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Childcare Centers & Preschools: Managed Payroll for Mid-Size Businesses (25-100 Employees) (2026)
Managed payroll for a mid-size childcare center, 50 to 100 employees, is where FMLA and the ACA employer mandate have attached and the question becomes whether to hire the payroll clerk BLS prices at $58,260 or pay $3,375 a month at 75 employees. BEG: $45 per employee per month inside the payroll software you already use, live in 3 to 5 days.
What attached at 50 for a childcare center
An employer that had at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, on average during the prior year is an applicable large employer for the current calendar year and is subject to the ACA employer shared responsibility and information reporting provisions.
FMLA covers a childcare center with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks, with job-protected unpaid leave and benefits continued, so leave balances, intermittent hours and benefit deductions during leave all live in payroll. The ACA applicable large employer test counts full-time equivalents from payroll hours, and once it applies the 1094-C and 1095-C filings are built from the same data every year. For childcare centers with part-time lead teachers the FTE count is the number to watch, not the headcount.
Hire or outsource at 75 employees
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the national median for payroll and timekeeping clerks at $58,260, roughly $75,738 loaded, for one person who also has to know licensing-tied payroll records, subsidy payment coordination and part-time variable-hour staff and who is a single point of failure on every pay date. Managed payroll at 75 employees is $3,375 a month, $40,500 a year, with the ACA and FMLA mechanics inside the price. The next federal lines, WARN notice and the EEO-1 report, wait at 100.
Under the federal Child Care and Development Fund rules, every licensed, regulated or registered child care provider and every provider paid with CCDF assistance must obtain a criminal background check for each child care staff member, including contract employees. The check includes an FBI fingerprint check, the National Sex Offender Registry, and state criminal, sex offender and child abuse registries for each state of residence in the past five years, and states must return results within 45 days.
The rules behind this page, with sources
General information, not legal advice. Every rule below was read on the agency page linked next to it.
- An employer that had at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, on average during the prior year is an applicable large employer for the current calendar year and is subject to the ACA employer shared responsibility and information reporting provisions. [IRS Determining if an employer is an applicable large employer]
- Under the federal Child Care and Development Fund rules, every licensed, regulated or registered child care provider and every provider paid with CCDF assistance must obtain a criminal background check for each child care staff member, including contract employees. The check includes an FBI fingerprint check, the National Sex Offender Registry, and state criminal, sex offender and child abuse registries for each state of residence in the past five years, and states must return results within 45 days. [45 CFR 98.43]
Read the full guide to managed payroll by company size, and the rest of the childcare center payroll library.
Managed Payroll, Handled.
BEG manages payroll at $45 per employee per month, all-inclusive. Get an instant cost comparison for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does managed payroll cost a childcare center with 75 employees?
$3,375 a month at $45 per employee, all-inclusive, including the 1094-C and 1095-C build.
Is a mid-size childcare center an applicable large employer?
An employer that had at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, on average during the prior year is an applicable large employer for the current calendar year and is subject to the ACA employer shared responsibility and information reporting provisions.
What does the in-house alternative cost at this size?
$58,260 a year at the BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for a payroll and timekeeping clerk, before benefits, employer taxes and software.
What does managed payroll cost for a childcare center?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. Licensing-tied payroll records, subsidy payment coordination and part-time variable-hour staff are configured at setup, not billed as add-ons.
Related Resources
Anthony leads payroll solutions at Business Executive Group, a national managed payroll firm serving businesses across industries including Childcare Centers & Preschools. BEG manages payroll at $45 PEPM, all-inclusive, with deep expertise in compliance, multi-state filing, and industry-specific payroll requirements. Get instant pricing at beghr.com.
Authoritative source: U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
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