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Financial profile · Q1 FY2027

A cash-generative payroll-services model with durable margins and measured reinvestment

Paychex's multi-year record combines steady service-revenue growth with sustained operating profitability and cash generation that has generally exceeded net income. Relatively modest capital spending leaves substantial cash after investment for dividends and other capital allocation.

What the latest results confirm

The latest results continued the pattern of revenue growth and profitable operations. Although quarterly operating cash flow was affected by working-capital timing, rolling-year free cash flow remained positive, so the quarter does not establish a break in the cash-generative model.

What matters next

Whether the payroll- and PEO-related working-capital outflow reverses in subsequent quarterly operating cash flow.

USD
Metric FY2017 FY2018 FY2019 FY2020 FY2021 FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 FY2025 FY2026
3.2B 3.4B 3.8B 4B 4.1B 4.6B 5B 5.3B 5.6B
(142.2m) (205.2m) (286.7m) (334.7m) (352.1m) (405.2m) (416.8m) (471.3m) (638.9m) (706.3m)
3B 3.2B 3.5B 3.7B 3.7B 4.2B 4.6B 4.8B 4.9B 5.8B
(1.8B) (1.9B) (2.1B) (2.2B) (2.2B) (2.4B) (2.6B) (2.6B) (2.6B) (3.2B)
(1.2B) (1.2B) (1.4B) (1.5B) (1.5B) (1.6B) (1.8B) (1.8B) (1.9B) (2.1B)
(126.9m) (138m) (181.5m) (209.7m) (192m) (191.8m) (176.6m) (176.5m) (90.7m) (299.5m)
(454.1m) (507.8m) (536.2m) (554.8m) (498m) (542.5m) (598m) (606.5m) (659.8m) (841.6m)
1.3B 1.3B 1.4B 1.5B 1.5B 1.8B 2B 2.2B 2.3B
5.2m 8.6m (3.3m) (15.2m) (32.3m) (33.5m) 2.6m 42.8m 1.4m (206.1m)
2.5m 3.9m 17.6m 38.8m 35.8m 36.6m 36.7m 37.3m 71.4m 269.5m
— — — — (32.2m) 0 — (39.5m) (155.6m) (62.2m)
— — — (8.2m) 5.8m 18.1m 12.5m 1.1m 800k 6.5m
1.3B 1.3B 1.4B 1.4B 1.4B 1.8B 2B 2.2B 2.2B 2.3B
(432.8m) (389.5m) (331.9m) (339m) (336.7m) (431.8m) (490.9m) (527.6m) (518.6m) (550.8m)
826.3m 910.6m 1B 1.1B 1.1B 1.4B 1.6B 1.7B 1.7B 1.8B
826.3m 994.1m 1B 1.1B 1.1B 1.4B 1.6B 1.7B 1.7B
2.28 2.74 2.86 3.04 3.03 3.84 4.30 4.67 4.58