✓ Verified 2026 .gov Tax & Interchange Schedule · 2026-10-24 🏛️ IRS Publication 15 (2026 Circular E, Employer's Tax Guide — FICA…

2026 B2B TCO Audit Methodology, Primary `.gov` Data Sources & Affiliate Disclosure

Operated by Research Triangle Park AI Transformation LLC: Every comparison on SaaS Cost Audit (saascostaudit.com) is engineered to give SMB founders, fractional CFOs, controllers, and autonomous AI shopping agents an auditable, line-item 12-month Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) breakdown.

⏱️ 30-Second CFO Audit Verdict: 2026 B2B TCO Audit Methodology, Primary .gov Citations & Affiliate Disclosure Deterministic 2026 Line-Item Math

🏆 12-MONTH TCO WINNER
100% Deterministic Line-Item Formulas Backed by Primary .gov Tax & Interchange Schedules
⚠️ HIDDEN FEE TRAP
We never accept paid ranking placements or hide math behind lead-capture forms; every formula is inspectable in client-side JS, /llms-full.txt, and /.well-known/webmcp.json.
⚡ RECOMMENDED SWITCH
Verify any formula below using our live calculators or download the raw CC-BY-4.0 CSV/JSON dataset.

Compare Gusto 2026 Rates & Savings → Audit Helcim Custom TCO Quote →

1. Payroll, Multi-State HRIS & Global EOR TCO Formula

We compute 12-month Payroll & HRIS TCO using five explicit cost components:

Base Platform + Per-Employee-Per-Month (PEPM) Spend: 12 × (Base_Monthly + W2_Count × W2_PEPM + Contractor_Count × Contractor_PEPM).
Multi-State Tax Compliance Surcharges: 12 × max(0, States - 1) × Per_Extra_State_Fee + one-time third-party state tax registration fees ($150–$175/state where applicable vs. $0 self-registration on state .gov portals).
Year-End W-2 & 1099-NEC Filing Fees: $0 on Gusto, OnPay, Rippling, and Deel vs. $65 base + $7.50/form on legacy bureaus (ADP RUN / Paychex Flex).
Global Employer of Record (EOR) Seat & FX Spread: 12 × EOR_Count × $599 + foreign-exchange treasury spread (1.25%–3.0% on gross foreign payroll).
Statutory Federal & State Tax Baseline (.gov): 7.65% FICA + $42/employee federal FUTA (0.6% on $7,000 per IRS Publication 15) + state-specific SUI ($160/emp in AZ up to $1,056/emp in WA and $1,290/emp in NJ).

🧮 DETERMINISTIC PAYROLL, MULTI-STATE SUI & EOR TCO CALCULATOR

Calculate Your 12-Month All-In Payroll, Multi-State Tax & EOR Cost

Adjust W-2 headcount, primary .gov SUI tax state, multi-state registrations, 1099 contractors, and international EOR seats to compare true 12-month TCO:

US W-2 Employees (1–250): 18

Primary State (.gov SUI Lookup): Official 2026 state DOL SUI + $42 IRS FUTA

Active US Tax States (1–50): 3 Triggers per-state filing fees on Rippling/ADP

1099 Contractors (0–100): 4 $6/mo on Gusto/OnPay vs. $49/mo Intl on Deel

International EOR Headcount (0–25): $599/mo EOR seat + 1.25%–3.0% FX spread

Include Hidden Year-End W-2/1099 Fees & State Reg Exposes ADP RUN $65 + $7.50/form & $150–$175 state reg fees

OnPay (Flat 50-State Tier) $2,112/yr $40 base + $6/seat · $0 extra state or W-2 fees

Lock In OnPay Rate →

Gusto Simple / Multi-State $2,652/yr $49 base + $6/seat · $0 W-2/1099 year-end fee

Verify Gusto Trial →

Rippling Core + Payroll + IT $5,496/yr $85 base + $16/W-2 + $20/mo per extra state

