Paychex (PAYX) FY2026 10-K Annual Report

Filed: Jul 17, 2026
Industrials
Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, ManagementSEC EDGAR

Paychex (PAYX) 10-K annual report for fiscal year 2026, filed with SEC EDGAR on Jul 17, 2026. This page provides AI-powered analysis including business overview, management discussion & analysis (MD&A), risk factors, and key financial data such as revenue, net income, gross margin, operating margin, and return on equity (ROE) extracted from XBRL.

Paychex FY2026 10-K Analysis

Business Overview

  • Core business model: comprehensive technology and advisory human capital management (HCM) solutions spanning HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance
  • New emphasis on AI-powered WISE engine with ~600 AI features, leveraging 26 trillion data points for autonomous execution and enhanced productivity
  • Strategic shift: acquisition of Paycor HCM (April 2025) expanded presence upmarket, increased cross-sales, enhanced AI-driven HCM offerings
  • Quantitative highlight: payroll client retention 82%-83%; workforce ~17,600 employees; processed $1.3 trillion payroll for 800,000 clients
  • Noteworthy fact: recognized 15th consecutive year as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere in 2026

Management Discussion & Analysis

  • Revenue $6.51B, up 17% YoY from $5.57B, driven by Management Solutions up 20% to $4.87B and PEO and Insurance Solutions up 7% to $1.43B
  • Operating income $2.51B, up 14% YoY; operating margin 38.6% vs 39.6% prior year; adjusted operating income $2.81B up 19%, adjusted margin 43.2% vs 42.5%
  • Best performing segment: Management Solutions revenue $4.87B, +20% driven by Paycor acquisition; worst performing segment: PEO and Insurance Solutions revenue $1.43B, +7%
  • Operating cash flow $2.56B, investing cash flow used $1.15B (vs. $3.36B prior year); financing cash used $2.65B including dividends $1.59B and 5.6 million shares repurchased at $108.81 average price
  • Management outlook highlights continued investment in AI and technology, sustaining high customer retention (~82-83%), and potential risk from uncertain tax positions and variable cash flow impacting liquidity

Risk Factors

  • Regulatory risk from SECURE Act 2.0 and OFAC sanctions, with potential civil/criminal penalties for non-compliance affecting payroll and benefits services
  • Macroeconomic risk due to banking environment instability risking client bankruptcies and funding shortfalls, with 82-83% payroll client retention rate
  • Supply chain vulnerability tied to reliance on third-party vendors for IT, cloud platforms, and banking services, risking operational interruptions and penalties
  • Market disruption from competitors Automatic Data Processing and Intuit, requiring continuous AI/tech investments to maintain innovation and customer retention
  • Financial risk from $4.2B corporate bonds issued in April 2025, leverage ratio capped at 3.5:1, with $2B unused credit facilities and $269.5M interest expense in fiscal 2026

Paychex FY2026 Key Financial Metrics
XBRL

Revenue

$6.3B

+16.5% YoY

Net Income

$1.8B

+6.2% YoY

Operating Margin

39.8%

-97bp YoY

Net Margin

27.9%

-270bp YoY

ROE

47.1%

+698bp YoY

Total Assets

$16.2B

-2.4% YoY

EPS (Diluted)

$4.89

+6.8% YoY

Operating Cash Flow

$2.6B

+34.5% YoY

Source: XBRL data from Paychex FY2026 10-K filing on SEC EDGAR. All figures in USD.

Other Paychex Annual Reports

Get deeper insights on Paychex

Access full AI analysis, insider trading data, fund holdings, and cross-signal detection on SignalX.