Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Payroll4Free is blocking my payroll posting and demanding new fees mid-year despite advertising free service for 10 or fewer employees. No notice given. Ignoring multiple support emails.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2025

  We continue to offer free payroll software use for small business with less that 10 employees. Fees are only charged for larger companies, or those opting for more intensive use.

  Clients have been notified of changes, either when logging into the system and/or email.

  If this client is unsatisfied, we agree to refund all the fees paid for this quarter upon their providing a receipt, and to close their account.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/16/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  

   

  This is the email they sent me TODAY which contradicts the lie they sent over.  They have their options before them including us absorbing their company as a settlement. Their response is simply proof for the courts that they are scamming people charging them for FREE services. Not addons... FREE SERVICES.  Many agencies are going to be involved.
  
  Please be advised that Payroll4Free.com Management has
  recently implemented fees for batch posting. You can now post 1 batch per month
  (with 9 or fewer payees) for free. You can pay a monthly unlimited batch
  posting fee for $15 per month if you will be posting more than 1 payroll batch.
  The $45 would apply to unlimited batch posting for the quarter. The Payroll4Free.com website has
  not yet been updated.
  
  Payroll4free is "limiting" what's
  free.
  
  - We are giving clients one free batch per month
  across the board whether they are an investor,     the
  Payroll Tax Service or just using the free version. 
  - Investors get free Payroll Tax Services services (minimum
  investment required). 
  
  For the fees that pop up:
  1 - Current Quarter = $45.00 (unlimited batch postings
  per month)
  2.- Current year which includes now
  until 12/31/2025 = $48.99  (unlimited batch posting for the rest of
  the year).
  Payroll4Free was founded with the
  mission of providing professional payroll software to small businesses at
  little to no cost. We are committed to keeping our core software free, thus we
  are adapting to ensure our long-term sustainability.
  Free
  for small businesses:
  Full Payroll4Free payroll software
  One free payroll batch per month (for businesses with fewer than 10 employees)
  Optional
  add ons:
  Unlimited payroll batches: $15/month 
  Automatic quarterly/year-end federal forms (941, W-2, etc.): $15/quarter 
  Payroll Tax Service: $35, Each additional state or locality: $15
  Custom Services fees (training, assistance, consulting): base rate $50
  These fees help cover the real
  costs of maintaining a secure and reliable payroll system — while keeping
  Payroll4Free the most affordable option anywhere. 
  Per the popup message, there is now a fee to post more than
  once monthly. The first payroll batch posting is free. 
  
  These fees help
  cover the real costs of maintaining a secure and reliable payroll system —
  while keeping Payroll4Free the most affordable option anywhere. 
  
  We apologize for
  the inconvenience.
  Thank you for being a valued
  Payroll4Free.com customer.
  

   

  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2025

  Our overly generous offer for a full refund still stands.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/17/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  The company knows it did not charge us any money because we refuse to pay for the FREE services advertised. LEGALLY they cannot change these rules except:
  

  1) Website update (not done as admitted already.)

  2) Notify customer (must be done before the change takes effect, not afterward.)

  3) Cannot be done DURING a payroll year whether that is a calendar year or fiscal year.

  4) Company is in violation of many state and federal laws.

  5) Continued obstruction and refusal to reverse course in accordance with the laws of the US and many states IS RESULTING in two lawsuits being filed, one class action, one individual.

  6) My company will seek to seize legal ownership of Payroll4Free, immediately terminate all existing staff, and rehire **** to run operations and assist with hiring a new team. WE will run it the right way.

  The company's window of negotiation has officially closed and their first $500 legal bill is being prepared shortly. 

  We and many others will see them in court. 

  BBB accreditation was revoked for cause. The company will either be taken over by someone else or closed soon.

