The Complete Guide To QuickBooks Payroll Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop users may find that it saves both time and money to use the Quickbooks payroll integration for free tax forms, instant paychecks, and e-filing.
QuickBooks Payroll automates small business payroll, including calculating payroll taxes, properly recording employees’ tax information, and staying on top of paydays. That said, the feature-rich QuickBooks payroll pricing is a bit expensive.
So before adding payroll to your QuickBooks Desktop solution or subscribing to QuickBooks Online, you’ll want to ensure that this software provides your business with all the features and tools you need at a rate you can afford. This post covers the cost and features of QuickBooks Desktop Payroll and QuickBooks Online Payroll to help you determine if it’s the right payroll software for your business.
Table of Contents
- What’s The Difference Between QuickBooks Desktop Payroll & QuickBooks Online Payroll?
- How Much Does QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Cost?
- QuickBooks Payroll Plans & Pricing
- How Does QuickBooks Desktop Pricing Compare To Other Options?
- QuickBooks Online Payroll Plans & Pricing
- How Does QuickBooks Online Pricing Compare To Other Options?
- Where To Buy QuickBooks Payroll
- Getting Started With QuickBooks Payroll
- QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Pricing FAQs
- How much does QuickBooks Desktop Payroll cost?
- What's the difference between QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll and QuickBooks Assisted Payroll?
- Does QuickBooks Desktop include payroll?
- What's the difference between QuickBooks Enterprise and QuickBooks Desktop?
- How much does QuickBooks Enterprise cost per year?
- Will QuickBooks Desktop Payroll be phased out?
- Do You have to use QuickBooks Online to use QuickBooks Payroll?
- Is payroll included in QuickBooks Online?
What’s The Difference Between QuickBooks Desktop Payroll & QuickBooks Online Payroll?
There are two different versions of QuickBooks payroll products. The QuickBooks Desktop Payroll system works with QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, or Enterprise. However, the QuickBooks Intuit Online Payroll platform is available for QuickBooks Online clients. And, bonus! Adding payroll to your QuickBooks suite is as simple as clicking a button.
QuickBooks Online Payroll offers more features and is cheaper than QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. However, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is the best option for businesses paying over 150 employees and those who are tied to the QuickBooks Desktop service.
How Much Does QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Cost?
Plan | Price |
---|---|
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll | $500/year or $50/month |
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll | $350+/month |
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll pricing is simple, as it offers just one payroll plan: QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll. QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll is priced at $50/month + $5 per employee. You can also save money by signing up for an annual plan priced at $500/year + $5 per employee.
Previously, QuickBooks offered QuickBooks Desktop Assisted Payroll, but this plan was discontinued in July 2022 for new users. Current users are unaffected by this change, and Assisted Payroll is available as part of the QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond bundle.
QuickBooks Enterprise Gold, Platinum, and Diamond users are not required to pay the base subscription fee for QuickBooks Payroll, as Enterprise plans include payroll services. If you’re considering an Enterprise Silver, Gold, or Platinum plan, note that you’ll be locked in for a full year of monthly payments (unless you cancel services within 60-days of purchase).
All QuickBooks Enterprise plan users pay an additional fee for contractors paid via direct deposit. QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond users will pay just $1/employee paid per month under the Assisted Payroll plan.
If you purchased QuickBooks Enterprise 23.0’s Silver plan, which doesn’t include payroll services, you would be required to pay the base monthly subscription price and per employee/contractor paid fee when you add Enhanced Payroll.
QuickBooks Payroll Plans & Pricing
Plan | Price | When To Use |
---|---|---|
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll | $500/year or $50/month | If your business needs advanced payroll features and can handle payroll tax filing in-house |
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll | $350+/month | If your business needs full tax filing support and next-day direct deposit (new Enterprise Diamond users only) |
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll offers two pricing plans: QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll and QuickBooks Assisted Payroll. Unless you’ll be subscribing to QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond, you’ll likely be using QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll as your QuickBooks Desktop Payroll solution. Here’s a look at what QuickBooks Payroll has to offer.
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll costs $50/month +$5/month per employee or $500/year + $5/month per employee depending on whether you choose to pay monthly or annually (though Intuit usually offers a discount for QuickBooks payroll ). Enhanced payroll is QuickBooks Desktop’s do-it-yourself payroll option. You can process your payroll and file your taxes directly through QuickBooks.
Enhanced Payroll includes:
- Free tax forms
- Payroll support
- Instant paychecks
- Free direct deposit for employees
- Pay W-2 employees
- Pay 1099 employees
- E-filing and printing for W-2s
- Two-day direct deposit
QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll is included with QuickBooks Enterprise Gold and Platinum plans, so users are not required to pay the monthly base subscription fee or a monthly per-employee-paid fee. Additional fees are incurred when contractors are paid by direct deposit.
