Most families leave SurePayroll for one of two reasons: the cost doesn't make sense for a single nanny, or they lost trust in the service after a filing issue they didn't catch until the IRS reached out.
Either way, switching is straightforward. You can do it mid-year without any tax problems. This guide covers what to grab from SurePayroll before you cancel, how to cancel, and how to get running on NannyKeeper.
Why Families Leave SurePayroll
SurePayroll is the cheapest full-service nanny payroll option, backed by Paychex. On paper, it looks solid. In practice, three things tend to push families away.
You're paying for full-service you don't need. Filing quarterly taxes takes about 15 minutes on the IRS website. If you're comfortable doing that yourself, $39/month for someone else to do it is hard to justify -- especially when NannyKeeper calculates the exact amounts and tells you where to submit them.
Tax filings don't always happen. When you pay for full-service filing, you're trusting that every quarterly payment and form actually gets submitted. Some families have discovered that filings they assumed were handled never went through -- and only found out when the IRS reached out. You're the employer of record, not SurePayroll. If a filing is missed, you're the one who hears about it.
Getting help is difficult. SurePayroll offers phone support on weekdays, but household employers are small accounts on a platform built for businesses. When something goes wrong -- especially with a tax filing -- being unable to reach support makes a bad situation worse.
See what you'll owe
Use our free calculator to estimate your nanny tax costs for 2026.
Before You Cancel: Grab Your Records
Before you cancel, download everything. Once your account is closed, getting this data back is painful.
Download from your SurePayroll account:
- Year-to-date payroll reports (every pay period this year)
- Prior year W-2s and Schedule H documents
- Quarterly tax filing confirmations (check that they were actually filed)
- Your employee's current tax withholding details (federal and state)
- Any state tax registration numbers
You'll need these specific numbers:
| Info You'll Need | Where to Find It |
|---|---|
| Employee's gross wages YTD | Payroll summary or tax report |
| Federal income tax withheld YTD | Payroll summary or tax report |
| Social Security + Medicare withheld YTD | Payroll summary or tax report |
| State income tax withheld YTD | Payroll summary or tax report |
| Your EIN | Any tax filing confirmation |
| State tax account numbers | State registration documents |
Save the PDFs. You'll enter YTD figures into NannyKeeper so your year-end W-2 covers the full year.
Important: Verify your quarterly filings were actually submitted. Log into your state's tax portal and the IRS EFTPS or IRS Online Account to confirm payments were received. Don't assume SurePayroll filed just because they were supposed to.
How to Cancel SurePayroll
SurePayroll allows cancellation through your online account or by phone.
Online: Log in and navigate to Account Settings. Look for the cancellation option under your subscription.
Phone: Call SurePayroll support. Have your account number ready.
Things to ask when you cancel:
- Outstanding filings. Has SurePayroll completed your current quarter's tax filings, or do you need to handle them yourself? Get this in writing.
- Refund policy. If you've prepaid for months you won't use, ask about a prorated refund.
- Year-end documents. If you cancel before year-end, confirm whether SurePayroll will still provide your W-2 and Schedule H for the portion of the year they handled. If not, NannyKeeper can generate these using your YTD data.
When to Switch
The cleanest time is at the start of a quarter:
| Quarter Start | Switch By |
|---|---|
| Q2: April 1 | End of March |
| Q3: July 1 | End of June |
| Q4: October 1 | End of September |
| Q1 (next year): January 1 | End of December |
You can switch at any point though. NannyKeeper handles mid-quarter transitions fine -- the YTD totals keep your year-end documents accurate regardless of when you make the move.
Setting Up NannyKeeper
Takes about 10 minutes.
Create your account. Sign up here and add your basic info: name, address, EIN.
Add your employee. Enter their name, address, pay rate, and schedule. If they need to update their W-4, NannyKeeper's employee portal lets them do it themselves (available on the Plus plan).
Enter year-to-date totals. This is the critical step. Enter the YTD wages and tax withholdings from your SurePayroll records. This ensures your W-2 at year-end covers January through December, not just the months on NannyKeeper.