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/05/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been using Payroll4free for several years now. 2 weeks ago as I went to post my weekly payroll, there was a message about some changes being made, but still free service to small businesses (I have 3 employees). I entered my information and went to post my payroll and received a message that I will have to pay a $45 fee to do so. So I was unable to print paychecks. I have made several calls and gotten no response. The one time I got a human, he was rude. He said he would have a supervisor contact me in 48 hours. That was a week ago. I have not received any calls. I am unable to run my payroll and unable to run the report I need to do my monthly tax payment. Their website still says the service is free for less than 10 employees. I am very frustrated.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On August 18, I was informed that Payroll4free was implementing a new fee on batch payroll postings, specifically for more than one batch posting per month. I have been utilizing Payroll4free since 2018 for my business, ***** ***** ******** LLC, and have never been subject to this fee. Moreover, I invested $2,500 in the payroll4free IPO via ******** in 2022--one of the perks of that investment was promised payroll tax services for life, regardless of what the future fee may be (see attached screenshot).
  
  As a result of the aforementioned batch fee, when I went to process my batch on August 15, the system blocked me from proceeding and introduced a paywall because I had to process a batch on August 1 for the last pay period in July (mind you, this was 3 days before I found out about the fee). I currently run payroll every two weeks.
  
  I attempted to resolve my issue and brought up my investment and the company's promise of free payroll tax services as a result of the $2,500 I invested, but it fell on deaf ears. The company said that batch postings are not part of the lifetime free perk despite the fact that that fee is clearly included under the title "Payroll Tax Services" on their posted fee schedule: ********************************************.
  
  Additionally, the multiple batch fee that was $25.00 as cited on the posted fee schedule is now $45.00--again with absolutely no prior notice.
  
  Notwithstanding the devious and misleading behavior that caused Payroll4free to reneg on the promised perk of lifetime payroll tax services for free due to my $2,500 investment, introducing a paywall in the middle of the month with no prior notice or opportunity for me to change my payroll period to monthly is nothing short of awful communication and horrible business. I am terribly disappointed.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/20/2025

  Contacted client.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response provided by the business regarding complaint ID ********, and I find the resolution is satisfactory. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** **********
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had used this company for payroll since 2020 and was very satisfied until they did not file my appropriate tax forms for 4th quarter 2024/1st quarter 2025 or pay the taxes for me via auto draft from my checking account. There were letters that came to my house and multiple penalties that I paid. This was discovered in March 2025. I called the company and their excuse was that the tax team was short-staffed and they would take care of any penalties that I had already paid. I decided to cancel their services on 3/26/25 via the appropriate form that was sent to me, was signed and emailed back. Another part to this is there was $3000.00 that was auto drafted from my account in February 2023 when I changed to direct deposit for the employees on 1/31/23. I have multiple emails about this and the money was supposed to be in my account by 5/30/25 and was not sent from them. The last email on 7/2/25 from payroll4free "we have forwarded your email to the Billing and Management Team for follow up". The emails I sent on 7/10/25 and 7/13/25 have not been replied to.
  
  I am seeking the penalties for my tax forms being filled late and the $3000.00 that was sent to start utilizing direct deposit.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2025

  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  
  
  Our client, ****** ******, has already received her security deposit. We are unsure why we are receiving this notification from you now.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/02/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I strongly advise anyone considering Payroll for Free to think twice. My experience has been financially and emotionally devastating. What was supposed to be a helpful, affordable service turned into a year-long nightmare—one that cost my small business over $6,000 due to their negligence, and not a single person has taken responsibility.
  
  They failed to pay my state Unemployment Insurance Taxes (UIT) for an entire year and consistently filed late. This pushed my tax rate from 0.45% to 5.4%—a massive hike that forced me to borrow money just to stay afloat. The state sent multiple notices, all of which Payroll for Free ignored.
  
  After receiving no response from Payroll for Free, the state reached out to me directly. Had they not, I would have unknowingly continued at the inflated 5.4% tax rate for another year.
  I handled the entire next year’s payments on my own—despite the fact that I was still paying Payroll for Free to manage this exact responsibility.
  
