Paychex (PAYX) Q1 FY2027 earnings: revenue $1.6 billion, up 5.9% on the year

Paychex Inc. (PAYX) reported revenue of $1.6 billion for Q1 FY2027, the quarter ended 31 August 2026, up 5.9% on the same quarter a year earlier. Net income was $430 million, up 12.0% on the year, and diluted earnings per share $1.21. The figures are the company's own, from the 10-Q it filed with the SEC on 24 September 2026.

Revenue

$1.6 billion

+5.9% on the year · +1.6% on the quarter

Q2 FY2025Q1 FY2027

Operating margin

38.0%

35.2% a year earlier

Q2 FY2025Q1 FY2027

Net income

$430 million

+12.0% on the year · +2.2% on the quarter

Q2 FY2025Q1 FY2027

Diluted EPS

$1.21

+14.2% on the year · +3.4% on the quarter

Q2 FY2025Q1 FY2027

this quarterthe same quarter a year earlierHover a bar for its figure.

What management said

Guidance figures: 2 raised, 5 kept.

Total revenue up 6%: Total revenue rose 6% to $1,630.5 million from $1,540.0 million; total service revenue rose 6% to $1,580.7 million.
Operating income up 14%: GAAP operating income rose 14% to $619.2 million from $541.9 million, which management attributed to revenue growth and lower acquisition-related costs.
Diluted EPS up 14%: Diluted EPS rose 14% to $1.21 from $1.06, and net income rose 12% to $429.7 million; adjusted diluted EPS rose 10% to $1.34.

Read the earnings call summary

Income statement (profit and loss)

$ million	Q1 FY2027	Q4 FY2026	Q1 FY2026	On the quarter	On the year
Revenue	1,630	1,606	1,540	+1.6%	+5.9%
Cost of revenue	430	417	414	+3.1%	+3.9%
Gross profit	1,200	1,188	1,126	+1.0%	+6.6%
Gross margin	73.6%	74.0%	73.1%
Selling, general and administrative	581	584	584	-0.4%	-0.5%
Operating income	619	605	542	+2.4%	+14.3%
Operating margin	38.0%	37.7%	35.2%
Interest expense	65.1	64.7	68.2	+0.6%	-4.5%
Pre-tax income	565	554	498	+1.9%	+13.6%
Income tax	135	134	114	+1.3%	+19.0%
Effective tax rate	23.9%	24.1%	22.9%
Net income	430	421	384	+2.2%	+12.0%
Net margin	26.4%	26.2%	24.9%
Diluted EPS	$1.21	$1.17	$1.06	+3.4%	+14.2%

$ million except per share.

Fourth quarters are the year less the first three quarters. Free cash flow is operating cash flow less capital expenditure; the effective tax rate is income tax over pre-tax income; margins are the line over revenue. Gross profit is revenue less cost of revenue, and operating income is revenue less the company's own total costs, where the statement does not print those lines. Those four are arithmetic on the filed numbers; everything else is as filed. Money is in $ million as the company files it, or in $ billion by the switch above the tables; per share figures and share counts are as they are.

Cash flow

$ million	Q1 FY2027	Q4 FY2026	Q1 FY2026	On the quarter	On the year
Operating cash flow	414	581	718	-28.8%	-42.4%
Capital expenditure	56.1	65.9	55.9	-14.9%	+0.4%
Free cash flow	357	515	662	-30.6%	-46.1%
Free cash flow margin	21.9%	32.1%	43.0%
Cash from investing	-336	-227	-1,303
Cash from financing	-907	-1,791	-515
Depreciation and amortisation	110	113	109	-3.0%	+0.5%
Share-based compensation	19.3	20.7	26.8	-6.8%	-28.0%
Buybacks	0.0	249	160
Dividends paid	424	425	389	-0.1%	+9.0%
Dividend per share	$1.19	n/a	$1.08		+10.2%
Diluted shares, weighted	357m	358m	362m	-0.4%	-1.5%
Shares outstanding at period end	356m	356m	360m	+0.1%	-1.1%

Cash flow lines for the quarter; where the company files them year to date, the quarter is the difference between two filings.

Balance sheet

$ million	Q1 FY2027	Q4 FY2026	Q1 FY2026	On the quarter	On the year
Shareholders' equity	3,706	3,735	3,971	-0.8%	-6.7%
Short-term borrowings	n/a	0.0	18.5
Debt	4,558	4,556	4,950	+0.0%	-7.9%
Operating lease liabilities	62.9	52.2	52.9	+20.5%	+18.9%
Other liabilities	7,334	7,831	7,671	-6.3%	-4.4%
Total liabilities and equity	15,661	16,174	16,663	-3.2%	-6.0%
Fixed assets	615	589	525	+4.4%	+17.0%
Goodwill	4,534	4,527	4,524	+0.1%	+0.2%
Intangible assets	1,626	1,684	1,887	-3.4%	-13.8%
Investments	333	36.3	862	+818.2%	-61.3%
Cash and equivalents	601	1,088	809	-44.8%	-25.7%
Other assets	7,952	8,250	8,056	-3.6%	-1.3%
Total assets	15,661	16,174	16,663	-3.2%	-6.0%

Questions

What was Paychex's revenue in Q1 FY2027?

