Pillar HR Fractional HR and M&A HR due diligence · Charlotte, NC

Payroll cost: today vs. Bespoke

Prepared for ARKS Legacy Holdings · November 2, 2026

Scenic today $61,904 a year · about $5,160 a month
to
Bespoke, payroll only $11,880 a year · $990 a month
Saved ~$50,000 a year

Cost per year

Scenic todayPaychex HR Pro$61,904
Paychex HR Pro, new pricepayroll plus Paychex HR$21,780
Paychex payroll only plus Employee Navigatorrecommended~$12,500
Paychex payroll onlyrecommended$11,880

Side by side

Today

Paychex HR Pro

$5,160a month
Per year
$61,904
Per employee per month
~$165
How it's billed
Per payroll run
  • Each extra payroll run adds about $1,150
  • Introductory discount ended June 2026

What Scenic pays now

Recommended

Paychex payroll only

$990a month
Per year
$11,880
Per employee per month
$30
How it's billed
Flat monthly
  • No per-run or per-check fees
  • Weekly payroll, tax filing, direct deposit, W-2s, employee app
  • HR handled by Pillar, so no paying for HR twice

About $50,000 a year less

Payroll plus HR · new price

Paychex HR Pro

$1,815a month
Per year
$21,780
Per employee per month
$55
How it's billed
Flat monthly
  • Duplicates the HR Pillar already provides

About $40,100 a year less

Add-on · Benefits enrollment

Employee Navigator, about $50 to $60 a month

Online benefits enrollment that sends deductions straight to payroll. Your current broker doesn't usually set it up for groups under 20, and we've asked them to make an exception. If they won't, our partner broker can set it up and connect it to payroll. It can also wait for a later change.

PEO

Not the right move yet

Paychex's PEO doesn't compare well for Bespoke right now. That's one provider. We can look at a PEO again later as part of the technology plan.

Paychex options priced for 33 employees, paid weekly. With the three owners on payroll, payroll only is $1,080 a month and HR Pro $1,980. Setup and year-end fees are not included, and we've asked Paychex to waive them. Payroll only is shown at $30 and HR Pro at $55 per employee per month, with Paychex's written quotes to follow. Scenic today is what Scenic Corp of NY paid Paychex from October 17, 2025 to October 16, 2026.