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll is only available to new customers under the QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond plan and starts at $350/month. With QuickBooks Assisted Payroll, QuickBooks processes your payroll for you and automatically files your payroll taxes. QuickBooks Desktop Assisted handles the payroll setup for you as well.
Full-Service Payroll includes everything from the Enhanced Plan, plus:
- No tax penalties
- Assisted payroll setup
- Automatic tax filing
- Next-day direct deposit
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll is included with QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond plans with users required to pay an additional $1 per employee paid, $5/month per employee for QuickBooks Time, and a fee for each contractor paid by direct deposit. Additionally, QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond Assisted Payroll users are limited to four payroll runs per month.
Please note that QuickBooks Assisted Payroll is not available in Indiana or Wyoming.
How Does QuickBooks Desktop Pricing Compare To Other Options?
As a standalone service, QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll is average on the price spectrum, with several cheaper options on the market. QuickBooks Desktop Payroll alternatives, such as QuickBooks Online and Gusto offer stronger tax support at a similar price point. Take time to compare Gusto versus QuickBooks Online Payroll, if you’re considering either option as an alternative to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.
If you’re looking for more affordable payroll software options, Patriot Payroll, OnPay, and Square Payroll topped our list of the best cheap payroll software.
QuickBooks Online Payroll Plans & Pricing
Plan | Price | When To Use |
---|---|---|
QuickBooks Online Core Payroll | $45/month + $5/month | If your business needs basic payroll services and some tax support |
QuickBooks Online Premium Payroll | $75/month + $8/per employee | If your business needs HR support and automated payroll runs |
QuickBooks Online Elite Payroll | $125/month + $10/per employee | If your business needs more robust HR support, strong customization options, and tax penalty protection |
All of the QuickBooks Online Payroll pricing plans include full-service payroll. That means even the lowest Intuit Online Payroll price tier includes automatic tax and form filing.
QuickBooks Online Payroll has three pricing tiers: Core, Premium, and Elite. The program also has month-to-month contracts and no early termination fees. (QuickBooks also runs promotions frequently for its products, so be sure to check for any available discounts before purchasing.)
Here are the Intuit Online Payroll cost breakdowns:
QuickBooks Online Core Payroll
The most basic payroll program, Core’s Payroll plan, costs $45/month + $5/month per employee and includes:
- Next-day direct deposit
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Automated payroll
- Calculates paychecks
- Calculates and files federal and state taxes
- Calculates and files year-end forms
- Expert support
- Workplace portal
- Manages garnishments and deductions
- Offers reporting features
- Health benefits management
QuickBooks Online Premium Payroll
QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium Payroll plan costs $75/month + $8/per employee and includes everything in the Core Payroll plan, plus:
- Same-day direct deposit
- HR support
- 24/7 product support
- Worker’s compensation administration
- Assisted payroll setup
- Help from US-based expert support staff
- Mobile time tracking
QuickBooks Online Elite Payroll
QuickBooks Online Payroll’s Elite Payroll plan costs $125/month + $10/per employee and includes everything in the Premium Payroll plan, plus:
- HR support with a personal HR advisor
- White glove customized setup
- Mobile time tracking & project management
- Tax penalty protection
QuickBooks currently has a promotion where you can get your first three months of payroll for 50% off. This applies to any plan. A 30-day free trial is also available. However, you will have to choose between the free trial and the current promotion.
How Does QuickBooks Online Pricing Compare To Other Options?
QuickBooks Online Payroll’s starting price of $45/month + $5/month per employee is right around average compared to alternatives to QuickBooks alternatives, including Square Payroll and Gusto. Square Payroll’s starting rate is $35/month plus $6 per employee/month, while Gusto’s basic plan starts at $40/month + $6/month per person.
However, while Square Payroll and Gusto are cheaper alternatives to QuickBooks Online Payroll, they aren’t cheaper by much. if you’re already locked into the QuickBooks system, it might be worth adding payroll services just to keep things cohesive.
Where To Buy QuickBooks Payroll
There are a few ways to purchase QuickBooks Desktop Payroll: on Intuit’s site or through one of QuickBooks’ resellers.
Office supply stores, such as Staples or Office Max, often sell the software. Retail stores, such as Walmart, Best Buy, and even online giant Amazon, also carry QuickBooks Payroll software. The software is often bundled with the purchase of QuickBooks Desktop Pro, QuickBooks Desktop Premier, or QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.
If you are a QuickBooks Enterprise Gold, Platinum, or Diamond user, your QuickBooks subscription already comes with payroll support.
Getting Started With QuickBooks Payroll
Now that you know what QuickBooks Payroll is capable of, you can make an informed decision if this software is right for you. If you are still unsure, take advantage of the free 30-day payroll trial to see if QB payroll is right for your business.
If you do decide to use QuickBooks, be sure to check out our QuickBooks Desktop Pro 101 series to learn how to set up QuickBooks payroll, run payroll, use direct deposit, and more. You’ll find standout resources and tips to help you understand how to run payroll in QuickBooks and other common functions.