  I sent full documentation of everything to ***** ********* and their tax department—not a single response.
  
  Despite countless attempts to reach them over the past year, I’ve received no acknowledgment, no apology, no accountability. ***** ********* in particular has shown a disturbing lack of integrity and professionalism. This isn’t just bad service—it’s gross negligence.
  
  To make matters worse, the company carries Errors and Omissions insurance, which exists specifically for situations like this. It wouldn’t cost them a dime to make it right—but they refuse to take any action.
  
  Let me be clear: this “free” service was not free—I was paying monthly. And in return, I got costly errors, silence, and total disregard.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/19/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid for a lifetime free service with payroll4free in 2022. Since then, there have been multiple lapses in their filing my taxes on time for me which have incurred penalties. I have contacted them for 3 months now to get a refund on the penalty as promised but have not gotten it. Now my emails are not being answered at all.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/06/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired Payroll4Free to handle my payroll and state and federal tax filings in a timely manner. I have received three notices, two from my state and one from the IRS, regarding delinquent filing of information and timely payment of taxes owed, and I am now being charged penalties for these delinquencies. I have been emailing the late notices I've received to Payroll4Free for months with no reply. I have tried calling as well, but no one ever answers the phones and my messages are never returned. I expect Payroll4Free to incur the cost of these penalties because it is their negligence that has caused the fines being applied to my accounts. They have paid the fines & penalties from my checking account and have made no attempt to reimburse me for the cost of their mistakes.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/05/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Payroll 4 Free has been my payroll software provider for about 4 years. During this time, I have not needed many extras since I just started my business and very small. Now I have committed to providing my employees with a 401K with matching funds. Per their website FAQs, I was comfortable offering this since it stated YES! they can do this. But now that I need this feature, they are telling me they can't do it, even though even today their website states YES!
  
  They are not responding to me. I want them to honor what their website states. I am certain they have the capability to do this, they are just not wanting to do so for some reason. If they really can't do this for some reason, I will have to find a new provider since I committed to my employees. In this case, I would expect a refund for any months not used once I cancel service. Again I have given them plenty of time to make this right with me, but they are not responding.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In June, 2024, I contacted Payroll4free regarding setting up our payroll with their company, which is to be free for under 10 employees (our company has 3). I filled out all of the necessary paperwork, which took me hours (if not days) to do, and even did the intake interview by phone. That was the last that I heard from anyone with the company. Our payroll has never been set up and it is hard to get a response from anyone. The last response was that they didn't know how much longer it would be until our payroll was set up and that was a few months ago. This company has all of our employee information, including SS # and addresses. Every payroll that I have done since last year has been manually including all payroll forms. This adds a lot of work to my job. Can you help me?

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2025

  
  Thanks for reaching out. Upon reviewing your account, I see that it was created on August 2nd. It looks like you haven't added any employees yet.
  
  
  To get your employees set up, you can either follow our online tutorials, which provide step-by-step guidance, or I'd be happy to set up one employee profile for you. You can then use this as a template to easily add the rest of your team.
  
  
  Please let me know which option works best for you.
  
  
  Best regards,
  ****** 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/15/2025

  They are saying that there are no employees registered/submitted.  I completed all of that last June/July, 2024.  I spent hours (it took me days)  looking for all of the information that they required and submitted it all last year.  I even completed the last step - the phone interview and was just waiting for them to set up our company.  Almost a year later, I am still waiting.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for their service in late 2023. I never got it to work, but they charged me $35. I complained and they refunded my money and told me I was removed from their payroll service. This month I decide to try the service again, having been assured by them that I will not be charged. Still it never worked, I never cut a single check and on 4/10/2025 they took $35 from my bank account. I complained to them and got a canned response. I provided proof, an email from them, that the payroll service was cancelled, they told me to fill out a form to cancel it. I repeatedly asked them to refund my money and they stopped responding. I just want my money back and for them to STOP STEALING FROM ME.