Set up direct deposit (optional). Connect your bank account in Settings. Direct deposit costs $6/transfer on Plus or $8/transfer on Starter. SurePayroll included direct deposit in their price, so factor this into your comparison.
Run your first payroll. NannyKeeper calculates federal, state, and local taxes for all 50 states. You'll see the full breakdown before you confirm.
What Changes (and What Doesn't)
| SurePayroll | NannyKeeper | |
|---|---|---|
| Tax calculations | Automatic | Automatic |
| Pay stubs | Yes | Yes |
| W-2 generation | $50 + $5/W-2 | Included |
| Schedule H generation | $50 | Included |
| Direct deposit | Included (2-day) | $6--$8/transfer |
| Deadline reminders | No | Yes |
| All 50 states | Yes | Yes |
| Filing taxes for you | Yes | No |
| Annual cost | ~$523 | $100--$180 |
The one real change: you file the tax forms yourself. Each quarter, NannyKeeper emails you before the deadline with the exact amounts. You log into the IRS website, enter the numbers, and submit. Most families finish in 15 minutes.
The difference is you know it happened because you did it yourself.
See what you'll owe
Use our free calculator to estimate your nanny tax costs for 2026.
Mid-Year Switching: How It Works
Switching mid-year is completely fine from a tax perspective. Your W-2 reports total wages for the full calendar year, regardless of which service calculated each paycheck.
The key is entering accurate YTD totals when you set up NannyKeeper. Those YTD figures carry forward so that:
- Quarterly tax payments are calculated correctly for the rest of the year
- Your employee's W-2 reflects all wages from January through December
- Social Security wage limits are tracked properly across the full year
You won't file duplicate taxes or miss anything, as long as your YTD numbers from SurePayroll are accurate.
What You'll Save
| Annual Cost | |
|---|---|
| SurePayroll | ~$523 |
| NannyKeeper Starter (annual billing) | $100 |
| NannyKeeper Plus (annual billing) | $180 |
| Your savings (Starter) | $423/year |
| Your savings (Plus) | $343/year |
If you use weekly direct deposit on Plus ($6 x 52 = $312), your total annual cost is $492 -- still saving you $31/year vs. SurePayroll, plus you get household-specific guidance, deadline reminders, and the peace of mind that comes from handling your own filings.
If you pay biweekly ($6 x 26 = $156), your total is $336. Pay by check and you save the full $343--$423.
Ready to simplify nanny taxes?
NannyKeeper handles the calculations, deadlines, and paperwork so you can focus on your family.
FAQ
Can I switch from SurePayroll mid-year?
Yes. Enter your year-to-date payroll figures from SurePayroll into NannyKeeper, and your W-2 will cover the full calendar year. Switching at the start of a quarter makes the transition cleanest, but any time works.
Will my nanny's pay change?
No. Gross and net pay stays exactly the same. The only thing that changes is which service calculates the taxes and generates pay stubs.
Do I need a new EIN?
No. Your EIN stays the same. Enter it when setting up NannyKeeper. If you don't have it handy, check any previous tax filing or W-2 from SurePayroll.
What if SurePayroll already filed my quarterly taxes?
Good -- just make sure you know which quarter they completed. Start NannyKeeper payroll from the next pay period after SurePayroll's last one. Your YTD totals keep everything in sync.
What if I'm not sure SurePayroll actually filed?
Check directly. Log into IRS Online Account to verify federal payments, and your state's tax portal for state filings. If filings are missing, you may need to submit them yourself and pay any penalties -- then file a complaint with SurePayroll. NannyKeeper can calculate what you owe for any missed quarters.
Does NannyKeeper file taxes for me?
No. NannyKeeper calculates your taxes, generates all the forms (W-2, Schedule H, pay stubs), and sends deadline reminders. You file the forms yourself on the IRS and state websites. Takes about 15 minutes per quarter.
Read our full SurePayroll review →