
- ✖ Bloated HR/Benefits UI you will never use
- ✖ Your company data sold & shared on the cloud
⚡ Micro-Payroll
- ✔ $0/month forever (Free Starter)
- ✔ No bank link: You pay the state portals directly
- ✔ Laser-focused: Generates the exact tax numbers you need
- ✔ 100% Local: Data encrypted on your device and never escapes
Everything You Need to File
No monthly fee. No account required. Built for solo-entrepreneurs who just want to get it done.
Smart Tax Calendar
State-aware filing timeline for WA, TX, CA, and NY. Deadlines auto-sort by urgency — overdue in red, due this week in amber, upcoming in blue.
Zero-Filing Fast Track
No payroll this quarter? WA ESD CSV export or direct portal links for TX/CA/NY — generated in under a minute with a complete PDF audit record.
Multi-State Calculator
FICA + Federal Withholding + all state taxes auto-computed. WA PFML/L&I/Cares, CA SDI/PIT/ETT, NY SDI/PFL/NYC surcharge, TX SUI.
Form Mapper Guide
Government portal field names matched to your calculated values — side by side. TX TWC, CA EDD DE9/DE88, NY NYS-45, WA EAMS all covered.
Fully Private & Local
IndexedDB storage, AES-256-GCM encryption with your PIN. Zero cloud uploads — ever. Works offline. Your payroll data belongs to you.
PDF Pay Stubs
Professional pay stubs per employee, plus zero-filing archive PDFs. One click, instant download — perfect proof for future audits.
Military-Grade Privacy,
Built in the Browser.
Most payroll services harvest your company data. Micro-Payroll uses HTML5 IndexedDB and the Web Crypto API to store your records locally on your machine.
// 1. Generate 96-bit IV
const iv = crypto.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(12));
🔐 data never leaves your device
const buffer = await crypto.subtle.encrypt(
{ name: "AES-GCM", iv },
sessionKey,
new TextEncoder().encode(JSON.stringify(data))
);
return storeInIndexedDB(buffer);
}
State Coverage
Currently supported: WA · TX · CA · NY. More states coming soon.
L&I · PFML · WA Cares · SUI
SUI · No income tax
SDI · ETT · SUI · CA PIT
SDI · PFL · SUI · NY PIT
Is Micro-Payroll Right for You?
Built for one specific situation. Not a Swiss-army-knife solution.
✅ Best fit
- ✓Solo-entrepreneur or owner-operator with 1–10 W-2 employees
- ✓Business in Washington, California, Texas, or New York
- ✓Comfortable initiating your own tax payments via IRS EFTPS and state portals
- ✓Prioritize keeping payroll data off third-party servers
- ✓Currently paying $40–$120/month for payroll software and want to cut that cost
- ✓Need a quarterly 941 PDF or WA ESD wage CSV and don't want to build it manually
✗ Not the right fit
- ✗Need automatic direct deposit to employee bank accounts
- ✗Want the software to file and remit taxes automatically on your behalf
- ✗Employees in more than 4 states or in states not yet supported
- ✗Require HR features: benefits, PTO tracking, employee self-service portal
- ✗Need independently audited benchmark certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
- ✗Running payroll for 50+ employees where a dedicated HR platform makes more sense
How Micro-Payroll Compares
A straightforward comparison with the most common alternatives. We don't try to do everything — we try to do one thing completely free.
| Feature | Micro-Payroll | Gusto Simple | QuickBooks Payroll Core | ADP Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly base price | $0 | $40 + $6/ee | $45 + $6/ee | Custom (~$60–100) |
| Tax calculation | ✓ WA·TX·CA·NY | ✓ All 50 states | ✓ All 50 states | ✓ All 50 states |
| Pay stub generation | ✓ Free PDF | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| IRS 941 PDF output | ✓ Official template | ✓ Auto-filed | ✓ Auto-filed | ✓ Auto-filed |
| WA ESD CSV export | ✓ EAMS-ready | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Automatic tax filing | ✗ You file | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Direct deposit | ✗ You pay | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Employee data storage | Browser only | Gusto servers | Intuit servers | ADP servers |
| SSN encryption | AES-256-GCM local | Encrypted at rest | Encrypted at rest | Encrypted at rest |
| Open source | ✓ Yes | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Gusto and QuickBooks pricing based on published 2026 rates. ADP Run range based on publicly quoted estimates for 1–5 employees. Features verified as of July 2026.
Pricing
$0
Free Starter Tier.
- ✓WA & TX payroll calculations
- ✓Professional pay stubs
- ✓Zero-filing CSV export
- ✓Tax filing calendar
- ✓Encrypted local storage
- ✓JSON backup & restore