Deputy pricing: plans, payroll and the terms to read first
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Deputy costs $5 per user a month on Lite, $6.50 on Core and $9 on Pro, with 10% off for annual billing and a $30 minimum per invoice on monthly plans, according to its pricing page (checked October 16, 2026). For 20 staff that is $100 to $180 a month before payroll.
Deputy scores 62 out of 100. It documents more scheduling tools than the other four apps we rank, including auto-scheduling and labor law compliance, but its annual terms are the strictest: paid upfront, no refund, no downgrade and no headcount cut.
Deputy is a per-user shift scheduling and time clock platform for hourly businesses, with auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, labor law compliance tools and an optional payroll product run by Paycor.
On this page
Deputy pricing at a glance
- Per user
- $5 to $9a month, Lite to Pro
- Monthly minimum
- $30per invoice, since Sep 1, 2025
- Payroll
- $49 + $8 per userannual Core or Pro only
- Our score
- 62/100scheduling category
Deputy shows US, UK and Australian pricing. All figures here are the US prices. We score on published terms and prices, not on testing; see our scoring method.
Deputy plans and prices
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing (10% off) | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $5 per user | $5 x 90% = $4.50 per user | Self-serve |
| Core | $6.50 per user | $6.50 x 90% = $5.85 per user | Customer success manager |
| Pro | $9 per user | $9 x 90% = $8.10 per user | Dedicated success manager, 24/7 live chat |
| Deputy Payroll (by Paycor) | Not available | $49 + $8 per user, annual Core or Pro only | Runs on Paycor |
Source: Deputy pricing page (deputy.com/pricing), checked October 16, 2026. Monthly plans carry a $30 minimum per invoice (since September 1, 2025). Deputy shows "10% off annual"; the annual per-user figures are our math.
Everyone with a login counts. Deputy bills admins and managers as users, so a 10-person crew with 2 managers is 12 users: 12 x $5 = $60 a month on Lite, not $50. New, archived and unarchived users are billed a full month, even if they join on the 28th.
What Deputy costs for 10 and 20 hourly staff
| Setup | 10 users | 20 users |
|---|---|---|
| Lite, monthly | 10 x $5 = $50 | 20 x $5 = $100 |
| Core, monthly | 10 x $6.50 = $65 | 20 x $6.50 = $130 |
| Pro, monthly | 10 x $9 = $90 | 20 x $9 = $180 |
| Core, annual, with Deputy Payroll | $58.50 + $49 + 10 x $8 = $187.50 | $117 + $49 + 20 x $8 = $326 |
| Pro, annual, with Deputy Payroll | $81 + $49 + 10 x $8 = $210 | $162 + $49 + 20 x $8 = $371 |
Source: Deputy pricing page, checked October 16, 2026. Admins and managers count as users. Payroll taxes extra. Annual plans are paid upfront.
The $30 minimum only bites on small teams. On Lite it applies below 6 users: 5 x $5 = $25, billed as $30. Above that, the per-user math takes over.
Which tier includes the time clock is not published on the pricing page. Our score uses Lite at $100 for 20 staff, but if your time clock needs Core, the same team costs $130. Ask in writing before you pick a tier, especially on annual billing, because you cannot downgrade later.
Even Pro at $180 is small next to wages and taxes for 20 people. Check the 2026 minimum wage in your state and run the employer cost calculator for payroll taxes per worker.
Deputy Payroll: priced, but only on annual plans
Deputy Payroll is run by Paycor and costs $49 a month plus $8 per user. It is offered only on annual Core or Pro plans. That means you cannot pair it with Lite or with monthly billing, and once you sign up you are inside Deputy's annual terms.
Paycor itself does not publish prices (its pricing page is quote only, checked October 16, 2026), and we did not check the payroll terms behind Deputy Payroll, including any tax filing guarantee. See our Paycor review for what is known.
If you would rather keep payroll separate, compare the published rates at Gusto ($49 + $6 per person on Simple) and Square Payroll ($35 + $6 per person paid). Which outside payroll providers Deputy connects to is not documented in our research.
