ADP Partner Program: Marketplace, Partner Types and How to Get ADP’s Attention

Short answer: The ADP partner program is really a family of programs. Software vendors apply to the ADP Marketplace partner program to integrate with ADP and sell to shared clients. Accountants join Accountant Connect, which is free and pays up to 75% revenue share on eligible referrals. Brokers, banks, advisors and others have their own paths. ADP says it looks for a “substantial number of shared clients.” So the vendors who get noticed are the ones producing partner-sourced pipeline with other ADP partners.

What is the ADP partner program?

The ADP partner program is how ADP works with the firms that refer, integrate with and serve its clients. Indeed, ADP’s reach is huge. Its accountant partner page cites 1,100,000 customers and payroll for 42 million workers globally.

That reach is why vendors want in. However, there’s no single ADP partner program. Instead, ADP lists separate paths by partner type. For software vendors, the main one is the ADP Marketplace partner program.

What types of ADP partners are there?

ADP’s partner hub lists eleven partner types, and its menu adds Embedded Payroll. Here’s how they group as of November 8th, 2026:

Partner group	Partner types ADP lists	Covered below
Software and platforms	Software providers, ERPs, Embedded Payroll	ADP Marketplace and Embedded Payroll
Accounting	Accountants	Accountant Connect
Benefits and finance	Brokers, financial advisors, banking professionals	As co-sell partners
Ownership groups	Private equity, franchises	Not covered here
Associations and advisors	Member organizations, strategic advisors	Not covered here
Payroll services	Management services	Not covered here

Most vendors reading this sit in the first row. So that’s where the rest of this page spends most of its time.

What is the ADP Marketplace partner program?

ADP calls ADP Marketplace “a digital HR storefront” where clients can try or buy apps. The partner program behind it is about one thing. Per the ADP Marketplace partner page, it exists to “simplify integration for mutual clients by automatically allowing data to flow between your solution and ADP.”

Who ADP looks for

ADP is unusually direct about its criteria. It looks for partners with:

1. A substantial number of shared clients with ADP.
2. A differentiated HCM solution, meaning something ADP’s clients can’t already get.
3. A SaaS platform that integrates with ADP systems through APIs.
4. Digital purchasing, so clients can buy your product online.

Read the first line again. Shared clients come first on ADP’s list. In other words, ADP wants partners who are already in its accounts.

How the application works

You apply through partners.adp.com with a detailed application. Notably, ADP says it gets a high volume of applications. If your solution doesn’t fit its current goals, ADP keeps the application on file. It may look again if its criteria change.

Once accepted, partners get developer support. That includes a library of ADP APIs, developer libraries and guides, and self-service documentation.

What is ADP Embedded Payroll?

Embedded Payroll is a second path for software companies. Instead of integrating with ADP, you build ADP payroll into your own product. ADP calls it “a turnkey solution that infuses 75+ years of expertise and innovation into your software.”

Per ADP’s software provider page, it “can help you improve revenue and retention.” ADP doesn’t publish pricing for it. Instead, it offers a pricing form and a phone number.

How does ADP Accountant Connect work?

Accountants have their own program, called Accountant Connect. ADP says it’s free. It offers three partner models:

• Refer and earn: refer clients for payroll and HR, and earn rewards through ADP’s Accountant Revenue Share Incentive Program.
• Process payroll: run payroll and HR for clients with RUN for Partners and build year-round revenue.
• Sell your payroll base: ask for a confidential valuation and a plan to move clients when you exit the payroll business.

The headline number is the revenue share. ADP says accountants can “earn up to 75% revenue share plus ongoing residuals” when they refer eligible ADP solutions. ADP also says accountants must agree to its program terms, so read them before you count on it.

Why does this matter to a software vendor? Because accountants are ADP partners who already sit with small business owners. That makes them natural co-sell partners for any vendor that serves ADP clients.

How does a vendor get ADP’s attention?

Look at what ADP asks for first. Its Marketplace criteria open with “a substantial number of shared clients.” Its accountant program pays for referrals. And ADP pitches integration as a way to “reach new clients and help current clients get more value from your product.” In short, ADP rewards partners who show up in its clients’ accounts.

That’s the opening. A Marketplace listing puts you in a store. By contrast, a vendor who shows up with new shared clients is in a conversation ADP’s partner team wants to have.

I put ADP in the big-bet bucket, next to the other giant platforms. Invest in it, but set expectations. Before you count on ADP to produce pipeline, learn how its go-to-market is structured and whether its sellers are actually open to partner deals. Meanwhile, build pipeline where you control the pace.

