Pricing & getting started
How much does Ideal Workforce cost?
Plans start at $49/month plus $4 per active worker (Essential), $79 plus $5/worker (Enhanced), or $129 plus $7/worker (Complete). Pricing is flat and published, with no per-run fees. See the full pricing breakdown.
Is there a contract or setup fee?
No. Plans are month-to-month with no setup fee, and you can change plans or cancel from your dashboard at any time.
How do I get started?
Sign up online, choose a plan, add your company and state tax details, and sign your Form 8655 reporting agent authorization. The whole flow is self-service and takes a few minutes.
What Ideal Workforce does and doesn’t do
Does Ideal Workforce file my payroll taxes for me?
Not yet. We calculate and record payroll and prepare your quarterly filing package and figures. Submitting your Form 941, state returns, W-2s and 1099s stays yours to do, and electronic filing is switched off today.
Does Ideal Workforce pay my employees or make my tax deposits?
No. The platform does not originate ACH, run direct deposit, or remit tax deposits. You pay employees and make federal and state tax deposits through your own bank and EFTPS, exactly as you do today.
Does Ideal Workforce hold an IRS e-file registration?
Yes, Ideal Workforce LLC holds an active IRS EFIN. Electronic filing on a client’s behalf is switched off today; no return has been transmitted from the platform for any client.
Which states does Ideal Workforce support?
New Jersey has full automatic withholding calculation today. State tax registration details can also be collected at signup for New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota, ahead of full withholding support in those states.
Payroll & contractors
What is the difference between a W-2 employee and a 1099 contractor?
A W-2 employee has federal and applicable state income tax, Social Security and Medicare withheld from each paycheck by the employer. A 1099 contractor is paid the agreed amount with no withholding, and is responsible for their own self-employment and income taxes. Ideal Workforce keeps the two payment types and their records fully separate.
Can my employees see their own paystubs?
Yes. Every employee gets their own self-service login to view current and past paystubs, update their W-4 elections, and see their address on file.
Can 1099 contractors see their own payment history?
Yes. Contractors log into their own portal to see payment history and year-to-date totals, kept separate from employee payroll data.
Security
How is my payroll and bank data secured?
Social Security numbers and bank account details are encrypted at rest with Fernet (AES-128-CBC with HMAC-SHA256 authentication). Every route re-verifies record ownership on the server, and sessions use HttpOnly, secure cookies with bcrypt-hashed passwords. See the full security page.
Still have a question?
We’re glad to answer it directly before you sign up.