Central
AI-native payroll, HR, benefits and compliance for US startups
Central is a back-office service for US-incorporated companies that combines AI agents with human HR experts to handle payroll, benefits, state compliance and HR administration end to end, rather than leaving the work to the customer. It covers US payroll for employees and contractors, payroll taxes, reimbursements, multi-state registrations, worker's comp, mail handling and registered agent services, plus benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, disability and 401(k), and HR tasks such as offer letters, onboarding, PTO tracking, leave policies and severance. Native integrations include Quickbooks and Puzzle, with CSV exports for NetSuite and Xero; accountants can be added at no extra cost. Security features include TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit, AES-256 at rest, role-based access controls, and SMS or TOTP two-factor authentication.
It is aimed at US-incorporated LLCs, C-corps and S-corps, excluding gambling, cannabis and certain crypto businesses. Pricing is per person paid plus a monthly platform fee, with unlimited payruns, no annual contract, cancel-anytime terms and a free first month; payroll, benefits and government filing costs pass through at cost. Onboarding and migration are handled by the team, and support is provided by a dedicated team of human experts. Central states it has joined Mercury, with additional perks offered for sign-ups.
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