Auto-scheduling, labor law tools and the time clock
Deputy documents auto-scheduling, demand forecasting, labor law compliance tools, a time clock and shift scheduling. It is the only one of the five apps we rank that documents auto-scheduling with demand forecasting, which is why it leads on features (20 of 25 points). Team messaging is not documented on the pages we checked.
What "labor law compliance" covers in Deputy (overtime alerts, break rules, predictive scheduling notices) is not detailed in our research, and we have not sourced state overtime or predictive scheduling laws for this page. Confirm the rules for your city and state with the vendor. GPS and geofenced clock-in are not documented on the pages we checked; see our time clock comparison.
Contract and cancellation terms
Annual Deputy plans are paid upfront. If you cancel early there is no refund, and during the term you cannot downgrade or reduce headcount.
- Monthly plans: you pay to the end of the billing period, then service stops.
- Minimum spend: $30 per invoice on monthly plans.
- Full-month billing: new, archived and unarchived users are billed for the whole month.
- After you leave: data export and W-2 access for Deputy Payroll were not checked.
Seasonal businesses should be careful. If you staff up to 40 for summer on an annual plan, you cannot cut back to 15 in winter. Monthly billing gives up the 10% annual discount but lets headcount fall.
Support
Lite is self-serve. Core adds a customer success manager. Pro adds a dedicated success manager and 24/7 live chat. Phone support is listed at 1-855-633-7889, with hours not published.
Deputy reviews
Deputy has 4.6 out of 5 from 666 reviews on G2 and 2.9 out of 5 from 131 reviews on Trustpilot (both seen October 16, 2026). The gap between the two is wide. We did not research recurring complaint themes this pass, so the complaint score uses the default for that part.
How we score Deputy
| Criterion | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price for 20 hourly staff | 20 of 30 | Lite is $5 per user, so 20 staff cost $5 x 20 = $100 a month, above the $30 monthly minimum (20); which tier includes the time clock is not published. |
| Scheduling and time clock features | 20 of 25 | Auto-scheduling with demand forecasting, labor law compliance, a time clock and shift scheduling are documented (5 each); team messaging is not published on the pages we checked (0). |
| Payroll integration | 10 of 15 | Deputy Payroll (by Paycor) is published at $49 + $8 per user, but only on annual Core or Pro plans (10). |
| Contract terms | 7 of 15 | Monthly plans run to the end of the billing period (5); annual plans are paid upfront with no refund, downgrade or headcount reduction (1); a $30 monthly minimum and full-month billing for new or unarchived users (1). |
| Documented complaint patterns | 5 of 15 | Trustpilot 2.9 from 131 reviews (1 of 4); complaint patterns were not researched this pass (default 2 of 6), so 3 of 10 scales to 5 of 15. |
| Total | 62 of 100 | Best for multi-location hourly businesses that need auto-scheduling and labor law tools. |
Source: HRPricing.com scheduling scores, checked October 17, 2026. Scores use published terms and prices, not hands-on testing.
Who Deputy fits, and who it does not
What works
- Auto-scheduling and demand forecasting documented.
- Labor law compliance tools documented.
- Every plan and the payroll add-on have published prices.
Watch out for
- Annual plans: no refund, no downgrade, no headcount cut.
- $30 monthly minimum and full-month billing for new users.
- Payroll only on annual Core or Pro.
- Trustpilot 2.9 from 131 reviews.
Bottom line: Deputy suits multi-site operators who will use forecasting and labor rule tools and have a steady headcount. A single location with 10 to 20 staff pays less at Homebase ($0 or $30 per location) or Connecteam ($35 for up to 30 users). Larger operations should also read our workforce management comparison and the full scheduling rankings.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Deputy cost per user?
What does Deputy cost for 20 employees?
How much is Deputy Payroll?
Can I cancel Deputy and get a refund?
Is there a Deputy minimum charge?
Sources (6)
- Deputy: Deputy pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- G2: Deputy reviews (4.6, 666 reviews) (seen Oct 16, 2026)
- Trustpilot: Deputy reviews (2.9, 131 reviews) (seen Oct 16, 2026)
- Paycor: Paycor pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Gusto: Gusto pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Square: Square Payroll pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules and rates change, so check the official source linked above before you file or sign a contract. Read our disclaimer.