Paychex (PAYX) reported revenue of $1.6 billion for Q1 FY2027, the quarter ended 31 August 2026, up 5.9% on the same quarter a year earlier.

How much did Paychex earn in Q1 FY2027?

Net income for Q1 FY2027 was $430 million, up 12.0% on the year, and diluted earnings per share $1.21.

When did Paychex report Q1 FY2027 results?

Paychex filed its 10-Q for the quarter ended 31 August 2026 with the SEC on 24 September 2026.

Quarterly results, the last 20 quarters

	Q2 FY2022	Q3 FY2022	Q4 FY2022 *	Q1 FY2023	Q2 FY2023	Q3 FY2023	Q4 FY2023 *	Q1 FY2024 †	Q2 FY2024	Q3 FY2024	Q4 FY2024 *	Q1 FY2025	Q2 FY2025	Q3 FY2025	Q4 FY2025 *	Q1 FY2026	Q2 FY2026	Q3 FY2026	Q4 FY2026 *	Q1 FY2027
Revenue	1,108	1,276	1,144	1,206	1,190	1,381	1,230	1,286	1,258	1,439	1,295	1,318	1,317	1,509	1,427	1,540	1,558	1,809	1,606	1,630
Cost of revenue	332	352	360	351	359	373	370	360	364	380	375	380	379	387	394	414	412	431	417	430
Gross profit	777	924	784	855	831	1,008	860	926	894	1,060	920	938	938	1,122	1,033	1,126	1,145	1,378	1,188	1,200
Gross margin	70%	72%	69%	71%	70%	73%	70%	72%	71%	74%	71%	71%	71%	74%	72%	73%	74%	76%	74%	74%
SG&A	337	361	390	360	359	396	406	390	388	410	438	392	400	430	602	584	574	586	584	581
Operating income	440	563	394	496	472	612	453	536	506	650	482	547	538	692	431	542	572	792	605	619
Operating margin	40%	44%	34%	41%	40%	44%	37%	42%	40%	45%	37%	41%	41%	46%	30%	35%	37%	44%	38%	38%
Interest expense	9.3	9.0	9.1	9.1	9.2	9.0	9.4	9.4	8.5	9.9	9.5	9.6	9.5	22.6	63.7	68.2	68.5	68.1	64.7	65.1
Pre-tax income	438	554	389	492	475	617	464	549	518	659	492	557	544	686	389	498	520	739	554	565
Tax rate	24%	22%	24%	23%	24%	24%	24%	24%	24%	24%	23%	23%	24%	24%	24%	23%	24%	24%	24%	24%
Net income	332	431	296	379	360	467	350	419	393	499	380	427	413	519	297	384	395	560	421	430
Net margin	30%	34%	26%	31%	30%	34%	28%	33%	31%	35%	29%	32%	31%	34%	21%	25%	25%	31%	26%	26%
Diluted EPS	$0.91	$1.19	$0.82	$1.05	$0.99	$1.29	$0.97	$1.16	$1.08	$1.38	$1.05	$1.18	$1.14	$1.43	$0.82	$1.06	$1.10	$1.56	$1.17	$1.21
Operating cash flow	170	613	337	364	322	604	409	693	348	672	222	546	295	716	344	718	445	812	581	414
Capital expenditure	34.2	34.7	33.3	30.6	35.3	31.1	46.0	38.7	40.7	40.7	41.3	35.6	47.0	48.7	60.5	55.9	62.1	51.0	65.9	56.1
Free cash flow	136	578	304	334	286	573	363	654	308	631	180	510	248	667	283	662	383	762	515	357
Buybacks	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.0	n/a	104	0.5	0.0	0.0	160	126	75.0	249	0.0
Dividends paid	238	238	285	285	285	285	321	322	320	320	353	353	353	353	389	389	388	388	425	424
Shares outstanding	361m	361m	360m	360m	360m	360m	360m	361m	360m	360m	360m	360m	360m	360m	360m	360m	359m	358m	356m	356m
Filing	10-Q	10-Q	10-K	10-Q	10-Q	10-Q	10-K	10-Q	10-Q	10-Q	10-K	10-Q	10-Q	10-Q	10-K	10-Q	10-Q	10-Q	10-K	10-Q

Each quarter as filed, linked to its filing.

* The fourth quarter is the full year less the first three quarters, because the company files the year and not the quarter on its own. A fourth quarter's EPS, and its diluted share count where shown, are from the company's results press release for that quarter, checked against the company's filed figures or a second data source. A quarter marked † is shown as the company last restated it in a later filing, so it compares with the quarters around it on one basis; rest on a figure for the one first filed. EPS is as filed. Money is in $ million as the company files it, or in $ billion by the switch above the tables; per share figures and the share count are as they are. Free cash flow is operating cash flow less capital expenditure; the effective tax rate is income tax over pre-tax income; margins are the line over revenue. Gross profit is revenue less cost of revenue, and operating income is revenue less the company's own total costs, where the statement does not print those lines. Cash flow lines filed year to date are the difference between two filings. Shares outstanding are at the period end where the balance sheet tags them, otherwise the count on the filing's cover page. A derived fourth-quarter EPS is left blank when a split in the year makes the arithmetic meaningless.

10-Q for the period ended 31 August 2026, filed 24 September 2026: the filing.