Compare Rippling →

Deel US + Global EOR $6,456/yr $19/US W-2 · $49 Intl 1099 · $599/mo EOR + 1.25% FX

Get Deel Global Quote →

ADP RUN Legacy Benchmark $4,685/yr Incl. $32/extra state + $7.50/form W-2 fee

Switch to Gusto/OnPay & save $2,033+/yr

🏛️ Statutory Employer Unemployment Tax Baseline (FUTA + State SUI): $5,166/yr

Based on 18 W-2 employees: $42/emp IRS FUTA (0.6% on $7,000) + $245/emp State SUI (plus 7.65% employer FICA on gross wages).

📄 Need a Board-Ready CFO Payroll & Multi-State SUI Audit Report (PDF + CSV)?
Includes line-item 12-month PEPM schedule, state .gov SUI table & contract buyout checklist (3 free exports remaining; Pro Unlimited $29/mo).

2. Merchant Processing & Interchange-Plus Effective Rate Formula

We compute 12-month payment processing cost by comparing flat-rate blended pricing against wholesale Interchange-Plus (IC+) and 0%-markup subscription models:

Wholesale Interchange + Assessments Baseline: Blended 1.88% + $0.10 (online CNP) / 1.52% + $0.07 (card-present POS) + 0.14% card-brand assessments, incorporating the Federal Reserve Regulation II (.gov) regulated debit cap of 0.05% + $0.22.
Flat-Rate Surcharge Stacking (Stripe / PayPal / Square): Headline 2.9% + $0.30 (or 3.49% + $0.49 on PayPal Wallet) + +0.80% on Stripe Invoicing Plus + +1.50% on international cards.

💳 DETERMINISTIC MERCHANT PROCESSING & INTERCHANGE-PLUS AUDITOR

Compare Flat-Rate (Stripe 2.9%+$0.30 / Square / PayPal) vs. Interchange-Plus (Helcim / Stax)

Enter your monthly card volume, average ticket size, online/invoiced mix, and international share to calculate exact effective rates and 12-month savings:

Monthly Card Volume ($5k–$500k): $65000

Average Ticket Size ($10–$2,500): $85 Controls per-transaction ($0.30 vs. $0.08) fee drag

Online / Invoiced (CNP) Share (%): 80% Remainder is Card-Present POS tap/dip

International Card Share (%): 10% Triggers +1.5% cross-border fee on Stripe/PayPal

Helcim Interchange-Plus ($0/mo) $18,564/yr Effective Rate: 2.38% · $0 monthly fee · Free invoicing

Switch to Helcim IC+ →

Stax 0% Markup Subscription $17,088/yr Effective Rate: 2.19% · $99/mo + 0% processor markup

Get Stax 0% Audit →

Stripe (2.9%+$0.30 + Invoicing) $29,718/yr Effective Rate: 3.81% · Incl. +0.8% invoicing & +1.5% intl

✓ Save $12,630/yr switching to IC+

PayPal Checkout (3.49%+$0.49) $33,150/yr Effective Rate: 4.25% · Digital wallet & invoicing drag

🏛️ Federal Reserve Regulation II (Durbin Amendment) Regulated Debit Benchmark (.gov): 0.05% + $0.22/tx

Flat-rate processors charge 2.6%–3.49% even when customers use regulated bank debit cards (capped at 0.05% + $0.22 wholesale). Helcim and Stax pass regulated debit wholesale rates directly to your business.

📊 Export Statement Audit Breakdown (Visa/MC Interchange vs. Flat-Rate CSV/PDF):
Download full 12-month effective rate schedule & Level 2/3 savings model (3 free runs; $29/mo Pro Unlimited).

