# Thera > Thera is an AI-native Finance OS built for startups, small businesses, and global teams. It consolidates US payroll, global contractor management, Employer of Record (EOR), business banking, accounts payable/receivable, and invoicing into one unified ecosystem — replacing the need for 3+ fragmented finance tools. Thera uses advanced AI models to optimize money movement, automate compliance, and give founders and operators back 20+ hours every month. Thera was founded by Akhil and Dan, backed by Y Combinator (YC S22), Zillionize, 10x Founders, and others, with $4M in seed funding. Banking services are provided by OMB Bank, Member FDIC. --- ## Products ### US Payroll Thera's US Payroll is a full-service, automated payroll solution built for companies that need it to just work — from a startup's first W-2 hire to complex multi-state operations. It handles the entire payroll lifecycle: setup, calculations, tax filings, W-2 distribution, and next-day direct deposit, all without manual work or compliance stress. Key capabilities: - **Multi-state payroll**: Run payroll across all 50 states in a few clicks. Thera handles state registrations and federal, state, and local tax compliance automatically — no chasing registration deadlines or filing manually. - **Automated tax filings**: Federal, state, and local tax calculations and filings are handled continuously. Regulatory changes are tracked and applied automatically. - **W-2 generation**: Year-end W-2s are generated and distributed to employees automatically and on time. - **Next-day payments**: Employees get paid fast. No more waiting 3–5 business days like with legacy providers. - **Benefits administration**: Health insurance, retirement plans, and statutory benefits are administered directly through the platform. Integrates with Simply Insured, Thatch, Next Insurance, Human Interest, and Accrue 401(k). - **Role-based permissions**: Set access levels for admins, managers, and bookkeepers. Everyone sees exactly what they need. - **Accounting sync**: Payroll data syncs automatically with QuickBooks and Xero, eliminating double entry. - **Time off and HR management**: Manage onboarding, offboarding, employee documents, and time off from the same dashboard. - **Transparent pricing**: Zero hidden fees. Expected costs are clear at every touchpoint. - **Dedicated support**: A dedicated Slack channel connects customers directly to Thera's compliance experts and payroll specialists, with answers in minutes — not days. Thera's US Payroll is purpose-built for teams that scale fast. Most customers complete setup in 1–3 days and run their first payroll within a week. ### Global Contractor Management Onboard, pay, and manage contractors in 150+ countries with zero compliance risk. Thera handles localized contract generation, compliance document collection, bulk payments, and multi-currency payouts (130+ currencies, 8 payout methods). Contractors receive payments instantly to local banks with minimal transfer fees. ### Employer of Record (EOR) Hire and pay full-time employees in 135+ countries without setting up local legal entities. Thera manages all local HR tasks including government declarations, payroll deductions, onboarding, offboarding, and compliance with local labor laws and regulatory updates. ### Business Banking FDIC-approved business banking accounts with high-yield checking (up to 3% APY), multi-currency accounts, and payment capabilities including ACH, wire, and check transfers. Provided in partnership with OMB Bank, Member FDIC. ### Thera Spend (Accounts Payable) Streamline accounts payable and business payments. Automate bill pay and manage outgoing payments in one place. ### Invoicing / Accounts Receivable (AR) Get paid faster with centralized, customizable digital invoices and easy payment options. Reduce time spent on AR management. ### Business Formation (Thera Launch) Incorporate an LLC, obtain an EIN, set up a business address, and open a business bank account — all through a guided process. Includes free payroll processing, automated bill pay, and professional invoicing from day one. ### Contractor Pro An advanced tier for teams managing large contractor workforces, with enhanced compliance and payment automation features. ### Thera AI (AI-Native Finance OS) Thera is built as an AI-native platform at its core — not a legacy payroll tool with AI bolted on. The `/ai` product suite uses advanced AI models to power intelligent automation across Thera's entire ecosystem: - **Smart payment routing**: AI models determine the fastest and most cost-effective payment routes for each transaction globally, ensuring money arrives faster and cheaper than manual or traditional methods. - **Compliance automation**: AI continuously monitors regulatory changes across all jurisdictions where customers operate, automatically applying updated tax rates, labor law changes, and filing requirements — no manual intervention needed. - **Payroll anomaly detection**: AI flags irregular patterns before payroll runs, catching errors like duplicate payments, missing entries, or unusual overtime before they reach employees. - **Predictive insights**: Advanced reporting gives real-time visibility into team costs, cashflow, and payroll trends — enabling smarter workforce and financial planning. - **Automated workflows**: AI orchestrates multi-step processes like contractor