Free Payroll Tool
Estimate your managed payroll cost
Enter your headcount and current spend to see what fully managed payroll would cost at $45 PEPM.
Open the Cost Calculator →Blog · Payroll Management · Construction
Construction Companies: Payroll Outsourcing Cost vs. In-House Hire (2026)
Payroll outsourcing for a construction company costs $45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, against an in-house payroll clerk at the $58,260 BLS national median before benefits and taxes. Live in 3 to 5 business days, with prevailing wage compliance and certified payroll configured at setup.
What the outsourced price includes for a construction company
Processing on your schedule, federal and state deposits and filings in every state with an employee, new hire reporting, direct deposit, garnishment processing, W-2s and 1099s, year-end close, and the construction company configuration for prevailing wage compliance, certified payroll, union vs non-union and seasonal crew cycles. Corrections caused by the provider are the provider's cost, including amended returns. There is no per-run fee, no per-state fee and no year-end fee.
What the in-house price includes, honestly
A payroll and timekeeping clerk at the BLS OEWS May 2025 national median of $58,260, about $75,738 loaded, plus software, plus the cost of the errors one person makes alone. DOL lists these typical construction violations: not recording work before or after the shift, shorting hours as down time or rain delay, unpaid meal breaks where the employee is not fully relieved, banking overtime as comp time, failing to combine hours worked in more than one job classification in the same workweek, and not paying for travel from the shop to the work site and back.
Break-even for construction companies
At 50 employees outsourcing is $27,000 a year; at 100 it is $54,000. Both sit under the loaded clerk at about $75,738. Below about 20 employees the realistic comparison is with software rather than a hire, where the case rests on prevailing wage compliance rather than price.
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.
- DOL lists these typical construction violations: not recording work before or after the shift, shorting hours as down time or rain delay, unpaid meal breaks where the employee is not fully relieved, banking overtime as comp time, failing to combine hours worked in more than one job classification in the same workweek, and not paying for travel from the shop to the work site and back. [DOL Fact Sheet #1]
Read the full guide to how much payroll outsourcing costs, and the rest of the construction company 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 is included in the outsourced payroll price for a construction company?
Processing, all federal and state filings, new hire reporting, direct deposit, garnishments, W-2s and 1099s, year-end close and the construction company pay code setup. No per-run, per-state or year-end fees.
What does a payroll clerk cost a construction company in-house?
$58,260 a year at the BLS OEWS May 2025 national median, about $75,738 with benefits and employer taxes, before software.
What does a payroll error cost a construction company?
DOL lists these typical construction violations: not recording work before or after the shift, shorting hours as down time or rain delay, unpaid meal breaks where the employee is not fully relieved, banking overtime as comp time, failing to combine hours worked in more than one job classification in the same workweek, and not paying for travel from the shop to the work site and back.
What does managed payroll cost for a construction company?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. Prevailing wage compliance, certified payroll and union vs non-union 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 Construction Companies. 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. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
From the blog