Payroll Vault franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Payroll Vault franchise takes $65,460 – $99,970 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $58,085 – $78,148. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 6% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. To qualify, Payroll Vault asks for $100,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Payroll Vault franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $58,085 | $78,148 | $58,085 to $78,148 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $65,460 | $99,970 | $65,460 to $99,970 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $65,460 | $99,970 | $65,460 to $99,970 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 5 years |
See the full Payroll Vault cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Payroll Vault's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Payroll Vault's disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $65,460 — about 23% below the Professional Services median of $84,700.
- Initial franchise fee of $58,085 — about 1.5× the Professional Services median of $39,700.
Category medians are computed from the Professional Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Professional Services franchises
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How Payroll Vault's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 0 units; 80 units opened, 26 closed, ending at 53 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Payroll Vault or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Payroll Vault for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Payroll Vault is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Payroll Vault grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Payroll Vault can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Payroll Vault franchise
Payroll Vault is a professional services franchisor with 53 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 80 unit openings and 26 closures, ending at 53 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Payroll Vault Franchising, LLC. The filings indicate financing options are available; terms come from the franchisor, not from us.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
Payroll Vault offers franchisees the opportunity to operate a business that delivers accurate and reliable software-based payroll services including payroll check writing, payroll tax payment and reporting, and independent contractor check writing and reporting, for small, medium and large businesses (Payroll Services). The total investment necessary to begin operation of a franchise is from $49, 135 to $74, 254. This includes $42, 985 that must be paid to our affiliates or us.
Payroll Vault franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Payroll Vault franchise cost?
- $65,460 – $99,970 all-in to open, per Payroll Vault's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Payroll Vault units are there?
- 53 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Payroll Vault's units held up?
- 72% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).