Why partner-sourced pipeline beats going it alone

My rule is simple. Don’t build distribution. Find who already has it. ADP’s own partner list points you there. For example, an accounting firm on Accountant Connect may run payroll for its clients through RUN for Partners. Similarly, brokers already sit with small employers. Meanwhile, an HR software vendor has the product that makes ADP work better for those clients. And none of them gets far calling cold.

As a pair, though, they have a reason to call the same accounts. That’s partner-sourced pipeline: deals that start because a partner opened the door. Here’s how partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline differ, if the terms are new.

But there’s a catch. If your own SDR team books the meeting, it isn’t partner-sourced. Run it with the partner, and it counts.

Start with the accounts, not the pitch

A lot of partner meetings burn the first ten minutes clicking through overlap data live. Instead, set an agenda of named accounts before the call. Then sort each one three ways:

• Ask: accounts where you want the partner’s intro.
• Give: accounts where you can hand the partner something.
• Mutual: accounts where you both have a reason to go in together.

Give first. One-off asks with no plan behind them don’t help anybody. If you use Crossbeam, that sorting is where account mapping turns into pipeline. Either way, the list comes first. Gusto splits its program by partner type too, so compare the Gusto partner program.

What does a partner GTM motion in the ADP ecosystem look like?

A partner go-to-market (GTM) motion is one campaign, run with one partner, into accounts you both care about. Here’s how we run one in the ADP ecosystem:

1. Pick the partner. Pair an HR software vendor with an accounting firm, a broker, another Marketplace partner, and the list goes on.
2. Agree on the accounts. Overlap your lists and choose ADP clients where both of you belong in the room.
3. Write one joint story. Answer one question: why these two firms, for this employer, right now?
4. Run the outreach. Email, LinkedIn and cold calls go out under the partner relationship. A real human SDR makes the calls, not AI. Where it fits, add a field event or an in-person meeting.
5. Hand off the meetings. Booked meetings go to whoever owns the deal, with the partner’s context attached.
6. Track every result. Count meetings, new shared clients and installs, so you have proof for ADP’s partner team.

Each one-off motion is quoted on its own, so there’s no fixed price. As a rough guide, about $15K tends to be the average for a one-off motion with a part-time SDR making a limited number of calls. For scale, one full-time SDR makes about 1,000 cold calls a month. So a program running three to five motions either picks which ones get the calling or adds a second SDR. And any GTM motion could cost you $0 if partners pay for it. Our Produce My Pipeline program is the version that runs every quarter.

Partners often fund these motions too. Before you pay for one alone, it’s worth reading how market development funds work.

Related reading

• SaaS Channel Partners: Types, Economics, and Motion
• What Is a Channel Partner Program? Definition and Types

Frequently asked questions

Does ADP have a partner program?

Yes, several. Software vendors apply to the ADP Marketplace partner program. Accountants join Accountant Connect. Brokers, banks, advisors, private equity firms, franchises and member groups each have their own path.

How do I become an ADP Marketplace partner?

Apply at partners.adp.com. ADP looks for shared clients, a differentiated HCM solution, an API-based SaaS platform and digital purchasing.

What is the ADP Marketplace?

ADP calls it a digital HR storefront where clients try or buy apps. Partner solutions there connect to ADP so data flows between systems.

Is ADP Accountant Connect free?

Yes. ADP says Accountant Connect is free. Accountants can earn up to 75% revenue share plus ongoing residuals when they refer eligible ADP solutions, under ADP’s program terms.

What is ADP Embedded Payroll?

It’s ADP payroll built into another company’s software. ADP says it can help providers improve revenue and retention.

What does ADP look for in software partners?

Shared clients come first. ADP also wants a differentiated HCM product, API integration and a way for clients to buy online.

Where is the ADP partner portal login?

ADP Marketplace partners log in from partners.adp.com, which links “Already a partner? Login to access the Partner Portal.” Accountants and other partner types use their own ADP logins.

The bottom line

The ADP partner program rewards one thing above the rest: shared clients. Integrations and listings keep you eligible. But clients you bring and keep decide whether ADP notices you. So don’t wait for ADP to send you deals. Instead, go build pipeline with the partners who already serve ADP’s clients. That’s what gets a platform’s attention. Also, if you sell into HR platforms, see the Rippling partner types and tiers. And our directory of partner programs covers the rest.

Forecastable is an independent third-party B2B partnerships agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by ADP. Program details are drawn from ADP’s public pages and are current as of November 8th, 2026.

Are you an HR software vendor or ADP partner that wants more shared clients? We’ll show you which partners and accounts to start with. Book a Program-Fit Analysis.