“Can a single payroll API become the default infrastructure layer powering payroll for every vertical SaaS platform?”
Check was founded to provide embedded payroll infrastructure as an API, enabling vertical SaaS platforms and HR software companies to offer payroll natively without building the tax, compliance, and money-movement stack from scratch. Rather than competing with ADP or Gusto as an end-user payroll product, Check operates as the 'payroll-as-a-service' layer powering other companies' payroll businesses. The company's growth strategy centers on becoming the default payroll infrastructure for the long tail of vertical SaaS platforms — from restaurants (7shifts) to construction (Miter) — that want payroll embedded in their product but lack the resources to build and maintain it.
Check runs its ledger on Modern Treasury.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 2 layers in Check's stack: Ledger (Modern Treasury); Treasury (Modern Treasury).
Check is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, USA.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Check and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.