Payroll Services for Coaches: Gusto vs OnPay vs Justworks (11.6.1)

If you elect S-corp, payroll software is the operational requirement that comes with the election. There is no version of running an S-corp where you skip this. The W-2 salary triggers a stack of federal and state deposits, quarterly filings, and annual reconciliation that automation handles correctly and manual processes routinely break. Walks why a sole-prop draw doesn't work for an S-corp, what payroll software actually handles (federal income tax withholding, FICA both halves, FUTA, SUTA, quarterly filings, year-end W-2), the solo-S-corp simplicity case, and the four common vendors at the category level — Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks Payroll, Justworks. The full scoring matrix lives in Module 19.5. Chapters: 0:00 S-Corp Requires Payroll Software 0:47 The Draw Mechanic Fails for S-Corp 1:40 What Payroll Software Actually Handles 2:35 Solo-S-Corp: The Simplest Case 3:26 When Multi-Employee Changes the Pick 4:15 Four Vendors at Category Level 5:15 Vendor Selection in Twenty Minutes 6:08 Take the Action for Your Stage In this lesson: • Why an S-corp can't use the sole-prop draw mechanic — the W-2 trigger and what it requires • What payroll software actually handles — the full federal and state deposit-and-filing stack • The solo-S-corp case — one employee, fixed salary, bi-weekly or monthly cadence • Why the calculus changes with multiple employees (and where to look for that decision) • Four providers at the category level — Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks Payroll, Justworks • A worked selection in twenty minutes against two filters that actually matter • Where to find the full vendor comparison matrix (Module 19.5) About the course Setting Up Your Coaching Practice is the entry course in The Practitioner Series — async ICF Continuing Coach Education specializations for credentialed and pre-credentialed coaches. 21 modules, 171 videos, fully self-paced. Covers everything from forming the entity through year-one tax filing. Framework: Coach as Founder — the identity shift from a coach who is starting a business to a founder who builds the operational foundation a coaching practice runs on. ICF CCE eligible: ~20 hours (4 Core Competency + 16 Resource Development) — bracket pending Phase 10 submission. ▶ Next lesson: Smoothing Irregular Income: Pay Yourself a Steady Coach Paycheck →    • Smoothing Irregular Income: Pay Yourself a...   Full course (Tandem Coaching Academy): https://community.tandemcoaching.acad... More from Tandem: https://tandemcoach.co Coaching industry data: https://tandemcoach.co/coaching-indus... #CoachingPractice #NewCoach #ICF #CoachAsFounder #PractitionerSeries #TandemCoaching