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Agency Payroll: Managed for Under 25 Employees | BEGs (Under 25 Employees) (2026)
Managed payroll for a small marketing agency is a complexity decision, not a headcount one: at $45 per employee with no monthly minimum a 10-person marketing agency pays $450 a month. BEG: $45 per employee per month inside the payroll software you already use, live in 3 to 5 days.
What managed payroll costs a small marketing agency
At $45 per employee per month with no monthly minimum and no setup fee, a 5-person marketing agency pays $225 a month, a 10-person one $450 and a 20-person one $900, all-inclusive. The cost grows one employee at a time, so there is no headcount to wait for. Payroll software at roughly $40 to $150 a month plus $5 to $12 per employee is cheaper in raw dollars for a single-state, all-W-2, hourly-and-salary payroll. The question is whether this marketing agency is that payroll.
The complications that decide it for marketing agencies
Copywriters, designers and other creative staff can be exempt creative professionals only if paid a salary of at least $684 per week and their primary duty requires invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field. Work that mainly depends on intelligence, diligence and accuracy does not qualify, and the test is applied case by case.
1099 vs W-2 freelancer classification, project-based bonuses, multi-state remote teams and billable vs internal payroll allocation: each is a pay code that self-service software ships blank, and each is a place a small marketing agency with no payroll specialist gets it wrong for years before an audit or a wage claim finds it. One of these, or an employee in a second state, or a first garnishment order, is the point where the managed price stops being a premium.
What a small marketing agency is already subject to
Below 50 employees the federal lines already crossed are e-filing at 10 information returns, OSHA logs at 11 unless the industry is on the exempt list, Title VII and the ADA at 15, and the ADEA and COBRA at 20. None of them wait for a payroll department to exist.
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.
- Copywriters, designers and other creative staff can be exempt creative professionals only if paid a salary of at least $684 per week and their primary duty requires invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field. Work that mainly depends on intelligence, diligence and accuracy does not qualify, and the test is applied case by case. [DOL Fact Sheet #17D]
Read the full guide to managed payroll by company size, and the rest of the marketing agency 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
Is managed payroll worth it for a marketing agency under 20 employees?
When there is a complication: 1099 vs W-2 freelancer classification, a second state, a garnishment, or a classification question about account managers and copywriters. Without one, software is the cheaper price for a simple payroll and this page says so.
What does a 10-person marketing agency pay?
$450 a month: 10 employees at $45 per employee, all-inclusive, with no monthly minimum and no setup fee.
Which marketing agency rule most often breaks a self-service setup?
Copywriters, designers and other creative staff can be exempt creative professionals only if paid a salary of at least $684 per week and their primary duty requires invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field. Work that mainly depends on intelligence, diligence and accuracy does not qualify, and the test is applied case by case.
What does managed payroll cost for a marketing agency?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. 1099 vs W-2 freelancer classification, project-based bonuses and multi-state remote teams 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 Marketing & PR Agencies. 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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