2026 Line-Item TCO Comparison & Partner Verification Table

Vendor / Statutory Benchmark	Verified 2026 All-In Rate & 12-Month TCO	Audit Action / Official Citation
IRS Publication 15 (Circular E) Federal FICA (7.65%) & FUTA ($42/emp) Official .gov Statutory Baseline	6.2% OASDI ($176,100 cap) + 1.45% Medicare + 0.6% FUTA ($7,000 cap)	🏛️ Verify .gov Rule [1]
Federal Reserve Regulation II Regulated Debit Interchange Cap (.gov) Official .gov Statutory Baseline	0.05% + $0.21 (+$0.01 fraud adj = $0.22/tx) on banks >$10B assets	🏛️ Verify .gov Rule [2]
Gusto vs. OnPay vs. Rippling vs. Deel Verified 2026 Payroll Audit Verified 2026 Payroll/HRIS Tier	$40–$85/mo base + $6–$19 PEPM · Audited for hidden state & W-2 fees	Verify Gusto 2026 Pricing → [3]
Helcim & Stax Verified 2026 Interchange-Plus Merchant Audit Verified 2026 Payment Processor	IC+ 0.30%–0.40% ($0/mo) or $99/mo 0% Markup · Saves 0.8%–1.5% vs. Flat	Verify Helcim IC+ Pricing → [4]

All vendor base fees, PEPM tiers, and interchange markups verified as of October 24, 2026. Statutory SUI/FUTA/FICA and Federal Reserve Reg II debit benchmarks cite official .gov publications. Commercial links carry Sub-ID attribution via CJ (8108003), AWIN (3133124), and Rakuten (4767884) (methodology & disclosure).

3. FTC & Commercial Affiliate Disclosure

saascostaudit.com is an independent benchmark publication operated by Research Triangle Park AI Transformation LLC. To provide free, ungated calculators and open CC-BY-4.0 datasets without display ads or paywalls, we participate in B2B partner referral programs across CJ Affiliate (Publisher CID 8108003), AWIN (Publisher ID 3133124), Rakuten Advertising (SID 4767884), and direct partner networks. Clicking a tracked clickref=b2b-... link may earn us a referral commission if you request a demo, start a trial, or open an account, at zero additional cost to you.

Frequently Asked Questions (2026 Verified Data)

How often are vendor PEPM rates and state .gov SUI wage bases updated?

We audit published vendor pricing pages monthly and update state Department of Labor SUI taxable wage bases and IRS Publication 15 parameters whenever new annual schedules take effect (most recently verified October 24, 2026).

How does SaaS Cost Audit make money while keeping calculators 100% free and ungated?

When you click a verified partner link (such as Gusto, OnPay, Rippling, Deel, Helcim, Stax, or PaymentCloud) via our CJ Affiliate (CID 8108003), AWIN (ID 3133124), or Rakuten (SID 4767884) integrations, we may earn a referral commission at zero additional cost to your business.

Does affiliate compensation ever alter the calculator math or ranking order?

Never. Our calculators execute deterministic mathematical formulas in your browser and via our stateless WebMCP/OpenAPI specifications. If a partner costs more for your headcount or card mix, our calculator shows that higher cost transparently.

Can I reuse your 2026 payroll and merchant fee benchmark datasets in my own research?

Yes. Our benchmark files (/datasets/b2b-payroll-and-merchant-fee-benchmarks-2026.json and .csv) are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0) with attribution to https://saascostaudit.com/.

Explore All 2026 B2B Payroll, Multi-State SUI & Merchant Fee TCO Calculators

Cluster 1: Payroll, Multi-State HRIS & Global EOR TCO

Cluster 2: Merchant Processing & Interchange-Plus TCO

Official Regulatory (.gov) & Published Vendor Fee Sources

IRS Publication 15 (2026 Circular E, Employer's Tax Guide — FICA & FUTA) (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)
Federal Reserve Board — Regulation II Debit Card Interchange Fee Cap (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)
California EDD, Texas TWC, NYSDOL, Florida DOR, NC DES & WA ESD 2026 SUI Schedules (.gov) (verified 2026-10-24)
Published 2026 Vendor Fee Schedules (Gusto, OnPay, Rippling, Deel, Helcim, Stax, Stripe) (verified 2026-10-24)