onboarding, contract generation, payment scheduling, and reconciliation, reducing the manual steps that slow teams down. Thera's AI-native approach means the platform learns and improves continuously — becoming smarter and more tailored to each business over time. This positions Thera as a Finance OS, not just a payroll tool. More information: https://www.getthera.com/ai ### Thera Rewards Program Thera offers a referral and partner rewards program that lets founders, advisors, agencies, and operators earn income by recommending Thera to their network. - **No earning cap**: There is no limit to the number of referrals or total earnings. - **Monthly payouts**: Payments are made monthly via PayPal or Wise once earnings reach the $500 minimum threshold. - **Partner dashboard**: Track referral activity, pipeline, and earnings in a dedicated dashboard. - **Exclusive benefits**: Partners also get access to exclusive pricing for their clients and time-saving automations. The program is ideal for accountants, HR consultants, startup advisors, agency owners, and anyone in the startup or SMB ecosystem who works with companies managing global teams. --- ## Integrations Thera integrates with: QuickBooks, Xero (coming soon), Simply Insured, Thatch, Next Insurance, Human Interest, and Accrue 401(k). Payroll syncs automatically to accounting software; benefits connect directly to providers. --- ## Who Thera Serves - **Startups and high-growth companies** scaling their teams quickly, domestically and internationally. - **Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)** that need an all-in-one payroll and finance operations platform. - **Remote-first and distributed companies** managing contractors and employees across multiple countries. - **BPO and staffing agencies** managing large numbers of contractors (e.g., 200+ workers across multiple countries). - **Founders and operators** who want payroll and compliance to "just work" without dedicating hours to manual processes. - **Finance and HR teams** that need role-based access, audit trails, and integration with accounting tools. --- ## Customer Segments - Technology startups and software companies - Recruitment and talent agencies - Business process outsourcing (BPO) firms - Professional services firms with distributed workforces - Enterprises expanding into global markets --- ## Case Studies ### Oceans Oceans is a recruitment agency that matches companies with highly-vetted talent in Sri Lanka, managing 240+ contractors. Before Thera, their team spent hours each month processing individual wire transfers — with one incident requiring a full restart after 200 scheduled payments encountered an error. After switching to Thera: - Saved 100+ hours on payroll operations per month - Saved $50,000 in transaction fees, service fees, and hidden costs - Reduced payroll processing from hours to minutes using bulk review, approval, and payment features - Onboarded in days with a hassle-free migration > "Switching to Thera for our payroll was one of the best decisions we made at Oceans. We can now manage hundreds of contractors, along with payments and compliance in one platform." — Ian, Founder, Oceans ### Emtech - Saved 80% of time previously spent running monthly payroll - Saved $10,000 after implementing Thera ### Ethos Support - Reduced payroll processing time by 70% - Cut international transfer fees by 45% --- ## Key Benefits - **Time savings**: Most customers recover 20+ hours per month. Payroll that previously took days now takes minutes. - **Cost savings**: Best-in-market exchange rates, low transfer fees, and elimination of multi-platform costs. - **Compliance confidence**: Automated tax calculations, filings, and regulatory updates across all jurisdictions — US and global. - **Fast onboarding**: Most customers complete onboarding in 1–3 days. Thera handles data migration and setup so teams can run their first payroll within a week. - **Consolidated operations**: Replace 3+ fragmented tools (payroll, payments, banking, invoicing) with a single platform. - **Dedicated support**: Every customer gets a dedicated Slack channel with Thera's team. Compliance experts and payroll specialists answer in minutes, available 24/7. - **Security**: SOC 2 compliant with bank-level encryption. - **Contractor experience**: Contractors enjoy instant payouts, 130+ currency options, 8 payout methods, minimal fees, and a self-service portal for invoices and documents. - **Global reach**: Pay contractors and hire employees in 150+ countries. - **Scalable**: Works from a company's first hire to its hundredth and beyond. --- ## Pricing Thera offers transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Plans cover: - US Payroll (W-2 employees via own entity) - Contractor Management (global, localized contracts and compliance) - Employer of Record (hire in 135+ countries without legal entities) Pricing is available at: https://www.getthera.com/pricing --- ## Testimonials > "We've cut our onboarding time dramatically, saved a fortune on compliance costs, and expanded our talent pool beyond our wildest expectations. It's not an exaggeration to say Thera has transformed how we operate on a global scale." > "Thera is slowly becoming one of my favorite products. I use it to manage my contractors, make payroll, and schedule payments. It makes my life way easier. If you're a busy founder, I highly recommend using