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Payroll is an integral and time-consuming task for small business owners. QuickBooks Workforce's features and ease of use make it an efficient and competitive product.
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Known for accounting, QuickBooks Online also offers a comprehensive suite of payroll plans called QuickBooks Workforce (formerly known as QuickBooks Online Payroll).
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QuickBooks Workforce costs between $50/month + $6.50/per person - $203/month + $10/per person, depending on which of the pricing plans you choose. Each pricing plan gives 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.
There are two different versions of QuickBooks payroll products. The QuickBooks Desktop Payroll system works with QuickBooks Desktop products, and the QuickBooks Workforce platform is available for QuickBooks Online clients. This post focuses on QuickBooks Workforce plans.
QuickBooks Workforce offers three standalone payroll plans along with bundled payroll-and-accounting options.
All plans include full-service payroll and automatic tax filing, while automated payroll scheduling is reserved for higher-tier plans. QuickBooks Workforce integrates directly with QuickBooks Online to make managing your business’s finances easier.
QuickBooks Workforce has month-to-month contracts and no early termination fees.
Pro Tip: QuickBooks also runs promotions frequently for its products, so be sure to check for any available discounts before purchasing.
| Workforce Payroll | Workforce Premium | Workforce Elite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $50/month + $6.50 per employee | $88/month + $10 per employee | $134/month + $12 per employee |
| Next-Day Direct Deposit | |||
| Unlimited Payroll Runs | |||
| Calculates Paychecks | |||
| Files Federal & State Taxes | |||
| Files Year-End Forms | |||
| Expert Support | |||
| Garnishments & Deductions | |||
| Reporting Features | |||
| Health Benefits Management | |||
| Same-Day Direct Deposit | |||
| Automated Payroll | |||
| HR Support | |||
| Workers’ Comp | |||
| Assisted Payroll Setup | |||
| Time Tracking | |||
| Project Management | |||
| White-Glove Setup | |||
| Tax Penalty Protection |
Here are the pricing breakdowns:
QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $50/month + $6.50 per employee and includes:
QuickBooks Workforce Premium costs $88/month + $10 per employee and includes everything in the Workforce Payroll plan, plus:
QuickBooks Workforce Elite costs $134/month + $12 per employee and includes everything in Workforce Premium, plus:
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:
This plan costs $88/month + $6.50 per employee and includes QuickBooks Workforce Payroll and QuickBooks Simple Start accounting software.
This plan costs $125/month + $6.50 per employee and includes QuickBooks Workforce Payroll and QuickBooks Essentials accounting software.
This plan costs $203/month + $10 per employee and includes QuickBooks Workforce Premium plus QuickBooks Plus accounting software.
QuickBooks Workforce does have some additional costs per month, depending on your small business needs:
Your budget and the amount of work you want to put into your payroll can help you decide which plan is right for you. At the entry-level pricing tier, 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 personalized onboarding 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.
While QuickBooks Online is a reputable company with plenty of features, there are plenty of alternatives to QuickBooks Workforce. Here are a few of our top choices for payroll software that are cheaper than QuickBooks Workforce.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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 workers’ compensation 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.
Free Trial: Try A Top Pick For Payroll
Gusto  |
|---|
Gusto is an all-in-one people platform that simplifies payroll & HR tasks. Get Started.
Free Trial: Try A Top Pick For Payroll
Gusto |
|---|
Gusto is an all-in-one people platform that simplifies payroll & HR tasks. Get Started.
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Our reviewers like ADP Payroll for its advanced employee management, strong payroll features, and great customer support. For a limited time, get three months free.
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