Check
Check provides API-first embedded payroll infrastructure so software platforms can offer payroll, payments, tax filing and benefits directly within their own products.
Check, founded in 2019, is a payroll infrastructure company that pioneered embedded payroll. It provides API-first infrastructure that allows software companies to build and offer payroll services directly within their own products, rather than directing customers to third-party systems. Vertical SaaS platforms, workforce management systems and accounting software use Check's platform to run payroll as a native feature. The company processed $4.1 billion in payroll in 2024 and powers more than 80 partner companies serving over 25,000 businesses.
The platform spans several technical domains: payroll money movement, automated tax calculation and filing across federal, state and local jurisdictions, real-time wage payments, and benefits administration covering workers' compensation, 401(k) plans and health benefits. The underlying payments and payroll APIs are designed for integration by engineering teams building financial and HR products.
Check operates as a distributed team of engineers and payroll specialists, with hubs in New York and San Francisco. Staff include alumni of Google, Uber and Goldman Sachs, alongside people with payroll industry experience from ADP, Gusto and Paychex. The founding team previously built Oyster, which was acquired by Google. The company's stated focus is modernising wage payment technology that it regards as long outdated.