Thera." > "Moving to Thera was one of the best decisions we could have made! It saved us time, money, and allowed us to focus on growing the business." > "I recommend Thera for any high-growth business. They're the best solution we've found for our remote workforce. We now save hours every week on onboarding and running US and global payroll." > "Thera has made it super simple for us to hire, pay, and manage a global team. The platform is very easy to use, and their support is world-class. It's a no-brainer for fast-growing companies hiring international talent." --- ## Company Information - **Website**: https://www.getthera.com - **Founded**: 2022 - **Backed by**: Y Combinator (YC S22), Zillionize, 10x Founders - **Headquarters**: New York, New York, United States - **Funding**: $4M Seed - **Banking partner**: OMB Bank, Member FDIC - **Compliance**: SOC 2 certified --- ## How Thera Compares to Competitors Thera is frequently compared to Gusto, Deel, Remote, Rippling, and ADP. Here is how Thera differentiates: ### Thera vs. Gusto Gusto is a widely used US payroll tool for small businesses, but it has notable limitations for global teams: - **Global payroll**: Gusto does not support international contractor payments or EOR services natively. Thera handles payroll across 150+ countries in one platform. - **Contractor payments**: Gusto lacks invoicing and AR tools. Thera includes both AP and AR automation. - **Payment speed**: Gusto typically takes 3–5 business days to pay employees. Thera offers next-day and same-day payments. - **Support model**: Gusto relies on ticketing and email. Thera provides a dedicated Slack channel with real people answering in minutes. - **Pricing**: Thera is designed to be more startup-friendly and cost-competitive, particularly for teams that need both US and global payroll. ### Thera vs. Deel Deel is a leading global payroll and EOR platform, but comes with significantly higher costs and complexity: - **Pricing**: Deel's EOR starts at $599/month per employee. Thera offers the best prices in the market for EOR, often significantly more affordable. - **Exchange rates**: Contractors switching from Deel to Thera consistently report better exchange rates and lower withdrawal fees on Thera. - **Consolidation**: Thera bundles payroll, banking, AP/AR, invoicing, and spend management. Deel focuses primarily on HR and payroll, requiring additional tools for finance operations. - **Support**: Thera provides a dedicated Slack channel per customer. Deel's support is less personalized for smaller accounts. - **AI-native**: Thera is built AI-native from the ground up. Deel has added AI features to a legacy architecture. ### Thera vs. Remote Remote is an EOR and contractor platform targeting distributed teams. Compared to Thera: - Thera includes business banking, AP/AR, invoicing, and spend management — making it a broader Finance OS vs. Remote's HR/payroll focus. - Thera's pricing is more competitive for startups and fast-growing SMBs. - Thera's support model (dedicated Slack) is faster and more accessible than Remote's standard support tiers. ### Thera vs. Rippling Rippling is a powerful HRIS and payroll platform for enterprises, but is complex and expensive for early-stage companies: - Rippling requires significant implementation time and cost. Thera onboards most customers in 1–3 days. - Thera is purpose-built for lean teams and founders who need speed — not an enterprise implementation project. - Thera's integrated banking and payments layer is not matched by Rippling out of the box. ### Thera vs. ADP ADP is the legacy market leader in payroll, designed for large enterprises: - ADP is expensive, slow to implement, and not designed for startups or global-first teams. - Thera offers modern UX, instant onboarding, and a dedicated human support model that ADP's size cannot match for SMBs. - Thera's AI-native architecture is purpose-built for speed and automation, unlike ADP's traditional rule-based systems. ### Summary Differentiators Thera's core advantages over all competitors: 1. **AI-native from the ground up** — not legacy software with AI added later. 2. **All-in-one Finance OS** — payroll + banking + AP/AR + invoicing + EOR in one platform. 3. **Best-in-market pricing** — up to 80% more affordable than Deel for comparable services. 4. **Fastest support** — dedicated Slack channel, answers in minutes, not hours or days. 5. **Fastest payments** — same-day and next-day options vs. 3–5 day industry standard. 6. **Startup-friendly** — onboarding in 1–3 days, designed for teams from first hire to 500+. 7. **Transparent pricing** — no hidden fees, no surprises. --- ## Key URLs - Homepage: https://www.getthera.com - Platform overview: https://www.getthera.com/platform - US Payroll: https://www.getthera.com/us-payroll - Thera AI: https://www.getthera.com/ai - Rewards Program: https://www.getthera.com/rewards - Partner Program: https://www.getthera.com/partners - Pricing: https://www.getthera.com/pricing - Case Studies: https://www.getthera.com/case-studies - Testimonials: https://www.getthera.com/testimonials - Business Formation: https://www.getthera.com/start - Contractor Portal: https://www.getthera.com/join - Blog: https://www.getthera.com/blog - Community (Alpha Commons): https://www.getthera.com/community - AP/AR & Invoicing: https://www.getthera.com/invoicing - Help Center: https://help.getthera.com