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Franchise Operations: Managed Payroll for Mid-Size Businesses (25-100 Employees) (2026)
Managed payroll for a mid-size franchise, 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 $1,875 to $3,375 a month at 75 employees. BEG: $25 per employee per month in your existing platform or $45 on isolved, live in 3 to 5 days.
What attached at 50 for a franchise
FMLA covers a franchise 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 franchises with part-time location managers 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 joint employer liability, multi-entity payroll and franchisor reporting requirements and who is a single point of failure on every pay date. Managed payroll at 75 employees is $1,875 a month in your existing platform or $3,375 on isolved, $22,500 to $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.
A completed Form I-9 must be kept for every person on payroll for three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later, and must be produced within three business days of an inspection request. This applies even when an employee leaves shortly after being hired.
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.
- A completed Form I-9 must be kept for every person on payroll for three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later, and must be produced within three business days of an inspection request. This applies even when an employee leaves shortly after being hired. [USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, section 10.0]
Read the full guide to managed payroll by company size, and the rest of the franchise payroll library.
Managed Payroll, Handled.
BEG manages payroll at $25-$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive. Get an instant cost comparison for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does managed payroll cost a franchise with 75 employees?
$1,875 a month in your existing platform or $3,375 on BEG's isolved HCM, all-inclusive, including the 1094-C and 1095-C build.
Is a mid-size franchise an applicable large employer?
If it averaged 50 or more full-time employees plus full-time equivalents in the prior year, yes, and the count comes from payroll hours.
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 franchise?
$25 per employee per month inside your existing platform or $45 on BEG's isolved HCM, all-inclusive, with a $500 monthly minimum. Joint employer liability, multi-entity payroll and franchisor reporting requirements 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 Franchise Operations. BEG manages payroll at $25-$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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