Payroll Vault Franchise Cost (2026)

What stands out about Payroll Vault

A long list of flat monthly charges sits on top of the royalty. Besides a royalty of 6% of Gross Revenue with a monthly minimum, Item 6 requires separate monthly payments for payroll software, an HR platform, a CRM, technology maintenance, national advertising, digital marketing and financial reporting, plus charges per client and per client employee. These do not shrink for a small book of business, which matters in the first year as clients are signed.

Item 19 goes down to EBITDA for every business that reported all year. Average total income was $294,071, and the franchisor-defined EBITDA after fees, marketing and fixed costs was a fraction of that, with several businesses reporting losses. Separate tables split full-time from part-time owners, which helps a buyer judge what a part-time effort produced.

The first term is short at 5 years, but two long successor terms follow, and the successor fee is waived for a business that reaches a set revenue level or client count. Item 12 also sets a client quota, and missing it can lead to required paid training. The franchised count reached 62 at the end of 2025.

What are the initial franchise fees and financial requirements for Payroll Vault?

Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $68,500 for Payroll Vault. Check the cited Item 5 for payment timing, discounts and format-specific terms.

Item 5 (PDF page 13): the initial franchise fee is $68,500 for a Territory of 150,000 people; at purchase you may instead buy 225,000 ($78,500) or 300,000 ($88,500). Honorably discharged veterans and first responders get 10% off the first franchise. A $1,500 Technology Startup and Accounting Fee is due before opening. Fees are non-refundable; all franchisees in the last fiscal year paid the then-current fee.

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 5, PDF p. 13.

This record lists no minimum net worth or liquid-capital requirement for Payroll Vault, because no sourced figure has been recorded. Ask the franchisor for its current financial qualifications in writing.

How much does it cost to open a Payroll Vault franchise? (Item 7)

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 22.

Item 7 of Payroll Vault’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates the total cost to open one single territory at $77,000 – $114,010. This total includes the initial franchise fee.

Item 7 (PDF pages 22-23) prints $77,000 to $114,010 for one Territory; its 11 lines add to that total. The franchise fee line runs from $68,500 to $88,500 depending on territory size, and the business can be run from home, so rent can be $0. Additional funds cover 3 months.

What ongoing royalties and fees does Payroll Vault charge? (Item 6)

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 13.

Item 6 of Payroll Vault’s 2026 FDD lists the charges below. Recurring charges and charges triggered by a transfer, renewal or other event have different conditions. Read each fee’s basis and notes before comparing rates.

How to read an Item 6 fee table.

Payroll Vault startup investment and modeled fees over 10 years

Item 6 sets the royalty at the greater of 6% of Gross Revenue or a $400 monthly minimum from the third month, and charges software fees per employee and per client. A single annual sales figure cannot show which months reach the minimum or the client and employee counts, so this record does not produce an annual fee estimate or payback preset. See the fee amounts and definitions in Item 6 above. Open the calculator with your own assumptions.

Item 20: Payroll Vault franchised outlet history

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 55.

Item 20 Table 3 reports 62 franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The company-owned table reports a further 1 outlets. Our calculated average annual franchised exit rate is 11.2% across the 3 reported years, using the definition below.

Franchised units went from 52 to 62 over 3 years (+10).

Reported exits include terminations, non-renewals, franchisor reacquisitions and other cessations. A reacquired outlet may continue operating. How we calculate the exit rate. How to read the Item 20 outlet tables. Compare Payroll Vault’s exit rate with other brands.

Item 20 Table 3 totals match Table 1 (PDF page 53). Exits each year were mostly businesses that ceased operating, plus a few terminations; the franchisor notes franchises are not transferred as such but sold as a book of business. One affiliate-owned business operates.

How much do Payroll Vault franchise owners make? (Item 19)

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 19, PDF p. 50.

Item 19 of the 2026 FDD reports average Total Income, all franchised Businesses reporting in 2025 (Table 1) of $294,071 (2025 calendar year, 50 franchised Businesses that reported every month of 2025; 12 that did not operate all year were excluded). Besides sales, Payroll Vault’s Item 19 reports “Average Gross Profit (Total Income less cost of goods sold), Table 1” and “Average EBITDA, Table 1”. Each figure follows the franchisor’s own definition in Item 19, which decides which costs are deducted and whether an owner’s salary is one of them. None of them is necessarily an owner’s take-home pay.

See every Payroll Vault Item 19 figure, with its period and sample.

Payback calculator (enter your own assumptions) Check any inputs against this record’s Item 7 startup costs and Item 6 fee rules.

How to interpret Payroll Vault’s Item 19 figures and sample limits.

How long is the Payroll Vault franchise agreement term?

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 17, PDF p. 46.

The standard Payroll Vault franchise agreement runs 5 years, with renewal terms of 10 years.

Item 17 (PDF page 46): a five-year initial term, followed by two additional 10-year successor terms if all conditions are met; the successor fee falls to zero for a business with $150,000 of final-year Gross Revenue or 100 clients.

How long does it take to open a Payroll Vault franchise? (Item 11)

Source: Payroll Vault 2026 FDD, Item 11, PDF p. 31.

Item 11 of the 2026 FDD states the time from the franchise agreement's Effective Date to opening: within 90 days of the Effective Date. The agreement requires you to open the first business day after completing Franchisee Training, which must be finished by the 89th day after the Effective Date.

Franchises with a similar investment range

These published records are selected by proximity to Payroll Vault’s $77,000 low-end Item 7 investment, starting with Business Services. Formats, fees and source qualifications differ; the figures are not interchangeable budgets:

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