The Complete Guide To QuickBooks Online Payroll Pricing

Known for accounting, QuickBooks Online also offers a comprehensive suite of payroll plans called QuickBooks Online Payroll.

How Much Does QuickBooks Online Payroll Cost?

QuickBooks Online Payroll costs between $50/month + $6/per person - $229/month + $11/per person, depending on which of the QBO Payroll pricing plans you choose. Each pricing plan gains you full-service payroll with automated tax support, but the larger the plan, the more additional features and customer support you have access to.

Three of QuickBooks’ pricing plans also include QuickBooks Online accounting software, while the other three are add-ons for existing QBO users.

How Does QuickBooks Online Payroll Pricing Work?

There are two different versions of QuickBooks payroll products. The QuickBooks Desktop Payroll system works with QuickBooks Desktop products and the QuickBooks Intuit Online Payroll platform, which is available for QuickBooks Online clients. This post focuses on Intuit’s QuickBooks Online Payroll plans.

Designed for new or current users, QuickBooks Online Payroll (also referred to as Intuit Online Payroll) offers six online payroll pricing structures — all with full-service, automatic payroll options.

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 integrates directly with QuickBooks Online to make managing your business’s finances easier.

QuickBooks Online Payroll has month-to-month contracts and no early termination fees.

QuickBooks Online Payroll Pricing Plans Compared

Here are the Intuit Online Payroll cost breakdowns:

QuickBooks Online Core Payroll

The most basic payroll program, Core’s Payroll plan, costs $50/month + $6 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 $85/month + $9 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 $130/month + $11 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.

These plans do not include QuickBooks Online accounting software. If you need QuickBooks accounting software, you can choose from the following plans:

QuickBooks Online Payroll Core + Simple Start

This plan costs $85/month + $6 per employee and includes QuickBooks Payroll Core and QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software.

QuickBooks Online Payroll Core + Essentials

This plan costs $115/month + $6 per employee and includes QuickBooks Payroll Core and QuickBooks Essentials accounting software.

QuickBooks Payroll Elite + Plus

This plan costs $229/month + $11 per employee and includes QuickBooks Payroll Elite plus QuickBooks Plus accounting software.

Extra QuickBooks Online Payroll Costs & Fees

Intuit QuickBooks Online Payroll does have some additional costs per month, depending on your small business needs:

• Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Most businesses with one or more employees across the 50 states will need workers’ compensation as a legal business requirement. Intuit partners with AP Intego’s pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation insurance. There is a $5 admin fee (Core plan only) to use this service. Premiums for workers’ comp will depend on how many employees you have and what type of business you operate.
• QuickBooks Online Plan: Choose from Simple Start, Essential, Plus, and Advanced plans that track income expenses, sales, and sales tax. This cloud-based accounting software also creates invoices, accepts payments, and maximizes tax deductions. Pricing starts at $35/month.
• Labor Law Poster Subscription Service: All businesses that have an employee or contractor working for them must display or have available all appropriate labor law posters. Posting this information is a legal requirement, but staying on top of new regulations and changes can be tedious for business owners. Payroll customers can access the labor law posters for their state through an add-on subscription, and QuickBooks will send new posters as needed.
• E-File 1099s:  This service helps prepare, send, and e-file your 1099s via an auto-fill from your Intuit QuickBooks Online Payroll information. This additional service is available for $14.99. You can also order tax forms and other business forms, such as checks, directly through QuickBooks.
• Multistate Processing Fees: If you process payroll for people in different states, you can expect to pay a processing fee per state.
• Medical/Dental/Vision: QuickBooks partners with Simply Insured to offer health benefits options to your team.

Which QuickBooks Online Payroll Pricing Plan Is Right For You?

Your budget and the amount of work you want to put into your payroll can help you decide which QBO Payroll plan is right for you.  At the Core pricing level, the automated tax filings, basic reporting features, and basic benefits management programs are enough to help a small business with a handful of employees. As a business grows and the HR requirements increase, the offerings at the Premium and Elite levels may align better.

The tax penalty protection at the Elite level is a great added layer of security, and it comes partnered with a white glove/curated experience for business owners short on time. If your company does not have a bookkeeper, accountant, or HR team in charge of payroll and benefits management, QuickBooks can keep your payroll seamless while offering tools to meet those other needs.

Choose The Intuit Online Payroll Core Plan If…

Choose The Intuit Online Payroll Premium Plan If…

Choose The Intuit Online Payroll Elite Plan If…

Are There Cheaper Options Than Intuit Online Payroll?

While QuickBooks Online is a reputable company with plenty of features, there are plenty of alternatives to QuickBooks Payroll. Here are a few of our top choices for payroll software that are cheaper than QuickBooks Online Payroll.

Gusto

Gusto offers affordable payroll services with basic reporting, onboarding, and health insurance administration with all of its plans. It tops our best payroll software list as the best overall payroll software for small businesses.

Gusto offers four pricing plans with pricing starting at $49/month + $6/person. The smaller Gusto plans are cheaper than QuickBooks Online Payroll, though the most expensive Gusto plan is significantly more expensive than the most expensive QuickBooks Online Payroll plan. There are additional add-ons, such as health benefits, 401(k) plans, and college savings plans, that you can sign up for as well.

Read our full Gusto pricing breakdown to learn more.

Square Payroll

Along with a point-of-sale platform and payment processing, Square also offers a payroll service. If you are only paying independent contractors, you pay $6/contractor on your payroll. If you have employees as well, you pay $35/month + $6/employee.

There are no contracts, and you can also add additional features, such as health benefits, 401(k), and workers’ compensation.

Read our complete guide to Square payroll pricing to learn everything you get with this affordable payroll solution.

When To Choose A More Expensive Option Than QuickBooks Online Payroll

While we all understand the drive to save money, it’s worth noting that budget shouldn’t be the only determining factor in selecting your payroll software. Payroll software with more advanced features like ADP or with full PEO options like Paychex might be a better fit. Make sure to do your research before deciding which payroll option is right for your business, so that you can get the most bang for your buck.

How To Add Intuit Online Payroll To Your QuickBooks Online Account

When you’re ready to set up and run payroll in QuickBooks Online, you can sign up directly through the QuickBooks Online dashboard and select your subscription plan directly from there.

After you answer a few basic questions, you can then start adding your employees. Here, you’ll add their information and pay rate along with withholdings, deductions, and other information. After that, you can add your worker’s comp policy and set up your payroll taxes. Finally, you can connect to your bank account and sign your tax forms. It seems complicated, but QuickBooks Online walks you through the entire process.